The start of fall is a dreadful time, as summer comes to a close and homework piles up. Television, on the other hand, always celebrates the beginning of fall.

After taking a summer recess, stations advertise the season premieres of their returning shows while introducing new ones.

The quality of television shows, however, has declined dramatically over the last two-and-a-half decades. In 1982, NBC created “Must See TV,” a series of sitcoms and dramas including “The Cosby Show,” “Cheers,” and “Hill Street Blues.” In the ‘90s, it became “Must See TV Thursday,” featuring shows such as “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “ER,” and “Will and Grace.”

But 1992 marked the genesis of a new era of television, as MTV’s “The Real World” spawned reality television.

Although quality sitcoms and dramas remained popular through the ‘90s, “Survivor,” “The Apprentice” and “American Idol,” (the modern “Miss America”) appeared in our decade.

The previous era provided entertaining comedy and action, while the current era consists of watching morons vying for 15 minutes of fame.

In addition, reality television has completely taken over a staple aspect of our generation. Music Television, also known as MTV, has abandoned music for ridiculous reality shows like, “Date my Mom.”

I recently watched this show for 10 minutes and wanted to puke as a 49-year-old mother demeaned herself in order to make her daughter seem more attractive.

The show consists of one bachelor who dates three mothers separately and, based on the date’s outcome, selects one of the daughters to date.

In the episode, I watched the mother dance erotically and, accentuating her breasts and hips, boasted about how she, not the daughter, “parties hard.”

MTV used to be about music. But now it follows the lives of the Miss-Teen-USA-South-Carolina-esque girls of “Laguna Beach” and “My Super Sweet Sixteen.”

“Laguna Beach” is an inside view of the taxing lives of teenage girls whose mansions aren’t big enough or whose cars aren’t fast enough, and the drama that is involved with their affairs.

MTV’s obsession with reality television has spread to network television, as “Must See TV Thursday” no longer exists. Now NBC features “Deal or No Deal,” where a contestant selects boxes, and based on the amount of money inside, bargains with “the bankers”.

A guy opening boxes or the ultimate cast of Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer living together in New York? Come on!

However, there is hope for those of us who despise reality television. Les Stroud and The Discovery Channel are giving “Survivor” a run for their money with “Survivorman.” In it, Stroud embarks on a weeklong journey alone and videotapes it, teaching the viewer survival techniques such as purifying urine or creating a long-lasting torch. Although “Survivorman” doesn’t compare to a sitcom, a real reality is much more enjoyable.

The few remaining sitcoms and dramas such as “24” have become implausible. In the first season of “24”, every episode was based on a single premise, like the assassination of the president. Now the show is competing with reality shows, so each season consists of Jack Bauer saving Los Angeles from seven nuclear attacks.

And there are, of course, the sitcoms mocking reality television imported from our linguistic brethren across the pond. “The Office” follows the lives of office workers day to day, and, as in reality television, the actors perform monologues to the camera.

The most pathetic part of reality television is that people enjoy it. They enjoy watching the lives of wealthier people or watching plastic/attractive women degrade themselves to men, (as on “Flava of Love” and “The Girls Next Door”) because they are jealous.

So don’t jealously watch people throw their lives away, while you do the same. Turn off reality TV.