Is TV Programming Getting Better—or Worse?

Today's TV landscape is a baffling dichotomy, where some of the most successful and high-minded creative programming of all time coexists with some of the worst ("Real Housewives," anyone?). Why? And which end of the spectrum will prevail? Featuring Kurt Andersen and Sarah Heyward at the Aspen Ideas Festival. See more at www.aspenideas.org Kurt Andersen is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, most recently True Believers. In addition, he's host of "Studio 360," the Peabody Award-winning public radio program, and a regular contributor to Vanity Fair and The New York Times. He has written screenplays for Disney and Warner Bros. and has produced, written, and developed TV programming for NBC, ABC, USA Networks, and HBO. Previously, he was a staff writer for The New Yorker, co-founder of Spy magazine, and editor-in-chief of New York. Sarah Heyward is the executive story editor for the critically acclaimed HBO series "Girls." A member of the writing staff since the show's first season, she co-wrote the episode "Bad Friend"along with show creator Lena Dunham. Before becoming a screenwriter, Heyward attended Harvard College and received her MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was the recipient of the Maytag Fellowship as well as the Richard Yates Short Story Prize.