The overall level of anything must never be judged by its representation in mass media, least of all in TV. Even if lovers of sophisticated humour outnumbered those of crude "comedy" (which they probably never did), they would be much less likely to buy the stuff advertised in commercials.

The world of TV is divided in two sections: the cosy one (providing heartwarming stories, and news in the style of soap operas to give the watcher the illusion of really understanding the world) and the cynical but affluent youngsters' one.