Does TV Celebrate Infidelity Too Easily?

Usually I'm a "go with the flow" kind of guy when it comes to my television viewing. Lately, however, I've been having issues with the prevalence of couples, in serious relationships, straying.

I know that in the world of TV that "sex sells". But, why? It's cliche to say that over 50% of marriages end in divorce these days - but do we have to celebrate the lack of commitment to one another in our entertainment?

Want some examples? Good. Cause here they are:

Mad Men (AMC) - The show is based in the fast-paced drunken world of advertising during the 1960s. The men treat women like second-class citizens and work their way through the secretary pool on a daily basis. But, these people are married! Does the time period allow the viewers to just chalk up the infidelity to the 60s?

I can't think of one main character (all married or in relationships) that haven't cheated. Don, Roger, Pete, Joan and yes, even Peggy. They've all cheated on or cheated with someone's spouse.

Smash (NBC) - This show is the media darling of NBC. When I was at the Network's presentation of their 2011-2012 season last May, they pushed Smash as the next great American TV show. The behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a Broadway musical was going to rival Glee for the "see the show and then buy the songs on iTunes" title.

One of the big storylines this season was Debra Messing's character, Julia, cheating with one of her actors - Michael. Not only is Julia married with a kid, so is Michael. Not only do they cheat and try to cover it up, but this isn't the first time they've had an affair together. The show is based in current day, so I'm guessing we can't blame this one on the 60's, can we?

The Office (NBC) - I have to be up front, The Office was one of my favorite all-time shows in the first 3 or 4 seasons. Part of the reason was the "will they/won't they" relationship of Jim and Pam.

We watched as Jim agonized over his silent love for his friend Pam as she weakly stayed with her fiance Roy. How did he finally profess his love? He kissed her - an engaged woman, and she kissed him right back. Did I cheer? Yes, yes I did.

Pam eventually realized how little she actually liked Roy and a few seasons later, finally got together and married Jim.

The list can go on and on: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Glee, Once Upon A Time, Desperate Housewives, and even How I Met Your Mother - all these shows have leaned heavily on the cheating story arc.

Cheating exists in real life, I'm not so naive to think it doesn't. However, should we be pining to watch it happen in our entertainment? Hollywood sure thinks so!

These storylines don't just happen during the course of a show, they are what the networks use to promote the programs. Smash will show a clip or two of the music in their ads, but you're sure to see a steamy scene about the affair caught up in there too.

In the acting world people have said certain emotions are just "too easy". An example would be an actor who just gets rip-roaring angry and screams through an entire scene or show. In my opinion, that's what cheating is for a storyline - too easy. It's been done, and done a LOT.

The sad thing? It seems a lot of the time, the person being cheated on accepts the mistake and moves on with their lives with very little repercussions.

Are we rooting for these couples? Are we enjoying the fact that these televised married men and women are sleeping around, just to add drama to our lives? Do we get to put our own ideas into it? Can we say that we see that Person A isn't really happy with Person B - so it's ok if they cheat, cause they really love Person C? Is there an ethic issue we should put on our viewing? Maybe not. I get annoyed at Don Draper but cheer for Jim and Pam. I'm not saying I have the answers, I'm just posing the questions.

I wish better for TV and as a newly engaged man, I wish better for humanity too.

What's your take? Am I being too sensitive here? Should I just say "it's entertainment" and let it go? Or, maybe - am I right on? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you think.

You can follow KP and all his TV-related exploits on Twitter, Facebook or at KPonTV.com.