After a bit of Ben binge viewing, I noticed that nearly every program, when it begins running out of good story ideas, very often resorts to fantasy. Some of this is quite entertaining, I will admit. But as a writer myself, back in the 1700s, I can tell you this much: it's definitely a sign of the well running dry when you see the main characters engaging in all sorts of shenanigans and absurdities, simply because there are fewer and fewer "reality" topics worth pursuing.
One program in particular, "Always Sunny in Philadelphia," is a veritable embarrassment to those like myself who call Philadelphia home. In each and every episode, the five inhabitants of a very peculiar establishment called Paddy's Pub figure out every vice, every depravity, and every selfish, imprudent act known to mankind... and then go out and engage in those very same acts themselves. Their lack of common sense and morality is so all-encompassing, you simply have to laugh at how low they will sink to gain an advantage over their so-called friends.
If I were to create a dream sequence starring yours truly, set in my beloved home town of Philadelphia, and featuring this gang of ridiculous ruffians, I can assure you that it would be more of a nightmare sequence in which their buffoonery and narcissistic behavior would have me tearing my hair out (what little I have remaining, that is, below the large bald spot) over the foolhardiness demonstrated by these immature simpletons on a regular basis. What has Philadelphia sunk to? What has America sunk to?
That is a very scary thought.
Your humble servant,
B.Franklin