Most students unwind from a day of class by escaping into another world through television. Primetime programming litters channels with shows portraying a range of life events and situations.

Thursday nights, some students tune into the show Grey’s Anatomy. The show is primarily set in a hospital, and exposes the lives of a young group of doctors and residents, both inside and out of the hospital.

Currently, Grey’s is rated number one as the most downloaded TV show for the American Broadcasting Channel, according to the ABC Web site.

Jessica Jacobs, a first-year graduate student in communication, said shows like Grey’s teach audiences skewed views of reality. She recently introduced the theory of cultivation to students in her course, Intro to Communication Theory.

According to Jacobs, the cultivation theory is used to explain the content of TV and the tendency to support immoral behavior. Ninety-eight percent of Americans own a TV in their homes, so cultivation theory “affects everyone,” said Jacobs.

Some students who watch Grey’s said they feel the show is an entertaining drama with direct life lessons, given through an omniscient narratation by one of the characters, Meredith Grey.

“The show is always teaching lessons,” Niko Adamopoulos, a sophomore in accounting, said. “The opening and closing dialogues always give me an inspirational message.”

Elyse Abdella, a junior in elementary education, said the show teaches that one must be careful of their actions because all actions have consequences. She said last Thursday’s episode promoted the belief to “own up to your actions.” The show focused on surgeon Preston Burke.

He was no longer able to physically perform surgeries due to an illness. Burke made his collegue, Cristina Yang, keep his secret from the other doctors.

“As doctors, we know everybody’s secrets. Their medical histories, sexual histories, confidential information that is as essential to a surgeon as a 10 blade and every bit as dangerous,” Grey said in the show. “In some ways, betrayal is inevitable. When our bodies betray us, surgery is often the key to recovery. When we betray each other, the pathway to recovery is less clear.”

However, some viewers do not think Grey’s lessons are positive. According to some students, Grey’s characters are irresponsible.

Evan Archer, a freshman in textile and apparel management, said he felt the irresponsible behavior of the characters in the show “teaches people that actions can go unpunished.”

“[Grey’s] basically is saying that you don’t necessarily have to take responsibility for your actions,” Archer said.

Cultivation theory, Jacobs said, also examines the long-term effect of TV on viewers.

“Minute messages can sneak in there and gradually affect your world view,” Jacobs said. “If you watch tons of TV, you don’t realize how it could be altering your view. Even if you know it’s not realistic and not actually trying to portray your life, it could still affect you.”

But despite this fact, Grey’s and other TV shows are “a business,” according to Jacobs.

“Whatever sells is going to continue to be put on TV,” said Jacobs.

But cultivation theory also stresses that TV is only a source of entertainment, even in the case of the reality TV trend, Jacobs said.

But for some students, like junior in mechanical engineering Elliot Smith, the show provides more than entertainment.

“People enjoy that they know the rules of regular society, but in the back in their minds, they have a bunch of ‘what ifs,'” Smith said. “TV shows let them explore those ‘what ifs.’ You can imagine yourself as that person and you can get caught up in the whole storyline.”

Adamopoulos said another reason why most college students enjoy Grey’s is most students can identify with a character.

“The cheating, life lessons and drama are all things that capture our attention,” said Adamopoulos.

He said the character of Alex Karey, an intern on the show, is his favorite.

“I can relate to him, because he is not only smooth, but is not afraid to tell people how he feels,” Adamopoulos said.

Other students identify with different characters on Grey’s.

“Whether [men] like to admit it or not, I think a lot of guys see themselves in George,” Adam Attarian, a senior in electrical engineering, said. “He’s the underdog, the guy who keeps getting the short end of the stick and just needs a break.”

Attarian said Grey’s has “a certain amount” of absurdity to it, but he feels it is plausible and still allows watchers to relate.

Resonance with characters on a TV show increases the likelihood of people watching the series, said Jacobs. The relatibility to people in college is the separation between Grey’s and other medical shows.

“You get attached to the characters,” Jacobs said. “It’s a relationship.”

Smith said most of the show is about the interpersonal relationships between the doctors.

“[Grey’s] is more about developing characters and telling their story,” Smith said.

Although Archer said the show isn’t too realistic on the hospital side, “the relationship aspect of it is pretty realistic.” He said he even learned how not to treat women by the actions of the male characters on Grey’s.

“We just all need to be aware of the effects [of TV] messages can have,” Jacobs said. “I don’t think that these TV shows are evil. You have to be a good consumer to pick through what’s true and what isn’t.”