Well friends, the winds of change are blowing in our generation’s favor.

There’s a lot of crummy stuff going on in the world right now, but as Americans, we always have one thing to fall back on after a rough day: television.

I’m personally not one to click on network television after a long day. I much rather prefer Netflix shows like “House of Cards” or HBO’s “Game of Thrones” as my sources of entertainment.

So, why don’t I like regular broadcast television? Put simply, it’s boring and isn’t catered to our generation … or at least, it didn’t used to be.

A new pair of late night comedians could redefine the notions that we have about broadcast television.

When Jimmy Fallon took over for Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show,” I didn’t pay much attention. It’s not that I don’t like Jimmy Fallon, but I really didn’t think he was going to last on the show. I was fixed on Jay Leno’s first retirement when Conan O’Brien tried out the late night throne.

I love Conan. He’s zany and has perfect hair: a true late night talk show host. Unfortunately, NBC and viewers didn’t think so. When I think of Conan, his “Triumph the Insult Dog” sketches immediately come to mind. The sock puppet with a cigar was phenomenal and had people rolling on the floor. But when Conan switched to “The Tonight Show,” he had to sacrifice his style for one that suited an older audience.

As we all know, Conan left “The Tonight Show” and Jay Leno returned.

So, how did the networks get the younger viewers to make the switch? To answer this, we have to go even “later” into the night.

The second round of talk shows have always been my favorite—if I’m still awake to watch. While Letterman is funny, I find myself laughing out loud at Craig Ferguson. The Scotsman shoots for utter ridiculousness every episode with his robotic skeleton co-host Geoff and costumed horse “Secretariat.”

Most of my friends like Ferguson’s style, and I always wondered if he would take over once David Letterman called it quits. Now we know Stephen Colbert will be the new host of “The Late Show,” and I’m not surprised. CBS found a candidate with the perfect balance.

The point of all of this is that regular network television is finally considering the younger generation as reliable viewers, and that’s a really good thing for everyone.

Through the Internet and accessibility of cable packages, younger generations have demanded quality television that they can rely on. In our incredibly hectic and ever-changing college lifestyles, we want something to watch that isn’t going to disappear.

“Game of Thrones” and “House of Cards” are not going anywhere. Want to know why? Because they’re quality. Sure, these shows have much larger budgets than the average network program, but what that tells me is quality will always beat quantity. When you turn on any network station, it seems like shows are continuously being cycled through. I have thought to myself, “That show looks cool, but it won’t last another season, so why bother watching it?” That’s where the disconnect is.

I think that the networks have finally found the key to our generation’s viewership. It’s a combination of quality and reliability. Jimmy Fallon is already showing us what network television can offer, and I am really excited to see what Stephen Colbert brings to the show.

Maybe late night television is the initial push our generation needs into the regular broadcast world. I only hope that we’ll continue to see more quality and less turnover.

Alex Goering can be reached at goer8777@stthomas.edu.