summer is tv time out here

The programming really picks up out here for shows on tv during the summer. With holidays and all going on, there always are lots of new shows and reruns of old favorites. How much of an impact does tv and it's shows really have on us? In the sense that, do you start reading a book or wearing certain types of clothes just because the character of a show does? That was the whole Friends phenomenon wasn't it, with everyone getting the "Rachel cut"! I did a shorter version of it too back then! But what's the reasoning behind all the crime and hospital shows? Do they end up selling more healthcare carts or something like that? I love watching the less graphic kind of crime and cops shows, like Castle and Midsomer Murders. Can't stand to watch any of the more graphic ones, either crime or hospital dramas.