In today's society, the most popular go-to TV shows tend to lean more on the side of mindless entertainment, such as "Stranger Things," "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," "Family Guy," etc.

And don't get me wrong—I love me some Kardashian drama just as much as the next person, but sadly, most of us don't live the lifestyle of a Kardashian. So by watching these shows, little girls and boys are growing up thinking that this is the ideal and standard that their life should live up to and anything else is imperfect and wrong.

And typically in the media, if a character does happen to be gay or obese or anything different, they are often portrayed as the introvert or goofy sidekick. Very rarely are they heroine or the main character. Imagine the little boy who grew up wanting nothing more than to be just like his TV idol and is ashamed to find out that he never can be because he's not straight.

When things such as being gay aren't talked about and normalized in the media, kids grow up to think it's wrong. Which is why I believe that more shows should use the opportunity of having a platform of millions of viewers each week to say things that actually matter and address important issues.

It's not like we have to sacrifice the element of entertainment to work these important topics into the storyline. Here are some perfect examples of that:

1. This Is Us

One of the many reasons that I love this show is because it addresses a such a wide range of important topics that people don't normally think of or talk about. It addresses issues such as adoption and the struggle of being black and being raised by a white family, childhood and adult obesity, drug and alcohol abuse, miscarriage, fostering, etc.

The thing I love about this show is that it doesn't try and sugar coat the issues. It shows the reality and the struggle that these characters face and shows that it's normal to go through these things.

2. Pretty Little Liars

This wildly popular show addresses important issues within their storyline without making it the main focus of the show. They are snuck in there just enough to be relevant but not make the issues seem taboo. Issues addressed in this show include struggles with being a member of the LGTBQIA+ community, coming out/homophobia, military parents, mental health, divorce, single parenting, step-siblings, pregnancy and many more.

What I really appreciate about this show is that it is targeted at teens and young adults, so that kids can grow up with the mindset of normalizing these things.

3. The Fosters

Also teen-targeted, this show does a great job of addressing issues such as fostering (obviously), lesbian parents, adoption, teen pregnancy and abortion, racism, interracial relationships, transgenderism and more.

4. One Tree Hill

An oldie but a goodie, this show addresses issues such as teen pregnancy, school shootings, getting married young, abandoning parents, and more in an entertaining and popular TV drama.

These issues being addressed are normal problems and struggles that people face every day. They just aren't talked about very much in the media because they are too touchy or deep for daytime TV. But talking about them and showing relatable characters going through the same struggles and issues that you are is helping to normalize them in the media.

Even if it makes people uncomfortable, it's still important to address because it could have the opposite effect on someone else. I really appreciate that shows like this are straying away from "reality shows" where all of the characters are using scripts and have had enormous amounts of plastic surgery done, and are instead showing what reality is actually like.

In turn, making people who face these issues in their day to day life feel more accepted and like they aren't the only ones dealing with these things. TV done right.