Comment by Terr_

Pet theory: The root issue is that we have a extremely strong instinct to explain/model the world with stories. We can't help it, even if you know a coin flip is 50/50, you'll start thinking "with this many Heads in a row, I'm either on a hot streak or overdue for Tails now", because you're trying to make a story.

With respect to television, I don't think the "stories are kinda real" aspect is new, compared to books or oral tradition. The new part is the communication system which brings together a much larger group as audience.