The 50-plus crowd may mourn the cancellation of Harry's Law (starring Kathy Bates), but advertisers and TV networks only care about catering to a younger audience. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

I've developed a litmus test to determine whether you're a baby boomer or not.

Do you find "drug humour" funny?

I saw comedian Robin Williams in a standup show a few years back and half his jokes were about "being high." I remember thinking, "What is this, 1968?"

High or not, one thing baby boomers love is talking about themselves. Thus, as the first wave of baby boomers hits retirement, there's no shortage of speculation about how this multitudinous, self-absorbed generation is going to change the face of what it means to be old.

As a TV writer, of course, that gets me thinking about how TV will be impacted.

The jumping-off point for pondering these issues is The Boomer Revolution, a one-hour documentary airing Thursday on CBC, as part of the Doc Zone series. It's a lighthearted examination of what boomers are going to do with their "longevity bonus," as average life expectancy has risen astonishingly over the past half-century.