Voice-overs

I don't watch a lot of television but from what I do watch, I've noticed that over the last 2-3 years some of the most popular shows (excluding gameshows, which is really all reality TV is) have used voice-overs. Why is this?

The theologian in me wants to believe that people (or at least TV producers) are seeking a grand metanarrative to give meaning to their lives. That somehow the voice of an omniscient narrator, connecting each storyline and plot, mirrors a personal desire for community and connectedness. The realist in me recognizes that voice-overs are quick ways to move a story forward.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are voice overs used too much? Do they "tell" when they should "show"? Is the average viewer too ignorant to understand a show unless they are knocked over the head with the shows theme-for-the week (vis-a-vis, Desperate Housewives). Or are shows loosing any sense of subtly and nuance?

Here are a list of shows I thought of that use narrators or voice overs. Help me out by posting any others that you know of that I have not. I am especially interested if you have noticed any shows that have recently debuted that include voice overs.

Desperate Housewives
Grey's Anatomy
My Name is Earl
Arrested Development
Myth Busters

...any else?