I'm having increasingly vivid and complex dreams myself lately. I suspect it's because I don't watch TV any more; my brain is sitting alone, playing by itself.

That's really interesting! The major influence on whether I dream complexly—or remember it if I do—is not my watching or reading material but just my baseline mental health. It is a bad sign if I go weeks without being able to recall my dreams, even nightmares. Same deal with writing, even reviews or short poems. I think it's all woven into the narrative-making part of the brain.