While I agree that smart TVs are garbage, they're cheap AF because of the ads and other garbage they include. Look for a dumb TV, if you can even find one nowadays, and it's double the price. They're subsidizing the cost of the TV with the ads and tracking.
I also have an older TV from 2008, and if it dies, I'm probably not going to replace it. I don't use it enough that it's worth replacing.
If you want a large monitor, those are quite expensive, especially at the sizes of today's TVs. You can get a cheapish 40" monitor, but above that, you're looking at a 50% premium for a monitor over a TV.