Wednesday, October 12, 2011

CONFESSION: I LOVE TV

Over on Google+ there's a bit of a conversation between my friends going on about this season's new Fall TV lineup and what people are or aren't watching. I know there's some controversy around TV and how it supposedly rots your brain. Some people think that if you spend any appreciable amount of time watching TV you become a less productive member of society. And the hipsters really think TV is terrible. Well, I think hipsters are terrible and I love TV. [Except FOX News. There is nothing redeeming about that station.]

So yeah, I love TV. My favorite thing to do on a week night is to snuggle up on the couch with my pillows and a blanket and a glass of wine with Dakota at my feet and watch a couple of Friends reruns. By the way, this show is SO much funnier when watching the repeats. I don't know if it was because I wasn't really paying attention when it was on before because I had better things to do like get spiffed up to go see this cute boy named Alan, or if the jokes just didn't resonate with me because they were all so much older than me at the time, but watching these episodes again is a riot. I can appreciate Phoebe and Ross in a way that I never could before. And I think Chandler might be the best written character on TV ever. Not an episode goes by that I don't laugh out loud at something he says.

So here's a quick rundown of what's currently playing on our tube:


Shows I continue to be invested in season after season:
  • The Amazing Race: I cannot tell you how much I love this show. I'm saddened that I didn't find it until season 8 or so. I'm liking the challenges this year so far as they seem more culturally significant.
  • Project Runway: No clear winner for me either. I liked Bert. 
  • Parks & Recreation: Possibly the best show on television. 
  • The Office: Not as good as it was with Michael Scott, but out of loyalty and a deep and abiding love for Pam & Jim, I'll keep watching.
  • The Vampire Diaries: I got sucked in when I was between jobs, watching online. There are a few story arcs I could do without, but I really like the cast and how they don't pussyfoot around the fact that vampires are kind of bad ass.
  • House Hunters (and HH International): What can I say? I love real estate shows. I love seeing the prices of houses in various parts of the world and trying to predict which one people are going to buy. I sometimes find the people super annoying, but then it's fun to make fun of them. 
Shows I might give up on:
  • True Blood: I really, really, really loved the first and second seasons. The third season started to disappoint. I really, really, really hated this past season. If you're using the books as a marker for seasons (which has been the case so far), book four was my favorite of the series. Kind of disappointing them to see this season as my least favorite. Everything was just so bad that I'm thinking of not watching when it comes back.
  • Up All Night: We watched the first two episodes and I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face on the first episode. Wicket Hot Sting Ring was genius. But I can't get over what baffoons the two leads are. I like Christina Applegate and Will Arnett and think their chemistry is good together but I don't like the way the characters are written. I realize parenthood is supposed to be something new and wholly insane for them, but I can't see how these two people functioned as productive members of society before the kid given how idiotic they seem now.
  • The Borgias: To be honest I'm not sure we even finished watching the full season. I think that qualifies it for "Show I already gave up on" status.
New shows I'm loving:
  • The Secret Circle: It's so angsty and is obviously a CW show, but I think the acting is decent for what it is and I like the storyline so far. Also, they do a reasonably good job of keeping me just scared enough that I'm not terrified. I'd say the quality of their shenanigans is as good as any teen horror film out there, minus the blood and gore. It's really suspenseful in a realistic (ahem) manner.
  • Selling New York: NYC porn really. It's just so great to get a glimpse into a world that you'll never inhabit. The agents are kind of awesome in an over-the-top kind of way and some of those apartments are killer. I still can't believe that for the price we paid for our house here we could only get a run own tiny one bedroom but that's New York for you.
Shows I meant to watch but didn't:
  • Pan Am
  • The Playboy Club
Show I complete gave up on:
  • Glee: It sucked so I stopped watching. The End.

Show I wish would just come back on already:

  • Mad Men: It's perfection. It's been gone too long.


So, what's on your tubivision?

2 comments:

  1. I'm going to have to dvr some friends episodes. :)

    Love House Hunters (not as much International).  Love Property Virgins and For Rent.  Love, love, love Project Runway.  Bert was my favorite too.

    New Shows:  Liking Pan Am, Sean likes it too.  Laughing at Whitney and Two Broke Girl's.  Don't know if either will  make it or not, Sean likes them more than I do.

    Shows Sean continues to love - NCIS, NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife

    Comedies we continue to love - Mike and Molly, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement, Cougar Town, Community and Modern Family (I really think you'd like that one).

    Shows we gave up on: Up All Night - nothing like making all new parents look like dumb asses.  Seriously, yes, new parents change, but they still are competent!

    I have not found a lot of new show love this go around, probably because it's hard enough to keep up on my regular shows and study and do things like keep the kids fed and stuff. ;)  It's a good thing that I can study and watch TV at the same time still. :)

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  2. I stopped watching Property Virgins b/c even though I love Sandra, I hated most of the couples. Same thing goes for My First Place. These people wanted million dollar houses for $100k. Their expectations were so out of whack - even more so than the folks on HH - and their attitudes sucked. I also felt like some of them might not be ready for home ownership, if you know what I mean. 

    I really want to watch Pan Am. I think I'm going to watch the back episodes online and then set the DVR to record the rest that are coming up. We're switching cable providers on Monday so I'm going to have to re-program all my shows anyhow, so there's no time like the present to add another good one. 

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