I must be getting old, because I just don’t watch much television anymore. We got rid of our satellite dish a few years ago and have only an “old school” antenna on our roof. I got tired of getting robbed of more than $100 a month even though we were watching about 7 channels. I think we had something like 300+ channels at our fingertips. I could watch a different channel each day of the year and there’d still be crap on tv most of the time.
Now, we get all the local channels, including at least a half dozen PBS stations. I think that’s pretty freakin’ awesome; yet another confirmation that I am a total geek.
There was a time when I had appointment tv. That was when my kids were babies and they didn’t have control over the remote. I sort of miss not having a go-to program to watch anymore. It loved having characters I cared about and stories I could get invested in. I just haven’t found anything that grabs me like that. If any of you have recommendations, I’m still on the lookout for something to latch onto.
Onto my favorites:
- The West Wing. Hands down, one of the best shows on television EVER. Aaron Sorkin’s writing was pure magic and watching brilliant actors like Martin Sheen, John Spencer (R.I.P.), Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Rob Lowe…I could go on and on…speak those lines would bring tears to my eyes on many occasions. The best times were when they could shift mood so quickly that I wasn’t sure if the tears were from joy or sorrow. The first four seasons were master classes on how to create powerful dialogue and I watch it when I need to be inspired with my writing. Favorite character: Leo McGarry.
- Mythbusters. There I go, proudly showing my geek card again. I own it and am proud. Sure, the explosions and stuff are cool, but what really gets me going is how these guys create these experiments to actually investigate the science behind a lot of these myths and urban legends. And, the pairing of stone-cold Jamie and court jester Adam cracks my ass up every time. Sadly, since I don’t have dish anymore, I’m stuck with reruns on Netflix. I think I need to look into buying some new seasons from Amazon.
- Chuck. Another gone, but not forgotten series. I liked this show for “will they or won’t they” dynamic between Chuck and Sarah (even though everyone knew they SO WOULD) and cool spy shit. I LOVED this series for the comedy and also it’s ability to tug on the heart strings. Favorite character: John Casey. Adam Baldwin was masterful in this role!
- The Voice. This is as close to appointment tv that I get these days. I love that the auditions are not a circus and there is some serious talent on there. There is, of course another reason: Adam and Blake. They are a riot! Oh yeah, and they’re easy on the eyes, too!
- Avatar the Last Airbender. My girls have a horrible habit of watching shows over and over and over…you get the idea. Most of them I tolerate but don’t get into very much. Nickelodeon’s Avatar series is the exception to this rule. It is glorious. I have watched the entire series *mumble* times and each time I wish I wrote it! Sure, it’s the classic good vs. evil, epic tale. I’ve seen it a hundred times. But, when an ANIMATED series can make me cry or gasp in surprise, the writers are doing something incredible. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend you pick it up on DVD. It is a show the entire family can get into. But be warned, it is addicting! Note: DO NOT rent The Last Airbender movie. It is based on the show, but was truly an embarrassment.
I’m looking for some new favorites! Help a girl out, please and throw me some suggestions in the comments. I’m tired of watching the same 3 Disney Channel shows over and over!
9/14/13 Edited to add: After hearing so much about ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” and then seeing it as the top choice on my Netflix recommendations, I finally decided to watch the pilot with my youngest. I’m sorry I did! I can see this show taking over my life for a while! I can’t wait to watch the next episode, but I have to wait for my oldest to see the first episode so we can all watch it together. Intriguing twist of classic fairy tales and connecting them with our reality. I’m anxious to see where this goes and it’s been a while since I’ve found a show that has me looking forward to the next installment.
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