happywatching: September 2011

Thursday, September 15

WATCH IT!

No idea what made me think to write this post but I would love to find at list out there like this since Michael and I are always looking for a new show to watch. I have loved A LOT of shows over the years and this is NOT a list of my favorite shows. This list is a group of shows that I would encourage anyone to watch. Do you see the difference there? If this was a list of my favorite shows then Dawson’s Creek would be on there and I am not naive enough to think that everyone would like that show. These shows are shows that have not only touched me or made me laugh but are shows that I think any adult will enjoy. That being said you may not enjoy it as much as I do or did but you surely will walk away with something from the show. So here is my list of shows that I would encourage EVERYONE/ANYONE to watch: (In no particular order)

LOST – I don’t know what to say about this show except you will love it. It is a tough road ahead when you watch it and there might even be times where you want to walk away but I think overall it is a satisfying show that will leave you wanting more.

Friday Night Lights – For a long time I thought this show was a little over rated and while I don’t think it is the BEST show ever I do honestly think MOST people would enjoy this show. There is a little something for everyone.

Modern Family – Who is not watching this show? It is so funny…Enough said!

Parenthood – This is by FAR my favorite show on TV right now. For more of my thoughts on this show just check out my previous post: http://happywatching.blogspot.com/search/label/Parenthood

Friends - I will never understand when I quote from Friends and people don’t know what it is from…that is just plain sad.

The Office – This show in its prime would rival some of the best comedies of all time. The cast just feeds off each other so well. It is a little over played now and the dry humor and stereotypes don’t surprise us anymore but man it was good.

24 – I went back and forth with this one but once again in its prime this show was on point. The entire concept of this show was amazing. I loved that we only see one full day. It would be hard to start seasons 1-3 and not be sitting on the edge of your chair each week waiting for the next hour.

Ok I am out, any you want to add?

Thursday, September 8

The Key to Keeping Up with All Your Shows:

I had a friend emailed me yesterday and asked me how I keep up with all my shows, because she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to record all the shows she wanted to watch this fall. Here are some key things that I have found that help me to juggle all my shows.

First I have a DVR that records two shows at once. So that is a start for sure. The other things to know are where you can watch shows online and how quickly the sites update their episodes.

ABC: THEY ARE THE BEST!!! They put shows up quickly. So if you like The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, etc. but don’t want it eating up space on your DVR, ABC is the absolute best about good picture quality and having the shows up by the following day as they are aired. They also give previews and sneak peeks to the next week’s episodes!

Other networks Some that are fairly good about updating their sites quickly are: MTV, NBC, and Fox. However none of them are as good as ABC, just trust me. However MTV does lots of fun extra footage for entertainment. CW is awful about updating their site; it takes weeks for them to upload the latest episode of a show. So even though most of the shows I watch on The CW are my least favorite shows I watch they usually end up being recorded because I have to wait weeks to watch them online.

Hulu – I have found that Hulu is GREAT for watching past season’s of shows or shows that are off the air but they don’t usually get shows more quickly than the network sites. Remember they still have ot get permission to publish the shows and if the networks don't have them up yet they won't give permission for Hulu to put them up. However I have heard that "New Girl" episode 1 is being posted to Hulu Tuesday Sept 13, one week before it airs. I will definitely be checking this one at early with all the buzz it has been getting.

As far as shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance they don’t EVER release their shows to the Internet so if you miss them well you will have to try to find the performances on YouTube before the network snatches them down. Moral of the story- put them on your DVR!

I hope this is helpful when you are trying to decide what is a MUST DVR and what you can catch online.

Here is my fall schedule:
Sunday: Desperate Housewives: 8:00pm
Monday: Gossip Girl 7:00 pm; Hart of Dixie 8:00 pm
Tuesday: 90210 7:00pm; Glee 7:00pm; New Girl 8:00pm; Parenthood 9:00pm
Wednesday: Modern Family 8:00pm; Up All Night 9:00pm
Thursday: Grey's Anatomy 8:00pm; The Office 8:00pm; Private Practice 9:00pm

As you can see I really don't have any problems right now with my shows however when you add in: American Idol, The Bachelor, One Tree Hill, and Mad Men things may be different.
Happy Fall Watching!!!