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?

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!!!

Ode to Great Comedies

These may not all be in the list “top TV Sitcoms” ever but they are the ones that won over my heart and laughter throughout the years. 

All in the Family:

Laverne and Shirley:

I Love Lucy: This is so silly but re-watching it just made me laugh so hard…

Cheers:

The Cosby Show:

Fresh Prince of Bel Air:

http://youtu.be/T3ANUkOyDNQ

Seinfeld: HILARIOUS!! This is seriously one of my favorite scenes from this show!

http://youtu.be/2LCggmsCXk4

Friends:

http://youtu.be/DV8gxDQMiNw

Will & Grace:

The Office:

http://youtu.be/TrM6r9Kc_3Y

Modern Family:

What are your favorite Comedies?

Will there ever be another LOST?

My husband and I are in a TV lull. We can’t find a TV show that we both love! Ok well that is not entirely true. We both love Parenthood and Modern Family, A LOT! However we want to get back into a show we will be able to watch on DVD. We don’t want to have to wait a week to watch each show. Here are the problems we are having finding a show we can both enjoy:

1. I have A LOT of shows! As boring as some of my current shows are, I don’t give up on watching shows. I am really weird and once I start a show I finish it. Since fall TV is about to start back up I don’t want to add anything to my list unless I am going to LOVE it. Right now I will be watching: Desperate Housewives (final season), Brothers & Sisters, 90210, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Parenthood, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, The Office and other shows rotate in like American Idol, The Bachelor, SYTYCD, Mad Men, and The Challenge.

2. Plot Lines – Michael tends to want to watch shows like “The Wire” “The Sopranos” “Breaking Bad”…. Do we see a trend here? I want to watch shows like, well the ones I listed above. I broke down and finally agreed on watching Mad Men and it has been pretty good. It is slow and the characters took me a while to have any connection with but after 4 seasons I am finally there. I started The Wire and I can appreciate it as good TV but it isn’t something I am on the edge of my seat to see. I mean I haven’t watched an episode in like 3 or 4 weeks and frankly I don’t miss it. I like to watch shows where I feel a real connection to the characters, where I feel for them. I also like there to be something that is up lifting. When a show is centered on the drug ring I just have a hard time watching those children get swallowed up in that life, knowing that it really happens. I know that LOST’s characters had flaws and very dark sides but there was something redeemable about each character.

3. High Expectations – Michael and I have really loved two shows together: LOST and Prison Break. We got really into Prison Break when we first got married. We would come home from work, fix dinner and sit and watch literally like 6 episodes of Prison Break. WE LOVED IT and couldn’t make ourselves stop watching. We would count down the hours until we got to see the next episode. Then when we caught up with Prison Break came LOST. LOST had been on for several years before we were introduced to it. We enjoyed watching Prison Break together and wanted another show we could both really enjoy. LOST did not disappoint. It was even more addictive than Prison Break. Prison Break’s first season was one of the best seasons of TV ever (in our opinion) but it slowly went downhill after season 1. We were invested enough in the characters to still be intrigued by the plot lines but season 1 was so good, it was hard to get past. LOST however never really disappointed us. There were dull episodes here and there but each season brought HUGE new developments, new mysteries, and new layers to the characters. They kept us on the edge of our seats until the very end. I think we are actually still waiting in anticipation, for nothing?!?! We invested a lot time in these two shows in our first years of marriage and we had so much fun watching them together. Now we want another show that we can both enjoy like these.

4. Disappointments: We have tried to watch other shows together, mainly dramas: B&S, Gossip Girl, Private Practice, The Wire, Weeds, and Arrested Development. None of them have caught both of our attention enough to make us both want to keep watching. Ok so we have had a couple shows that we both liked and watched together: Friday Night Lights and Mad Men. One is over and the other isn’t coming back until 2012! Neither of them is comparable to the way we felt about LOST or even Prison Break.

So the question is, will there ever be another show like LOST? A show we will both love, where there is enough action and suspense to keep us coming back for more, we feel such a strong connection to the characters, we can’t wait to see the next episode, we want to curl up on the couch all weekend and watch episode after episode???

Here are some shows that have been mentioned to us that we are still thinking about (none of them make BOTH of us excited):

The Good Wife

The Wire (not completely off the table yet)

The Sopranos

The West Wing

Breaking Bad

Big Love

Please share your thoughts on these shows or any others you think we NEED to watch!

Season Wrap Up

So we are drawing to a close on TV season 2010-2011, I am actually happy to be drawing this season to a close and I am not left sitting on the edge of my seat waiting the return of any show.

Let’s review:

Grey’s Anatomy- There was not a big cliff hanger ending (we all know MerDer will work it out) and the rest of the story lines were not very climactic. I hope Cristina has the baby. I hate that Lexi chose Avery. I am slowly falling out of love with this show. I am ready to wrap up and move on but not as much as I am with…

One Tree Hill- Seriously this finale would have been the perfect way to end the show. Brooke has twins and is happy in love. Nathan and Haley are happy and just re-opened Karen’s Café where Haley can still pursue her dreams of singing. Alex and Chase are together which I really like and then there is the rest of the bunch which I honestly don’t care about…Why did this show get renewed?!?!?

Gossip Girl - There was a little cliff hanger on Gossip Girl – either Blair or Serena is preggers! Or who knows it could be something stupid like Blair’s mom took a pregnancy test in Blair’s room to hide it from her hubby. But that is where we are left, Blair being with the prince (ugh –we all know she will end up with Chuck) and Serena being alone and annoying as per usual. Georgina is back which is a needed spice added to the show since it has gotten so dull. I don’t even watch the parts with Nate anymore because they are so boring! The only interesting thing awaiting next season is Dan’s book being published which is sure to stir up some drama.

Private Practice – Now that Ocean Wellness is dissolved and they are starting a new practice the show is going to be the same (minus Naomi). I hate Addison and Sam together so that was a real bummer for me. And I guess we are left with the cliff hanger of Pete’s heart attack (but since Naomi is the only one leaving the show I am thinking he will make it). This will be another downward spiral for Violet and Pete and Violet will be sad that she left him and wasn’t there! So done with their relationship, just be happy and let’s move on.

90210- Why have I gotten into this show?!?! It doesn’t really matter why but I have. I like Naomi and Max together but I really just like Naomi (not sure why) and I want her to have her man! I am definitely intrigued by the pregnancy story line but I hate how pregnancy is thrown around so much just to make the drama between characters better. So at this point Naomi either has an abortion (which I hate), gives the baby up for adoption (which would be so hard and has already been done once on this show), has a miscarriage (which is also really hard) or keeps the baby and her life is forever change on the show. It is a big story line to throw at a character. I guess she could also be lying to keep him around?!?! I should also note that I don’t like Annie (never have) so I hate that her and Liam are together. Also I don’t like Silver and Navid together. I actually liked him and Adrianna and they had to go and make Adrianna all psycho!

Desperate Housewives – this is yet another show that I wish would end but the finale actually did pull me back in. It might be one of the best finales of the season, especially if you consider the length and drama of years past. This episode did a great job of drawing viewers back into the tangled web which is Wisteria Lane. I love the fact that all the main characters are in on this murder cover up for Carlos. It will affect so many story lines on the lane. I hate that Tom and Lynette are separated!!! I hate it so so so much! They are the only couple that has been together since the beginning of the show and it is annoying how TV feels like they need to break everyone up. This storyline makes me anxious to see if they will make it work!

Parenthood – Ahhh a breath of fresh air!! This is the only show I am anxious to see, not because of the way it was left just because I love this show! I love every character and each story line on the show. I can’t wait to see what is in store for these characters next season.

Brothers & Sisters – I am bored just thinking about it….

Mad Men- We have one disc left to finish out this last season and then we will have to wait until January…I will let you know if I am excited to see next season.

The comedies: The Office (a little interested to see how things play out without Steve). Modern Family (it is a joy to watch)

Reality Shows: There isn’t much to say about these shows, we look forward to seeing them right before they return: American Idol, The Bachelor (which the Bachelorette started last night), The Voice (it has been interesting so far)

So now we start summer shows which I am severely lacking in but it is kind of nice to have a break for my DVR! Here is what I am watching this summer:

The Bachelorette – I don’t really care for Ashley but I am sure I will watch this show but I am going to try not to because it is just trash TV that I don’t need to get into. (I didn't watch it last night, yes!)

The Voice – It is kind of a summer show because it seems like it will last atleast through June.

So You Think You Can Dance- Always love this show! The all-stars have not been announced and likely not been chosen yet. Nigel said this year he wants the all-stars to compliment the top 10 dancers so it will depend on who makes the top 10. You know they have their list of possibilities. I sure hope that list includes: Ivan (wouldn’t that be fun), Allison Holker (she did incredible last season), Pasha (you need a great ballroom guy and who is better), Kent Boyd (wasn’t he great last season), Chelsie Hightower (I love her but she probably has other things going on), Mark (he is touring with well everyone right now), Joshua (he would be super fun to have back), Katie (she would also be amazing). I would love Travis but I think he should stick to choreographing because his routines have been awesome!

Now let’s talk about a few shows I am excited to see in the Fall:

Person of Interest – created by JJ Abrams (always intriguing) and has Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel as the cast.

The New Girl – I really like Zooey Deschanel.

Up All Night – Christina Applegate is fun to watch and this could be a really funny show.

How Great Thou Art

I am going to stick with the Entertainment theme on this blog but I definitely wanted to post something about Easter weekend. This past sunday was Easter and I hope it was a true reminder of what Christ did for us on the cross. He bore the weight of OUR sin, he took OUR place and OVERCAME sin and this world!!! We can have VICTORY in Jesus!!! I hope you were reminded of the true meaning of Easter and it touched you to the CORE!!! I came across this youtube which is very appropriate for this time of year and I just pray that all the people that performed and in the audiance understood the true meaning of the words being sung....HOW GREAT THOU ART!!!

O Lord my God,

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all

The works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars,

I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout

The universe displayed;


When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

I hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze;


Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!


When Christ shall come,

With shouts of acclamation,

And take me home,

What joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim,

"My God, how great Thou art!"

Why Are You Not Watching Parenthood?!?!

I am going to keep plugging this show until everyone is watching! I believe this is truly the best show on TV right now! It actually ranks in my top five favorite shows of ALL TIME! If you aren’t watching this show I am not sure why? Please tell me! Is it because you haven’t seen it? Do you not like it? How is that possible? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Once again let’s review some reasons why you should be watching Parenthood:

1. The actors – last time I really focused on the parents and how great they are (AND THEY ARE) but the kids on this show are equally amazing! Amber (Lauren Graham’s daughter played by Mae) is wonderful. She may be my favorite character but it really is so hard to pick a favorite because they all do a wonderful job! I can’t imagine the cast being any better and there is not ONE character that I could do without. If one person left I would be really sad and I can’t say that about a show since Friends!
2. Plot lines – I hit on this last time but this show has realistic plot lines that pull you in. Real life is funny, they don’t take things over the top. It pulls at your heart strings and makes you laugh out loud. There are not many shows that do that. Most shows are one or the other. Grey’s – Purely drama, Modern Family – Comedy, this show is MOST DEFINITELY a DRAMEDY and PERFECT one at that. Desperate Housewives is a DRAMEDY but it is so crazy and over the top it isn’t nearly as good as Parenthood.
3. I want to watch it over and over and can’t wait for new episodes. I seriously could watch the episodes over and over again, they are that good.
4. Friday Night Lights Stars – If you are a FNL fan then there are several cross over stars on the show: Minka Kelly, Michael B. Jordan (Vince – had no idea his name was Michael Jordan until I just look it up), and even Angela Rawna (Vince’s mom) appears in one episode.

I wish I could find the perfect words to make you watch this show because it is great and you are REALLY missing out if you aren’t already hooked! Here is a sneak peek at Season 2 (which is on now) but it shows a little bit of the wonderfulness of the show: WATCH THE SHOW!!!