TOP SHOWS YOU CAN ENJOY WITH YOUR SPOUSE

I haven’t posted on here in a while and probably won’t be in the habit of posting a lot since these days life is CRAZY!!  However I get this question A LOT so I figured I would make a list of TV shows that a couple should watch together.  These aren’t necessarily my favorite shows of all time but they are the shows that both you and your significant other will enjoy together (I am not included sitcoms on this list bc honestly none have kept both of our attention that long):

1.       Lost – This is a commitment for sure but all the hype you have heard about the show is true, it is great and there will never be another show like it.  It pulls you in quickly and draws you close to the characters.  It keeps you on your toes with the plots, new characters, and the death of beloved characters.  However it is sci-fi (which I don't usually enjoy) but by the time they really get into those story lines you are pretty invested into the characters and can’t stop watching.  This is a MUST watch for any TV fans out there.  There are so many mysteries and secrets to this show it was hard to find a trailer that didn’t give too much away so here is a quick one to get you excited.

http://youtu.be/QdLMMPm5_mg

2.       Suits – This is my number two behind Lost just because it is pretty much the exact opposite.  This show is smart, funny, and just the perfect mix to keep you entertained and wanting more.  I honestly believe this is the show on the list that would be liked by MOST people. The seasons are short and you can get caught up pretty quick.  They just started season 3. 

http://youtu.be/HOi7_d3GOFI

3.       Homeland – This show has phenomenal acting!  The show is intense and like Lost will definitely keep you guessing.  The characters are intriguing and I really just can’t say enough about Claire Danes in the role of Carrie.  If you loved 24 then I think this is right up your ally.  Be aware this is Showtime series and there are scenes that are uncomfortable and hard to watch.

http://youtu.be/alLloalu1JE

4.       Parenthood – This show is so wonderfully done.  The show has heart, is funny, and will seriously make you cry almost every episode.  There is a realness to the show that makes it different from other shows.  It really tries to stay true to life.  But when all is said and done everyone will want to be a Braverman.

http://youtu.be/o_cblVvo5bg

5.       Friday Night Lights – This is just a feel good show about football.  It can be super cheesy at times and the amount these people care about football seems a little crazy (oh wait that is totally accurate).  Once again this is a show where you will be drawn into the characters so quickly you will feel like you know them.

http://youtu.be/gU6pKnGJTwM

Bonus: The Challenge (aka Real World/Road Rules Challenge) - Ok I am throwing this one on the list, but it is for sure the one I am least confident about.  This show is great bc it offers that cheap reality show drama that draws the ladies in but also has the hardcore challenges that excite the guys.  Once you watch a couple seasons you start to build connections with the cast and reoccurring characters on the show.  Plus it is a fun one to play games and “challenge” friends on who you think will win.  We use to do a Fantasy Draft each year and it was lots of fun.

Honorable mentions:

Mad Men – this is a great show, but I am not sure it will appeal to as many people.  The show is great, actors are great but sometimes it is slow, plot lines can be very strange, and I am not sure there is one character that I really love on the show.  Everyone is extremely flawed which I guess is true to life in some ways.

http://youtu.be/LfuMhXcLa-Q

Prison Break- If you are looking for ONE great season of TV, season one of prison break might be my favorite season of any show EVER!!  After the first season the show dramatically goes down each year but season one is AMAZING!!!

http://youtu.be/AL9zLctDJaU

Other shows Michael and I watched together that we BOTH got enjoyed: WEEDS, Scandal, The OC, The Good Wife, 24 (for a while but then it started to drag on).  We just started watching House of Cards and The West Wing which are both pretty good too.

AUCTION - CHILDREN'S STUFF

It has been a while since I have posted but I wanted to do a few posts on what is going on in our life right now which is ADOPTION!!  My husband and I are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia, learn more about that here http://eadyadoption.org/.  We have an auction to raise money for the adoption starting THIS Sunday the 24th at 12:00pm and it will run through Monday July 2 at 8:00pm.  I am going to try to highlight some different categories so you can skim through and see what we have.  First category is Children's Stuff!!!  There are some AMAZING and PERFECT baby or children's gifts up for bid.  Check out our auction to bid on this stuff SUNDAY: http://eadyadoption.org/online-auction/

Clothes (a couple items won't download correctly so this is just some of what we have):

 

 

 




Other (a couple items won't download correctly so this is just some of what we have):

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously Shonda?

I really really disliked the Grey’s finale and not JUST because we lost a beloved character. Point in case: One of my favorite finales of Grey’s is the one where George dies. Don’t get me wrong I LOVED George and did not want him to die. However the episode was GREAT! We ALL knew that TR Knight was leaving the show so they had to get creative to throw us off and they did just that. The whole episode was emotional and EVERY character was involved in either the Izzie or George story lines. It was perfect. Not to mention George didn’t leave any love interests or triangles behind. I literally was applauding Shonda at how well it was done. Now let’s talk about “The Flight” and what went wrong:

1. They Killed Lexie – Of course this was my number one problem given that Mark and Lexie were my favorite couple and honestly the only couple I really cared about anymore. From the beginning I have gotten too attached to all the wrong couples first I LOVED Cristina and Burke, then I ADORED Alex and Izzie and we all know what happened in both those cases. However I still have hope for both of those couples in my mind because none of them are DEAD! Don’t get me wrong I liked MerDer in the beginning and really routed for them but something happen I think right after Addison left and I just stopped caring. Great they are together, I am ready to move on. I would have MUCH rather Meredith been the one to say Goodbye last night or GASP even Derek. I don’t care about their story lines anymore!

2. They Killed Lexie off WAY to early in the episode- Maybe Shonda wanted to get it out of the way or thought it would be more shocking to take Lexie out in the first 15 mins of the episode but I disagree STRONGLY!!! After Lexie died I literally left the episode. I DID NOT care to watch Meredith find Derek, fix his arm, didn’t care about Arizona and the pilot, and ALMOST didn’t care about Mark but part of me wrestled with maybe I want him to die too because I know I don’t want to route for him to be with someone else.

3. TOO Many Stories- There was way too much going on in this episode. When there is something as HUGE and tragic as a plane crash I really want to spend the majority of time if not the entire time on that story arch. I wanted to see the people at Seattle worried about their friends, trying to find them, etc. I definitely didn’t care to watch all these story lines I don’t care about ESPECIALLY after knowing Lexie just died:

• Bailey and what’s his face getting engaged or whatever (see it is of such little importance to me that I don’t even remember his name)

• Altman leaving – just don’t really care

• The residents leaving/dinner- I care a little about what happens to the residents (really only Alex which we all know is staying he just signed a 2 year contract) but please don’t make me suffer through or expect me to care about these story lines as I sit thinking about Lexie lying dead with Mark tightly gripping her hand.

4. Seattle Grace is Clueless – I briefly mentioned it above but I hate how no one at the hospital ever found out! Every time they showed people at the hospital I was just yelling “SERIOUSLY they aren’t going to find out” and stopped listening or caring about anything they were saying.

Ultimately I left the episode ANGRY, ANNOYED and honestly not wanting to watch the show anymore. Anyone who knows me knows that is a big deal. I do not give up on shows that I have been watching for a significant amount of time. I watched/will watch all the following to the very end even though they had some rough times: One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, BH 90210, Gossip Girl, Brothers & Sisters , I could go on and on…. I don’t want to stop watching it but I am just very frustrated. At this point the only thing that would really make me a little satisfied would be if Burke or Izzie came back, that is just wishful thinking on my part. Shonda I know you have a lot of shows your juggling now (I LOVE SCANDAL) but please don’t make the show that gave you your big break suffer.

What did you think of the finale? Were you as disappointed as I was?

Best TEEN Dramas:

I recently encouraged a great friend to watch Dawson’s Creek (I know it’s crazy that she hasn’t seen it).  While I was convincing her to watch it I found myself talking about how it was my favorite teen drama of all time.  After I said it I did some research to make sure that was a true statement.  Here is the list of MY Top 10 Teen TV Dramas of all time:

The rules to my list are:

• I must have watched the show - obviously there are popular shows out there that I never watched (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pretty Little Liars, My So Called Life, Everwood, Smallville, etc.) that cannot be included in my list.
• The main plot lines and characters must be teens (college/high school students) or take place around teens.  This means shows like Melrose Place cannot make the list because they were adults when the show started.
• They are my favorites so the order doesn’t reflect which shows are the BEST just my favorites. Once again I know fully well that Friday Night Lights is a "better" show than The OC or Dawson's Creek but it doesn't make it my favorite.

Now that we have that out of the way on to the list...

10.  Party of Five –

It is here mainly because I had to fill the 10^th spot and there wasn’t another show that I wanted on the list.  The other one that almost made the cut was Glee but I liked Party of Five more than Glee.  Plus Party of Five brought us Matthew Fox who went on to star in maybe the best TV Show of all time (LOST) so it gets bonus points.

9. Laguna Beach –

This one doesn’t quite fit in with the other ones because it was “reality tv” but talk about teen drama!!!  It brought us the real 90210 with real love triangles and all.   Team LC anyone?!?!?  Plus it brought us Stephen Colleti who went on to star in one of my other favorite teen dramas… One Tree Hill.

8. Gossip Girl –

Season 1 of Gossip Girl is awesome but now on season 5 they are grasping for story lines and it feels a little tired.  However the first season was funny, touching, witty, and smart it had some really great moments.  I mean the scene with Chuck and Blair in the cab has to be one of the best kiss scenes off all times.  However I don’t support such behavior.

7. Felicity –

There is so much about this show that I don’t like.  The fact that this girl follows a guy to college, a guy she has never really talked to no less.  And don’t get me started on the ending…But there was also something so familiar about the story lines and so real.  You felt like yeah I would tell someone to not follow a guy but in my heart I know I might do the same thing.  You really routed for this extremely needy character from the beginning and watched her blossom into a really smart, strong woman.  And when it comes to love triangles this one seems to be the most split down the middle?!?!

6. One Tree Hill –

Talk about CHEESE!!!  This show is super cheesy, not that the other ones aren’t but this one to me is the cheesiest.  Good thing I love CHEESE!!!  J  The high school years on this show were great and I found characters that I really bonded with and loved.  I am not going to lie I always thought the girls on this show outshined the boys by a mile.  I mean could there be a more beautiful cast of ladies?!?!  I watched this show until it ended a couple weeks ago and I must say it was a great show but I am glad it finally ended, it was time.

Ok now we get to the goods!!!  My top 5!!!

5. Friday Night Lights –

This show is probably the BEST show on my list, as far as well made etc.  The first 2 seasons of this show I loved!!!  However I am not a big fan of changing up the characters on a show.  Look I understand wanting to be more “realistic” and that in real life all the characters wouldn’t go to the same school and that this show was focused more on the coach and his football program.  However, when you watch a show for two years and develop connections to characters it is hard to let them all go!  Plus I understand that it is a TV show so I don’t care if it is unrealistic, just keep the characters please.  I will say that they did a pretty good job of transitioning the new characters and helping us develop emotions for the “new guys”.  However it just wasn’t as good when we slowly lost Riggins, Lyla, Jason, Saracen, and Tyra. 

4. The Gilmore Girls –

This is really the only show on the list that isn’t about a group of teens.  The focus of this show is a mother/daughter.  The mother/daughter relationship that everyone wants!  The casting of Lorelei and Rory was simply perfect, can you imagine any other two people portraying the banter and pop culture non sense so perfectly?  This was a refreshing show to watch.  I don’t know many girls that don’t love this show.  I use to hate the ending but now when I watch it and understanding these characters more, I think it was actually one of the better endings on TV.

3. The OC – (SPOILER ALERT)

Oh goodness the OC.  Talk about DRAMA and pushing boundaries.  I immediately fell in love with the kids of the OC.  I routed so hard for the Seth/Summer and Marissa/Ryan romances.  However they had to completely ruin the show and kill off Marissa…. Really by the time they killed her the show was already going down fast.  When you have a first season that has SO MUCH drama and crazy story lines you really don’t leave yourself much room for growth.  They did so much so fast that they felt like they had to keep coming up with more dramatic stories lines.  This brought us many crazy Marissa story lines including: a short lived lesbian romance, shooting Ryan’s brother, doing drugs, moving schools, Johnny dying, etc.  The downfall of Marissa was the downfall of the show.  However when the show was good, it was REALLY good!!!  Not to mention Seth and Summer’s on scene chemistry was amazing (probably because their off scene chemistry was so good).

2. Beverly Hills 90210 –

I debated about putting this one first but once again it is my “favorite” not necessarily the best shows.  The reason why I almost put it first is because simply put it was the first.  It was the first night time drama about teens.  It opened the doors for every single other show on the list.  I was watching a behind the scenes on this show one time and they said there would not be a WB/CW if it wasn’t for BH 90210.  That would mean the majority of shows on this list would have never been made.  I know that this show was on Fox but it is what opened the door to teen dramas and mainly teen dramas that appealed to girls (pretty much the CW in a nutshell).  Also this teen drama was the longest running with 10 years.  One Tree Hill came close with 9 years.  And who didn’t have a Luke Perry or Jason Presley poster in their room at some point growing up???

1.  Dawson’s Creek

I can watch this show over and over.  The chemistry between the characters is undeniable and is comparable to some of the greatest love romances ever, in my opinion.  This is the equivalent to Friends for a drama.  This simply means I could watch it over and over and I know every line and it doesn’t get old.    I recently re-watched this entire series and I still love it so much!!!  Best LOVE triangle EVER!!!  This is another one that I find people pretty split about who they routed for but always routed for PACEY!!!

American Idon Season 11 Top 24

Ok so here is my first post in a long time and it is about American Idol go figure:


I haven’t been as addicted to watching every second of the show this season but I have watched ENOUGH to have favorites. Now that the top 24 have been announced of course I have an opinion. I have some people that I feel MUST make the top 24 to enjoy it. Here is who I want in the 12, they are in order of importance to me if they make it! My top 4 NEED to be there!

1. Phil Phillips

2. Heejun Han

3. Colton Dixon

4. Hollie Cavanaugh

5. Jen Hirsh

6. Elise Testone

7. Shannon Magrane

8. Chelsea Sorrell

9. Adam Brock

10. Hallie Day

11. Skylar Lane

12. Creighton Fraker

My pick for the wild card boy is Jermaine Jones out of those four just because he seems so nice, but I don't expect him to make it very far  : )

Also some random thoughts on Idol vs. The Voice: I have been watching the voice and I have come to this conclusion…. With Idol I get annoyed with the auditions and am always ready for them to end to start the “real” show. The Voice is the exact opposite. I really like the audition rounds but feel it goes downhill when the blind auditions are over.

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!!!