My Shows | Fall 2011

I'm not going to be one of those people who say they never watch TV. Those people are lying. And if you chance to meet one of those few people who really never watch TV, tell them they should probably reconsider some of their priorities. Did they never see Seinfeld or Arrested Development or Gilmore Girls?! Come on. Genius stuff right there, peeps! Possibly even the answer to all the world's problems.

As great as I think TV is, I actually don't watch that much of it because there is, in fact, at this moment in time, a mammoth amount of sheer crap currently passing as good television. Plus, I don't even own a TV. But, I do own a computer which houses internet which houses Hulu. All the of shows I'm reviewing are, in fact, not crap at all but amazingly entertaining, and can be viewed there for free.

Parenthood | Tuesdays on NBC 
 Dramatic shows often lose my interest after about a season when their formulas start getting old, but, not Parenthood. Going on to it's 3rd season, this show has kept me watching (and re-watching) faithfully. In fact, this is quite possibly my most looked forward to show of the week. The story centralizes around the Braverman family from Northern California. I love and appreciate it's use of progressive themes such as interracial couples, Asperger's syndrome, alcoholism/sobriety, abandonment, and stay at home fathers, all while maintaining a fairly moral view of the family unit and promoting it as a good thing. Values like integrity, love, and loyalty to family show up in every episode, yet I don't feel like I'm being patronized by a weird Christian agenda. These characters are painfully relatable, and written in such a way where realistic problems merge with charming humor to make a freshness often lost in dramatic series. And the soundtrack! Oh man. I can't tell you how many artists I've been introduced to by Parenthood's amazing use of music.

Up All Night | Wednesdays on NBC
After only two episodes, this is my favorite new show of the season. Up All Night is about a former party couple who struggles with the normal life of having a baby. This concept is especially relevant in my life now because of the recent birth of my niece, and the struggles I watch between my sister and brother-in-law in raising her. I find Up All Night extremely clever and funny and would recommend it to anyone who remembers being a first time parent.

New Girl | Tuesdays on Fox
I was really excited when I heard about this show a couple months ago, but I wasn't sold after the first episode. I think it has a lot of promise, but it could also go down the old and tired road of cheap tricks. I laughed a fair amount (the d-bag references killed me) and Zooey Dechanel is always cute, but I'll be interested to see how the show progresses. It definitely has potential.

Modern Family | Wednesdays ABC
This is America's darling right now. People love this show and I'm no exception. It's clean, funny, and has extremely lovable characters. It relies on stereotypes for most of it's humor, which gets a little old sometimes, but overall it's consistently funny.

Community | Thursdays NBC
My favorite comedy-- yes, it's funnier than Modern Family. Community is so amazingly genius and clever, I'm amazed that it doesn't have more hype. It's as subtle as it is outrageous, and is written unlike anything you've ever seen. I don't think older folks would find it quite as funny, not because the allusions are always focused towards the younger adult crowd (ie, it referenced A Space Odyssey and Doctor Who in it's latest episode), but because there is a fair amount of wacky behavior that might seem juvenile. However, if you watch it long enough, you realize the writers are completely self aware of how things are coming across and it plays off of that which adds to it's genius. It's cruder than my usual fare, but it doesn't at all rely on cheap jokes for it's laughs. There are always a few episodes every season that are lacking in it's regular charisma, but they are always made up for by the season finale. If you haven't watch Community, I highly recommend starting from the beginning. There are just too many unique episodes you'd miss out on if you started now.

(JUST FYI: I also watch The Office and was pretty impressed with it's season premiere. But, ever since Jim and Pam got together, I felt the show lost most of it's flare and I've lost my love for it. I've continued to watch every episode, but it's not in my top shows of the season. I'm still open minded about it though. I also, after trying to watch the pilot about 20 times and thinking it was lame enough to turn off, have gotten slightly into Parks and Recreation. I don't think it's the most clever show on TV, but it's good for a few laughs. I'm still waiting for season 3 to show up on netflix, so I can't comment on how the new season is yet.)

peace,
k.