There's a reason for that.
I hate television.
And, for some reason, I love writing about things I hate, right?
Not always. I didn't think that addressing my 'favorite' television shows would make sense. But my best friend persisted and I relented. So, yeah, I hate television. I see no possible reason to sit, passively infront of a box. Really. I'm terrible at relaxing, if you've not ever figured that one out. For me, if I'm going to sit down and do nothing, well, I better just go to sleep. Look at my vacations. I never go to Hawaii or Mexico, where the choices are limited to the beach and the beach---and nothing there by tanning. I go to the Disney parks, chock full of activity after activity.
I like to think that it was borne of my first marriage. Whenever I would collapse on the couch after a rough day of teaching, I was greeted with "you're a lazy shit...I'm surprised you're not fatter!" I would look around as if I were dreaming and then run to the gym. Or the laundry. Or the dishes. Even today, supposedly the day of rest, I've graded several gazillion papers, typed 12 pages of lesson plans, got my hair cut, cleaned the kitchen, made lunches for the week, edited one of my stories, journaled...and...and...and..
See? Television interrupts that. What's worse? Commercials. I love the 'last' button on my remote. I switch back and forth during commercials watching two program simultaneously. Drives my Beloved nutso. Poor guy.
I kinda see it like sitting infront of a slot machine. You put money in and pull a lever. Then nothing happens.
So, yeah, I hate gambling too.
But, as we know, the world is not absolute as we like to think. I DO, on occasion, watch television. Heck, there's one here in my little writing office that I occasionally indulge in when I'm writing my letters and cards to family and friends. But, exactly, really draws me in to watching?
I have to be honest, only one show do I actually watch religiously in some form or another. A majority of the time, I merely surf and find whatever movie I can. Most likely a movie that I've seen before and already own a DVD of.
One thing that does need to be mentioned is that there is a channel that I do tend to float towards. LOGO has greatly changed my viewing habits in astonishing ways. For the first time ever, I watch commericals on that channel. I mean, gay and lesbian programming? WOW. Who sponsors that!
Okay on with the actual countdown. Unlike my best friend, I'm not going to merely list titles. I'll try to add stuff whenever possible.
5. NEWS...this is the only show I watch religiously, as mentioned. I'm addicted to news. My addiction started in college, when CNN changed the world by fully broadcasting the nation at war. For me, I was hooked--I was taking a broadcasting class at the time and was the acting anchor for the KVUU show on campus. I wasn't a reporter, per se, but did have to review news items and I really got into it. I watch any news over fiction--20/20 if it's interesting; CBS news on LOGO if it's a new episode. I'm usually up at the crack of bleedin' dawn and find the morning news on ABC. Heck, it's a Disney affiliate and the graphics are good. And then I'll slide over to CNN for Robin during the commercials or sports (tho her sports reporter, Rafer and weatherman Van Dillen are pinups in their own rights!). So news is going to be on this list. What is interesting, however, is that I'm also highly critical of the news--if I see a report on the nightly news of Paris or Britney, I know it's a slow news day and get mad...leave that to Entertainment Tonight, folks. And, btw, I'd watch more Entertainment Tonight if they didnt' spend 50% of their show broadcasting "coming up next" or "tomorrow on ET..." Um stick to the news folks.
4. Ghosthunters...my hatred of television is magically doubled when it comes to reality television. When I was in a Seattle hotel back in 2002, I figured I'd order a pizza and do what everyone supposedly does in a hotel room---no, not watch porn, but watch actual television. I'd not turned it on that week I was there for a workshop until Thursday night, choosing to get my news from the radio in my computer. But, sure enough, I watched "Big Brother" and started to wretch and the stupidiy of humanity and that producers felt THESE people were some how worthwhile observing.
Well, they were goodlooking.
So reality television died a little in my book while watching this "Survivor for Dummies" television show...until Ghosthunters. I read about it online (where I tend to be more then the television) and thought, well, I wanna see that. Was the premise? No. Was it the cute stars? No.
It was incentive to write more scary stories. I used their banter, their observations, their drawls in writing the occasional scary story. But as I analyized and analyzed more and more, I found that this show was something more watchable then I thought. And so it ended up as something I do watch.
3. X-Files...This was a show that drew me in. Just like Ghosthunters, it gave me ideas and concepts to filter through my own mediums. But the titles kept me thinking and mulling more then the writing could support. Stuck in the midst of an awful first marriage, this was my solace--he'd go and get drunk at his little buddies' houses and I'd lock myself in with my step-mutt and we'd treat ourselves to a candlelit X-Files episode.
2. Medical shows...Surprisingly, cop shows rarely cut it for me, even tho I usually use police offiiers and procedures in my authorship. But it's medicine shows that bring back positive memories. I remember racing home from my ASL 4 class to catch St. Elsewhere and taking Thursday nights to succumb to ER. I don't watch it any more...I have a family now, but I did catch a viewing this past week as I was making dinner. And I stumbled across the fact that it is still very high tension--what I think draws me in. I occasionally have the television on when I'm cooking dinner and I also kinda watched Gray's Anatomy and felt the same thing. It's tension is taut and the friction is palapble. That draws me in and will keep me there.
1. Sitcoms
*pause*
Okay, see, my best friend doubles as a dork. He's like, acting all mad that I didn't pick SHOWS as opposed to just listing genres as I've been doing. He, apparently, thinks that there's a difference between news-programs; that, somehow, a sitcom has enough strength that one can pick between them.
Aw poop. I've never seen it that way. Television is a fattening mess, second only to Washington stupidity.
However, he is my friend. And when he says things, they tend to carry more weight. So, with the guilt I feel, I'm going to pull a small list out of my ass. I'll go ahead and number them in order, and see if that gives him the feeling of superiority he's craving by making me stay to task, the poopiestupidearface.
And yeah, he's right, I know it. And he must like television. He'd rather cancel something like exercise then miss some aborant crap liek Amercian Idol.
So, here are my number one sitcoms.
MASH
Taxi
Designing Women
Frazier
Will and Grace
One thing I do notice about this list. All are ensemble pieces. Each show has several players and, with that, mulitple storylines. Each show carries, also, some weight--in that they mention social issues or criticism for the world. I need that and carve it.
I hope that makes sense!
Peace out.
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