There's Nothing on TV!

Oh. My. Gawd.  I just looked at the calendar and it's almost August!  Can you believe it?  Where has the summer gone??  It seems like it's just flown by.  Maybe it's all the rain we've been getting, but it feels somehow like it's still spring.  The only thing that has truly marked the passage of time for me is that we are slowly running out of TV shows to watch.  Yes, yes.  Of course, summer is the time for getting outside, enjoying the warm breezes and sunny skies.  Yada, yada yada.  Let's face it, though, I am the mother of two small children who (God willing and the crick don't rise) are both asleep by 8:30pm.  I could read.  But generally, I'm too tired to focus and am looking for something a little gentler on the ole brain.  I likes me some vegging out time in front of the tube.

Which brings me to the only sane solution for discerning TV viewers (like myself, ahem)...TV on DVD. 

Here is my exhaustive list of must-sees for the DVD watchers out there:

Joss Whedon is Lord of the TV

Let's start at the very beginning...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly.  I lump these altogether, because if you haven't seen them already you must start here.  Witty dialogue, creative storylines and huge character arcs make these three shows, all created by Joss Whedon, the best shows on television, hands down.  Interestingly enough, both Buffy and Angel start off as sort of a Monster-of-the-Week show and turn into a serial drama that is worth watching again and again.  Firefly, sadly, aired out of sequence, and was cancelled after the first seaon.  (Probably because people were having trouble following the storyline.  Go figure.)  Go.  Now.  Buy.  Watch.

Whedon Recommends

Seen those three shows and loved them as much as I did?  Wanna know what Whedon watches in his spare time? 
Battlestar Galactica.  I was hesitant at first to watch BSG, thinking it was going to be some silly sci-fi show.  I was dead wrong.  It may be set in space, but it's the drama between the characters that makes this show so ridiculously awesome. 
Veronica Mars.  A sort of a modern-day Nancy Drew - solving crimes from high school - but it's the killer dialogue that makes this show a standout.  If you like Buffy's witty quips, you'll absolutely love Veronica's acid tongue.  I would give my right eye to be able to think of some of the one-liners she comes out with.

Watch it for the Hotties and the Plotties

Eye-candy.  Yum!  Oh yeah, the show's good too.
Lost.  Well who doesn't watch this?  Another show that I was reluctant to watch because everyone kept telling me how good it was.  You know what?  It is.  The hook for me is the mind-boggling plot lines that they are managing.  Everything is connected, everything means something.  It's crazy.  I love it. 
Friday Night Lights.  Now, before you get turned off because it's some show about football, let me tell you how it is simultaneously heart-wrenching and inspiring.  My poor ticker.  If you ever liked an "underdog makes good" storyline, this is for you. 
Heroes.  Cool people with superpowers.  Arresting drama.  Good times.
Grey's Anatomy.  Not a huge fan of soap opera-y medical dramas, but I gotta admit, I find it really hard to stop watching this one.  That should be recommendation enough.

Dead Serious

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the Big Three:
Sopranos.  Movie-quality television with a complex central character: a mobster who seeks out psychotherapy.  Despite the annoying ending, this one is already a classic.
Six Feet Under.  On paper, this show should not work.  Undertaker brothers.  Dark, dark, dark humour.  Even darker drama.  Sounds depressing.  It's fascinating.
Dexter.  A show about a serial killer who only kills bad guys.  Is he the devil incarnate, or humanity's saviour?  For a guy who claims not to be able to connect on a personal level, the best part of this show is his relationships with the "normal" people in his life.

Unsung Heroes

Looking for something a little less mainstream?
Huff.  Hank Azaria plays a psychiatrist who questions his entire existence after a teen patient commits suicide in the middle of one of his therapy sessions.  This show didn't last long, but is worth watching for the stellar performances - especially Oliver Platt as the immoral pill-popping lawyer and Blythe Danner as the interfering live-in mother.  It's so good, that it's the one show I still can't get out of my head.
Wonderfalls.  Wonder-what?  I'm not surprised if you haven't heard of it.  It aired briefly in 2004 in several different timeslots, got lousy ratings and was summarily canceled to the disappointment of a rather small but devout group of followers.  It's about a university graduate who opts out of the career path to work in a gift shop in Niagara Falls.  One day, an inanimate objest talks to her and asks her to help someone out.  She agrees reluctantly, to make the voices stop.  More objects follow suit.  It's quirky, unusual and highly original.  It's also the only show my TV snob of a brother has been openly enthusiastic about.
Dead Like Me.  Think Reaper is good?  Dead Like Me was the first and still the best.  George, unexpectedly killed by a falling toilet seat, is recruited as an unwilling Grim Reaper.  She also finds she's not the only "bail bondsman for the disembodied", and works with an interesting group of fellow Reapers (ever wonder what happened to Jasmine Guy?) run by foreman, Rube (Mandy Patinkin).  A must-see.

I Love to Laugh

But I rarely do.  Most sitcoms just aren't funny anymore.  But if you forego the drivel that some networks are pouring out, you can find some seriously wicked comedy.
How I Met Your Mother.  Strangely not as popular in the ratings as it should be.  This is a more urbane and much funnier version of the Friends formula.  Plus, it stars the legen..wait for it..dary Neil Patrick Harris, and my personal doppelganger Alyson Hannigan.  If you haven't watched it yet, what are you waiting for?
The Office - British OR American.  Both are excellent in their own way and probably the best written sitcom(s) I have ever watched.  This show really deserves a post all on it's own.
House, M.D.  Technically not a comedy, but Hugh Laurie's dry, bitter humour really tickles my funny bone.  I really don't like medical dramas AT ALL, but I recommend this show to anyone who will listen.  It's that good.

But What is Mama Drama Actually Watching RIGHT NOW?

Curious as to what's detracting me from blogging 24/7?
Torchwood.  A spin-off from Doctor Who, it's a sort of British version of the X-Files.  The Husband wanted to watch it because it stars Broadway star, John Barrowman.  So far, I'm not sure that the acting is always to my taste, but the show is very entertaining.  And I loves me the British accents.  Mmmm.
Mad Men.  We just started this the other night for a little something different.  It's a drama situated in a 1960's ad agency, and you immediately get immersed in the era.  People smoke in the office!  And have alcohol!  And sex!  I haven't watched much, but I was impressed with the production values and the quality of the acting.  I'm excited to see more.

Shows I Can't Believe I Haven't Watched Yet

I get a little overwhelmed when we have too many shows on the go.  Small brain overload.
Spaced (we just ordered this from Amazon, and it's next in the line-up)
Freaks and Geeks (the title alone shows that this was meant for me)
30Rock (saw bits and pieces of it, but never a full episode)
Big Love (tried a couple episodes but wasn't feeling the love - someone convince me?)
Weeds (was on waaay past our bed time).

Phew!  That list tired me out.  Whaddya think?  Have I missed any gems??

Comments

[SciFi Dad]

The only Whedon one I have watched is Firefly. My sister keeps pushing Buffy, but I'm hesitant.

However, a lot of your other ones (BSG, Lost, Heroes, Grey's) are on my list.

But, what about Prison Break? Seriously, you should try it.

[ali]

i am halfway through season 2 of Six Feet Under...i cannot believe i hadn't watched this show! it's AMAZING!

[Woman in a window]

OK you have me with Buffy, Dead like me (BRILLIANT) and How I Met your Mother. TOTALLY! Did you ever see Carnival when it was out? OMG! I can't believe they cancelled it! If they could have atleast taken the time to wrap it up with some thoughfulness it would SELL, big time! But alas, they simply said yada, yada, yada, fire and brimstone, etc. But I bet you'd enjoy the first season. There are a lot of morons in the television industry, aren't there?

Oh, Oh, OH, and I know I've already told you about Durham County. WT....? It seems like when people actually start enjoying quality beyond the obvious tv drooling droniness...they cancel it. ARGH! Now I'm all mad and fuming... (OH, liked Six Feet Under, too!)

[Assertagirl]

Ohhhh Six Feet Under is hands down my all-time favourite television show. I loves me some Nate Fisher.

Lots of people have recommended BSG to us, so I think I'll give it a try soon.

[metro mama]

Great list! I might add The L Word.

Dexter will be next for me.

[Mamalooper]

Oliver Platt and Blythe Danner STEAL Huff. I cannot believe that it wasn't renewed. The only weak bit for me was Hank Azaria, the lead. And I so lusted after what Monkeydad and I call the "Huff house".

Dead Like Me was another one that should have carried on. Did Mandy Patinkin bail on it like he did Criminal Minds?

And another thumbs up for BSG from me - never was a huge scifi fan but it IS worth it. Just make sure you watch from the beginning.

[kittenpie]

You know, I don't have the brainpower to read either, but I also don't have the stamina most nights to commit to something, either, given that it's likely I'll fall asleep halfway through, so I have DVDs sitting there, and end up watching reruns of things I've missed like old Law&Order or CSI episodes... sad, really.

[Helen]

My husband and I LOVE How I Met Your Mother. It's hilarious! It's also something different.

This past month we watched The Tudors (which was great) and are now on the second season of Weeds...how did we not watch this before. My husband thought it was 'okay' in the first couple of episodes but now he's hooked! ;)

[Beck]

30 Rock is MAYBE my favorite show EVER. Funny! How I Met Your Mother goes unwatched in our house - even though we love it - because there's something on at the same time on another channell. I wonder what?

[Mouse]

Same guy created Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. Neither one lasted as long as it should have (especially Wonderfalls--4 episodes aired and then it was pulled). But at least his new show, Pushing Daisies, is coming back this Fall.

You really must see Freaks and Geeks. I wrote a post once about the fact that Apatow must have been spying on me, because there are an unsettling number of similarities between me and Lindsay (the Linda Cardellini character).