You know its sad when most of the television you watch is “reality” TV. Although it’s probably more a reflection on me, I think it’s more a reflection on what passes for programming these days.
Okay, just to share, this is what I watch:
Mondays: nothing. It’s a Netflix night.
Tuesdays: Lot’s to see. I actually like American Idol on Fox. I didn’t watch it the first season, but started watching it during Season 2. It’s an interesting show because it morphs as it progresses. The first stage is the tryouts – where a lot of bad singing is showcased along with the good. The winners of this stage are “going to Hollywood”. In Hollywood, the second stage of auditions trims roughly 150 people down to about 25. In the third stage, the final 12 contestants are chosen.Tonight was the first night of the last stage, when the final 12 compete – with one person getting cut each week.
Tonight was the first night of the last stage, when the final 12 compete – with one person getting cut each week.
This year they auditioned the men and women separately, and thus ended up with six of each. The men are obviously stronger than the women this year. My favorites are Bo and Anwar for the men, and Nadia for the women.
After Idol, it’s over to CBS for The Amazing Race. In this reality show, 11 teams compete in a race around the world. Each leg of the race has its own challenges, and you guessed it, at the end of each leg someone gets booted off.
As with Idol, if I miss an episode it isn’t the end of the world, but I do enjoy watching it.
Unfortunately, the Amazing Race comes on at the same time as two shows I like on NBC. Since reality TV has no reply value, I watch the race and tape the other two shows.
The first NBC show is Scrubs. This is a stupid little show about medical students. I don’t know why I like it so much, but it is very silly, and for some reason that appeals to me.
Plus I met two of the cast members, John C. McGinley and Sarah Chalke in the Newark airport. I wish I could report that we hit it off and became fast friends, but the truth is more along the lines of me sheepishly introducing myself and stammering out “gee, I really like your show”.
After Scrubs comes a new show, Committed. It has some potential, and is irreverent in a similar way to Scrubs. I loved the first couple of episodes, but I am not sure if it has legs or not. Tonight is the season finale, which strikes me as odd, since there have only been about six episodes total. Anyway, this is the same industry that has driven me to watch reality TV, so go figure.
Wednesday: nothing. It’s a Netflix night.
Thursday: Thursday used to be another busy night, like Tuesday have become. But now it’s pretty much three shows: Survivor (CBS), CSI (CBS) and ER (NBC).
Survivor is the granddaddy of reality shows, and I’ve been watching since the middle of the first season. Why I like Survivor would fill up another blog entry, so I’ll skip it for now.
I love CSI. Not CSI-Miami or CSI-New York, which I hate, but the original. It’s a wonderful ensemble cast production, and I look forward to it each week.
Finally, there’s ER. I’m not sure how much longer this show has, but I’ve enjoyed it for many years. The main reason is that it is very unpredictable. As someone who watches shows in part to figure them out, I like it when things are so formulaic.
Friday: nothing. It’s a Netflix night.
Saturday: nothing. It’s a Netflix night.
Sunday: Sunday used to be another Netflix night, but Andrea has gotten me into Boston Legal. Another David E. Kelley joint (in Boston, go figure), it stars James Spader, William Shatner, and now, Candice Bergen. With such a cast, it’s hard to go wrong, and while I haven’t been watching it from the beginning, I now look forward to it.
See – not much TV. (grin)