She Likes Purple

Seven Quick (TV) Takes

(Obviously we have some spoilers ahead so tread lightly.)

I know, I know, I should just start a TV blog and be done with it. (What if I told you that was in the works? Would you read?) Anyway, that's obviously not available today, and I do have some Very Important TV Thoughts I'd like to share. I won't be offended if you close your browser with an eye-roll, though! But, warning, you will miss a tidbit on Mike's proposal to me and how it's now connected forever to Leslie Knope.

1. I watch and love The Vampire Diaries. No apologies will be made for that, you should know, because I genuinely think it's a stellar show. I hope someone out there watches (hi Liz!) and can commiserate with me over my rage toward Matt. This is a guy who broke up with Caroline because he couldn't deal with her being a vampire. And now he's Elena's chomping toy. I know! He has mad guilt from the accident but if he doesn't high-tail it over to Caroline's house and offer up one helluva an apology soon, I'm going to throw my remote at the TV. Do it, Matt! Apologize! Mike hates it when I throw the remote.

2. Guys, I'm hearing very bad things about Nashville's ratings. Please don't make this another Veronica Mars situation (although we did get three seasons there). Watch! It's good! It's not just about country music! Don't make me weep over its cancellation. Do you want me to weep?

3. I think I'm giving up on Grey's Anatomy. I feel like I was one of the last viewers, loyal even when the show tried its best to make all of his break our loyalty (I will forever have a softness for Meredith Grey; she speaks to me for some reason), but then they went and killed off Lexie and Mark and I think I'm out.

4. Oh, Sons of Anarchy, you are doing all you can to shred my sensitive feelings this season, aren't you? I don't remember being this wrecked after past episodes when I was watching them THREE IN A ROW. But each week this year I feel I've been punched in the gut when the show fades to black and then I think, it can't get worse, it just can't, AND THEN IT GETS WORSE. Oof, Kurt Sutter, ease up, would you! With all that said, I think Charlie Hunnam has been outstanding this season. I have barely noticed his horrible haircut because he's continually blowing me away with his acting. Which means he'll get absolutely zero award nominations. I think that's how those things work. (Also, what do we think, was Gemma high, drunk, or just tired this past week? I am stumped.)

5. Last night's Parks & Rec will stay on my DVR forever and ever. Oh, Ben Wyatt, you perfect TV man, you. (Related note: It's hard to watch Adam Scott in anything else these days because I always feel like he's cheating on Leslie. Stop kissing other women, Adam! Including your real-life wife, please.) Anyway, during his proposal, Leslie said yes before he could finish asking and I DID THIS TO MIKE. I took the ring out of his hand before he was done just like the crazy woman everyone knows me to be. Last night, as we watched, we both got a little excited that Leslie stole my move. I've always wanted to be more like Leslie Knope! Last night I said, "Babe! I Leslie Knoped you!"

6. I've recorded all of Arrow and haven't watched any of it yet. Should I? Is it good? (I use "good" relatively, of course. I know we're talking about the CW here, but I'm a regular voluntary watcher of CW shows. I love some quality TV but I also love some teen love triangles.)

7. This is a general TV thing, but I've noticed that I do this one particular thing when I'm watching a show I really love. I continually pause the TV throughout it. I want to make the hour last longer and when I'm obviously enjoying a scene, I'll pause it in the middle and go make a snack or send an email or just relish the moment, which sounds RIDICULOUS as I type it out, but it's become my measuring stick for enjoyable TV. If I recommend something it's likely I've paused it mid-way a few times.

Share any TV thoughts below!

TV Tuesday: Awkward

We have reached the point in the summer television hiatus when I am just desperate for new TV. So desperate, I can't even admit what I'm queueing up on Netflix these days (it's an ABC Family show and not the good kind like Greek). There is one bright spot in my otherwise pathetic August DVR line-up, though, and that's MTV's Awkward.

Before you rush off in a fit of eye-rolling, this isn't some soaked-in-alcohol MTV reality show, it's what I have been calling MTV's television redemption. It's a scripted teen dramedy and it's full of actual, relatable teen lingo and characters. (I'm guessing, of course, since I have not been a teen in many many television seasons.)

The main character--Jenna Hamilton--is an average, kind of dorky teenage girl going through all sorts of average teenage things. She's into a popular guy who likes her but isn't sure he can like her in public and then he realizes he's an idiot but by then she's realized his best friend has no issue liking her any time of day. She's got a pair of really funny friends and parents who have their own set of issues, and it's just a sweet, cringe-inducing, sometimes sad, and, yeah, awkward tv show.

I look forward to it every week (it's on Thursdays) and get a little bummed when it ends.

If you're not into the teen drama/comedy kind of show, well then you're probably a normal 30 year old instead of someone like me and we can just go ahead and not reference that this is the kind of show I watch when I come to your next dinner party. I promise to talk politics or indie movies instead of the dating history of fictional 16 year olds.

Well, I promise to try.

TV Tuesday: Shameless

First things first, a couple weeks ago Nicole created a crazy fantastic TV Spreadsheet for anyone who's so inclined to add to and fill out. It's basically a one-stop place for all the best TV shows and a tally of all the internet badasses who love them. It's also how I'll choose new friends from here on. (Friends is in the lead with 37 votes but Friday Night Lights has a very respectable 24.)

One show I specifically added to the spreadsheet and one show that only has my one measly X beside it is Shameless, a Showtime show about a poor Chicago family. It's so dark and twisted I think the show likely turns off people pretty quickly. There's a lot of raunch, a lot of sex, a lot of sad situations that are plain hard to stomach. There are also a couple characters (ahem, Karen) that have shown almost no redeeming qualities and you're basically like, "Oh, okay. You're pure evil. That's interesting."

So, I get why it's not for everyone. It's just that I find flawed, desperate, nearly unredeeming characters fascinating and I find the other characters that love them heartbreaking or heartwarming or hopeful or something else interesting to watch.

William H. Macy plays the absentee alcoholic father, and he's just incredible in the role. (Especially after watching his short stint on Sports Night. This is a man who can act, would anyone deny that?) But the show is so little about him. He's worthless, that never really changes, but the show is about how his children (there are six of them, in total) survive without/in spite of him. They're all so royally fucked up, yet you get the feeling they're all going to be fine (well, save for a couple).

It's kind of dramatically over-the-top at times and I sometimes roll my eyes at sheer weirdness of it all, but then something very graceful and beautiful grounds the drama and it's just like you're watching your own fucked-up family.

Anyway, I'd love for someone else to mark an X on the TV Spreadsheet next to Shameless. It's one of my favorites, and I can't seem to find anyone else who watches it.

TV Tuesday: Sports Night

When I first started watching The Good Wife, I mentioned on Twitter that I never thought Josh Charles was especially attractive until he became Will Gardner. Someone (Nic, I think) encouraged me to watch Sports Night, and I made a mental note to do just that. See, I've decided to actually begin taking TV recommendations from smart people instead of complaining I'm all out of good stuff to watch while ignoring everyone around me. Sports Night also happens to be on Netflix, which is so much nicer than having to pay to watch a show. I bet you're going to bring up that I pay for Netflix. I wish you would stop making so much sense, it's kind of annoying.

Anyway, it also happens to be a half-hour comedy, so each episode is something like 21 minutes and I can fly through three episodes in an hour while folding laundry or writing thank-you notes. Notice I said I can fold laundry, not that I do.

Sports Night is an Aaron Sorkin show, so it's all about the quick dialogue and whip-smart-but-goofy-and-flawed characters. It's a lot of fun, even when it's a little over-the-top with its earnestness at times. You enjoy getting a glimpse of this unique work environment -- colleagues as family is another thing Aaron Sorkin does well, right? -- and the comedy/stories also stand the test of time since the show was filmed in the late 90s. Check out the computers! It's like a different world.

Josh Charles is one of the main sports anchors (alongside Peter Krause, who I like, but who will always be Adam Braverman to me), and he's just totally adorable in the role. (Check out this scene; it's one of my favorites.) It's funny to me, how I went from watching him in The Good Wife just a few weeks ago -- a show that almost always errs on the side of less-is-more dialogue -- to watching him basically be non-stop charming and chatty in Sports Night. Totally different characters, love them both.

You'll also recognize a whole slew of supporting characters from other Sorkin shows and other shows in general, and it's kind of fun seeing them all fresh and baby-faced nearly 15 years ago.

So, if you're in the market for a new show, especially one that's easy to watch and enjoyable, too, I highly recommend. Especially since I'll likely write about Southland next, which is the exact opposite of easy to watch, my goodness what a pilot that was.

What are you watching this week?

(Oh, this Sorkinisms video is pretty fantastic if you've got a few extra minutes to devote to Aaron Sorkin today.)

TV Tuesday: The Good Wife

I talk about some tv shows below. Spoilers included!

I think I missed my calling as a TV writer or TV recapper or paid TV opinion sharer in some capacity but, no problem, there's always Twitter and I can talk at length about television over there, never irritating a soul.

TV really is a passion for me, which makes me sound kind of lazy, I know. (Spoiler: that's because I am.) What's even more a passion of mine, though, is talking about television and pop culture with smart people. This is why I have many archived emails about how Sons of Anarchy is such an interesting example of -- not just what the perfect set of abs looks like -- the gray morality humans can be accepting of. Would we cringe at a news report that a grown man smashed in the face of a porn star? Uh, yes, I'd guess we would. Did we kind of cheer when the grown man in question was Jax Teller? I did, I can admit.

TV makes us relate to characters better than we relate to people because of how much more of the story we're allowed to see, and I find that fascinating.

So, basically, once every couple weeks, I'd like to share (here) some things I'm watching and re-watching and maybe we can start some interesting conversations. (Or, maybe it'll just be me talking! Risk I'm willing to take!)

First up: The Good Wife

Sure, I'd heard this show was very good what with Julianna Marguiles winning all the awards at all the shows (taking an Emmy from Connie Britton, in fact), but I don't really like niche dramas (legal, medical, police/crime). I'd also catch a few minutes here and there over the past couple years, and would never get sucked in.

Starting from the beginning of the series, though, was a whole new ballgame. This show is excellent. The characters are all interesting and likable. (Also unlikable, sometimes in the same episode.) The actors are very nearly perfect, acting often without saying much but still conveying a whole helluva lot. I love that. And, probably my favorite part of the entire show, is how good the writers remember the details. They bring back small characters from episodes past, referencing subtle history as part of a bigger story, and this attention to detail is so refreshing. You are constantly reminded that the writers 1) know what they're doing and 2) they know what they're doing far better than the viewers. (Haven't you watched shows in the past where you just want to offer up your services to the writers as someone ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION so they wouldn't miss such obvious things?)

The show is marketed -- at least early on -- as being about the scandalized and humiliated wife of a politician who has slept with a prostitute. Just hearing that premise makes you hate the husband. I sure did. But somehow he grows on you, not in an "all is forgiven" kind of way -- and not even in a way that makes you want her to stay with him -- but just in a "there's more to a person than their worst offense" kind of way. 

I also plan to walk through life continually asking myself, "What would Kalinda do?" (FYI, it likely involves awesome boots and possibly taking a bat to someone's car.)

Anyway, if you're looking for a summer show to get caught up on, I recommend this one!

Do you watch The Good Wife? Do you love it?

Some other shows I have in my queue to watch: Southland, Veep, Homeland, Sports Night, Justified. Anything I'm missing?