ACTUAL Favorite Television Shows

I’m a bit of a TV snob.  When I like a TV show, it’s for a lot of complex reasons.  How’s the continuity? Character depth and development? Jokes per minute? Are story lines well thought out and interesting?  Are character arcs true to their character? Is there a distracting laugh track? (You know, the kind that is so noticeable because YOU’RE NOT LAUGHING.)  Does the show stay relevant and exciting to watch throughout many seasons or get boring and stale?

So, when I’m asked “What’s your favorite TV show?” I always have huge responses with the classics.  For comedy, it’s always Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock that top my list.  Parks & Rec wins for strong cast/characters, great running jokes and awesome storylines. HIMYM is a great ensemble with strong characters and the CONTINUITY!  Oh, it kills me.  Arrested Development and 30 Rock are both center and eccentrics with hilarious jokes per minute, but they’re awesome because the “center” is also a crazy person in their own way. Michael is the dependable person in his family, but get him on his own and he’s a nutcase just like the rest of them! And Liz Lemon… well, she’s Liz Lemon.

Mad Men and Breaking Bad are great dramas.  Breaking Bad might be my favorite pilot of all time.  Cheers is the best comedy pilot.  The Muppet Show is one of the funniest shows that has somehow stood the test of time.  The Cosby Show is just awesome.  Claire Huxtable, what a character!

And the list goes on!

But… deep down, those aren’t my only favorite shows.  They’re the shows I could take ad nauseum about and still be respected by friends/family/co-workers/the Internet/etc.

But, in all honesty, I watch those shows far less than say, Chopped or Brunch with Bobby or Rich Kids of Beverly Hills or Will and Grace (every Saturday, all day long) or Dinner at Tiffani’s (my new favorite, even though she’s such a weird, bland host and her guests outshine her in the personality department) or Beat Bobby Flay (are you seeing a pattern here? I love cooking shows… that follow Bobby Flay… even though he’s terrible) or Keeping Up with The Kardashians or Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or EVERY OTHER FOOD NETWORK/COOKING CHANNEL SHOW EVER.  

So, basically, I'm just a liar.  Of course I really do love all those shows… but there's nothing better to me than lying on my couch and watching Chopped.  Who would have thought Ted Allen would have such a career post Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, huh?  I did.  I thought that.  BECAUSE HE'S AWESOME.