What I'm Watching

One of the best things about fall is the start of TV season! What are you guys excited about watching this season? At the end of summer, I was pretty bummed that Big Brother was over. But its absence left about 10 free hours of tv time per work. (BB is on three days a week.*)

Here are five my favorite shows to watch these days:

The Goldbergs - This is one of the most consistently funny shows out there. Last season (its first season) was hilarious. It takes place in the 80's, the time period I grew up in, and has so many great cultural references from the time. The show is based on the real home videos of the creator of the show and his family. Most episodes end with one of his personal home video clips from the 80's. I feel 100% confident in recommending this show to anyone who likes laughing.

Black-ish - Really funny. The first episode made me laugh out loud at least five times. Now in its fourth week, I'm still loving it and looking forward to it every week. The show is about an upper-middle class black family and the dad's feelings of racial discomfort at the fact that his kids don't know enough about the "struggle."

Revenge (with spoilers) - OK, this show is hilarious. And I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be. It's supposed to be a drama. In the first two seasons, the show was still taking itself seriously. Everyone was constantly talking in these low, husky voices (oh my gosh, those voices kill me). But somewhere around the middle of season three, things got hilarious. It seemed like the writers said, "you know what? Screw it. Let's go wild." Here are some of the things that happened:

• The main character, Emily, was shot in the stomach on a yacht the night of her wedding. By her husband. She fell into the ocean and somehow got to some kind of buoy where she was eventually rescued. She then got amnesia. Of course.
• The dad who's been dead since the beginning of the show - the one the daughter is getting "revenge" for? Well, he came back from the dead and killed the leading man of the show.
• Emily kidnaps her sister (who doesn't know she's her sister) to force a recorded confession from her. 
• To get revenge on Emily, her ex-mother-in-law kills Emily's boyfriend then props him up on Emily's couch in front of the fireplace. Emily comes home and starts talking to him before realizing he's dead...

You know what? I can't even go on. There's so much absurdity I can't even cover 1% of it. Just watch the show if you need a good laugh. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the husky voices. Oh my gosh, I love it so much. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the ridiculous opening speeches Emily makes to introduce each episode. These are voiced over scenes of rolling ocean waves, or something like that. Here are two examples:

The past is a tricky thing. Sometimes it’s etched in stone. And other times, it’s rendered in soft memories. But if you meddle too long in deep, dark things, who knows what monsters you’ll awaken? 

As Hamlet said to Ophelia, “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” The battle between these two halves of identity… …who we are and who we pretend to be… is unwinnable. 

I can't handle anything about this show. It's one of the funniest comedies out there to me even though its meant to be a drama. 

Bob's Burgers - Some of you are probably too mature for cartoon shows but this is a good one. It's a clever show about a family - the Belchers - who own an unsuccessful restaurant. The characters are all quirky - Louise, the 9 year old, never takes off her rabbit ears hat. Gene, the 11 year old (?), is a musician who rocks a tiny key board and uses his recorded farts in his songs. Tina is the 13 year old awkward teen who's obsessed with writing "erotic friend fiction" about her school friends touching each others butts. It's good stuff.

The Middle -I think this show is either in its 5th or 6th season. It's been around for awhile and it is still very funny. It's also sweet and sometimes even makes me a little verklempt.The Heck family is lower middle class (minus the "middle", probably). They have three kids - Axle is a popular jock, Sue is an overly optimistic nerd, and Brick is a socially awkward kid with physical and social disabilities. It all adds up to some really funny and sweet stuff.

What are you all excited about this season?

*which is not enough.