My 2015/2016 Shows

My 2015/2016 Shows

When it comes to TV, there are two ways that I’ve gotten into a show. One is that I wait until I hear good things about it, then go find it on Netflix or DVD and binge the whole thing. The other is that I have to watch it week by week as new episodes are released. The obvious perk of the binge watch is that I don’t have to wait to see what happens. I can get comfy, hit play and watch for hours and hours. I’ll often  have TV on in the background if I’m doing other chores like cleaning or homework back when I was in school. It’s nice relaxing background noise.

On the other hand, there is a definite plus to the week to week watch, especially for someone nerdy like me. One perk is that it gives you something to look forward to. Lately, my wife and I have both been home on Monday nights, which we now call “New Scorpion Night.” It’s an added little bonus. Another perk is that it gives you a chance to discuss it. I love talking with someone about a show we both watch, and comparing what we think is going to happen. I’m a subscriber to a number of podcasts that talk about these shows. Usually on these podcasts, the hosts will recap what happened, while mentioning things they noticed, liked, disliked, and so on. This give me a new perspective as well as lets me catch things I may have missed. I feel like it gets me more prepared for the next episode.

What I’m going to do is go through the shows that I currently keep up with, and why it keeps my attention. There have been some “TV Show Casualties” this season as well. Shows that I enjoy, and started to watch, but haven’t been able to keep up with. This season’s casualties include Grandfathered, The Grinder, Dr. Ken, and Last Man Standing. Maybe after my main shows end, I’ll go back and catch up with them, but for now, they didn’t last. Another interesting note is that all but two of the featured shows that I’m watching are on CBS. This is a shift from just a few years ago when NBC ruled my TV viewing with The Office, Parks and Recreation, Community, and 30 Rock. Sadly, all of these shows have ended, and NBC has yet to impress me since. Let’s see what shows are impressing me on CBS.

 

Before I go any farther, I have to give a Spoiler Warning if anyone is not caught up with these shows.

 

Scorpion (Monday Nights)

I first got into Scorpion when I was visiting my cousins in Phoenix last year. They showed us the first few episodes and we were hooked. Currently in its second season, the show focuses on Walter O’Brien, a man with one of the highest IQs ever recorded. He leads a team of geniuses who frequently get recruited by the government for highly classified, delicate, and dangerous missions, such as stopping a hacked, runaway subway train or stopping a dam from breaking. Their missions are like CSI meets MacGyver as they’re constantly learning and adapting to road blocks as they work toward their goal. In addition to their missions, we also explore their interpersonal relationships. This season has been especially interesting with the developed relationship of Toby, the sarcastic psychiatrist and Happy, the unemotional mechanical engineer. It’s by far our favorite new show and my top recommendation.

 

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Monday Nights)

My wife and I got into this show by accident. It started with us trying to find something to watch before Scorpion started, and we found this show. It is the exact definition of a guilty pleasure show. I’ll admit it’s overly dramatic and a little cheesy, but it’s really fun. The protagonist, Rebecca, is a successful lawyer who was unhappy with her life. Then after a brief run-in with an old boyfriend, she moves from New York to California to try and win him back. It’s the perfect mix where as I watch her doing impulsive and irrational things, I recognize that she’s crazy, but I’m still rooting for her. Another aspect of the show that I’m a sucker for is the music. Yes, it’s a musical show. Rebecca processes things internally by envisioning her life as a series of musical numbers. I realize this sounds crazy, but like I said, it’s a guilty pleasure.

 

The Muppets (Tuesday Nights)

If you’ve read my earlier series Eras in Muppet History, you know that I absolutely love the Muppets. They are my number one fandom, so of course I’m on board for their new show. In this show, we follow behind the scenes of Miss Piggy’s talk show, “Up Late with Miss Piggy.” Kermit is the Producer, Piggy is the star, and the rest of the Muppets all play a role in putting the show together. It’s a perfect mix of classic Muppets and modern sitcoms. On the classic side, seeing the Muppets scramble to put a show together is what made The Muppet Show (1976-1981) a hit. Things go wrong, things explode, Monsters eat things, it all adds to the hilariousness of this franchise. On the modern side, The Muppets also gives us real issues to deal with. There’s a guy hired by the network to basically meddle with the show and cause problems. Kermit and Piggy are working together, despite having just broken up. The Muppets are written as real characters with wants, needs, flaws, and insecurities. It turned out better than I hoped.

 

Criminal Minds (Wednesday Nights)

I never really got into Criminal Minds until I started to date my wife. She was more into it than I was, but I watched it with her. Since then I’ve really gotten into it myself, and I really do think it’s much more unique and engaging than other procedural cop shows. As the title suggests, they go deep into the psychology of killers or “unsubs” as they’re referred to. This show does a terrific job at keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as we follow the investigation. In addition, the audience gets emotionally invested in the members of the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit). This team acts more like a family than a group of coworkers. In the most recent episodes, one of the original cast members, and a fan favorite, Shemar Moore decided to leave the show. His character, Derek Morgan, was recently kidnapped, tortured, and almost killed. In addition, his fiancé just gave birth to his son, which made him rethink his current career. It was a heartbreaking episode, and the show won’t be the same without him, but I’m still excited to keep watching.

 

Survivor (Wednesday Nights)

Survivor first aired in 2000, when I was 12, and since then I’ve watched almost every season. I love tracking the alliances and challenges as every week, another player is eliminated until one is left. There’s so much strategy to the game and so much luck at the same time. After each episode, I tune in to Rob Has a Podcast, hosted by former Survivor Contestant, Rob Cesternino, who breaks everything down with his co-hosts and gives his expert take on things. If you love Survivor and are a bit of a nerd, definitely go check it out.

There’ve been two seasons of Survivor in this 2015/2016 block. First was Season 31: Survivor Second Chances. 20 contestants who had played the game once before without winning. This was a phenomenal season. Everyone wanted to correct the mistakes they made in their first game, so they were playing hard right off the bat. There were multiple hidden immunity idols played, alliance swapping, and a ton of things happening to make it a great season.

Currently, I’m six episodes in to the 32^nd season: Survivor Kaoh Rong, which had the tribes broke up into Brains, Braun, and Beauty. This is an interesting dynamic, labeling the contestants into one of these three categories and watching their strategic and social interactions. There was also a very intense scene In which three contestants needed medical attention after a grueling challenge. I can’t wait to see how the rest of this plays out.

 

The Big Bang Theory (Thursday Nights)

Here we have the lone sitcom that I’m currently watching. I’m a sucker for sitcoms, and The Big Bang Theory is a great one. Maybe it’s because there are so many pop culture references, which is something I love as a self-proclaimed nerd. This seasons big story lines include Howard and Bernadette expecting a new baby, as well as Sheldon and Leonard teaming up on a new scientific discovery, that I admittedly don’t understand, but it sounds cool. There was also some relationship drama in the show as Leonard & Penny get married, and Sheldon & Amy start off the season broken up. There was also a big 200^th episode where they brought back several recurring characters as well as special guest stars Adam West and Stephen Hawking. While some people argue that the show is focusing too much on relationships, I completely disagree with that. Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj are just as nerdy now as they always were, and it’s natural for people to change and develop new relationships in life. I’ve loved all of the story lines this season, and as long as they’re making new episodes, I’ll be watching.

 

The Amazing Race (Friday Nights)

CBS really knows how to make great reality shows. Much like Survivor, my wife and I also tune in every week to watch as the teams on The Amazing Race travel all over the world in this competition. It’s amazing to see how one bad mistake or one great move can make or break the game for these contestants. Another great aspect of The Amazing Race is all of the culture that is integrated in. As the teams race around the world, most of their challenges are related to the culture of the area they’re living in, and usually involve the local people in that area as well. This show combines competition, travel, culture, and beautiful scenery into one “Amazing” show.