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.
Currently, I’m six episodes in to the 32nd 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 200th 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.
