Monday, March 5, 2012

Monday Media Blog-Favorite Television Shows Ever

Welcome to the Monday Media Blog on Chief 187™Chatter.
Television used to fill my days and nights. I loved watching and scheduled my life around what shows were on when. Television used to keep me company, inform me, and entertain me. Characters were old friends, comforting parents, and teens and adults I aspired to be. Later I wanted to emulate the characters I saw on the small screen. My life has changed drastically with the introduction of children, a career, and the Internet. I no longer have the time to dedicate to watching myriad programs each week. News, comfort, and entertainment I now receive via my computer and have found a great balance between my “real” world and my “virtual” one, although I’m not really sure if the terms are apt. But television programs are responsible for a huge part of my personality, point of reference, and history.
Little House on the Prairie was a childhood favorite and usually left my mother in tears. Years later, watching repeats, I finally understood the reasons! I still tear up in replays of the last episode of M*A*S*H (or any given episode for that matter), remember when J.R. Ewing (Dallas) was shot and when Bobby Ewing came out of the shower a year after dying.
I waxed nostalgic for an era I never lived through with The Wonder Years, marveled at the “realness” of Roseanne, and settled in peacefully to be entertained by The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, and Night Court or Wings. Designing Women intrigued me with their Southern-ness (did they ever once mention NASCAR?!), Murphy Brown challenged my notion of feminism, and Friends made me wistfully hope that I could have friends pop over and enter the home without knocking on the door first.
Kate and Allie and My Two Dads showed unlikely families before they were truly embraced, and Will and Grace broke all glass ceilings about all kinds of relationships.
I watched, emoted, gleaned information, and made moral judgments based on what I saw. I became accepting, educated, and challenged. Right or wrong, my television habits helped to create the person I am today. Not solely, certainly, but it played a major role. This week’s focus of the Monday Media Blog is what are your favorite television shows of all time – 3, 5, 10, or as many as you care to list! If time permits, tell why you loved the show so. Please join me tomorrow for the most popular post on Chief 187™Chatter, Simple Joys.

4 comments:

  1. Right now and for the last 4 seasons, The Big Bang Theory has been my absolute favorite show. All things revolve around Thursday nights at 8:00 (rerun or not). I honestly do not recall having this much enthusiasm for a single television show. (My husband might disagree). I somehow have been able to memorize season number, episode number and titles of almost all 100+ episodes. I can give you a synopsis of an episode if you give me the episode title, and occasionally visa versa. I remain undefeated in The Big Bang Theory Trivia Board Game. Friends jokingly quiz me on things about the show & I don't recall being stumped- YET. I have also downloaded the theme song by the Barenaked Ladies to my iPod. We've purchased the season DVD sets, ripped them, compressed them and loaded them on my iPad for my viewing pleasure whenever I want. Yes, I am obsessed with BBT. ;)

    I enjoyed CSI: Crime Scene Investigation very much, until they messed with the format and put two characters together that had no business being together. This show started my love for true crime, and forensic shows. I would watch, learn and try to solve the crime before the characters wrapped up the case. One particular episode I remember having the case solved in less than 20 minutes... this unnerved my husband a little bit. :D I am now a full fledged ID Addict. ID is the Investigation Discovery channel. They have several original series that have me watching from the time the TV is turned on until the kids get home from school. Many shows I DVR, so I can watch when the kids are not home. Anything from, Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? to Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets, to Deadly Women, to Behind Mansion Walls, to Wicked Attraction, to The Will: Family Secrets Revealed, to Stalked: Someone's Watching, to Nightmare Next Door... I could go on. Great, great, fascinating programming on that entire channel! LOVE IT!

    As for "back in the day", the shows I enjoyed (and ripped pages from my Bop and Tiger Beat magazines to hang on my wall) were:
    Silver Spoons
    Saved by the Bell
    Growing Pains
    Who's the Boss
    Full House
    The Cosby Show
    Boy Meets World
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    Dawson's Creek
    Felicity
    General Hospital (off and on since Luke & Laura got married)
    Fresh Prince of Bel Aire
    Arsenio Hall Show
    In Living Color
    Will & Grace
    Beverly Hills 90210 (until they graduated)
    Happy Days
    The Muppet Show
    Family Ties
    Blossom
    A Different World
    ALF (had a stuffed ALF)
    Benson
    Charles in Charge
    Doogie Howser, MD
    House
    Mr. Belvedere
    Mork & Mindy
    Three's Company
    Step by Step
    Hogan Family(?)- it changed names a couple of times
    Perfect Strangers
    WKRP in Cincinnati
    Miami Vice
    Beauty and the Beast
    Night Rider
    Life Goes On
    Mama's Family
    Married with Children (was even Peg Bundy for Halloween)
    Mad About You
    Home Improvement
    Parker Lewis Can't Lose
    How I Met Your Mother
    America's Next Top Model
    So You Think You Can Dance
    Project Runway
    The Voice
    Anderson
    Live with Kelly
    People's Court (the original!)
    Boston Public
    Covert Affairs
    Ugly Betty
    Dr. G: Medical Examiner
    19 Kids & Counting
    Glee

    There are more I'm sure... My brain is fried now! :)

    It is 9:00, time to turn on Live! with Kelly. ;)

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  2. Oops! Thought of a couple more:
    Ellen Degeneres Show
    The Hulk

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  3. The Waltons
    Little House on the Prairie
    Dynasty
    Dallas
    Knots Landing
    Hawaii 5-O <--Jack Lord, Telly Savalas (sp)
    Miami Vice
    Magnum PI
    Cagney & Lacey
    M.A.S.H.
    Charlie's Angels (Original)
    Fantasy Island
    Dark Shadows (1990s)
    American Gothic
    The A-Team

    Saturday Morning:
    Isis / Shazam

    I think if I spent enough time, I could fill a whole page...LOL! Thanks for the memories.

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