Couch Potato

I am a certified couch potato. And I'm not going to deny that. I'll watch almost anything and everything on the boob tube. And I do. Like everyone who watches tv, I also watch what I call the "predictable" or "popular ones" (meaning shows that everyone mostly likely watches as well, such as Friends - probably one of my all-time favorites - Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, 24, Alias, House, Prison Break, etc). But then, there are some good shows (that air here anyway) that methinks don't get enough credit. Or shows that I think other should also be watching (well, maybe some of them you already do).

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. Unfortunately, not a lot of (or enough) people DID watch this show. One of the FUNNIEST shows that was cancelled last year. It's about the Bluth Family. Michael (Jason Bateman) is a widower, with a son named George Michael (even that name's funny), who is forced to keep his dysfunctional family together after his father (Jeffrey Tambor) is arrested for shifty accounting practices at the family-owned conglomerate and the family assets are frozen. Michael's snobbish mother (Jessica Walter) finds her alone in a penthouse without the financial means to maintain it, while Michael's two brothers, GOB (Wil Arnett) -whose name isn't pronounced as it's spelled- and Buster (Tony Hale), and his sister Lindsay (Portia DeRossi) with her husband Tobias (David Cross) -who's got a fear of being naked- and her daughter Maebe (Alia Shawkat) also find themselves having to recreate their lifestyles to fit their new financial status. Even though it's been cancelled, at least I still get to watch it over (the local cable channel) Jack TV. Definitely will go down in the annals of tv history as a cult show.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Like 24 (and Alias during its first 3 seasons), this is one show that, for me, once you get started on watching one episode, you won't be able to help yourself from watching and watching and watching -- you have to find out what happens in the next episode, because it always/usually ends in a cliffhanger (I have the first 11 episodes of the current season thanks to downloads courtesy of LD, and talk about a cliffhanger, that's exaclty how the 11th episode ended -- and now I'm holding my breath anxiously and craving for the last several episodes that are yet to air in the 'States). Apparently, several attempts had been made to revive BG, but to no avail until it was re imagined in December of 2003. It actually started as a three-hour miniseries on the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S., and it was so successful that they opted to turn it into a series. There have been several changes made to the '78 sci-fi show, the biggest and most controversial one being the character Starbuck's change in gender (the original Starbucks was played by the A-Team's Dirk Benedict). Local cable channel Crime-Suspense has recently started airing the series (if I'm not mistaken, they're only into the second part of the tv-movie pilot), and here's hoping that people 'round here will get into the series.

THE CLOSER. The first time Crime-Suspense aired the entire first season, I ignored it, because I'm not really a fan of Kyra Sedgwick, and the merchandising plugs produced by CS weren't the least bit interesting. But then, one night, when there was nothing else I could watch on the 'tube, I was channel-surfing and came across The Closer and decided to sit through the episode. It was actually quite good. Ever since then, I was hooked. Sedgwick is Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a police detective who is transferred from Atlanta to Los Angeles to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high profile murder cases. Despite a tendency to step on people's toes, she manages to convert even her strongest adversaries in the police force with her unique ability to get the truth (hence, "The Closer"). Like the tv series Veronica Mars, The Closer is one of the few shows that I've seen that is headlined by a strong, intelligent female character. And another thing I like about the show, besides excellent story lines, is the very diverse set of characters that comprise her Priority Homicide Squad (originally called the Priority Murder Squad, but the name was changed after a funny scene where Brenda gets her squad's stationary with the abbreviation for her task force's name).

AMERICAN DAD. As I said, I'll watch almost anything and everything on the boob tube. And this is one of 'em. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's a cartoon -- it's definitely not for the kids. The humor is very adult (and I don't mean that in a porno kind of way) and it is frickin' funny! Every week, AD has me laughing in stitches.

There are actually more not-so-popular shows that I watch, but I'll tell you all about it a future post.
Certified couch potato. And proud of it, baby.
'Nuff said.