Televison Update

I was looking at the shows that I have reviewed recently and realized that many of the shows that I reviewed and reviewed well were never shows that I followed up on in any regular way.

Television is hard. For me a person who enjoys movies, news shows, late night television and of course during the season baseball committing to a series is difficult.

Rather than speaking to all the shows that did not make the cut after being considered a quick review of the Tivo will say what shows currently are in the lineup. Factually we as a family are so busy, if we do not Tivo something we do not watch it. Zapping through commercials is an artform in our family.

Saturday nights are wastelands but we usually do record Saturday Night Live. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is poor, very occasionally it is great but it is always worth seeing as a cultural touchstone.

Sundays we record CBS Sunday Morning, we do not watch every story but often the show will feature a great story or two.

On Sunday nights we Tivo The Walking Dead which is one of the strongest shows on television. We check out what the stories will be on 60 Minutes but this is in no way a must see anymore. When PBS airs a good show, which is often, on Masterpiece we tape that and watch it, Upstairs Downstairs was one and of course Downtun Abbey. We still have six episodes of that on Tivo but it will be well worth watching. Luck on HBO was a show we watched for two episodes and I did enjoy it but we lost some interest in it and it has fallen by the wayside. Sunday night's are about to get busier again with the return of Mad Men and Game of Thrones, two shows that are high on our list.

We also are watching on HBO Go right now Boardwalk Empire but have two season to catch up on. We have only watched one so far but it looks very good.

Mondays bring us The Voice now which is a big hit for my wife. How I Met Your Mother is one of the few sitcoms which make the list but it is a great show.

Tuesdays we have left Last Man Standing. I enjoyed it, love Tim Allen but just cannot find the time. We really have no show on Tuesdays currently but Parenthood is a must see when it is on the schedule.

Wednesdays and Thursdays American Idol are constants. Tivo is a wonderful friend on a show such as this. We enjoy The Middle and Modern Family but they fall just shy of must see programming. One show we regret missing with all the hot buzz around it is Revenge. This might be a show we attempt to catch up on later.

Thursday has The Big Bang Theory which might be the funniest show on television. As geeks become more celebrated in our society isn't it wonderful that a show like this can show them being themselves and still in a positive light.

Grey's Anatomy is also a show that we never miss.

The NBC comedies on Thursday night always look good but yet we never find the time to watch them.

I also have been recording Brian William's Rock Center, it's time slot seems to be moving but Brian Williams is always one of my favorite personalities.

Also of note and importantly so Morning Joe on MSNBC is must see television. This is one of the smartest, most intelligent shows on television. With commentators and interviews from both the left and the right one cannot come away from this show feeling anything but more prepared to understand the issues of the day.

Lastly late night television has no one like Johnny Carson. I think, as part of my teenage years Carson will always hold a speical place. However not enough good things can be said about late night television. David Letterman has certainly calmed down, the out of the studio bits he and Paul used to often do are pretty much done but Dave is still the King. He is a good interviewer, a funny person and a great pleasure each night. Craig Ferguson is a very good host, at times he is hilariously funny but against Jimmy Fallon, in our house, becomes second fiddle. Fallon is great. He is funny, as we have discussed before his being a fan is never far from being apparent and he never takes himself too seriously. Jimmy Kimmel is funny and likable too but sandwiched between Dave and Fallon he is a casualty of choice in our house but still is very funny. Many of his comedy bits go viral and deservedly so.

A final note on Jon Stewart and Bill Maher. Genius in what they do Stewart is must see televison, he has put Conan off our dial and I like Conan too. It is a wealth of talent at night. Of course the show we do not mention is obvious and for a reason, Jay Leno is not seen in this house, we do not find him funny and he just does not make the cut.

Maybe we watch too much television but there is plenty of good, smart, intellectually stimulating television to watch.