Television Thoughts

I can't sleep, so I watched a few episodes of "The Sopranos" season 2 that I have from the library. Which, by the way is incredible - both the library and "The Sopranos". I watch TV seasons like it's my job, having plowed through multiple seasons of "The Sopranos", "Breaking Bad", "How I Met Your Mother", "The Big Bang Theory", "Friday Night Lights", and those are just off the top of my head. I've discovered how much I love television, and why television has become what movies were to the 1990s and prior.

The Sopranos and HBO (btw, I'm done with the quotes for this post. I'm not even sure TV series go in quotes...do you know Andrea?) can take responsibility for this one, turning weekly TV into must see appointment television. TV shows are something people are paying for already and you can do it from the comfort of your own home, and now on your own schedule with the advent of DVR. People don't have to justify spending over $20 for two people to go to a movie, they can just turn on the TV. Half-hour or hour shows also fit into our "busy" schedules easier, and give you something to talk about with fellow watchers as well as something to look forward to for a whole week.

There are some shows out there that anyone who watches it feels obligated to talk about it. I'm looking at you Mad Men. I watched Season 1 right after it came out on DVD (thank you La Crosse Public Library) and then tried to get into Season 2 but I couldn't. With the rave reviews Season 3 and 4 are getting, I would like to catch up, but I feel like I have to go out of my way to avoid spoilers.

I don't really know where I'm going with this, other than to say that there is an abundance of good TV shows out there, some of which are no longer on the air, and some of which I tried watching but couldn't get into for whatever reason (The Wire). I'm going to list a few shows I've thoroughly enjoyed, as well as how far I've watched in the series, and why you need to be watching them.

1. Friday Night Lights - up to date (Seasons 1-4)

-The most realistic characters of any show I've ever watched. I've never played a down of organized football, nor have I ever been to Texas, but I feel like I know a Eric and Tami Taylor, a Matt Saracen, a Smash Williams, and a Tim Riggins in my life.

2. Breaking Bad - through the first two seasons

-Very smart show. Bryan Cranston's character is book smart beyond belief, and grows more and more street smart as the series progresses. Aaron Paul is deserving of his most recent Emmy, playing a conflicted drug addict/dealer who is incredibly believable on screen.

3. Sons of Anarchy - halfway through season 2

-Katey Segal makes this show, as it delves into a world that 99.9% have no idea about. Biker gangs in California sounds like a great action concept, but it's the internal conflict of the main characters that is the most gripping.

4. Top Chef - up to date on current season

-Best reality show on television, because it requires smart individuals who are creative and immensely talented. I feel cultured watching it, I learn about food, and it's relatively dramatic television.

5. How I Met Your Mother/The Big Bang Theory

-Funny sitcoms that are kind of similar, dealing with 20-somethings living in the big city. Similar to Friends, the ensemble casts provide many story lines that are engaging, topical, relatively mindless, and great to crank out back-to-back-to-back on DVD.

6. Arrested Development/Freaks and Geeks - whole series

-Two series that received high critical reviews that apparently couldn't cut it in the ratings. It's a shame, as both are fantastic shows that deserved longer runs.

I would also like to add that I love The Office, Entourage, and It's Always Sunny, but I feel like everyone knows about all of those already.

I know this has nothing to do with sports. I just felt like writing about something else. If you actually made it this far, I love you.