TV Guide

Anyone who knows me knows that I take my television programs pretty seriously. I also belive that the DVR is the singe best invention of my generation (well, that or the iPhone). Anyway, I've decided to look into my love and admiration of TV. When did it start? How did it begin? And the television programs that helped build this obsession.

First off you should know that I am not a lazy person and do spend time away from the TV. So, to clarify, I am not a lazy couch potato, I just enjoy watching TV. I am actually a very well rounded person. I read many books, I spend time with friends, and even exercise from time to time. Okay. So the exercising might be an exaggeration.

It all started in grade school/junior high. Coming home at 3:30 and watching reruns of The Brady Bunch or Saved by the Bell. Don't lie, you know you watched it too. I also remeber watching those 80s and 90s family sitcoms that were everywhere. Growing Pains, Family Ties, Roseanne to name a few. And to this day I will watch any of these shows if I happen to stumble upon a rerun. Okay. I have some of them on DVD. Don't judge me!

I think my fasination with these shows is that they remind me of simpler times. As corny as that sounds you know it's true. When these shows were on I was a kid. I didn't have a job I had to wake and go to, I didn't have bills I worried about paaying. Basically my biggest concern was what I was going to do on the weekends and making sure I looked good.

Then around 7th or 8th grade FRIENDS started. It was probably the first show I would plan my week around. Thursday nights you could find me in front of the TV tuned to NBC. Thanks to FRIENDS time slot at 9:30 it led me into another program I would have to record if I was going to miss it.....ER. Now, who did not like that young George Clooney? He was the inital appeal to the show of course, but it didn't take long until I was sucked into the other characters and story lines.

So then it began with the sitcom obsession. If nothing else, just for the 30 minutes to be able to laugh at other people and their problems. Seinfeld, Will & Grace, Frasier, Sex and the City then. The Office, Modern Family, and The Big Bang Theory now. I mean, honestly, who doesn't like watching 4 nerds. Nerds are funny. I'll say it again. Nerds are funny.

Even though I tend to favor the sitoms, the one hour dramas still caught my attention. Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, ER (yes it was STILL on). But this is the breakdown of those 1 hour hospital dramas..
15 minutes to recap the plots of the characters.
15 minutes of a scary situation the characters needed to get out of.
And then like clock work around the 45 minute mark they'd tug at your heartstrings. More often than not they'd succeed and the tears would come.
Then the last 15 minutes they set up a cliff hanger for each character. So you had to make sure you watched the following week to see what happened. Then the cycle would start all over again. Frankly, I ran out of time for that. I still enjoy some dramas. The new ABC drama Revenge is pretty good. And even though it is a mystery and throws in a new twist every week, it still sort of follows the same pattern. But, nonetheless, I still tune in.

Then out of nowhere the reality tv shows hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to watch to see what the crazy people were getting into or who was getting voted off what. This has only escalated people. I am not proud of the fact I watch some of these shows. But the guilty pleasure is just too much to overcome. I have to see who's fighting on The Real Housewives and how much weight the red team lost on The Biggest Loser. And don't even get me started on The Kardashians. Even though I have zero interest in them I find myself watching their show! What is it with reality shows?!! Are they some type of hypnosis??

I know I am not alone in my interest in all thinngs TV. Sure it may not be educational and some of it is even completely mindless. But it is something we all are sucked into in one way or another.