Quibbling Siblings – What three shows can’t you live without?

Debbie:

We had a pretty interesting conversation around the Degon family dinner table the other night. It was mostly about how there’s not a lot of television on right now that we’d miss if it were gone. It’s just not been a strong fall season.

We tossed around the question: If you could only watch three shows that are currently airing (so you can’t fall back on Mad Men for this), which shows would they be and why? Here are mine, in no particular order:

Supernatural — I love everything about this show — the characters and the way they change and grow so organically in regards to the storylines, the clever humor that just works no matter how dark the episode may be and the fact that Sera Gamble has seamlessly picked up where Kripke has left off and has pulled off an entertaining season six.

The Vampire Diaries — This little CW shows satisfies nearly everything I love about TV — there’s a touch of humor, witty lines, romance, action, jaw-dropping reveals and complex mythos and plotlines that just keep getting deeper and more clever. When I first started watching, I was embarrassed and thought that my guilty pleasure could never hold up, but it has turned into a fun, quality show that I look forward to every week.

Community / House — Yeah, I cheated. I picked four. But these two I watch for the same reason, in a sense: if you miss an episode, you might miss the greatest, most clever episode of TV in a long while. Both of these shows have a knack for unique, amazing episodes that will blow you away and leave you talking about them for weeks, and that is don’t miss television.

I guess I don’t consider procedurals must-see TV, even though I enjoy Castle and The Mentalist, and I can miss most sitcoms and never look back.

Your turn….

Bob:

You have to cheat, and I’m struggling to actually find three shows. Really, I do love TV, I promise. The problem is that in recent years I have increasingly become a TV snob and there is virtually nothing on television right now that I love. The real shows that I would really, really miss (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Damages) are not currently on the air. Add in the fact that The Walking Dead and Boardwalk Empire just ended their seasons and the pickings get really slim.

The only network drama that I watch, and love, is The Good Wife. I think I would miss it if it were gone. It’s just so smart and subtle and approaches a law procedural in many new and innovative ways. It’s creative and well written and I just love it.

What else would I choose? I think Community is one of the best comedies on TV today, and that would definitely make the list. It’s a show that keeps delivering new and interesting stories. It seems to always be challenging itself, which I really appreciate.

As for that third show…. There are a bunch of contenders, mostly comedies: 30 Rock, Modern Family, Cougar Town, maybe even The Big Bang Theory. A year or two ago 30 Rock probably would have been on the top of my list, but it just doesn’t have the same effect on me that it used to. Whether that’s more of a reflection on me or the show, I’m not too sure.

Debbie:

There you go again, thrusting the quality of The Good Wife in my face. I really will watch it!

I know, it’s tough when the shows you really love aren’t currently airing … but that’s why it was fun to pick this topic now, which I should probably subtitle “How to make a TV snob squirm.”

Wait — I just remembered Dexter! Can I cheat five times over?

Bob:

Heh, do what you need to do.

I don’t mean to be a broken record about The Good Wife, but I really do love it. Currently, it’s the only hour long show that I’m watching, until V comes back. V is far less about quality and more about brainless fun, though. It definitely doesn’t help my cred as a TV snob.

Debbie:

Yeah, my TV snob creds were gone as soon as I fell for The Vampire Diaries … if they ever existed….

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Dec 09, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT