We have a lot of fun fall traditions at our house, and one of them is TV watching. Autumn is a time for grilling out, watching football, and sitting down during the week to check out a new crop of television shows.
Did anyone watch the Emmys a few days ago? This year’s host was GLEE star Jane Lynch. I didn’t catch all of (it wasn’t as entertaining as I’d hoped… the most interesting part was an awkward appearance by Charlie Sheen) but I was able to get a glimpse of some of the shows I’ve been missing.
THE BIG BANG THEORY, a sitcom starring Jim Parsons.
The big winners this year were MODERN FAMILY, which won four awards including best comedy, and MAD MEN, which continued its four-year winning streak as best drama. If you’ve never watched MODERN FAMILY, it is an up-close look at an all-too-quirky, all-too-human family in Los Angeles, California. If your family isn’t exactly the Cleavers, you might enjoy this show.
And MAD MEN… Well, it has won best drama for four years now, so I’m guessing you’re at least familiar with it. Madison Avenue ad execs and their shenanigans… Lots of beautiful clothes from the 1960s. You get the idea.
Of all the awards given out, I was most excited about the one that went to Jim Parsons, who is from my hometown of Houston. Yay! Parsons won for his role in the sitcom THE BIG BANG THEORY. If you haven’t watched this show, and you have even the teeniest, tiniest nerd gene, then you’re missing out. The show–which features socially inept physicists (insert joke here) living in California– is smart, funny, and original.
What shows are you watching this fall? I’d love to hear about all the ones I’m missing. Toss out a recommendation or a shout out to your favorite sports team.
Anyone who comments will be eligible to win a signed copy of my new book, SNAPPED. Have a great weekend!
Hey Laura, I’m intrigued by the new show on ABC called Revenge.
Hi Deb,
I saw a preview for that. Looks chilling!
NCIS and Castle are back thank goodness. I’m also looking forward to The Good Wife. I can’t wait to see ABC’s new show called GCB.
My oldest is so happy Vampire Diaries is back.
Congrats on the new release.
Hi Holly and thanks! I missed the recent episode of Castle but saw a lot of people tweeting about it. I’m looking forward to NCIS.
Hi Laura, im so happy that NCIS is back
Hi Regina,
Me too!!
I’m happy to see new episodes of Castle. I also liked watching The Sing-Off. Can’t wait for a new season of The Voice to return!
I have not watched Sing Off but I’m a big American Idol fan. Enjoyed Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez last year (to my surprise).
Castle is my favorite. I did catch the Sing-Off and WOW. That makes American Idol look bad. Those people can sing — with no instruments.
Hi Trish,
No intruments! Now I have to tune in and see this.
It seems I’m watching less and less television each season. I didn’t watch the emmys because I didn’t recognize any of the nominated names. I’m watching more cable now.
My favorite shows are NCIS, CSI, Eureka (though after 2012 it’s cancelled), Warehouse 13, Haven, Drop Dead Diva, Amazing Race, and Dr. Who.
I stopped watching Dancing with the Stars and Survivor.
Hi there, I stopped watching Survivor also in favor of other reality shows such as Man vs. Wild and Man, Woman, Wild.
Not really looking forward to much except maybe Terra Nova (more for Jason O’Mara than the dinosaurs), but it’s on opposite Dancing with the Stars which I still enjoy, but wish I could fast forward through the filler material.
I am curious about the cliff hanger ending of Fringe.
Hi Anne,
I haven’t seen Terra Nova but we’ve got some dinosaur enthusiasts in the house, so I’ll have to check it out 🙂
Haven is a must see but it’s a “summer” show and winding down for this season. Returning shows that are Must Watch(tm) include Castle (preview was intense!) NCIS, Blue Bloods, and Bones. Caught Unforgettable (former detective remembers everything she’s ever seen or heard). Premier was interesting but I’m on the fence. Person of Interest premier was just Big-Brotherish enough to keep me watching for awhile. I made the mistake of watching the rewind of Charlie’s Angels. Uhm…no. It was truly snark worthy.
Anne, I DVR Dancing so I can fast forward and just watch the dancing. Much better that way.
I know there are other shows that I either DVR or watch but those are the biggies for me. Oh, Strike Back on Cinemax. It’s not for the faint of heart–a British black ops team that goes after terrorists on the bad guys’ home ground. And I’m waiting for Game of Thrones to come back on HBO.
Hi Silver,
Strike Back sounds intriguing. I’ll have to look for that. I keep hearing terrible things about Charlie’s Angels, but I didn’t see it.
Here’s an A- review of Laura’s Snapped:
http://thebookpushers.com/2011/09/22/review-snapped-by-laura-griffin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBookPushers+%28The+Book+Pushers+%7C+Book+Reviews+%7C+Book+Chatter%29
Hey, thanks Anne! I had not seen this! I appreciate the link.
Sad to say, I have no interest in any shows. The only time I glimpse TV is if my daughter is watching and I’ve always got a book in hand!
Hi Kris,
I usually resort to a book while my husband watches ultimate fighting 🙂
Maybe it’s my imagination, but TV seems to be getting better. I’ve DVR’d a few new shows (Person of Interest looks good, but I’m a HUGE J J Abrams fan) and we watched both eps of The X Factor. We’re not much of a sit-coms or dramas family, but the singing competitions seem to get us all in the room together, and that’s what’s important to me at night. I don’t really care what’s on, I just want to cuddle with my daughter and dog and laugh at my husband’s jokes. So, we usually settle on a low common denominator show. Oh, we love cooking shows and have been enjoying Chopped Champions.
I hate when I miss a show and then it gets popular and I don’t want to invest the time to catch up. Never saw a single episode of Buffy or Mad Men or Castle. I fear Revenge will be next. Sigh.
And, yes, I’m anxiously awaiting The Bachelor because I’m shallow like that. xo
Hi Rocki,
I like that “lowest common denominator” TV watching. In our house, that translates to American Idol.
Sometimes TV feels like a wasteland, but other times it DOES seem to be getting better. I think with so many channels, the niche shows are improving in quality as they don’t have to please such a large audience.
Have to admit I was curious about Ringers because it’s been so long since Sarah Michelle Gellar did t.v. (old Buffy fan here). Also, Prime Suspect, debuted last night. Have you seen the BBC production with her most excellent-ness, Helen Mirren? Well, this is Maria Bello and it’s, shall we say, different. Still the tough woman in the man’s world…we’ll see…
Hi Lisa,
I have not seen Prime Suspect but I’ve been hearing about it. Will have to check out the next episode.
Sad to say, but I can’t give out any recommendations because I hardly ever watch TV. I used to watch Oprah but….we all know her talk show ended. I think I may check out Modern Family. It sounds kind of fun. As for the sports, it is once again torture time for my husband because we live in San Diego and we are Chargers fans. My husband always has such high hopes each season that maybe this will be the season that the Chargers make it to the Superbowl….hasn’t happened in a long time. And as for the Padres…..oh lets not go there.
Hi Linda,
Ha ha. Good luck to your Chargers this year! We’ve got some Cowboys fans in my family, but I can muster the interest. I prefer college football.
I am always behind on what I want to watch but I was looking forward to Castle. Also I was watching this series on DVD called Sherlock which is pretty interesting.
Hi Maureen,
Castle seems to be winning the popularity contest today!
Castle, The Good Wife, NCIS, “Greys Anatomy. There are several shows I watch in the fall. I have watch Modern Family but none of the others you mentioneds.
Hi! I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy and enjoyed it, but then missed a few seasons. Another Castle fan!
I don’t have a tv. When we last moved, we decided to leave it behind and then we just didn’t get around to purchasing a replacement. However, life in general keeps us so busy that we found that we didn’t much miss it. We are aware that some shows can be watched on the internet though so perhaps I will have to try to see some of what people are recommending using that.
Wow, I cannot imagine the house without a TV! It would probably be a refreshing change, though. I’m amazed at how often it’s on when no one is even looking at it.
NCIS, NCIS:LA, Criminal Minds, CSI:Los Vegas, CSI:NY, Unforgettable, Charlie’s Angels.
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for the recs! I haven’t seen Criminal Minds in quite a while.
Criminal Minds is the one I’ve been most excited about because they’ve brought JJ and Prentiss back!!! I’m so glad they’ve listened to the fans and went back on casting changes and the team is back together!
CSI:NY, Castle, Private Practice, THE AMAZING RACE (the one and only reality show I LOVE!!!!! and get obsessed with!) NCIS: Los Angeles, Bones, The Big Bang Theory (Most wtf finale!!!!), NCIS, House, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI:Miami… kind of in that order!!!
CrystalGB up there… I think it’s BLASPHEMY to do a Charlie’s Angels remake. There’ll never be women as beautiful and perfect as Farrah Fawcett, Jacklyn Smith and Kate Jackson (the original ones) in the 70s, with that hair, pants around the waist, carrying a gun and fighting bad guys with virtually no technology. No one should mess with such a classic!
Hi Barbie,
I have to agree with the Charlies Angels thing. Why re-make something so classic? Money, obviously. But I loved the original threesome.
Looking forward to Terra Nova and The Walking Dead coming back. I love SyFy. Eureka, Warehouse 13, Alphas, and Haven. Excited for CSI and CSI:NY to be back and Bones too.
Hi Jill,
I am looking forward to Bones. I started enjoying the show a lot more once I let go of the fact that Temperance Brennan is SO different from the heroine in Kathy Reich’s books. It bugged me for a long time and now I just think of them as completely separate things.
I caught some of my favorite returning shows like Hawaii Five O, Body of Proof and Community. I really like Person of Interest and I’ll be sure to watch the premier of Grimm, Pan Am and Hart of Dixie.
I didn’t watch the Emmys but I am enjoying the new fall shows.
There’s my favorites; NCIS and The Big Bang Theory. Then a few new ones: Unforgettable, Person of Interest and Whitney, not bad shows so far.
I love the Big Bang Theory. I like to try out lots of the new shows. I am recording Revenge and Ringer so I can try them out. I am enjoying Alphas. I don’t actually watch too much tv so in the next few weeks I will stop watching most of the new shows. So far the only absolutes for this season are Big Bang and How I Met Your Mother (I have a Neil Patrick Harris crush).
I am not watching much television lately. The one show I can’t wait to see is DOWNTON ABBEY season two. Brilliant!!
I agee with Downtown Abbey! There are so many great BBC productions, like the new Sherlock Holmes too.
I don’t watch a lot of tv other than crime shows (20/20, Dateline, etc) but I am beyond thrilled that Law and Order SVU is back (hooray!) even though one of my favorite characters is gone. I am also really happy to be watching X Factor. I missed Simon on American Idol and am so glad he is back on tv 🙂