We’ve all been there. You are sitting on your couch on any given night, remote in your hand and a look of confusion and abandonment on your face because you just don’t know what to watch. You really want something to watch and you just can’t bare to watch something from your DVD collection for the umpteenth time. In that moment of television desperation you may have wished there was someone that would help you find something worth while within the 255 channels of confusion. You may have asked for a guide to steer you clear of the pitfalls and tarpits of bad TV and take you to the all mighty promise land of boob tube perfect.
Hello, my name is Will. I’m here to help.
As with any first article you may ask, “Hey Will, why can I trust you?” Believe me, I’m qualified. Even with having a full time job I some how find enough time to watch full time TV, maybe even more than the hours I put in at work. I’ve had both cable and DirecTV just so I could have East Coast feeds for the major networks and stagger my DVR recording of just about everything on television from 5 PM to midnight and beyond. In the words of Indiana Jones, “Trust me.” If I lead you astray, there’s always TV Guide.
Timing, as they say, is everything and I’m delving into these uncharted waters at the best time possible. Why you ask? Because the ripples created by the writer’s strike are still washing upon the shore of our TV viewing and just about every popular show on television is in repeats right now.
You’re best bets this week are going to be on the first four days of this week (that’s Monday through Thursday in case I’m not very clear). There is something for just about everyone. Friday through Sunday I suggest you find some good reading materials, dust off the ol’ gym membership or take up a new hobby (I hear wood carving is very therapeutic).
In the future I’ll give you my top picks for the week before getting into the nitty gritty. Since things are so sparse instead I’ll just give you a quick run down before I get in to the meat and couch potatoes of it all.
This week keep your eyes out for The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gone Country, American Idol, Jericho, and LOST. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t say that if you have HBO and you aren’t watching In Treatment then you are cheating yourself out of a decent half hour of solid TV every day of the week.
MONDAY
CBS: The New Adventures of Old Christine is one of the two top choices I have for you for tonight. The only reason I’m hesitant to recommend this one is because you need to know a little bit of back story, but at least it is a situation comedy and it will keep you mildly amused.
CMT: That’s right, CMT. If you haven’t caught Gone Country yet then you are in for a treat because there’s a marathon from the beginning. Two words make this show pure gold people: Bobby Brown. Even if you aren’t a fan of Reality Television you have to give this a go.
FOX: New Amsterdam is about an immortal who is now an investigator. I liked this show better when it had another name, Angel.
TUESDAY
FOX: The 800 lb. gorilla stomps its feet again this week as the final 12 give it a go on American Idol. The skunk headed girl some how made it, so tune in with me to root her off.
CBS: The final three episodes of Jericho are upon us, and they could be the final ones of the series let alone the season. If you haven’t a clue what the show is about then bust out that Netflix account and get Season 1 as fast as you can.
WEDNESDAY
ABC: Wife Swap and Super Nanny are back to back so you can enjoy a double header of people who make really bad decisions. If these people making bad decisions aren’t the kind you like then you could always try…
FOX: Moment of Truth just perplexes the hell out of me. So far I haven’t seen anyone come away from this show unscathed. Face it people, it is only entertainment if your dirty laundry comes out on the air, and you should have known better before sitting down. (Oh yeah, the American Idol results show is on after this so if you are lazy you can turn this on and just coast through to 10 o’clock.)
CMT: That lovable underdog Rudy tries to get onto the Notre Dame football team. OK, I’m a sucker for this silly flick, and I can’t tell you why. Hey, at least it isn’t Moment of Truth.
THURSDAY
ABC: I have good news, bad news, and more bad news. The good news: On LOST tonight you finally find out who else makes up the Oceanic 6 and you get to find out who is spying on the freighter for Ben. The bad news: Someone might die tonight. The more bad news: this is the next to last episode until late April.
CW: Two of the only shows I watch on the CW are on tonight, Smallville and Reaper. I recommend the second over the first for the uninitiated. Besides, shouldn’t that Clark guy know how to fly by now?
FRIDAY
FOX: ‘Till Death is new tonight. Oddly enough I feel like I just said nothing is on.
SCI-FI: If you don’t have Netflix but you do have the Sci-Fi channel then you can still get caught up on Jericho. Four episodes of Season 1 air from 8 PM to Midnight every week in this time slot.
SATURDAY
Move along… nothing to see here… all right, fine… I’ll try.
A&E: Arnold stars as a Secret Agent who’s wife has no clue of his real job in True Lies. The most shocking part of the film for me was that I actually liked Tom Arnold’s performance as Arnold’s partner. Go figure.
AMC: Get a new take on the Western genre with Silverado. Enjoy Danny Glover before the Lethal Weapon movies. If this one isn’t your cup of Sasparilla perhaps you might prefer…
ENCORE: Put your boots up and rest a spell and take in Tombstone. Val Kilmer looks scary sickly in this flick as Doc Holiday.
SUNDAY
ABC: Extreme Make Over: Home Edition will undoubtedly tug at your heart strings. I like that Home Edition is still going strong but the show where they were hurting people to make them look better is long gone.
MTV: Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew… sorry, just kidding… I couldn’t resist.
That’s it folks, my guide for what to watch. It’s slim pickins out there so check back in next week and I’ll try to do right by you again. Until next time keep the remote batteries fresh and the couch cushions fluffed.
– Will Wilkins missed at least three television shows to write this article. Thankfully, there is TiVo.
Comments: 7 Comments
7 Responses to “TV Or Not TV: Genesis 3/9 – 3/16”Leave a Reply |
March 11th, 2008 at 1:24 am
yeah!
March 11th, 2008 at 5:09 am
Awesome article Will! I’ll definitely keep up on it!
March 11th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Great article, Will.
Yourself, Brett and Matt are inspiring me to write more.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Silverado is so awesome! You forgot to mention magnificent work by Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Glenn Scott and John “i’m in a western” Cleese!
But I’m looking forward to this weekly article. I always need TV help.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:15 am
It was much better then CATS. I’ll read this column again and again.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Nice job Will. I still have my fingers crossed that Jericho might get picked up.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Wow…finally some honest opinions! Thanks Will….I feel like you’re ‘here to help’!