Category: Entertainment

Favorite TV Shows – Part II: Cancelled Shows

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And with this post we say goodbye to TV week which, admittedly, turned into TV weeks. For my favorite cancelled TV shows, I’m sticking to shows that are currently available to stream on Netflix and/or Hulu, because I’m always annoyed when websites/magazines/Lianna (jk) are like, “You should totally watch this amazing show. But good luck finding it.” Anyway…

1. Parks and Recreation (Netflix and Hulu Plus)

As I mentioned when I wrote about The Good Place, Parks and Rec is my favorite, favorite, favorite show. I’ve seen every episode an embarrassing number of times, I can practically quote entire episodes by heart, and I never get sick of watching it. Parks and Rec is like a warm blanket for my soul. It’s predicated on the idea that when good people who care get together, they can accomplish anything. That’s a message that is always important, but it’s especially important right now. Parks and Rec is funny. It’s heartwarming. It’s optimistic. The characters are lovable and they’re people who want to do good in the lives of their friends and the world around them. Watch Parks and Rec and then channel your inner Leslie Knope and go change the world.

2. The West Wing (Netflix)

It’s probably not a shock to you that my two favorite shows are shows about politics. The West Wing is a political drama about what government can be when it works. It’s wish fulfillment, sure, but it’s always given me hope that maybe someday we’ll have a government that works and that works for the people. This is going to sound weird because it’s not a sad show, but The West Wing is where I always turn when I need a good cry. There are so many episodes where I’m just moved by the unflinching desire of the characters to do what they think is best for the country, even when there may be political costs. They’re not perfect, but they try, and that feels like more than we can say about a lot of our government officials out here in the real world.

3. Gilmore Girls (Netflix)

Gilmore Girls is another one I’ve seen multiple times. It’s clever and dense and no matter how many times you watch it, there’s always something new you’ll pick up on the next time. It’ll make you laugh. It might make you cry. It’s a great blend of comedy and drama and it’s a go-to of mine when I just want to be comforted but I’ve watched Parks and Rec too recently.

4. Friends (Netflix)

Odds are you know Friends, so there’s not much I can tell you about it that you don’t already know. Many have tried to imitate this formula to varying degrees of success, but Friends did it first and it did it best. Watch it when you just want a good, easy laugh.

Honorable Mention (Show that isn’t available on Netflix or Hulu but would otherwise be on this list): Veronica Mars

Honorable Mentions (Shows I really, really liked the one time I watched them through, but don’t have enough to say to include them): Friday Night Lights, Firefly

-Carley

Lianna’s Favorite TV Shows

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Part II: Cancelled TV Shows

Favorite cancelled TV shows is a much harder list to come up with, but Carley put me up to the challenge. See, it’s harder because you have to actually remember what shows you watched in the past. The shows I included on this list are shows that I don’t even have to think about or remembered watching, because they are that good. I’m sure there are many amazing shows that I’ve forgotten about, alas.

1. Friends (Available on Netflix)

Friends is my go to show. If I’m bored and need something to watch: Friends. If I just watched a scary movie and need to watch something happy and light before bed: Friends. If I’m in a bad mood and need something to cheer me up: Friends. Friends has the perfect mix of hilarity and sincerity. There are over-arching storylines and relationships to keep you invested over the long haul, but you could also jump into any episode and not be confused. I believe that Friends is the best TV show of all time and if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?

2. Veronica Mars (Admittedly, hard to find)

Veronica Mars is another reliable and diverse show, though not always light. Veronica Mars is described as a noir mystery drama. The title character, Veronica Mars, is a hilariously snarky and lovable P.I. The show starts when she is a junior in high school and progresses into her freshman year of college. The show tends to be set up with one big season-long or half-season-long mystery (murder, rape, etc.) and smaller episode mysteries. The fun in the way the show was set up is that the season long mystery is usually a real world mystery whereas the episode mysteries are more high school/college related. The show has a lot of lovable characters and is a pleasure to watch. Veronica Mars was unjustly cancelled too early.

3. Boy Meets World (Available on Netflix DVD)

Boy Meets World is a wonderful show from the 90s. It is a highschool/life drama that follows a handful of characters as they come of age. Boy Meets World has a lot of heartwarming storylines with an appropriate amount of comedy mixed in. Boy Meets World pre-dates the heavy handed PSA era of television, so sometimes they do PSAs, but they do them in a really nice subtle way.  I loved Boy Meets World as a child and I loved it just as much when I re-watched it as an adult. It’s one of those shows that you can appreciate at any age because you view it differently at different ages.

4. Full House (Hard to find… sorry, guys)

Full House is another great 90s era show. I love Full House for many of the same reasons that I love Boy Meets World. It has a lovable cast, it’s funny, but it is also sincere and emotional. Full House and Boy Meets World can both be real tear jerkers. The big different between them (other than the whole style of the shows) is that Boy Meets World follows friends and incorporates their families, where as Full House follows a family and incorporates their friends.

~ Lianna

Lianna’s Favorite TV Shows

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Part I: Current Shows 

Carley and I agreed that this week should be TV week as a nice break from the election/political craziness, so I’m following up her favorite current TV shows with my favorite current TV shows. In no particular order:

1. The Good Place (NBC)

First, I just have to agree with Carley about The Good Place. There are a few actors/actresses who I will watch anything they are in; Kristen Bell is one of them. Others include Matt Damon and Jennifer Aniston. The Good Place goes beyond Kristen Bell’s awesomeness; it is a delight to watch and it is very funny.

2. New Girl (Fox)

New Girl never fails to create laughs. The characters are well developed and the actors feed off of each other really well. The show is very well written and the cast has great comedic timing. It’s the kind of show where you wonder if some moments were improvised, because they just seem too perfect to be scripted. Whenever I need a mood pick-me-up New Girl does the trick.

3. Scorpion (CBS)

Scorpion is an action/crime drama about a group of geniuses who, because of their high IQs, are unable to relate to regular people. A lovable former waitress (Katherine McPhee) helps them relate to and talk to non-geniuses. Scorpion has the perfect mix of crime fighting and problem solving with character development and personal stories. It doesn’t feel like just another cop show. The characters are not stock characters. The characters are lovable yet flawed and their storylines are well developed. It’s fun to watch the geniuses work though what seem to be impossible problems, all while fighting, joking, and falling in love.

4. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is a late-night comedy news show which never disappoints. Samantha Bee is one of the only, if not the only, female late-night hosts and she is every bit as funny as her male counterparts. You go girl!  If you are conservative, you will not like Samantha Bee. Although if you are conservative, you probably stopped reading our blog a long time ago. When someone in the news/politics royally screws up, Samantha Bee calls them out on it. While she tries to inform you about the issues as much as possible during the show, she also always posts online extra reading from credible news sources about her topics. For example, when she did a segment about how it’s physically and legally impossible for an extremist to pose as a Syrian refugee, she posted extra reading  on her website about the refugee crisis, the process for becoming a refugee, and how to help refugees.

5. NCIS (CBS)

NCIS is a classic. While I didn’t start watching it when it started, I have since seen every episode. In many ways NCIS is a typical cop-drama, but it tends to go above and beyond in ways that other cop shows don’t. NCIS has unique and lovable characters. They also tend to do feel-good storylines. Yes, someone gets murdered in almost every episode, but a lot of times the NCIS team ends up making somebody’s life better or righting some injustice. For example, in a recent episode the team helped get an innocent man released from Guantanamo Bay, where he had been wrongly held for 12ish years.

~Lianna

Favorite TV Shows – Part I: Current Shows

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I currently have massive writer’s block. When Lianna and I started this project, we both had long lists of topics we wanted to write about it, but almost all of mine were political and ever since the election, I can’t bring myself to dive back into politics yet. I have been keeping up with the news, but after a day of reading about whatever horrifying thing Donald Trump has done recently, the last thing I want to do is research and write about political topics. But I’ve been away too long and Lianna suggested to get back into it by just writing about anything, even if it doesn’t seem particularly smart or important. So since we could all use a good escape from reality right about now, here are my favorite current  (scripted) TV shows. I’ll be back with my favorite cancelled shows next week. But for now, in no particular order…

1. The Flash (The CW)

Of all the DC Comics TV shows, this is my favorite, and it’s probably my favorite show of any genre on TV right now. Tonally, it’s lighter than most of the other DC Comics TV shows/movies I’ve seen, but the stakes are still high and they’re not afraid to kill off a major character. What sets the show apart for me is that they’ve found the right mix of “Beat the Big Bad” and “Deal with family drama.” You could call it a comic book show with a personal element or a family show with a comic book element, and you’d be right either way. Oh, and it’s funny. If I could only watch one show, this would be it.

2. This Is Us (NBC)

This is pure family drama, which, as we established above, I enjoy. They deal with real issues in relatable ways. So far they’ve tackled race, adoption, weight loss, betrayal, grief, and more, and they’re just getting started. This is a quiet show with a lot of heart. Plus, anything that features Jess from Gilmore Girls is a winner in my book.

3. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW)

When I first heard the title of this show, I was wary, but then I heard it was a musical and figured I had to at least give it a shot. I’m glad I did. It is wacky and surreal in the way that a lot of TV/movie musicals are, but it is also often grounded and serious. I don’t know how they do it, but the writers manage to be equally successful whether writing hilarious songs or plaintive monologues. If you’re looking for a show that tackles real issues like mental health and abortion but also lets its leading lady sing about having “heavy boobs,” this is the show for you.

4. The Good Place (NBC)

I’ll preface this by saying that Veronica Mars is one my favorite shows and ever since I watched it in college, I would watch Kristen Bell in just about anything. That being said, her newest show is a joy to watch, and not just because she’s in it. Its creator also created my all-time favorite show, Parks and Recreation, and if you’ve watched Parks, this has the same optimism and whimsy that made Parks special.

5. Pitch (FOX)

We may not have a female president yet, but in Pitch, we have the first female Major League Baseball player. It’s an exciting premise that seems all the more important after the recent, crushing political setback. This show is out there every week showing that women are every bit as capable as men. For now a story about a female MLB player is fiction, but someday it could be reality, and when it is we can say that this show served as a roadmap.

-Carley