Emily Belsey

TV.  You already know I’m addicted to TV.  But I only watch the best TV, so when I present this list to you, you know it’s only the best shows.  So here’s what you should be watching this season.

A list.

MONDAY:

• “How I Met Your Mother“: Jason Segal, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan.  Those are the three reasons you need to watch this show.  No worries if you missed this hilarious sitcom its first four seasons – you can pretty much watch any episode and feel like you’ve known them all along.  And the cherry on top of this delightful show? Bob Saget as the narrator, telling his kids the story of, well, “how I met your mother.”  (8:00pm, CBS)
• “House M.D.“: The ruggedly handsome Hugh Laurie stars as an antisocial maverick doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine and who does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits.  If you haven’t seen an episode of house, USA runs marathons all the time of the show.  Just be careful you aren’t feeling under the weather when you watch House, or else you may feel like you’ve got all the symptoms of his patient.  (8:00pm, FOX)
• “The Big Bang Theory“: “Smart is the new sexy” is the tagline for this newest show from mastermind Chuck Lorre (Roseanne, Two and a Half Men).  A woman, played by cutie Kaley Cuoco, moves into an apartment next door to two brilliant but socially awkward physicists (played by Roseanne vet Johnny Galecki and Emmy-nominee Jim Parsons), and shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.  Like most sitcoms, here’s another one you can pretty much pick up on any episode and still follow along with the show.  But really, you’re missing out if you don’t go out and buy seasons one and two of TV’s funniest show. (9:30pm, CBS)

TUESDAY:  (Disclaimer: reality shows are, well, reality shows.  That being said, some of them are not as bad as you think.)

• “The Biggest Loser“: It’s about people who need to lose weight.  A lot of weight.  Like 100+ pounds. Ironic that I’m usually watching this show while lounging on the couch, eating dinner?  It’s inspiring, full of wacky challenges, and incredible makeovers.  Okay, and it usually reminds me that I am training for a 10k in December.
• “So You Think You Can Dance“: I am not under any illusion that I can dance (though I do a killer Will Smith impersonation).  But these kids?  They can dance!  It’s like “American Idol” but less annoying.  I love watching their creative routines, I love most of the choreographers (Adam!  NapTab!), but regardless of how much I love the show, I still don’t vote.

WEDNESDAY:

• “America’s Next Top Model“: Okay, this is probably one show you don’t NEED to watch, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.  The girls are all crazy, Tyra is even crazier; the photo shoots are really creative and interesting, and the winner doesn’t really win anything good.  But the best part about this reality show?  No one votes except Ms. Crazy and the judges.  Whew!  With that kind of pressure off the contestants or the American public, it’s a really fun show to watch.  It’s my true guilty pleasure.
• “Glee“: The pilot of this show was nearly perfect and thus was off to a roaring start.  For me though, the show has been up and down since then. But, as most new shows do, it’s gotten better and stronger as it has found its voice. One of my favorite moments from this season: Kristin Chenoweth guest-starring as April Rhodes.  I miss that funny lady!

THURSDAY:

• “Community“: I love Joel McHale.  He’s hilarious on “The Soup” and I got to watch him film a scene for his “Pushing Daisies” episode (titled “Bitches”). And this new comedy from creator Dan Harmon is really a treasure.  McHale plays Jeff, a smarmy lawyer whose education is deemed void by the bar and so is forced to attend a local community college with an extremely eclectic staff and student body. Chevy Chase is one of McHale’s fellow classmates, but he’s a very different Chevy. I was concerned that Chase would behave more like Bill Murray and make everything about himself, but he’s actually very balanced and is a perfect complement to the rest of the “Community” cast.
• “FlashForward“: Gah!  This show is my new addiction. If you love “Lost,” you’ll love “FlashForward.”  Set in modern-day Los Angeles, the show begins with the whole world blacking out for just over two minutes. During the blackout, most everyone sees a glimpse of their life, six months in the future.  Some people see things that terrify them, others see things that give them hope.  And a few people see nothing at all. The show goes from there, trying to figure out how the blackout happened, why it happened, who did it, and what it all means. It’s an interesting character study: what would you do if you knew what would happen to you in six months?  The cast is high-class: Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, Dominic Monaghan, Jack Davenport (I just noticed that they’re all Brits), John Cho (yes, the one from Star Trek), Courtney B. Vance and Shabaka Henley.  Watch this show now, especially if you’re a Lostie.
• “30 Rock“: I’ve loved this show from the beginning and four seasons later, it is still delivering top-notch episodes every week.  There’s a reason this show and its staff has been nominated for 79 different awards, winning 29 of them, including five Golden Globes and twelve Emmy awards.  It’s also frickin’ hilarious!  Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and Jane Krakowski head a dynamic ensemble cast and the guest stars that float in and out of blend in perfectly with the family at “30 Rock.” Watch this show – it’s sooo much better than “The Office!”
• “The Mentalist“: Simon Baker.  If that name isn’t enough to get you to watch the show, then tune in for these reasons: it’s a smart crime show that isn’t afraid to go for laughs, it’s compelling and completely sucks you in to the lives of its characters, the production quality is slick and stylish (Italian suits, anyone?), and it is creative without being gimmicky.  If you haven’t seen the show before, rent season one to get the back story (or at least watch the episode titled “Seeing Red”). This is a show that’s going to be around for a long time – which is just one of the reasons why I want to work on it so badly!

FRIDAY:

• “White Collar“: The USA network has found its niche and serves up yet another fun, witty, good-looking crime dramedy with “White Collar.”  Matt Bomer (the gorgeous Bryce Larkin from “Chuck”) plays Neal Caffrey, a white collar con who signs up with the FBI in exchange for his parole. If this sounds like the DiCaprio/Hanks movie Catch Me If You Can, you’re not far off.  It’s basically the same thing, but more fun.  Tim DeKay stars as straight man FBI agent Peter Burke, married to Elizabeth Burke (played by “Saved by the Bell” alum Tiffani Thiessen), and the three of them solve a caper a week. I usually tape the show and watch it Sunday mornings.  This is a great show to just jump in on and watch any random episode. And if you like “White Collar,” you’ll also like “Burn Notice” and “Psych.”

And that’s your weekly TV viewing schedule.

Not included on this list are shows starting mid-season.  Returning shows like “Chuck” (new promos make me interested in the show again), “Lost” (don’t watch it if you’ve not seen every episode), “The Closer.”  Some new shows are also on the horizon, but the one I’ll be watching is an untitled medical drama set in Miami, FL from super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer.  Now that “ER” is done, every network is trying to fill the medical drama void (see: “Trauma,” “Mercy”).  But I’ll be watching Bruckheimer’s new show because of Jeremy Northam.  He plays the brooding Dr. Matt Proctor.

What shows didn’t make my list that are must-sees for you?  Disagree with my recommendations?  (You’re wrong, of course, if you disagree with me, but I’d love to hear what you think anyway.)

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 1:07 pm and is filed under TV, The Big Bang Theory. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.