LIST: Television Shows

I might read a lot, but I also watch a lot of television. I play on the computer in the living room, so I manage to combine those two activities at the same time. Some of my favorite shows are:

• The Amazing Race: This is possibly the best reality show, although I prefer the term game show. I like that you lose based on your own results, not based on friendships or bad behaviour. It's just your own skills. And of course, I would do really well on the race, only they don't allow Canadians to compete. I would race with my sister, and on our cruise last year, we pretended we were racing when we would be getting in lines or finding meeting points. The countries, the challenges or tasks, and of course Phil. The editors rock on this show.


• Cold Case: The cases themselves can be a little corny or contrived, but the team of investigators, led by the best boss and toughest cop, are what make this show special. The relationships between the cops and their dysfunctional lives are very touching. And I always cry in the last musical montage, showing how powerful images and music can be.


• Brothers and Sisters: I've always liked dramas and family shows, like thirtysomething and Once and Again. And this show has Rob Lowe, looking very presidential, like he learned how to be, on The West Wing. The family is real, or as real as a rich Californian family can be, but they fight and drink, and gossip and talk all the time and are there for each other. Funny and drama and did I mention, Rob Lowe?


• House: Again, it is not the medical story, I find them quite gross at times, but it is the relationships between the characters, especially House and Wilson. Wilson and House make one of the best pairings on TV. I am particularly liking the new 'numbers', auditioning for a spot on House's team of doctors, AKA the Cottages. I am not missing Foreman, Cameron and the Blond guy too much.


• Seinfeld: We are still enjoying the old reruns of the funniest show ever on television. I was in on this from the get-go, and can remember watching the first few episodes, like the one with 'the levels' that Kramer was going to put in his apartment. We use so many of the phrases from this show around our house. We used to torment our children in the car, when they would ask 'How much longer?" We always replied, 'Five, ten minutes" with just the right accent. Do you remember that episode?
• Survivor: Again, I remember watching the very first episode. I thought when I read the preview, that it sounded so stupid, but within the first half hour, I was calling to my husband and telling him how great the show was. Of course, Richard was the best player, because he figured it out first, how to win. But then, people who won afterward, like Brian, and Tom, who won when everyone already realized how the game was played, also deserve a lot of credit. Some seasons aren't as good as others, but overall, they keep it fresh and find a way to keep me interested.
• The Daily Show/The Colbert Report: I shouldn't be watching these shows because they don't come on until midnight here in the Maritimes, damn that Atlantic Time Zone, which is way too late for a little girl who has to teach the next day, but they are so funny. The writer's strike is hurting these shows so much, and I love how they manage to be humorous and informative at the same time.

There are many other shows that would fall into my second tier of shows I like to watch. I'll talk about those other shows another day. Oh, wait, one more show that my kids would say is my favourite show.

• Compass: Our local CBC news hour show. We let the kids pretty much have control of the television during the day, but at 6:00, I get the control and get to watch the first 10 -15 minutes of news, and the weather with Boomer for the next day.