Topic: Television Today - What's Playing?

[Rae]

Television Today - What's Playing?

We all watch some TV every day, let's talk about our viewing habits or our favorite shows. There are hundreds of TV channels now to choose from.  Besides the original Broadcast channels, and PBS, we have so much more to watch and talk about - all day cable news and news talk shows, sports, daytime shows like Oprah, and all the wonderful channels like History, National Geo, Health, Science, Animal Planet, etc.  Now that HDTV is here, it is opening even more things to view and talk about.

So,  tell us what you like and why?

Topic Leader for Television Today - What's Playing? is: Marilyne

[Rae]

Here's a new place to come to talk about your favorite TV Programs.  What do you watch and enjoy? What's your favorite show? 

[Jeanne Lee]

This week it's the U.S. Open tennis matches! 

[CallieK]

Right now, Oklahoma State and Georgia football game.

Tonight, Oklahoma University Sooners and Brigham Young University (playing in the new Dallas Cowboys Superdome.

Looking forward to the start of the Fall shows.  Some of the new ones look interesting.  We'll see if they live up to the pr. 

[soultwin]

Right now, I'm not watching anything however, I like all the 'Law and Orders'...all the CSIs...I just love a mystery or a 'who dunnit'...I think I might have been a detective, in another life!  

To be continued.....

[Jerry]

I watch Animal Planet and some History Channel. Catch a few minutes of some of the cable shows, but don't stay with them long because I can't stand the screaming, interrupting, and the penchant for presenting everything as a conflict.

[Marilyne]

Jeanne - I especially love to watch the Williams sisters play.  They are amazing!

Callie - I hate to admit it, but I'm just a "fair weather" football fan.  If my teams are winning (Stanford, Cal, UCLA or USC), I suddenly become interested.  Otherwise, not so much. 

Soultwin - Maybe you read too many Nancy Drew mystery books when you young, like I did!

Hi Jerry!  I like all of those cable shows too.  Even the "talking heads" news shows can be very entertaining if they're on a subject that really interests me.  However, I don't like it when they all talk at once!

I haven't been watching much over the summer months except for movies, but now I'm looking forward to the new fall programs. 
Does anyone else like the series style shows on HBO or Showtime?  I was hooked on The Soprano's, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The #1 Ladies Detective Agency.  "Curb" will be back again this year, but the other two are over and done with.   

[Jeanne Lee]

Right now I'm angry with CBS.  They've cut out of the tennis right in the middle of a match with the message to continue watching on the Tennis Channel or usopen.org.   

They wouldn't dare cut off the Super Bowl in the middle of the second quarter, for instance, or the World Series in the 4th inning.  But tennis...  they don't care who misses out.  What about the people, like me, who don't get the Tennis Channel, or some others who don't have internet access?

Guess I should be putting this in the Gripe folder.   

[soultwin]

  @Marilyne!  I sure did read all the Nancy Drew mysteries...you could be right!!
I just turned on the USA channel  They are having a 'House' marathon...I like doctors, also...

[soultwin]

Right now I'm angry with CBS.  They've cut out of the tennis right in the middle of a match with the message to continue watching on the Tennis Channel or usopen.org.   

They wouldn't dare cut off the Super Bowl in the middle of the second quarter, for instance, or the World Series in the 4th inning.  But tennis...  they don't care who misses out.  What about the people, like me, who don't get the Tennis Channel, or some others who don't have internet access?

Guess I should be putting this in the Gripe folder.   

Oh Jeanne, what a bummer! 

[CallieK]

Jeanne, as we would say in the South,  "That's just plain ole Tacky!" 

Marilyne,  I don't watch any football except the two state universities. I'd practically be ridden out of state on a rail if I didn't keep up with at least one of them. 
I'm a second generation Sooner but All My Children bleed OSU orange.  (There really is more to a university than its football team!!!!  )

[NitaInOregon]

I like Animal Planet, Biography channel.  I like House too.  Right now I faithfully watch America's Got Talent every Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

I look for movies on Hallmark, but most of them I've seen already.

[CallieK]

Nita, I just started watching America's Got Talent a couple of weeks ago - and now I'm really anxious to see who moves into the finals from the next group.
What did you think about the "no judges' pick" last time?  Didn't they say those final two had placed 4th and 5th?  Seems to me whichever one got 4th should have moved on.  That would have taken the "heat" off the judges.

I've watched and enjoyed Dancing With The Stars for several seasons.  Last year, I started watching Castle, which comes on right after DWTS - and I really like it.

Nita, I agree about the movies on Hallmark.  They need some new ones!  Never cared much for Touched By An Angel so haven't been watching all those reruns.

Marilyne, since I've read all the Alexander McCall Smith #1 Ladies Detective Agency novels, I really enjoyed the HBO series.  I'm sorry it isn't being continued; there were a lot more stories that could have been told.

Why is it that the "gentle" shows never last?

[jeriron]

My favorite show is "The Closer". It just went off and comes back in January. And I like the new show that follows it "Raising the Bar".

We have HBO and I really like "In Treatment" and #1 Ladies Detective Agency" Don't know if either will be back this year. I couldn't get into # 1 Ladies Detective Agency books but I really did like the movies.

Not being a sports fan except for baseball I never watch sports. Or Reality shows. can't stand them.

I watch "Lost". this is the last season. but don't ask me what is going on because it's the most confusing show I've ever seen and I watched X Files.

Right now PBS has new "Inspector Lewis" series. It started last week and I think it said it has 5 -7 new shows. I liked Inspector Morse better but I'm enjoying this one too.

I'm glad this board got started.

[Jeanne Lee]

Right now the U.S. Open tennis matches are taking precedence over anything else for me. 

But otherwise, I love The Closer.  And I also like In Plain Sight and Without a Trace.

[Rae]

I watch  The Big Bang Theory, love those "geeks".  And other favorites are NCIS, CSI, Criminal Minds.  Love watching America's Got Talent.  And college football and also the NFL.  I like basketball but Dick doesn't care for that.   

Sorry Callie, about that game last night in Dallas!  Wasn't it you that had so much fun with AAlice in Nebraska about your football teams?  I wonder what has happened to her?   

[Marilyne]

Animal Planet: Nita and Jerry - Did either of you watch the Meerkat Manor series?  I liked it very much, and became fond of certain meerkats, and was rooting for their survival in that harsh environment.  I missed season #1, and someday I plan to rent it from Netflix.

Lost:  Jeri, I watched a couple of the early shows, but was totally "lost" and finally gave up on it.  Everyone says it's really worthwhile, and that I'll love it once I get into it, so I'm sure I'll catch up one of these days.

The Closer: Everyone loves it, and i've never seen it!  Where have I been the last couple of years? That's another one that I plan to rent from Netflix. 

We have an HDTV set in the living room, and both my husband AJ and I love the HD channels and wide screen picture.  We watch a lot of channels such as History and National Geographic,  in HD.  If I start on one of those shows,  I get instantly hooked, and can sit there for hours, watching how cheese is made, or touring the Hershey factory,  or building the Golden Gate bridge, etc.  AJ is a World War II buff, so he loves any show that is about the war in Europe or the Pacific, or any general or leader, or specific battle.  I usually pass on those, but some are presented in such a way, that you can't help getting drawn in. 

[joyous]

I am SO glad to see this forum --Thanks, Rae
The summer shows have been LESS than enticing . Hopefully the Fall season will be better). I am anxiously waiting for: Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy to return.  I guess I am addicted to those even they are just glorified soap operas.
I really like Monk, House, and some of the movies shown, if they are in CC.
Of course I wouldn't miss any game that LSU (Louisiana State University)
plays.  We here in Louisiana bleed purple and gold.  Last night I watched
from 9:30 P. M. until 1:00 A. M. the game between LSU-Washington, with
LSU the winner.  They had traveled some 2300 miles (the farthest EVER for
a football game).
I love seeing your posts of favorite shows!
JOY

[CallieK]

Rae, yes, AAlice and I had a lot of fun with our two Big Reds (her Nebraska and my OU).   I have no idea what's happened to her.  We used to e-mail but I haven't heard from her in months and months.
Yes, that was a sad game.  Horrible for many reasons to lose "Slingin' Sammy", the Heisman winner quarterback. Morning paper reported a "sprained shoulder separation" (??) and did not predict when he might be able to return.   

Joyous.  Oh, thank goodness!  Somebody else who likes the "nighttime soaps"!!!!  I was almost afraid to mention "Desperate Housewives", "Brothers and Sisters", "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy".
Even though the new show "Glee" is about high school students, I think I may like following it.  That may be because #1 granddaughter is a singer/dancer.
   
I just don't watch any of the crime/courtroom/mystery stuff.  Don't like the gruesome aspects of the crime scenes.  (However, I did like "Boston Legal" - even though William Shatner's character got really tiresome.)

Even though "Saving Grace" was set in Oklahoma (the local references were very recognizable and the characters' names that were take-offs on state towns were hilarious), I just could not enjoy it - and didn't like her character even a little bit.

"Castle" is a crime story but the script doesn't dwell on the gorier stuff.  The interplay between the lead character (a novelist "doing research" through the New York police department) and the lady detective he's assigned to shadow is really funny.

This morning's paper gave the starting dates for returning shows and some new ones.  September and early October will be busy.

Has anyone seen "Drop Dead Diva" on Lifetime Channel?  It's pretty good. I'd been following "Army Wives" and DDD was put in just ahead of it. 

[Jerry]

I watched Meercat Manor pretty faithfully the first season, but then in the second season, they added so many commercials it wasn't worth the effort to wait through them. Happens a lot with shows that become popular. Sad.

[AliceA]

I'm watching " Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" and boy does it make you feel dumb, hahha.

[Marie A]

AliceA - Smarter is  one of the few shows I watch and I won't miss it.

I am waiting to see the lineup for the new season and hope there are a few more comedies coming. If there aren't any good shows, I have been thinking of giving up cable.

There is more than enough murder and mayhem in the paper, I don't have to see it. JMO

[jeriron]

I don't watch sitcoms and I don't like medical shows either. I like mysteries of any kind. Most of the books I read are mysteries. Although recently I've started to read what people consider "womens books". I know Lifetime has movies taken from books but I always forget about checking on them.

[Jeanne Lee]

House is too predictable for me - always treatment for something simple leads to something more serious and that treatment leads to something still more serious, etc. until it's life-threatening, then he has an epiphany and comes up with the cure. 

I like the new medical one, Hawthorne, so far at least.  If it goes into the steamy sex stuff like  Grey's Anatomy did I'll quit that one, too.  I can't stand Saving Grace.

[soultwin]

I never could get into Saving Grace!  I also like Hawthorne and just love The Closer!

[Marilyne]

Callie - i'm not fond of the gory detail crime shows either.  I like a good mystery, but when it comes to "special victims" of horrific murders, crime scenes,  pathology, etc., they're just too hard for me to watch.  Oddly enough, I DO like Mafia or "Wise Guy" style shows like The Soprano's.  There is an element of humor and a sort of bumbling goofiness in those dramas. Lots of heavy stuff as well, but for some reason, I don't find them offensive.  Another example is the movie, Good Fella's.

Jerry - I agree that there are WAY too many commercials on all of the Animal Planet shows. I do get restless and impatient with commercials,  but I will endure if the show is good enough.

AliceA, Marie and Joy - Good to see you all here!   Marie - don't give up on cable yet! There are so many good shows to choose from - much more on cable besides murder and mayhem. 

Jeanne - How did you like the tennis upset today?  The 17 year old from Georgia who beat Maria Sharapova?  Venus is out, but I do think that Serena will end up the winner.   

[Jeanne Lee]

Marilyn, Venus was not playing her usual game in that third set.  A very disappointing performance I thought.  That little 17 year old Oudin is surprising everyone, too, and leaving top seeds behind.  And now Roddick is also gone.     These Grand Slams are always full of surprises, aren't they?  I think you're right, though, looks like Serena will be the final winner.

[jean1015]

Saw a good "fund-raiser" show on NJ PBS yesterday, "Hollywood: Singing and Dancing." It highlighted the musicals from Busby Burkley to Chicago and Mama Mia. They are such fun to watch. I wish TCM or one of those channels would do a marathon or a week of them. I think the reason American Idol was so popular is that there are so few shows on tv w/ music. Of course, w/ its success others have started like America's Got Talent and So You ThinkYOu Can Dance. And this fall there's a fictioinal series called Glee which looks promising....................
thanks for starting this Rae........................jean

[Marie A]

I am so upset, I found out today that there was a marathon on yesterday of "Are you smarter than a fifth grader." I didn't know it was on or I would have been glued to the set.

[Marilyne]

I didn't see much TV today.  Our daughter was here all day doing laundry and talking non-stop about her vacation last week - camping in the Nevada Black Rock Desert!  (She does NOT take after her old mom!) LOL!

After she left in the late afternoon, we watched some reruns of  tennis
from earlier today.  It was the match between the Russian and the Danish women. (can't remember their names!)  Very good I thought.

Then tonight we watched Antiques Roadshow.  I always enjoy that show, and continue to be genuinely shocked at the value of some of the items that look insignificant!