I don’t watch nearly as much TV as I used to. But there are certain moments – often on weekend afternoons when the kids are napping or when my husband is running them wild downstairs while I’m folding laundry (oh, the glamour of my life!) – when I feel like tuning in and then tuning out with some mindless entertainment. And February is the perfect season for it, now that college and pro football are over and March Madness has yet to heat up: flipping on the TV, going to the channel guide, and seeking out the perfect morsel of escapism.
But the thing is, not just any show will do – not just any cooking show or mineral make-up infomercial. At times like these, I find myself scouting out the same few shows, the reruns of which I would watch over and over, anytime, anywhere. And, lucky for me, my Saturday afternoon veg-out favorites are all in heavy syndication rotation:
- Sex and the City: I have seen every episode of SATC many times over and it’s the only TV series I own on DVD. Nevertheless, whenever I catch a glimpse of it for five minutes, I feel like I’m hanging out with old friends. My husband, mind you, cannot stand this show. (I wonder if that’s why it feels like such a treat, like the forbidden fruit.)
- Seinfeld: Sometimes I feel like a regular dose of Seinfeld is necessary to maintain my ability to quote lines directly and reference even the most obscure moments, kind of like a cultural literacy inoculation. From George’s “leave-behind” fur hat to Elaine’s dance moves, Seinfeld is a lingua franca among my closest friends. And it makes me laugh.
- Arrested Development: Something about this quirky comedy tickles every funny bone in my body. I love the way straight man Michael and sweet, sensitive George Michael play the perfect foils to the rest of their wacky family. And did you know that Arrested Development is coming back?! To Netflix?! In May?! (Hallelujah!)
- The Sopranos: For me, the brilliance of this HBO classic lies in the way the writers normalized the completely unrelatable: while not many of us are Mafia dons ourselves (or married to one), who can’t relate to the fundamental questions of family, identity, loyalty, and balance that that The Sopranos presented to us week after week?
- The West Wing: Psst…I still sometimes daydream that I am power pants-suited C.J. Cregg, White House press secretary-cum-chief of staff, working late in my office eating take-out Chinese food while gathering talking points for the president on climate change. Am I just a wee bit obsessed with the promise and power of politics (minus the corruption and stagnation)? Yup.
- Friday Night Lights: Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Change the Channel.
- And last, but not least, the grande dame of all syndicated shows, Law and Order: I stopped watching Law and Order long before the end of its 20 year run, but I still find myself sucked in by Dick Wolf’s particular alchemy of police procedural and legal drama when I come across one of its ubiquitous reruns – and especially those featuring Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth.
So there you have it. A list of my favorite five minute snippet shows, the ones I know so well that I can pop in and out at any point and still feel transported to a familiar, comfortable place – whether Dylan, Texas; New York City; or the White House.
Okay, gotta run. I’ve got some laundry to fold and reruns to watch.
What are you favorite television shows? Any I should add to my rerun rotation?
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
My comfort show is Gilmore Girls. I can easily fall into any episode and feel not so much an observer but a participant in the quirky mother-daughter conversation and the small town camaraderie. It was my close friend when I was alone with my two boys after my divorce!
I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of Lauren Graham. I love the idea of Gilmore Girls, but her way of speaking drives me batty. She’s also the reason I’ve never been able to get into Parenthood even though everyone else seems to love it…I think I’m just weird. :)
Friday Night Lights! Show of my heart. (And West Wing and Arrested Development are pretty high on my list, too.) Another one of my could-watch-anytime favorites is Firefly.
Gosh! How could I forget to mention Firefly??! Yes. Definitely. Over and over again. :)
Firefly! Of course! (I hope that Joss Whedon doesn’t now revoke my Browncoat status!) ;)
Sex and the City and Seinfeld are two of my favorites. Love Grey’s Anatomy too. :)
I am a total Grey’s Anatomy junkie. I have seen every episode and am sure I will watch till the bitter end. (Have you seen Scandal? Another great Shonda drama.)
Sex and the City, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 30 Rock, Scrubs, and Law & Order: SVU. Those are my go-to.
On another note, these days, while folding laundry, my guilty pleasure is to catch up on The Good Wife. It has made a chore into something I actually look forward to after the kids go to bed at night and My Guy is back at work in his office downstairs. And sadly, I’ve picked an episode or two some nights over writing too. I really need more discipline…
The Good Wife is another favorite of mine. This season has been a little bit of a letdown for me, although the last couple of episodes have been quite good.
(I’m still embarrassed for both of us that we didn’t list Firefly in our initial lists. The horror!) ;)
Gilmore Girls. Firefly. Star Trek: Voyager. Brother Cadfael (my mother and I went through the entire boxed set while preparing for one of my moves – she sewed curtains and I packed dishes and we watched the medieval Benedictine monk solve murder. Good times!). I love Foyle’s War for folding laundry, but it’s not exactly comfort TV – a little too intense and deep. Brilliant, though.
Ooh, some new shows to check out. Thanks for the tip, Louise!
I’m building a Law & Order collection, but I refuse to go past Season Five. No Mike Logan? I don’t care. Not even Angie Harmon can overcome the rest of the later casts.
For real. Benjamin Bratt has his charms, but he’s no Chris Noth. Not by a long shot.
Would you believe that I have never watch Sex and the City? Not even one episode??
But The West Wing and Seinfeld. Yes and yes. I’m more of a Criminal Minds girl than Law and Order (although it does get pretty creepy sometimes).
And the only show I own DVDs of is….?
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.
I know. This makes me both old and a little sappy, too. I’m okay with that.
I’m okay with that too, my old and sappy friend. ;)
I’ve never seen Criminal Minds – or CSI for that matter. Law and Order: SVU is also a little too graphic for me. And I haven’t watched Little House since I was a kid. I’m reading the series with the boys, though, so it might be time to revisit it. xo
I can’t help it, because I am such a sicko. Any time there’s one of those Investigation Discovery shows on about serial killers, I’m in. Eeek! What does that say about me?
I love you, my sicko friend. I’m such a wimp, I can’t even think about those shows without getting creeped out. :(
My niece bought me season 1 of Friends for Christmas. At first I thought it was a silly gift, but it turns out it is the absolute best veg-out and chill-out brain candy. Also funny and fun, even though we’ve seen every episode a zillion times (when C and I first moved here, we would sit down to watch Friends reruns with our dinner every night at 7. We didn’t know many people around here, so we took to calling it Our Friends). Other than that, I watch Masterpiece on Sunday nights and the occasional Muppet Show with the kids. I wish I was the typical American who watches 44 hours of TV a week, so I could quit and gain all that time.
Have you been watching Downtown Abbey? I really enjoyed the first two seasons, but this one disappointed me. I haven’t checked out the Masterpiece line-up for spring? More Dickens or Austen? And when does Sherlock return, I wonder…
Sex and the City is one of my favorites. Currently, Downton Abbey is quickly turning into a new comfort.
You know I’m with you on #1… And yes, while the footwear helps, it’s the relationships among the women. Truly.
Very much like being with old friends.
Oh I love this post!! TV is so forbidden these days, as in, “you have time to watch TV???”
I watch an hour a night and I love it. My forbidden treat:) I LOVE SATC and also Alias, which I loved in my 20′s. So geeky but j’adore:) Right now I am enjoying House of Cards … but it may be a tad bit dark for me. We’ll have to see.
Is House of Cards the new Netflix series? If so, I’ve heard great things. Thanks for the reminder that I need to check it out. xo
My husband’s list would start with 2 and end with 6. That’s his entire world. Every single thing in life (trust me, I have the stories to prove it) comes down to an episode of West Wing or Seinfeld. And as soon as the kids are in bed he says “there must be an episode of the Sopranos on somewhere.” This post makes me like you more, but I have to admit – I hate all these shows :)
It sounds like your husband and I would get along well; just sorry to hear that you wouldn’t want to join us for our TV marathon! :)
Friday Night Lights is in my Netflix queue. I guess I should check it out :-) I feel the same way about Seinfeld and the Sopranos, if it’s on, I’ll watch. And Z hates SATC too. Do any straight guys like it?
Oh, and we’ve really gotten into Louis CK’s show. It’s our new “watch together” show.
I do have some straight male friends who like SATC, but I know many more who loathe it. My husband and I watched the first season of Louis on Netflix – very odd and very funny, sort of like an uncensored Seinfeld.
ABSO-F’IN_LUTELY: Sex and the City. I could watch them over and over and over. The movies, too. Friends will also fit the bill. (God, I feel so old when I think back about watching that show in HIGH SCHOOL). xox
You watched Friends in high school? Oy, that makes me feel old. I was married and working when it came out.
I wasn’t married yet, but I was out of college, if that makes you feel any better. ;)
The only show on your list I’ve ever watched is The West Wing, and I think I saw almost every episode. I don’t have cable TV so I only watch a few series online, and no reruns. Modern Family is my favorite, then Grimm, Gray’s Anatomy (I’m waiting for every single character to be finally killed off), Once Upon A Time, and that’s about it. I used to love watching Gilmore Girls and would love to have the DVDs for it. Such great lines every week!
I love people who love tv like you do. Seriously.
The Sopranos, Oz, Seinfeld and Friday Night Lights always catch my eye/attention.
I didn’t think I’d like Arrested Development at first, but the as the story got weirder and wilder, I got hooked. Thank goodness for Netflix — I think I spent most of the first trimester slowly making my way through seasons 2 and 3 while curled up on the couch. Hopefully, when this new season starts, we’ll be onto a less erratic sleep schedule — or I’ll be watching during late-night feedings!
Middle-of-the-night TV was one of my secret loves about nursing. (Shh, I know you’re supposed to say that you spend those nursing sessions reading poetry or gazing lovingly upon your babe. I did do that sometimes, of course, but I also loved the guilty pleasure of watching a show when everyone else was asleep.)
I used to watch a ton of tv and now I barely watch any! But like you I loved Sex and the City. These days I am catching up on Desperate Housewives, which I really enjoy (maybe you can think of it as Sex and the City gets married, has children and moves to the suburbs ;-)). I’ve also watched a couple of seasons of In Treatment; each episode is just 30 minutes and they take place entirely in a therapist’s office (the show (fiction) follows 5 patients dealing with some life issue…I find it quite intriguing).
I now need to get my hands on Downton Abbey, to see what all the fuss is about!
I watched the first couple of seasons of Desperate Housewives and found it really fun. Once they bumped off a few too many neighbors, I started to get bored. ;)
SATC, check. Seinfeld, check. I have FNL in my queue on Netflix. :) Big Bang Theory and Friends for me too! And Felicity!!!
Sex and the City and Arrested Development are definitely on my list of what to watch when I do finally turn on the TV (which isn’t that often and I am so OK with that.) The Golden Girls reruns are a must see. I know every line Sophia every uttered, every taunt and jab to Blanche, every sideways glance to Rose. I LOVE IT. But, you can also catch me getting stuck just as easily on a nature show about any random animal (because it’s fascinating!) (And, whispering, Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’ll stop on it every time.)
Thank you for being a friend, traveled down the road and back again. Your heart is true. You’re a pal and a confidante. And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew? You would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say, “Thank you for being a friend.”
Golden Girls rocks.
Ooooh, I love this! I’ve been watching Sex & the City reruns for the past few weeks while I workout or fold laundry and I can’t get enough, even though I’ve seen them all before. And don’t get me started on West Wing and Seinfeld – favorites. Thankfully, I’m pretty satiated by a small amount of television. Otherwise, I’d be too toned and our laundry wouldn’t drape over the dining room table for weeks at a time. And that would be a shame. ;-) Great post!
We used to love My So Called Life and Thirty Something. And lately we’ve been catching up on Netflix with the first season of Girls. Would you lose all respect for me if I said I’ve never seen a single episode of Sex in the City?
Hmm…so you’re watching Girls, but have never seen Sex and the City? I’ve yet to see Girls, but have heard that it’s a sort of latter-day SATC. Perhaps a comparative viewing as a cultural study?
Dan and I watch Parenthood, on netflix, but I believe it is/was an actual TV show that may even still be on. We’ll catch up to the current shows in about 2 years. LOVE this show.
PARENTHOOD! Totally worth it and amazing! It is on netflix!
And Downton Abbey! Both husband and I enjoy that one.
Love and miss Friday night lights. I watched that on netflix and devoured it. I still miss all of them. Hi ya all.
One of my new faves in Nashville with Connie Britton – because a TV world without Mrs. Coach is empty for me! ;)
We buy DVD’s instead of watching the classics on tv in French. Seinfeld is the only fave of the ones you mentioned, but right now it’s Downton Abbey, The Closer and Bones – those are our favorites.
I’m home on the couch watching Friday Night Lights as I write. What a great show! Was a huge SATC fan in the day. Soprano’s as well.
I tend to gravitate to a lot of shows on the USA channel; Suites, Covert Affairs and Necessary Roughness are faces. Of course there’s always an NCIS or Law and Order somewhere! Lately, I’ve become a Criminal Minds addict. And when all else fails, there’s HGTV!!
I can so relate to this post. My DVR is filled with shows that I haven’t watched since their season premiers last fall. The other day I was working out at our neighborhood workout center and The Kardashians happened to be on TV (I never watch TV when I work out, nor do I watch the Kardashians, ever). Maybe it was the glow of the screen (it’s been so long!), but I was drawn in. Let’s just say, I enjoyed a longer than usual workout that day.
P.S. I think every woman loves SATC and every man hates it.
P.P.S. SO excited for Arrested Development!
That is so true—I don’t have TV now but when I did, I realized that I tended to avoid the newer hit shows or reality TV in lieu of good ol Friends or Seinfeld.
West Wing and Seinfeld are all time favorites, but can’t forget about Six Feet Under and Frasier (not embarrassed to say it!). I do love a few already mentioned in your list and in the comments, too, but didn’t see The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and- this a little random- Good Neighbor, which is a British sitcom from the 70s I just adore (Netflix streaming). We’ve loved Downton but it disappointed us at the end. Foyles War and Call the Midwife are a couple other British series worth watching. We like Sherlock and, of course, MI-5, for action, too. And I totally love Parenthood. In Treatment was great but can’t stream that. I am looking forward to Girls and The Newsroom whenever I can catch them streaming.
Anyway, some of these are not comfort/fold-the-laundry rerun type viewing, but had to share the British shows (also, and you would have to buy this in DVD form from Amazon UK, but a show called Grand Designs is unbelievably good escapist viewing- I am not into DIY at all but love good design, beautiful landscapes, interesting people and fantasizing about my life being completely different so this show is THE BEST for that!).
Love coming to visit your blog. :)