Favorite Fall Television Shows

I absolutley adore summer, but I don’t love the dearth of TV selections that are available! Luckily, I got Netflix Streaming this past summer, so I’ve been able to watch some cool new programs, but other than that, there is almost nothing on. Fall is probably tied for my favorite season next to summer and one of the reasons I love it so much is quite peculiar. You guessed right; it’s when many of my favorite television shows come back on!

This week, many of my current favorite television shows returned on air, which made me want to share my thoughts on them with you guys.  Without further adieu, let me tell y’all about some of my most loved television shows!

What It’s About: A former lawyer, now stay at home Mom (Alicia), is cheated on by her philandering State’s Attorney husband, who is now involved in a very public sex scandal. When her husband loses his job, Alicia has to go back to work in order to give her family a steady income and returns to the field of criminal law as a junior associate and must work her way back up the ladder. We also watch Alicia try to rebuild her seemingly decimated marriage with her husband.

My Review: This is a television show that I’ve recently gotten into. My Mom and I watched an episode last year and enjoyed it, but it was during the 4th season, and we usually like to start watching shows from the beginning just so that we can fill in those gaps. However, after The Good Wife was named an Emmy nominee, you could watch every episode from seasons 1-4  on On Demand, so therefore, my Mom and I started watching it again. Although I thought the The Good Wife was very good (ha-ha! this is a joke my Mom and I have together about the show), it took me awhile to get into it.  My parents favored the show more than I did and my Mom in particular watched every episode.  What you should know about The Good Wife is that watching this program is not a mindless, lackadaisical activity like many other TV shows. You have to pay close attention in order to understand the different court cases. and situations that precipitate from them. During the summer, I just did not have the patience to sit through every episode and analyze, but when the 5th season came on, I became hooked. The Good Wife is one of those precious TV jewels  that gets better each season and does not decrease in quality. What I love the most about the show is that it’s not just about criminal law and court cases, but also intertwines the personal stories of the character’s during every episode. The Good Wife has not only made me appreciate lawyers and what they do more, but also understand  just how corrupt our justice system can be sometimes, even though it is quite superior to other countries. I can tell you one thing though, this show has definitely confirmed my little desire to become a criminal lawyer when I grow up!

Standout Character(s):

Kalinda Sharma

I just love the private investigator Kalinda and her mysterious, cool vibe! Even her name sounds super epic! If I ever wanted to re-name myself, it would probably be the name Kalinda. However, I would probably put my own twist to it and call myself “Lexinda” just so that it wouldn’t be too obvious that I  renamed myself after a character. I also adore her style! I hope that I can dress similar to her at my future work place (if they allow it, ha-ha). I mean, between the high heeled boots and leather jackets, what’s not to love? Even though she is an odd,  legally questionable, and at times, cold-hearted character, I love her ability to piece things together and her fierce loyalty to other characters on the show.

When It’s On: Sunday nights on CBS!

What It’s About: I think a lot of you guys had probably watched or at least have heard of the show, but I’ll give you the reader’s digest anyways. This show is about a friend group of nerdy scientists and their socially clueless interactions with average people.

My Review:
I’ve been watching this show for almost 3 years and it is HILARIOUS! The concept of the show is very distinctive and the social ineptness of these guys combined with them trying to interact with their beautiful roommate who has average intelligence, makes for the best comedy! I think that The Big Bang Theory takes the cake for several things; excellent characterization, one liners, and it’s amazing usage of observational humor from the perspective of scientists with low social IQ’s. In my personal opinion, the show was at its best the first five seasons, but has dolefully gotten less funny since then. However, I still think that it’s an adorable show and I’m glad that they have been renewed for an additional three seasons. I just hope that they keep up their momentum and not become one of those bird-brained sitcoms on television.

Standout Character(s):

Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler (now don’t you just love her name?!?!)

I think Sheldon and Amy are one of my favorite television couples because their romantic relationship dynamic is like no other. They are as slow as snails (much to Amy’s chagrin) when it comes building this type of relationship,  but I personally think that they compliment one another! I especially give kudos to Amy, because I (and probably 99% of other women) would not be able date a man so pompous, let alone for 3+ years!  If you start watching the show from the beginning, you will see that Sheldon is not very receptive to any kind of physical, and often times, emotional affection, so it’s quite hilarious to see him in a “relationship”.

Penny

While Penny isn’t necessarily my favorite standalone character on the show, can we just give props to Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting  for getting like the best pixie cut ever?!?! It makes me almost want to get one myself!

When It’s On: Monday nights at 8pm on CBS

What It’s About: A slice of life comedy about a New York, Jewish family seen through the eyes of twelve year old aspiring film maker Adam Goldberg.

My Review: When I first thought the previews for this show last year, I thought that it was going to be one of those dim-witted, slapstick humor shows. However, my Mom is from Long Island, New York and we are Jewish, so therefore, my family decided to give it a whirl. Turns out it is EXTREMELY FUNNY! I also absolutley love that this show takes place during the 80’s, which is what I believe to be the coolest era ever (shame on you parents for having me in the late 90’s!). The TV show producers totally have the culture of the 80’s dead on, from the gnarly fashion to the hit songs! This show is also based on the  main producer’s life and family home videos from when he was a kid, so I thought that was pretty neat too!  In many ways, this show reminds me of a less controversial version of Roseanne (which is one of my favorite shows EVER by the way)  Like Roseanne, it  doesn’t have a continuous, specific plot,  but is more just about the ubiquitous scenarios families go through and how they deal with them (and in this case, often in a hilarious, atypical manner). If you want to watch something lighthearted for a half hour, go watch The Goldbergs!

Standout Character(s):

Beverly Goldberg

Beverly Goldberg has got to be thee funniest Mom right now on TV!  If you were trying to find the word for “loving your kids” too much in the dictionary, it would be smack on the name Beverley Goldberg! She will stop at nothing to help/protect her kids, even going as far as dressing up as ghost at a Halloween Party to help her son Barry get a date with the hottest girl at school, or trying to get an approval letter from Ronald Reagan to get her son Adam out of the Presidential Fitness Test. I also love her very 80’s big hair too!

When It’s On: 8:00 or 8:30pm on ABC during Wednesday nights.

Parenthood:

What It’s About: Taking place in Berkeley, California, Parenthood focuses on the lives and families of four siblings. The general TV show story line is based off of the 1989 film Parenthood.

My Review: Sadly, this is going to be Parenthood’s last season, which is why I’m really looking forward  to watching it this year! I stumbled upon Parenthood last year on On Demand  (around Halloween) and binge-watched 4 seasons until I was all caught up. This show was previously categorized as a “dramedy” and it was for awhile up until the 4th season. Now don’t get me wrong, the 4th season was outstanding (actually one of my favorites), but during the 5th season they kind of lost their way. I’m pretty sure the writers wrote every episode last year with the intention of making us cry. I love the emotional aspects of Parenthood, but for goodness sake writers, can’t you make us laugh a little bit more?!?!

Even though this show is not perfect,  I love how close knit the Bravermans are (and their last name! Parenthood, has made me want to marry someone with the last name Braverman lol) and how the writers and character portrayal accurately show the ups and downs of parenting.  Parenthood also handles a lot of really tough, controversial issues beautifully such as Aspergers, breast cancer, addiction, broken homes, and adoption. While I might disagree with the writers recent intentions to make this a “bawl your eyes out” type of show, they are brilliant and insert such witty dialogue. The acting is absolutley phenomenal and you can tell that the cast really works together beautifully as an ensemble. I am sad to see Parenthood go this year, but hopefully the writers will get back in the swing of things and return to its dramedy roots.

Standout Character(s):

Amber

Amber is such an incredible character! I would totally be friends with in real life if she weren’t stuck inside a television screen ;). I especially love how three dimensional she is! Amber has a rebellious streak, but is also compassionate and very understanding as a human being. I also personally feel that she is an incredibly insightful character, but also hilarious with her sharp tongue!  Her punky style with a hint of adorableness is so cute too!

When It’s On: Thursday Nights at 10pm on NBC

Do any of you guys watch these TV shows or want to? What TV shows are/were you most looking forward to returning to the big screen?

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

A Funny 2nd Grade Valentine’s Day Story

2nd grade I think was the year of the most tragically hilarious moments for me. Today, I am going to share with you one of these moments that occurred on Valentine’s Day in the 2nd grade.  Here’s the story.

So for Valentine’s Day in the 2nd grade, our teacher had us pull names out of a hat that we would make a “valentine’s day lunch” for using their most beloved foods (very similar to Secret Santa). However, the kid I got I honestly didn’t like very much. I am though one of those types of people who tries to be cordial to everybody so I worked hard on making a nice lunch for him. I put it  in a wooden box and even painted it. I don’t quite remember what it looked like,  but it was seriously the most beautiful box ever (well, at least for a 2nd grader). However, the kid I got  spilled his chocolate milk and it splattered everywhere and drenched his box, which sort of ruined it and the food got all soggy. I guess I did all of that work for nothing :(.

When it was time for me to get my lunch, it was obvious that the kid who picked my name out of the hat scrambled everything together the last minute. Unlike other kids (like me), who made their special lunch boxes with nice designs, I got a white paper bag. Yup, a plain ol’ white paper bag. I didn’t even get a card; it was a piece of lined paper written messily in red colored pencil (at least he got the color scheme right!). You can’t expect too much from a 2nd grader though, eh? :).

As the hours ticked by, Valentine’s Day got more tragically hilarious. Later in the day, we received Valentine’s day cards and there was one in particular that caught my attention. So this little boy that was much shorter than me (and I was pretty short) gave me a valentine with a lollipop that said the words “Kiss Me” on it. As an eight year old, I took things super literally and thought this meant that he actually wanted to kiss me. I was also the type of kid who told EVERYONE if something interesting happened to me. Therefore, I went around the room exclaiming, “[Insert Name Here] WANTS TO KISS ME! EWW!!!” His mother should have been more careful when buying valentine’s day candy :D.

So, yup, that is Valentine’s Day during the 2nd grade in a nutshell. I hope all of you are having a great Valentine’s Day whether it’s with your special someone or fabulously single (I for one am fabulously single ;D).

Do any of you have funny Valentine’s Day stories from when you were little. Tell me them below in the comment box!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund