TV Musings and why Fall makes me happy...

I don't binge watch TV and to be honest, I don't watch a lot of shows, but the ones that I do watch make me a very happy girl.

I'm someone who loves to laugh.  For me, television is an escape when I don't have time to sit down and read.  So if I'm committing to 30 minutes or an hour of TV, I want to be entertained!  This theory makes my husband crazy.  He is the one that will search the fifteen jillion channels in search of something meaningful and interesting but still end up watching a re-run of Law and Order or Star Trek.  Me?  Just make me laugh.

Last week, my favorite shows started coming back - the Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.  I was anxiously sitting on my couch waiting for them to start and practically bouncing in my seat.  And at the end of each of those episodes I was able to get up and go about my business with a smile on my face.  And really, who doesn't want to walk away feeling happy after a good laugh??

I relate well to both of those shows.  For Modern Family mainly because I have a rather...shall we say...unique family.  Divorced parents.  My dad married a younger woman, my sister and I are competitive with one another and our kids make us crazy.  It's fun for me to watch the interactions with everyone and see so much of my reality being played out on the small screen.  We're not nearly as adorable as the Pritchetts and the Dunpheys, but we do okay.

And the Big Bang Theory has taught me that...well...nerds can still be cool.  My younger son is a bit of a nerd.  He goes to a video game art and design academy in high school and sometimes when he talks to me, I have no idea what he's saying.  And even though this is a completely fictional show, it gives me hope that he's not alone and that girls will still think he's awesome.

My older son binge watches shows on Netflix.  Some of them are new shows, some are old ones and he's big on watching as many episodes in a row as he can.  Yes, he has a job.  And a girlfriend.  I have to wonder, however, if he actually sleeps.   I've had a Netflix account for years but never really used it.  Only he did.  And I'm paying for the account and he doesn't live at home.  Hmmm... He's always recommending stuff for us to watch and most of it just goes over my head or in one ear and out the other.  But he did recommend The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and I have to tell you, I am HOOKED.  The longest "binge" was five episodes but I have laughed until I cried at times.  It's written by the amazing Tina Fey and if you enjoy her humor (think 30 Rock humor) then you should check this show out. 

I think the best part of the fall TV schedule...it gets me out of writer mode for a little while and just lets my brain relax for a little while.  For thirty to sixty minutes, I'm not focused on book sales and promotions and rankings.   It silences the voices in there that are begging for their own stories and happily ever afters and just lets me enjoy the silliness for a little while.