Friday, October 19, 2012

What I've been watching lately...

There's this thing that I do when I'm not reading and blogging.  And because reading and blogging take up so much of my time, I don't do this thing very often!  I'm talking about watching telly.

I really just don't watch much of it these days.  I decided at the end of summer that there would be many programmes that I would just give up on watching - Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, True Blood.  Because what I find is that I record a lot of (mostly book-adapted) TV programmes and then they sit on my Sky+ box for absolutely ages and then I just delete them because they make me feel guilty and horrible.

But! There are some programmes that I do watch, and lately I've actually been watching them with sort of regularity. So today, I thought I'd talk a little bit about them...



Life Interrupted

There's this thing that I love to do, maybe you do it too - I love watching a film or TV show and figuring out where I've seen that actor or actress before.   Or sometimes, I just love watching a programme with characters from previous favourite television shows and imagine that they are still those characters in this new show.  Does that make sense?  For instance, Kerr Smith used to play a character called Jack in Dawson's Creek who is gay.  In Life Interrupted, Kerr Smith is now Ryan, a radio DJ who struggles with his girlfriend's unexpected past showing up.  Ryan and Cate (his girlfriend) have troubles, and I'm thinking 'well obviously they're going to split up because Ryan (Jack!) is actually GAY!' At the risk of sounding loopy, perhaps I shouldn't share much more of this with you all.  But besides Kerr Smith, there's also Shiri Appleby who was Liz Parker in (one of my favourite shows ever!) Roswell.  And Britt Robertson who went on to do the show The Secret Circle. Life Interrupted had a two series run in the US before it got cancelled.  N and I have since watched the entire first season and we'll soon watch the second.  I can't resist Jack and Liz.




Revenge

Gah, how much do I love this show?  I have no idea why we didn't watch it straightaway when it first aired (because, HELLO! look at that cast! Everyone is in it!) but we didn't.  And now I'm catching up.  We're about 10 episodes into the first series now and I can hardly bear those nights when N and I can't curl up in bed together and watch more of this show.  I was unsure at first if I'd like to watch any programme so full of manipulation and bitchiness and well, revenge. But I love it to bits.  Plus, it has Eric from Gossip Girl, Rebecca from Brothers and Sisters, Kyle Valenti from Roswell, and the girl who played a young Jennifer Garner from the film 13 Going on 30!




Merlin

I adore Merlin.  I love the story of King Arthur in general, but I've also just been a huge fan of the BBC TV programme since it aired all those years ago now.  Originally it was just me, watching the show when I got the chance, in between the boys hogging the remote to watch terrible children's cartoons.  Then, E joined me.  I think it was when he saw that there are dragons and magic involved.  I started to explain more about who Arthur is and who Merlin is and some about Camelot and everything and he was pretty fascinated.  It's helped that we've taken both boys to castles and they both have swords and shields and knight costumes.  For awhile, it was just E and me, cuddled up on the sofa and then finally N and the Littlest joined in.  Now watching Merlin is a family thing, which I love.  We managed to record all of two previous seasons so that N and the Littlest didn't miss as much.  I adore the relationship between Merlin and Arthur the most and it appears that my boys think it's just as hilarious! 




The X Factor

Some of my favourite memories growing up are watching television programmes as a family.  There was this thing called T. G. I. F on ABC, which was basically two hours of family entertainment.  I remember watching Boy Meets World and Step by Step.  I remember watching Full House and Perfect Strangers. Later there'd be Hangin' With Mr Cooper and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.  I loved sitting as a family and watching TV shows together.  This may have been because of my hugely dysfunctional family, but it was seriously a highlight of my young childhood, so I'm always aware of and appreciate the time that N and I spend doing things together as a family, including watching TV. 

And the boys go crazy about The X Factor.  There was a time when the Littlest could say 'Simon Cowell' but was still unable to say 'Daddy' properly.  I loved when E had a massive crush on Cheryl Cole and blushed furiously.  E will hear a song on the radio and remember that it was song on The X Factor once, even if it was three years ago.  Both boys swing about in the living room and pretend to be Dermot O'Leary and say 'You're Saturday night starts right here.'  And I love all of that.  Those will always be my reasons to carry on watching The X Factor. 

And though we've recorded the first episode (or is it two by now? more?) but still haven't watched it, I am still ridiculously excited to watch Homeland.  I adore Claire Danes (Angela Chase all grown up!) and I love Homeland.  Dying to watch it already. 

So that's what I've been watching lately, what programmes have YOU been watching?

16 comments:

  1. REVENGE <333 I love watching it so much! Emily is totally badass! The last episode of Season 1 is coming up, can't wait for the finale! I'm so glad Merlin's back on too; while I don't follow it avidly, I like watching the occasional episode! And X Factor... everything's so staged now that it's lost its spark but it's still good entertainment!

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    1. We're still awhile from the season finale, unfortunately! N has said that it's overload watching 5 episodes in one night (?!) so we've been taking it a bit slowly...

      Still love Merlin and The X Factor, the former because it's awesome and the latter because it's still a show we watch together as a family :)

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  2. Oh I love watching programmes and seeing people pop up from other shows, I'm always there racking my brain for ages trying to figure out where they're from. Since I started blogging I've hardly had the time to watch t.v either, I only watch a few now that I make time for. I used to love watching X-Factor, but the last few years I've become obsessed with Strictly. So I normally watch everything up until the live show when Strictly's started! Life Interrupted and Revenge sound like awesome shows, that I may have to squeeze in somewhere! :)

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    1. Life Interrupted and Revenge are pretty good, if you have the time!

      I tried watching Strictly a few times (I love dancing!) but I just couldn't get into it and I can't really place what the problem with it is for me.

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  3. We've watched Merlin from the first episode - all of us! If one of use can't make it, everyone waits til we're all in. Yep, Arthur and Merlin are the best bits. Our adults are watching Homeland - not so sure about this series though, although there's a game changer in it from the second (or is it third) episode, so it might get better.

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    1. Hurrah! I love Merlin. I kind of want to go back to the first few episodes and watch them all again. I think that'd be fun.

      Homeland is one of those shows I really like, but I have to be in the mood for it, so they pile up until that mood strikes! Then we marathon watch them :)

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  4. I don't actually watch any of these, but they all sound awesome :D I meant to watch Revenge but I watch so much other stuff that I just don't have the time! I love Glee (DON'T STOP WATCHING IT!!! It's so fab! Well it will be when it finally returns!) I also LOVE Pretty Little Liars - I think it's a little like Revenge in a way, but anyway it's really enjoyable :)

    I'm also watching the whole 8 series of Desperate Housewives on the internet, because I never watched it when it was on Tv, but I saw a lot of the last series and thought it was great - so this summer was spent watching that, hehe :) I'm nearly finished now!

    I didn't watch x factor last year, and I don't think I will this year either - sorry, but it's just not the same at all without Simon and Cheryl!

    But my absolute FAVVOURITE programme is...
    DOWNTON ABBEY!!!!! It's so brilliant and addictive and the last episode nearly made me cry :'( Even if you are busy, you just HAVE to make time for this one - it's a-mazing! :D

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    1. Glee is still a show that I'll probably dip in and out of (which is what I've been doing for the past year and a bit!) I just can't commit to watching every single show.

      I wish that I'd started watching Downton Abbey from the start. So many people rave about it!

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  5. Watching TV is something I rarely do now because of a lack of time! I have to admit though, The X Factor is my guilty pleasure show. ;)

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    1. My enjoyment of The X Factor does lessen every year but I'm still sure that I will watch the show until my kids get bored of it and it stops becoming something we watch as a family :)

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  6. I so wish I'd started watching Revenge! Will have to catch up on it soon. At the moment, my entire weekend evenings are being eaten up by X Factor and Downton Abbey. I'm getting nothing done whatsoever - it's ridiculous!

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    1. Oh you should definitely check out Revenge! :)

      Television taking over an entire weekend! Eeek.

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  7. I do love posts on tv shows :D I've watched all of Life Unexpected, I started it 'cos it had Kerr Smith in it and found a lot to enjoy in it. I started watching Revenge but just couldn't get into it, I've heard so many rave reviews for it though so I do feel like I've missed out on something. And you know I love Merlin - so glad it's back :D

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    1. Yes, I know you love Merlin too :)

      But you didn't like Revenge? I'm starting to think that N doesn't either. He says there's too many scenes of the characters staring moodily off into space.

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