Confessions of a TV junkie....

I admit it.  I'm a TV junkie.  Having grown up with television as part of daily life, it's no surprise.  I don't remember when my parents got a TV, but I do remember sitting in front of one every Saturday morning, bowl of cereal in hand, watching Rin Tin Tin, Sky King, Ramar of the Jungle, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, The Little Rascals, and The Three Stooges - not to mention all the cartoon shows and local heroes like Johnny Ginger, Jingles, Poop-deck Paul and my favorite, Soupy Sales, who were on every day after school.

Poopdeck Paul, Milky the Clown, Captain Jolly, Jingles, Johnny Ginger, and Bozo

As the years went by, and I was allowed to stay up for some night time TV, it was all about the cowboys - Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, and Bronco Lane were my favorites - possibly my first celeb crush was Ty Hardin as Bronco Lane...or maybe Fess Parker as Davey Crockett.

Ty Hardin and Fess Parker

 Then the teen/pre-teen years of Dr. Kildare, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, and Captain Kirk at the top of the list.  

Richard Chamberlain, David McCallum, Robert Vaughn, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner

As I matured (somewhat anyway) and settled into marriage and motherhood, the TV obsessions kind of took a back seat, but never completely left as they lay in wait for me to have the freedom to indulge again. lol

Fast forward to recent years - me, a retired little old lady and what happens?  POLDARK.  Holy moley, that show awoke the kraaken!  I mean, I've always had my list of current favorites, with Sean Bean at the top for a long time (the Sharpe series reeled me in), but the Aidan Turner obsession was one to behold.  I put that past tense because, though he's still numero uno, I'm no longer watching him practically non-stop like I was with Being Human, The Hobbit, Poldark and anything else I could get my eyes on with him in it.

Which leads me to the reason I started this post - my latest obsession:

OMG.  I love this show so much! I have a post on this blog from when Lucifer first aired saying I think I will like this show.  However, it was on at the same time as another favorite show and with no DVR or Hulu, it was somewhat forgotten.  I'm a fan of Tom Ellis from his Miranda days, when he played Gary, so about a week ago, while browsing Hulu (thank you Alex) I found all 3 seasons, up to the current episode available and starting binging.  Now, I'm driving my sister/roommate crazy with Tom Ellis this and Lucifer that.

This show has everything I love about a TV show.  Good writing and good casting with well-defined characters that you come to know and love.  Lucifer has left hell and moved to Los Angeles where he falls in with a police detective and helps to solve crimes in his own unique way.  It's very much like Castle in the early years with a strong supporting cast that becomes like family to the viewer.  The dialogue is witty and the acting top-notch.  Tom Ellis says so much with a single look.  I can't get enough of him. Like Castle and Beckett, his relationship with Chloe Decker is intense and at the same time fun.  You can tell by the number of you tube videos that a lot of other people feel the same way I do about the show.

It will be interesting to see where the writers take the story.  I sincerely hope they don't ruin it by putting Lucifer and Chloe together as a couple with engagement or marriage as a goal.  That's what led to the demise of  Moonlighting and Castle as far as I'm concerned.  They need to keep their relationship like Sam and Jack on Stargate - ever present, obviously in love, but not ever saying I Love You out loud to each other,(except in dreams, aternate universes and such - lol).  Also the writers need to never forget the importance of the supporting characters in Luci's life - Mazikeen, Trixie, Ella, Dan, Charlotte, Amenadial, and Dr. Linda.  Remember on Castle, when after they got engaged and she went to the FBI and Esposito, Ryan, Lani, Martha and Alexis were hardly seen??  I hated that season so much and almost quit watching.  At any rate, if you loved Castle, you will most likely love this show too.

My favorite episode is in season one A Priest Walks into a Bar - I just love the piano duet with the priest and the one at the end with Chloe.  I love that it shows Lucifer, who is definitely a fish out of water in his human form, coming to grips with the fact that despite the polar opposite of devil and priest, he finds he really cares about Father Frank in a way he never knew he could.  It also brings him closer to Chloe who teaches him the value of friends in a time of need.  My other favorite episodes have scenes with Trixie, Chloe's Adorable-with-a-capital-A daughter and Maize, the demon who escaped hell with Lucifer and is his bodyguard of sorts.

There's a lot of videos on You Tube if you want to see what it's about.  Just search 'Lucifer or Tom Ellis'.

Aimee Garcia (Ella), Keven Alejandro (Dan), Lauren German (Chloe), Tom Ellis,(Lucifer), Tricia Helfer (Charlotte), Leslie-Ann Brandt (Mazikeen),  D.B. Woodside (Amenadial), Rachel Harris (Dr. Linda), Scarlett Estevez (Trixie)

And for your viewing pleasure: 

Lucifer and Father Frank piano duel

SALE! My two cen'ts worth 50% off, Part 2

I don't have cable TV anymore and I don't miss it.  (I do miss my DVR however).  I have access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu which really helps!  Last night I posted on facebook that I was watching Miranda on Hulu and I thought I'd get back to posting my 2 cents worth here.  Yay me. LoL

I'm not a big fan of sitcoms, especially those that feature smart ass kids spouting one liners that are supposed to be funny.  Currently the shows that I usually watch and find amusing if not laugh-out-loud funny are The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family.

I've been watching Big Bang since it started and have several favorite episodes, for instance,  the one about tiny Spock, and the one where Penny gives Sheldon acting lessons and a lot of others too.  To me it was so innovative and well-written with lovable characters.  Lately I have not been enjoying it as much.  I believe it is because it has somehow morphed in Friends with an emphasis on getting Sheldon laid.  I hate that.  I want them to get back to the geeky stuff and funny situations born of their geekiness!  I haven't given up on it yet.

Modern Family has often made me laugh.  Sometimes Sophia gets on my nerves with her loud voice and I think Lily is an absolute brat and I wish the writers would have made her a little nicer, but beyond that, it's another well-written show that manages to come up with funny situations regularly.

My niece recently told me I should watch Miranda.  She knows me well!  I LOVE this show.  Miranda is a British comedy show that truly makes me laugh out loud.  You can watch 3 seasons of the show on Hulu.  I was first introduced to Miranda Hart on Call the Midwife (AAAA+ series on PBS here in the states).  I had no idea she was into comedy!
I loved her character on CtM.  There's a lot of silliness as well as laugh-out-loud moments that I so enjoy.  In addition, there's a very cute guy named Gary, played by Tom Ellis that my eye-candy radar zeroed in on.  I saw online that there may be a future episode or two at some point, so I have my fingers crossed.

Miranda

Tom Ellis - cute, eh?

Two other shows that my niece introduced me to are Clatterford and The Vicar of Dibley - both British shows that are just fun to watch.  Clatterford, known as Jam and Jerusalem over the pond, ran for 3 seasons.  It's about a ladies club and the situations they get into.

Clatterford aka Jam & Jerusalem

 IMDB has this to say about The Vicar of Dibley "The 100-something vicar of the small English village of Dibley has passed on. A new vicar has been requested for a replacement. What they get is Geraldine Granger, a non-traditional, chocolate loving, rock n' roll playing vicar. That is not what gets the citizens of Dibley in a uproar though. It's because she is a woman"  I really love that Geraldine is hot for Sean Bean and especially the episode that he is in.  I was able to watch these via Netflix but don't know if they are still available.

The Vicar of Dibley

Some past shows, now only seen in syndication if at all, that I was a big fan of are WKRP in Cincinatti, That 70's Show, and Frasier.  I'm not sure if they are available on Amazon, Netflix, or Hulu except for Frasier.  Last time I watched it was on Amazon Prime.

Speaking of Amazon Prime, if you have it, you really should check out Mozart in the Jungle.  I absolutely love this show!  The episodes are short so it's easy to binge watch it.  Based on a book by the same name, it features the goings-on behind the scenes of the symphony.  Try it and let me know if you agree that it is a surprisingly wonderful, addictive show!!

Haily & Rodrigo