PlazaJen: Passion Knit

I've been noodling this idea for a while now, to blog about the shows I MUST NOT MISS on TV, but it's kind of a walk of shame, because there are so many. But the truth is the truth, and I also admit to being the TechnoGadgetFreak of the house, as evidenced by my non-stop lobbying for a large-screen TV. This campaign was not helped when my father supported me, saying, "Do you watch TV?" (I replied, "Yes.) "Well then you should watch it on the best TV possible." Daddy, this is what got me into financial trouble all those years ago, thinking I should have the best of everything, or at least just everything. So there will be no plasma-screens at our house, but I still drool openly every time I go into CostCo and my heart beats a little faster at the idea of a widescreen digital TV.

JWo & I finally struck a deal that if I clean out the garage (which is filled to the rafters with all MY CRAP that was in storage, the aforementioned "everything"), we can get a big TV. And now that the door is open (and I have done nothing yet to clean out the garage), somebody has decided he needs an X-box 360, which means we'll have yet another thing to fight over: gaming or television-viewing.

So, I give you the shows I love, with commentary. My excuse at the end of the day? It's my business, I need to know what's on TV, and it's an integral part of conversations with clients and vendors. Plus this is the week all the networks are unveiling their Fall lineups and so it's really top-of-mind for me!

"The Shield". Holy crap. This is thug city and I get really stressed and nervous watching it. I'm blown away by the risks they take, by the gut-wrenching ethical dilemnas they put before you, and the acting is awesome. I LOVE THIS SHOW.

"24". Kiefer is having yet another very bad, no-good, rotten day. I get nervous sometimes. Kiefer is a great action-hero. LIKE, bordering on LOVE.

"Law & Order", "Law & Order SVU". I'm a tried-and-true loyal L&O fan. SVU is the better show, if not grittier to boot. I've skipped on the other two - they don't trip my trigger and besides, there is a limit. LIKE: L&O, LOVE: SVU.

"CSI", "CSI Miami" (or CSI My Jammies, as I like to call it.) JWo prefers Miami, I prefer Vegas. Miami is a little more cheeseball to me, and this is one where the original still sets the standard. I tried to get into CSI: NY - finally had to give it up. It was too dark (from a film standpoint) and the characters too wooden. Again with the only so many hours in a day. LOVE: CSI. LIKE: CSI Miami.

"Without A Trace" - The character development has been great, and it's still a well-crafted, unique show. LIKE, bordering on LOVE.

"Lost" - am behind on this show. It's confusing. Great concept, can't imagine how it's going to play out for more than a couple of seasons, I want the mysteries resolved. LIKE.

"Desperate Housewives" - hey, it's a nighttime soap. I enjoy it, and I like all the characters they've developed. ABC's crown jewel, and it's fluffy fun. LOVE like a friend.

"Alias" - this show has slipped on the Jen Love-O-Meter. I used to really get into it, and now it seems a bit lackluster. I'm taping all the episodes and transferring to VHS to (eventually) watch on the treadmill. If I actually get my butt moving I may have to revise my label, but for now, it's LIKE from afar much like a friend from high school.

"Survivor", "Amazing Race" - I lump these together because I love 'em both, I think Amazing Race is one of the best reality shows because it's great TV, it's all around the world, and you still get the interpersonal stuff that makes you like (or hate) people. Survivor is still the bomb, though I did dislike the "total tribe domination" that left this season with a lot more "hanger-ons" that didn't work or do much of anything and would have gotten sent home a lot sooner had both tribes been booting people out regularly. Despite that, still giving them both LOVE.

"As The World Turns" OK, OK ok. I watch a soap. I've watched it since college. It's great knitting TV, I don't get nervous, and I once quit it (cold turkey) when the writer change resulted in a horrid show. But I'm back and it's a guilty pleasure. LOVE like a longtime friend.

Now, lest you think my brain has gone to mush, let me follow that one up with the statement that just about everything on HBO is worth watching, even if I don't watch it regularly. I'm flat-out addicted to "The Sopranos", "Six Feet Under" and "The Wire". Greatest shows on TV. LOVE LOVE LOVE like I loved Rick Springfield when I was 16. I hate that "SFU" is going into it's final season, and the wait until 2006 for both "Sopranos" and "Wire" episodes is gonna kill me.

That's it for what gets DVR'd in the house; of course, I enjoy the train wreck that is "The Surreal Life", catching an episode on Saturday of "Best Week Ever" on VH1, even watching the tail end of "American Idol"'s season this year has been fun. "Simpsons" is still brilliantly written television, and I adore Jon Stewart and his crew on Comedy Central. "South Park" still amuses and reviles, pushing the envelope almost more than any other cable show I've seen. This is a lot of television to consume, but I enjoy it - and I knit cool stuff through all of it. As we head into Summer, and all the replacement shows shuffle in next to the re-runs, my tv-viewing will decline a bit, but once duck season returns and JWo is away on the weekends, I sure hope I'll be curled up on the couch with my remote & knitting projects, clicking away at a BIG SCREEN TV.