Day 16 of 30 Days of TV Shows

[davidklecha]

Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show

So, I struggled with this one until about a minute ago, because I just couldn’t really think of anything that I was in any way ashamed of or anything like that. I mean, again, I just don’t watch enough TV that I either worry about what other people think of my viewing habits, or to waste time trying to acquire the taste for things that people might think out of my wheelhouse, so to speak.

But then, I started thinking of classes of shows. The first one that popped to mind was 1990s TV sci-fi, most of which was produced in Vancouver. Stargate SG-1, Hercules/Xena, X-Files, Farscape, Space: Above & Beyond, and so on. Most of it seems to have the same production values, so the same vague “look,” and it kind of screams to me of a sort of homey Saturday afternoon watching syndicated science fiction on Fox or something. But then, most of my friends tend to love that kind of stuff like I do, so it’s not really a guilty pleasure.

What I came up with, instead was: 1980s detective shows. There’s probably a strong nostalgia element here, because I remember watching Magnum PI as a kid and loving that show, not to mention MacGyver which I tend to think of in the same vein. And later on I discovered stuff that I would consider of the same class: Simon & Simon, Riptide, and so on. (Simon & Simon even had a Magnum PI crossover.) I remember enjoying those so much, being so entertained by the blend of action, mystery, and humor.

And looking around now, it seems like one of those things that’s almost completely gone, which might really make it a guilty pleasure. The only shows I can think of that come close, right now, are Psych and Burn Notice. Nothing on broadcast TV, except maybe Chuck?, really comes close. Instead, the neverending stream of CSI clones and police procedurals. Nothing wrong with those, as such, but that they’ve kind of elbowed out the kind of detective shows I really like. Well, maybe they’ll cycle around.

And as a bonus…

Day 01 – The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (should never have been canceled)
Day 02 – The IT Crowd (show that you wish more people were watching)
Day 03 – Detroit 1-8-7 (favorite new show)
Day 04 – Stargate SG-1 (favorite show ever)
Day 05 – The Office (show you hate)
Day 06 – “Window of Opportunity” (favorite episode)
Day 07 – “Demons” (least favorite episode)
Day 08 – Mythbusters (everyone should watch)
Day 09 – Mulder sings “Shaft” (Best scene ever)
Day 10 – NCIS (show you thought you wouldn’t like)
Day 11 – Stargate: Atlantis (show that disappointed)
Day 12 – “The Chronicles of Meap” (episode you’ve watched more than 5 times)
Day 13 – Danger Mouse (childhood show)
Day 14 – Alexander Scott from I Spy (male character)
Day 15 – Samantha Carter (female character)
Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 – Favorite mini series
Day 18 – Favorite title sequence
Day 19 – Best TV show cast
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite ship
Day 22 – Favorite series finale
Day 23 – Most annoying character
Day 24 – Best quote
Day 25 – A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 – OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 – Best pilot episode
Day 28 – First TV show obsession
Day 29 – Current TV show obsession
Day 30 – Saddest character death

Mirrored from Bum Scoop.