Boob Tube Obsessions

I think my generation was the first one to grow up during the time when it was perfectly acceptable to stick your kid in front of the television for hours on end. We liked to live dangerously back then, no one used seat belts or child car seats. We'd slather half a bottle of baby oil on before lounging half naked in the back yard, trying to get that golden tan. Women smoked while they were pregnant, hell they'd even have a glass of wine or two without giving it much thought, especially if the baby was overdue. Wine was said to help induce labor if the little booger was being stubborn.

We've learned a lot about life since then, but I still enjoy curling up on the couch to watch a little television when I get the chance. Our set stays on most of the time, although there are only a few shows I actually sit down and devote my full attention to. My tastes are varied, but my favorite shows to watch are those that can make me burst out in to a full on belly laugh, complete with tears and the occasional snort. Although there's slim pickens on the boob tube these days, there are a few shows that I love to watch and try not to ever miss (in no particular order):

• Big Love - I wasn't that excited about this HBO series when I first heard about it, but now it's one of my "can't miss" shows. The story revolves around Bill, a polygamist living in the suburbs of Utah with his three wives and assortment of youngins. Bill and his first wife, Barb, grew up in the "compound" but choose to live in the city where he owns a string of hardware stores. The stories are becoming almost Sopranos-like with the "prophet" trying to control things and his child-bride making a run for civilization, all while Bill tries to keep his family together.
• NCIS - This Tuesday night offering from CBS is a little cheesy and sometimes the stories are just a tad bit "out there," but the characters make up for it. I started watching NCIS because it supposedly takes place in Norfolk, Va. I love hearing mention of streets and towns from my childhood. I got hooked on the show because of characters like Paulie, the gothtastic scientist with a serious caffeine addiction and Duckie, the classic tweed covered European. Oh and the fact that Mark Harmon is still sexy doesn't hurt either.
• How Clean is Your House - Airing nightly on BBC America, two very prim, very proper English ladies enter the homes of the domestically challenged and whip them and their abodes into shape. I love this show because regardless of how inadequate I feel as a house keeper and how thick the dust bunnies get under my furniture, my house will never be as nasty as the ones they clean. Oh and they're funny as hell.
• My Name is Earl - What can I say? It's about Spam sucking trailer trash, Karma and life as a redneck, right up my alley. It's hilarious. And I think I'm in love with Randy. And Crabman.
• The 4400 - One night on the outskirts of Seattle, 4400 people are dropped out of what is presumed to be a spaceship. One by one, their miraculous new abilities are revealed and the truth behind the abduction is discovered. It's pretty much snowballed since the beginning. Now there's a cultish leader, strange predictions by the psychic child and a book of prophecies. Admittedly, it borders on silly, but I still love watching it. Think of it as brain candy.
• The Dead Zone - This series is based on an old movie starring Christopher Walken (one of my all time favorite actors.) Johnny, the mild mannered science teacher, is in a terrible accident and spends a few years in a coma. When he wakes up he has the ability to see the past or future of everyone he touches. I have to admit, I spend alot of time while watching this making fun of the I've-got-one-bulging-eyeball-I-must-be-having-a-vision face, but I still love the show.

And there you have it, Mahala's top Boob Tube Obsessions (because I know ya'll wanted to know.) So what are ya'll watching? What shows do you HAVE to see?

Oh crap, I forgot one, but then it guess at this point it goes without saying that I watch The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson faithfully.

*grin*