Will and I watch TV together during that time between about 6 when he gets home from work and 7 or 8 when we revert to individual hobbies (reading for me, video games for him). Yes, we eat in front of the TV most nights. I know we are supposed to feel all guilty and bad about that, but oh well.
There are certain programs we watch together throughout the year: The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family. But what about summers when TV is in hiatus? What do we do when we miss Leslie Knope so much it hurts?
We’ve had good luck with the Brits. They can make some quality programming (hello, they thought of The Office first). Here are two other gems we’ve found and liked:
Little Paris Kitchen – So yes, the idea that I like a show set in France is not surprising. British-born Rachel Khoo (who is adorable) lives and cooks in her wee Parisian apartment. She takes traditional French dishes and breaks them down to make them less intimidating. Along the way, we meet the artisans who make the fresh cheese, local honey, and fancy chocolate she uses. Her recipes are all online so you can try at home. I haven’t made any of them yet, but I fully intend to.
School of Hard Sums – Yup, it’s about math. You know what, though? Math is fantastic. Math is EVERYWHERE! This show is set up as a “brains versus brawn” competition to solve common problems – one episode featured the math involved in being a lifeguard, for instance. The host tries to solve the set of problems mathematically while the guests do real-world computation (like swimming around in a pool in the lifeguard episode). Oy, it’s so much cooler than I’m making it sound so just pretend I never said the M word and go watch.
The problem with the Brits, though? They kill shows off super-early. School of Hard Sums only has eight episodes. Little Paris Kitchen only had six!
Earlier this year, I soaked up all the Law & Order SVU I could get my hands on. Now, I’m caught up to “real time” and have to wait for the new season to start. Jerks.
Will and I devoured Better Off Ted – a hilarious show that only lasted three seasons. We knew we only had three seasons when we started, but it was hard to ration the episodes out to make it last as long as possible.
Now, Will and I are watching Psych. It fits our general requirements in that it’s entertaining but doesn’t require our complete attention so we can wander around cooking dinner and talking about the workday while we watch. Plus, we are only on Season 1 and the show is still going strong, so there’s no need to ration episodes.
What are your favorite shows? Any recommendations for Will and I?
Erin says
I just sprinted through Bones on Netflix. It’s maybe a little gross to watch during dinner (though if you managed SVU you’re probably fine), but there are 6 seasons currently on Netflix, and the 7th season just ended, so you’ve got tons of episodes.
Helena says
Oh, my mother loves that show. Have you read the books by Kathy Reichs? She’s the one who invented the Temperance character.
Erin says
I haven’t read the books (yet) but I think my Gma and I are going to start reading them together. Adorable.
Sarah says
Stategy 2…I love Law and Order SVU!! I too have watched every rerun..but not Netflix, just TV. I tease Chris that detective Stabler is my boyfriend:) Chris and I watch the news together, pretty much that is the only thing we agree on; (TV related, that is, and I don’t watch movies….except Ariel and Tangled) and truthfully who really likes to watch the news? What’s a girl to do? We don’t even watch The Office or Modern Family and I hear we are missing out!! Chris’s recommendation would be The Big Bang Theory, or old (Charlie Sheen) Two and a Half Men reruns.
Erin says
I just sprinted through Bones on Netflix. It’s maybe a little gross to watch during dinner (though if you managed SVU you’re probably fine), but there are 6 seasons currently on Netflix, and the 7th season just ended, so you’ve got tons of episodes.
Helena says
Oh, my mother loves that show. Have you read the books by Kathy Reichs? She’s the one who invented the Temperance character.
Erin says
I haven’t read the books (yet) but I think my Gma and I are going to start reading them together. Adorable.
Sarah says
Stategy 2…I love Law and Order SVU!! I too have watched every rerun..but not Netflix, just TV. I tease Chris that detective Stabler is my boyfriend:) Chris and I watch the news together, pretty much that is the only thing we agree on; (TV related, that is, and I don’t watch movies….except Ariel and Tangled) and truthfully who really likes to watch the news? What’s a girl to do? We don’t even watch The Office or Modern Family and I hear we are missing out!! Chris’s recommendation would be The Big Bang Theory, or old (Charlie Sheen) Two and a Half Men reruns.
renita says
I love Psych. It’s just great entertainment and hilarity. Timothy Odmunson is a quiet gem.
I agree with Bones, I keep up with it although it definitely gets grosser at times. But the writing is good and Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz turn in some solid performances. I’ve read a lot of the books, and the character is considerably different in the books — she’s not as literal, has an older daughter, divorced, has a different relationship with the “Booth” character, etc. and the plots are more complex.
Hmm, what else. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is good stuff, if you haven’t seen it or want to re-watch it.
And LOST, of course, though you need to pay attention to that one. We don’t have Netflix, though, so I don’t know what all is available.
renita says
I love Psych. It’s just great entertainment and hilarity. Timothy Odmunson is a quiet gem.
I agree with Bones, I keep up with it although it definitely gets grosser at times. But the writing is good and Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz turn in some solid performances. I’ve read a lot of the books, and the character is considerably different in the books — she’s not as literal, has an older daughter, divorced, has a different relationship with the “Booth” character, etc. and the plots are more complex.
Hmm, what else. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is good stuff, if you haven’t seen it or want to re-watch it.
And LOST, of course, though you need to pay attention to that one. We don’t have Netflix, though, so I don’t know what all is available.
Shayla says
We’re getting into older shows via Netflix — our latest obsession is Lost, and before that we blew through all the available Breaking Bad, a ton of Stargate, Dollhouse…
We watch a lot of British TV, too! We got really into Misfits but didn’t pick it up again because it wasn’t as easy to find.
Shayla says
We’re getting into older shows via Netflix — our latest obsession is Lost, and before that we blew through all the available Breaking Bad, a ton of Stargate, Dollhouse…
We watch a lot of British TV, too! We got really into Misfits but didn’t pick it up again because it wasn’t as easy to find.
Heather says
I’ve caught up on The Closer…just in time for the final 6 episodes which air in July. My hubby is not a fan of the show but it has been the perfect TV accompaniment for my 30-minute elliptical workout!
Heather says
I’ve caught up on The Closer…just in time for the final 6 episodes which air in July. My hubby is not a fan of the show but it has been the perfect TV accompaniment for my 30-minute elliptical workout!
Charlotte says
We used to do tv with dinner….loved it. Now we dont do any until after bedtimes (I’m very anti kids watching tv at this age, a little curious George makes an appearance once in a while and mommy thanks him for giving her the opportunity to shower or some such). We actually cancelled our cable a while back bc we just didn’t use it enough so now we just do Netflix. I just rewatched felicity (Brian did not partake). Up next in our queue is breaking bad (comes highly recommended) and weeds. Brian loved rescue me and the shield (they were too intense and depressing for me but I also tried watching them while pregnant so maybe it was the hormones. And whenever we don’t know what we feel like watching we revert back to our all time favorite the west wing (we own all the seasons and we never get tired of it…truly we have watched the whole series at least 5 times). Alias is a fun oldie but goodie (a little cheesy but you don’t have to pay that close attention). Oh and dexter, tell me you watch dexter. I sound like a tv-aholic…I swear we do other stuff.
Charlotte says
We used to do tv with dinner….loved it. Now we dont do any until after bedtimes (I’m very anti kids watching tv at this age, a little curious George makes an appearance once in a while and mommy thanks him for giving her the opportunity to shower or some such). We actually cancelled our cable a while back bc we just didn’t use it enough so now we just do Netflix. I just rewatched felicity (Brian did not partake). Up next in our queue is breaking bad (comes highly recommended) and weeds. Brian loved rescue me and the shield (they were too intense and depressing for me but I also tried watching them while pregnant so maybe it was the hormones. And whenever we don’t know what we feel like watching we revert back to our all time favorite the west wing (we own all the seasons and we never get tired of it…truly we have watched the whole series at least 5 times). Alias is a fun oldie but goodie (a little cheesy but you don’t have to pay that close attention). Oh and dexter, tell me you watch dexter. I sound like a tv-aholic…I swear we do other stuff.
kerry says
There are some good British comedies on netflix. I recommend Spaced, Peep Show and The IT Crowd if you haven’t seen them yet.
kerry says
There are some good British comedies on netflix. I recommend Spaced, Peep Show and The IT Crowd if you haven’t seen them yet.
Hemborgwife says
I also say Bones I just got into last summer and am now impatiently waiting for the next season to come out on DVD but for British shows I recommend Gavin and Stacey which is my favorite show of all time, also Peep Show is good but can be a little more on the gross/vulgar humor side at times. We are also huge major Criminal Minds fans and will reference the show in public embarrassingly! For British crime shows there is also Wire in the Blood and Spooks which are good too!
Hemborgwife says
I also say Bones I just got into last summer and am now impatiently waiting for the next season to come out on DVD but for British shows I recommend Gavin and Stacey which is my favorite show of all time, also Peep Show is good but can be a little more on the gross/vulgar humor side at times. We are also huge major Criminal Minds fans and will reference the show in public embarrassingly! For British crime shows there is also Wire in the Blood and Spooks which are good too!
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