Hola, TV WORTH WATCHING readers! I'm new here, so I thought I'd introduce myself by telling you about some of our favorite shows in this household. But first, a bit about me...
I live in Traverse City, Michigan, and I've been making a living at this writing business for three decades. My work has grown and evolved through the years to where I now write mainly about movies, TV and celebrities, with an emphasis on family fare.
I've written for hundreds of newspapers, magazines and Web sites over the years, including Variety, The New York Times, TV Squad, Moviefone and Family Circle, but now I mainly focus on my own site and services, based at Reel Life With Jane.
My syndicated family movie and TV reviews go out to 300-plus print and online publications, reaching some 20 million readers monthly. I also teach online blogging classes at WriteBlogLearn, and am available for WordPress design and tech issues as well. Yeah, I'm a renaissance girl.
OK, let's talk about those TV shows. With a history-buff husband and two teenagers in the house, our TV viewing habits are varied and eclectic. It's tough to narrow it down, but here are five shows that we look forward to every week -- or did, until some of their seasons came to an end recently.
1. Pawn Stars. I wasn't crazy about the name of this History Channel show at first. It just didn't seem very, well, family-oriented. But we've grown to love the show (new episodes are televised Mondays at 10 p.m. ET), partly because of the banter between Rick, the Old Man, Big Hoss and Chumlee, and partly because it's a great history lesson.
Thanks to Pawn Stars, we've learned about NASA's Gemini launch, the Batmobile, an 18th-century musket, a 1900s Gibson mandolin, and a 450-year-old book once owned by Sir Isaac Newton. These guys make history fun.
2. American Idol. I wasn't sure about the judge-shuffle on this long-running Fox hit this season, but we really like the combination of Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson, and Jennifer Lopez. I'm not sure we really needed to see Jennifer's video of "On the Floor" a few weeks ago and then watch it again live last week. But hey, self-promotion is everything in the entertainment business, so I'll cut her a little slack.
The contestants this year are the best ever, and we look forward to the performances each week. My favorite: James Durbin.
3. The Vampire Diaries. OK, so my son and husband don't get the whole vampire craze, but my daughter and I watch this show religiously. With the season two finale looming tonight at 8 ET on the CW, we've already gone back to revisit season one on DVD.
What started as a typical teen show, with a girl caught between two vampire brothers, has transitioned to include witches, werewolves, and other creatures of the night. If only the show weren't so darned dark! I don't mean psychologically dark; I mean dark as in hard to see. The sound editing needs some work, too, but overall, the show's a keeper.
4. Parenthood. This NBC drama is another show my daughter and I watched each week, especially because we're smack in the middle of revisiting seasons of Gilmore Girls, so anything with Lauren Graham is cool.
But the entire cast is great, and I love that the interactions among the family seem real and not overly Hollywood-ized.
My siblings and I need to work on dancing in the kitchen together, though. If I can get them all watching Parenthood, I think we could make some great strides forward there.
5. Fringe. I'm so glad this show got a fourth-season renewal.
It was touch and go for a while, especially after Fox moved it to the Friday Night Death Slot. But fans rallied, and the show is as brilliant as ever.
From the first season, where we learned about the alternate universe, met the mad scientist Walter Bishop, and started searching for those mysterious Observers in each episode, we were hooked. Maybe the universe will right itself and give John Noble the Emmy he deserves this year.
I love that all of these shows, in their own way, are great family viewing. And this is, by no means, a complete list. Other favorites include The Office, Modern Family, The Defenders, The Celebrity Apprentice, Chuck, The Big Bang Theory, Castle, Glee, House, The Biggest Loser, Dual Survival, and Deadliest Warrior.
What are YOUR favorite shows to watch as a family? I look forward to reading your comments.
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Jane Boursaw is a family entertainment writer specializing in movies, TV and celebrities. Syndicate her family movie & TV reviews in your publication; visit her at Reel Life With Jane; follow her on Twitter; become a friend on Facebook; take her online blogging classes; email jboursaw@charter.net for help with WordPress design and tech issues.