2010-2011 Favorite TV Shows

This is Hub number 51 and I hope you will forgive me for a little self-indulgence. I’m a big TV fan and watch a lot. I love the Military Channel, although they do lots of repeats but I always learn something even from the tenth viewing of World War I. History International is good but the History Channel begs the question, “Who took the history out of the History Channel?"I also like true crime stuff and good drama. Sports? I try and catch all of the New England Patriot games and check most of the Red Sox games. I also keep tabs on Turner Classic Movies and think Ted Turner’s greatest contribution to mankind is running all those great movies without commercials. He could make a fortune with spots on Gone With The Wind and other favorites. Below you will find clips of my top shows this season.

Doc Martin was a surprise this season. The Doc ( Martin Clunels) comes to a tiny English village to practice medicine after leaving London where he was a top surgeon. The good doctor has a problem. It seems the smell and look of blood makes him nauseous. He is cantankerous, opinionated, and a bit smug but you root for the guy and after meeting his parents, it’s easy to understand how he got that way. The love interest is a schoolteacher played by Caroline Catz. I‘ve been accused of having a crush on her and I offer two words on the subject: “Right on!”

The series is shot in one of God’s perfect spots and that is Port Isaac, Cornwall. It’s a seacoast village set on rocky cliffs where the people are hardy and you can’t turn around without observing a magnificent view. Doc Martin is on PBS.

The Tudors is basically the story of Henry VIII and his fight to get out of his marriage to Katherine so he can remarry--again and again. Most of us think of the fat, rumpled portrait of the king in his old age but Henry was very agile in his younger days and quite the athlete. He was also very intelligent excelling in poetry, theology, and music. He is brilliantly played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Other fine actors in the series are Jeremy Northam and Sam Neil. The costumes are great and it’s well worth watching. Poor Henry, if he had only know that his second daughter, Elizabeth, would be one of England’s greatest monarchs, he could have saved himself and England a lot of trouble. But, let the heads roll, Henry must have a son. He did, of course, but the poor lad had a short life and was succeeded by Mary and then Elizabeth and the Golden Age was underway. The Tudors, a Showtime program, is seen on BBC America.

Downton Abbey is another fine English production. It’s a bit like the masterful Upstairs Downstairs of years ago. In this saga, the problem is trying to keep the old manor in the family. There is much discussion of the inheritance laws of the period. The rich American in search of a title was faced by some lords of the 1900s as a way out of the dilemma. Arranged marriages to restore honor and privilege to the family is an important part of the plot. Maggie Smith, old and set in her ways, steals every scene she is in and is a delight to watch. This is another fine PBS offering.

Mike and Molly is on CBS, Monday nights. This is the story of an overweight couple falling in love. Mike is a cop and Molly teaches school. Things get a bit raunchy when Molly’s mother and sister are on camera and Mike’s mom has a pretty nasty tongue as well. This show grew on me and it's a program we usually tape or punch into the DVR. Speaking of raunchy, how about Two And A Half Men? Funny it is, but they’re out there with every type of sexual innuendo. It’s on at 9 when all the kiddos are in bed but what gives with the reruns? You can catch this very adult show in reruns in the early afternoon and other time slots when the kids are home and that’s not good.

Big Bang Theory is all about another collection of young folks in the mood for love and adventure. It’s a “Friends” formula that always seem to work but this collection of twenty-year-olds is different--very, very different. They are brilliant young scientists who have peculiar nerd interests like Star Trek, comic book heroes, and experimentation. It is very funny, especially when Penny, a beautiful waitress and a neighbor, comes to call. The boys delight in competing with each other and the slurs and putdowns fly. I really admire the writers of the series. The dialogue often dips into the esoteric (to me) worlds of math, physics, astronomy, and biology. The writers are brilliant and extremely funny. Big Bang Theory is on Thursday at 8, on CBS.

I watch Detroit 1-8-7 mainly because I’m a big fan of Michael Imperioli. He played “Christofa” on the Sopranos. He’s not the handsomest guy on the block but he has presence. When he is in a scene, it seems you are drawn to him, waiting for his reaction. It’s a fairly typical cop show but like many shows today, the writers do delve into characterization. In the final episode this season he is reunited with his fictional son. This “son” bears such a resemblance to Imperioli, I was sure it must be his real son. A little checking and I found out the role was played by Vadim Imperioli who is Michael’s son and a very fine young actor.

Blue Bloods is a family cop show. It’s the Reagan family where Tom Selleck is the city police commissioner and his two sons are also in law enforcement. Another son, also a cop, lost his life in the line of duty and there are hints that all is not known about his death. Bridget Moynahan, a daughter, is the assistant district attorney. Bridget was a top model and the love of quarterback Tom Brady. There is the stereotypical grandfather in the story who is hard to take at times but maybe that’s just me. Blue Bloods is a CBS show on Friday night.

I include a picture of Keith Morrison who does many of the Dateline murder documentaries. I like his style and think he is great. I include a picture of Caroline Catz because when you got a crush--you got a crush!