This topic is on my mind because I've just become absolutely, desperately obsessed with yet another TV show (a German one, no less) and so I was curious as for what other TV shows make you drop everything and rush over to your TV. What TV shows make your heart skip a beat when you catch a trailer for them? Which ones make you learn again how to set the VCR to record your daily episode because you know you won't be home from work in time?

I'll start with my own list:

• CSI (in all its versions)
• Law and Order (again, I love all the different spin offs)
• Without a Trace (Sam and Jack rule, yaaaah!)
• Crossing Jordan (yeah, I have a thing for crime shows these days)
• Gilmore Girls (for Luke and Lorelei)
• Ally McBeal (though to be honest I haven't watched it in ages... actually I had bought VHS of this one. Tells you how far back it goes!)
• Buffy (up to Season 3 - after Angel left, I lost interest)
• The West Wing (one name: Josh Lyman... and it gets even better if Donna is around)
• Doctor Who (thanks, Wendy *g*)
• Grey's Anatomy (McDreamy makes me melt!)
• Verliebt in Berlin (I'm absolutely obsessed with this one, to the point of watching it in German with no subtitles... sad, I know)

So what about you?

Kae

My obsessions:

• Stargate SG-1 (Love Sam and Jack--what is it with those names? <g>)
• Bones
• Grey's Anatomy (When I'm not totally annoyed with the Meredith/Derek pairing. And, I'm sorry, but Ellen Pompeo couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.)
• The Pretender (It's all about Miss Parker.)
• The Avengers--the Emma Peel years (How can you not love the banter between Emma and Steed?)
• Scrubs
• The Simpsons
• Pinky and the Brain
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

I watch way too much TV.

P.S. I used to also love Gilmore Girls, but then Jess happened and I quit watching. And I hate Horatio Caine with a passion <g>.

"Verliebt in Berlin?" Really? OMG! I have to admit that I don't like those kind of series so much. But it's interesting that you even watch it in German. But then, it's not that famous that someone would bother to translate it.

Okay, my list.

• Smallville
• Charmed ( in those better days when there where there were only four seasons)
• The Pretender
• Early Edition (too sad that Gary Hobson didn't get more seasons
• Der letzte Zeuge (which means "last witness, a very good German version of Quincy)
• Soko Leipzig (The cutest actors in a German crime series...*sigh)
• Grey's Anatomy

Bones!! How could I forget Bones? Especially considering it's based on one of my favourite series of books! Kathy Reichs rules!

To be honest, I was surprised myself. The romance stroke a chord somehow. I love Lisa not being the perfect girl and David's vulnerability just makes me melt. And yes, they did dub it in French! I just prefer the original version.

That reminds me: I forgot two shows which I watch all the time. I didn't include them at first because they're French, but hey, why not?

• RIS (pretty much like CSI)
• Kaamelott (it's more like a parody of a show, mocking the legend of King Arthur)

Kae

Here's my list!

• The Pretender
• The West Wing
• Commander In Chief
• Doctor Who
• Lost
• Heroes (This only started here a few weeks ago and I’m already hooked.)
• So You Think You Can Dance (I'm hoping they'll make an Aussie version.)

Tricia

Oh, this is fun! I don't watch too much TV lately, but there are some things I absolutely never ever miss.

• Doctor Who
• Grey's Anatomy
• Gilmore Girls
• Star's Dancing On Ice (The Dutch version)
• Torchwood
• The A-Team (on the re-run again, so I'm watching, even though I've seen them all before)
• The Simpsons

And then I'm a huge fan of speed skating, so I never miss a moment of that on the weekend during the winter. So I need to find a new occupation for my weekends now, as the last match is this weekend. :p

Saskia

Oh, wow, Barbara, you like Early Edition? I do, too!

I try to keep my absolutes down to a minimum so I won’t be disappointed if I can’t watch. That came from several years of working evening shifts. There are several shows I like, but the must see current shows are:

- Smallville
- Survivor
- StarGate SG-1 (I take or leave Star Gate: Atlantis) I can’t believe they are canceling SG-1

And, of late, I’ve taken a liking to Heroes, but I don’t know if it’s at the point of must record, yet.

I also like most of the crime shows and watch them when I can. Oh, I liked Commander in Chief, too, but is it even on now?

Here's my list:

• JAG (Harm and Mac so remind me of L and C when they are at each other's throats. Also it was the first show I watched post LnC going off air.) In fact when channel 7 finally aired the trailer for the final episode I was literally bouncing off the walls. I knew what had happened already, but still to actually see the episode is different to reading about it.
• Grey's Anatomy
• Desperate Housewives I didn't think I was going to like it when I first saw it, but I ended up liking it.
• Veronica Mars (I'm over the age limit for the teenage drama thing but I like it)
• House (not because of Jesse Spencer I watched it first as a curiosity item, but it's a good show)

Hmm, let's see. In no particular order (or maybe it's weekday order?):

• Heroes
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (if it survives)
• The Class
• House
• Lost
• Jericho
• CSI
• Stargate SG-1
• Stargate Atlantis
• Doctor Who

To a lesser extent, lately, Desperate Housewives. Certain plotlines (oddly, the ones with Susan) make me cringe and want to change the channel.

I've also been watching American Idol, and just started watching the BBC's Robin Hood. We'll see if that keeps my interest. Also Dresden Files has been recorded, but I don't rush to the DVR to watch it.

Ooh! I watch A LOT of tv shows. I mean, an awful LOT of tv shows, so the choice is not easy for me. I'm becoming crazy if I miss an episode of any show I watch. So I'll just limit myself with my favourites among the shows for which I actually am a member of a forum or something. The ones I even have posters...

In order of preference:

• Buffy, the vampire slayer / Angel (I absolutely LOVE Spike)
• Roswell (I like a lot the relationship Max/Liz)
• Prison Break
• 24
• Point Pleasant (the show had really been cancelled way too quickly. It was great)
• Desperate Housewives
• Smallville
• Supernatural
• Heroes
• Rome
• The 4400

And I'll have to add Kaamelott too, as Kaethel did. I love it. I would never have tought about it in my list of shows, since the episodes are so short (the episodes airs two at once, and that last only a little over 5 minutes in all), but I really love it. That's so much fun!

C'est pas faux!!

Sorry, private joke.

Kae

Whooow how do you guys find the time to watch, like, 15 tv series!! </font></li></ul><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">
And I know I'm weird

Didn't think I watched much tv but, hmmmmm

Lost
Smallville
Desperate Housewives
Will & Grace
Top Gear

Ellie

Mostly I'm watching programs as downloads or from a hard disk recorder, so I tend to watch them at my convenience, not when they're on. Exceptions are Dr. Who and Torchwood, which I try to catch live. Other than that, my current favourites are

Veronica Mars
Battlestar Galactica
Heroes
The Dresden Files
Primeval - a British time travel show that US viewers may not know. Prehistoric animals start appearing in Britain through rifts in time.

When there's another season I'll certainly be watching Dexter, which is a wonderfully funny show but VERY dark in its humour (basic premise - the hero is a CSI with a sideline as a serial killer who specialises in killing other killers).

Other than the above, I watch Smallville, Stargate, CSI and NCIS when I remember, not too worried if I don't. Unless I'm missing something the British channels are only showing repeats at present.

ok here's my list:

• CSI
• CSI Miami
• Desperate Housewives
• Boston Legal
• Charmed (only the first 4-5 seasons)
• Lost
• Star Trek (long time ago)
• Gilmore Girls

• Gilmore Girls
• Veronica Mars
• Heroes
• Doctor Who
• Torchwood

There are quite a few other shows that I enjoy, but the above are the ones I NEED to see! I like the crime shows a lot, but usually only catch them when my dad's watching them and I'm not busy with homework or what not. CSI, Shark, Without a Trace, and I'm finding Criminal Minds to be a really fantastic show! None of them are MUST see, though.

Sara

Very, very few, actually. I watch very little TV. But the absolute addictions are:

• Doctor Who
• West Wing
• Life on Mars

I did watch Torchwood, but it didn't grip me the way DW did and I only watched it for Captain Jack. Though the final two episodes were fantastic )


Wendy

These are what I try to watch :

CSI
Heroes
Doctor Who (when it airs again)
SG1 (new season starts April 12th here)
SGA ( I can't help myself I like John/Teyla)
Andromeda (when they have mini marathons on Sci-Fi)
Farscape

I miss cable. I used to watch way more trash tv before my move to California. Every time I go east it becomes impossible for me to leave the couch. It's really ridiculous considering the shows that I'm sucked into are like Top Chef and various Comedy Central shows (my all time favorite channel). Sick, I know. Since I don't have cable what I watch is:

-House (oh god I love House)
-The Office
-Scrubs
-Studio 60
-30 Rock

Hmm. I guess I like irreverent humor.

Oh, and I heard that Verliebt in Berlin is the German adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Betty la Fea. I've never seen the German version and I understand it must be different, but the original soap is fabulous. Possibly the best telenovela out there. That's why I'm kind of hostile on the super safe American version.

alcyone

Ohhh so many people with The Pretender on their list! Another one of my favorites!

My list:

• The Pretender
• Heroes
• Battlestar Galactica

I also have a few cartoon based shows I keep up with along with some anime. All in all though I don't watch a lot of tv. If we do it is usually on the Discover Channel or History Channel.

I try to see every episode of

House M.D.
CSI
Grey's Anatomy
West Wing (when on air)

with my hectic schedule I can only sometimes see episodes of

Law and Order
Without a trace
Cold case
The practice
NCIS
ER
Colombo (yes, still on air!)
RIS (an italian production, means "Reparti Investigazioni Scientifiche" (Scientific Investigations Departments; what does it means in French Kaethel?)

Simona

Here's my list (in addition to watching Lois & Clark DVDs ofcourse):

• The Dresden Files
• Heroes
• Smallville (I have a love-hate relationship with this series )

I used to watch:

• Charmed (especially the season with Drew Fuller and the last season)
• Mahabharata (it's a Hindi series on an Indian epic)
• Land of the Giants (an old TV show I watched ages ago)
• Small Wonder (another oldy)

I used to watch a ton of TV but somehow it dwindled down with me even noticing. Nowadays the only thing I watch regularly is Gilmore Girls. I also usually watch House with my husband, a show I like very much, but it doesn't bother me much to miss an episode, either.

Hm, the mention of "Verliebt in Berlin" threw me for a loop, mainly because it's a localized version of Ugly Betty (which is in itself only a remake of some hispanic telenovela, I believe). I definitely wouldn't have guessed anyone would watch it on this board.

Shows for which I would drop everything are few and in between, though productions like JAG, Stargate SG-1, 24, Smallville, House MD, Boston Legal or Dead Like Me have been on that list or are currently my favourites. Many other shows which have partly been mentioned previously are nice to watch but don't come close to my favourites - plus I only watch them sporadically because there's already enough recording and downloading going on for me. The likes are CSI's, Doctor Who, Law And Order, Scrubs, NCIS and probably more I forgot to mention.

Ah, tv. Something I don't to use that often; I pretty much have to work in silence or else nothing gets done.

The one tv show I keep up with is Grey's Anatomy. I'm just addicted to Patrick Dempsey.

If I actually have free time, I'll watch How I Met Your Mother, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and all the recent comedy shows that have ended like Friends, Frasier, and Raymond.

JD

Firefly
Early Edition
The Pretender (despite the poorly done arcs)
Roswell (season 1 only)
Ocean Girl (season 1 is all I remember)
Spellbinder (season 1)
The Secret World of Alex Mack
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Smallville (for Chloisy or mytharc eps)
Earth 2
New World Zorro
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Remington Steele
SeaQuest (season 1)
Bones
Heroes

Simona asked:

Recherche Investigation Scientifique. It's really just a remake of CSI.

Bettina said:

See, I'm surprised with the reactions to that, actually. Granted, I have never seen Ugly Betty, though from what I've heard, that one's more like a sitcom or something, whereas VIB isn't. But I wouldn't have been surprised at all to see Lois and Clark fans also enjoy Verliebt in Berlin. I'm curious as for what makes you say it's surprising.

Kae (who, like Simona, loves Columbo, but that's beside the point )

Friends
Desperate Housewives
Emergency Room before Dr. Carter left

Firefly, fell in love with Jayne Cobb after the second ep. The Shimauma household does a Firefly marathon weekend at least once a month.

Scrubbs, love Dr. Cox, love JD, Love Turk, and especially love the janitor and his squirrel army. Hell, I love Rowdy(the stuffed dog)

Survivor. I'd love to get on that show, but they're gonna cancel it before I can afford to take the time off.

America's Top Model, such a shallow show, and yet I love to see these girls gripe and whine about the stupidest things.

Total Home Makeover, it's beautiful to see people being blessed. Makes my heart clench.

Yeah, interesting topic... as a sitcom junkie, I have a lot to add:

- Simpsons
- Gilmore Girls (yeah...Luke and Lorelai... )
- Desperate Housewives (well... I'm kind of biased...)
- Friends
- The Cosby Show (all-time)
- Home Improvement

and then there are a couple of things that I'm not really a fan of but I watch them nevertheless:
Full House,
Malcolm in the middle,
Hope & Faith,
Two and a half men,
Dharma & Greg,
Will & Grace,
Sex & the city,
Sabrina the teenage witch,
Clueless...

It's just as good that I recently got a new comedy channel

Jana

Ooh, if we're getting into older shows, these are what I used to drop everything to watch:

Firefly -- I saw probably two episodes on the original run, then fell in love when it started airing on SciFi. I absolutely adored River.
Sliders -- This was the other fandom I started off in, but left after the show ended. The first two and a half seasons were great, until they introduced Kari Woowoo and the show went down the tubes rapidly
SeaQuest, which gave me problems when both shows were airing and I was working Sunday nights. But Jonathon Brandis *swoon*
Star Trek: The Next Generation - my father was an original trek fan, and had to watch the new series. So of course I got sucked in.
Earth 2 - another family favorite. I'm sad it didn't last long.

And going back futher, Cheers, Who's the Boss, Alf... I know there's a lot of other shows. I was addicted to ABC's TGIF (a block of shows on Friday night that aired Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, and a bunch of other comedies around that era). If it wasn't summer and I wasn't grounded, I was usually glued to the tv in the evenings.

Currently, the shows that I record and won't miss are:

Heroes
Battlestar Galactica (S3 isn't engaging me as much as the previous two, but is still enjoyable)
Desperate Housewives
Supernatural
House
Dr. Who (not sure if the lack of ship coming up will reduce my interest, as it was that that hooked me in the first place, but currently looking forward to S3)
Spooks

Past shows:

Classic Gold Team Stargate was a huge, huge must see - that's seasons 1-8 for the uninitiated. <g> It jumped the shark big time for me with S9 and although S10 has redeemed itself a little and I have enjoyed many S10 eps, it no longer has the hold on me that S1-8 had and still have.

Angel - up to Connor and the move to W&H, which is when it JTS. Although I've been catching up with later seasons in reruns lately and finding myself not so turned off by them as I was when they were first shown. (A quite frequent phenomena with my TV watching <g>)

Buffy - didn't much like the final season, but it was great till then.

to be continued...

Robin of Sherwood - just loved this mystical, magical '80's version of the legend and still have a lot of fondness for it.

Blake's Seven - no matter what, come what may, I had to be in front of the TV to watch this one.

X-Files - I'd lost interest somewhere just before Mulder left and still haven't seen the seasons after that, but loved it up till then.

NYPD Blue/Hill Street Blues - two of the greatest US cop shows ever imho. <g>

ST: Voyager. I know it was universally considered to be the least popular of the Star Trek franchises, but I just liked this group of characters and thoroughly enjoyed tuning in each week to get a further glimpse of their lives. They really didn't have to do much to keep me happy.

The Young Riders. Westerns aren't generally my thing, but this was my big love right before LNC. I was also quite fond of The Magnificent Seven, but not to the same extent.

Firefly - cut off in its prime, as we all know, but pure gold while it lasted.

to be continued...


LabRat

There have been a lot of favourite shows over the years, but those are the main ones, I can recall and which feature heavily even to this day in my DVD collection (or on my wish list). The ones which still give me many hours of viewing pleasure with nostalgic wallows now and then.

There are shows I watch/watched casually such as The Dresden Files, Without A Trace, Close To Home, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Primeval, Location x3, Grand Designs (I'm a sucker for watching other people's houses <g>), Torchwood, Waking The Dead (up till Frankie/Mel left), Inspector Morse...but they're not in the 'OMG, I missed X, my life is over!' category.

LabRat

[Sorry for the multiple posts - for some bizarre reason it was the only way the mbs would let me post this. After a certain amount of text, a few paragraphs, the post wouldn't go through. But it was fine if I kept each post to just a portion of the text. Go figure. Beats the heck out of me.]

This has been a fun thread to read through, seeing what other people love! I've concluded my taste is weird

Shows I love:

• Gargoyles. This was an animated fantasy/sci-fi drama that aired in the '90s. It had some of the best storytelling, character development, and worldbuilding I've ever seen. Although it's not on the air anymore, this is a really great time to be a Gargoyles fan as we're finally getting new material in the form of comic books. (In general I can't stand comic books, but I'll make an exception for this!)
• Boston Legal. I adore this show. I adore Alan Shore. It cracks me up and moves me at the same time. It's just so well written, well acted, well put together. Denny Crane! (I also liked the last season of The Practice, where Alan and Denny were introduced.)
• Firefly. I completely missed this the first time around and only started watching after a bunch of friends took me to see Serenity, but it really was a beautifully-done show. Why do shows like this always get cancelled?!
• Beauty and the Beast. My mom watched this when I was a kid. I've read more fanfic for this than I've actually seen episodes, but I just got the Season 1 DVDs for my birthday so I hope to rectify that.
• Fraggle Rock. Okay, this doesn't really fall in the same category as the others, but I fully intend to raise my children on DVDs of Fraggle Rock . I love the music, I love the imagination... I love that Jim Henson sat down to design a show to "bring peace on earth" and this is what he came up with. In this vein also falls Dinosaurs, The Muppet Show, The Storyteller...

Shows I watch as much as possible:

• Law and Order. I watch all the incarnations of this, but my favorite is SVU. I got into the habit of watching while doing my homework last spring, and between TNT, USA, etc there's always some variation on! I got to the point where, if L&O wasn't on, I didn't know what to do with myself <g>.
• Desperate Housewives. I watched the Pilot to see Teri, and continued watching because I genuinely liked the show.
• Smallville. I caught up with the last few seasons over Christmas break. I still throw things at the television, but in general I like this show much more than I used to.

Shows I've been briefly obsessed with in the past:

• X-Files. I went through about a year, toward the end of its run, where I was a big fan of this show, but ultimately I got tired of being jerked around by the writers. The "is Scully's baby an alien?" season finale killed it for me. I was only in it for the M/S relationship anyway.
• Star Trek: TNG. I got hooked watching reruns of this a few years ago, and even wrote one ridiculous piece of fanfic <g>, but the cost of DVDs was prohibitively high ($100+ per season?!) and I've mostly moved on since then. I still catch the odd rerun on SpikeTV, but I don't tape them anymore <g>.
• Quantum Leap. I got briefly hooked on this, too, but lack of time kept me from seeing too many episodes.
• Northern Exposure. This was such a fun quirky show. I got the DVDs for my Dad for Christmas a few years ago and we watched quite a few of them before I came back to school.

And of course there are shows I watch when I catch them but don't go out of my way to see... House, The Cosby Show, Monk, Family Matters, Fresh Prince... When my father asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I gave him a list of DVDs and concluded I watch entirely too much television

Kaylle

This thread has been really interesting! Thanks, Kae, for starting it. Now let's see, my TV habits...

For a while, the only TV show I really watched obsessively was Lois & Clark. Nothing else really captured my imagination or my interest the way L&C did. I spent time daydreaming (mostly through some of my more boring college classes) different scenarios for Lois and Clark to get into (hence my intro into fanfic [g]). I used to watch Friends all the time – and I still catch the reruns when I’m home in the evening – but I was never completely taken by it. Back in the day, I really liked the early seasons of The Practice, enjoyed The Nanny through its run, and liked to stay in touch with Mad About You. However, the TV show that had me ridiculously, to-the-point-of-strange-looks obsessed was always L&C.

Well, something has snuck up on me... a TV obsession that I didn’t even know I had until recently. I’ve seen the show mentioned in this thread, and my heart jumped a little each time – that’s how bad it’s getting. I think it’s official, people: I’m a total Law & Order: SVU addict.

It’s always been a show I liked – catching it here and there, always thinking, ‘hey, I should make more of a point to watch that show.’ But with the end of last season (S7), I was hooked. Olivia and Elliot are my new Lois and Clark. What is it with me and partners who become best friends? Their interaction is awesome, though the dynamic of their situation is definitely different than L&C’s. There might be some fanfic in the future there, though I've never written fic for any other show, so I'm a little scared.

And I have to say, I am enthralled by Mariska Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson) – she’s a phenomenal actress, and she’s unbelievably *gorgeous*, even in her streetwise detective outfits. Half of me is insanely jealous she can look that good in a ponytail and hooded grey sweatshirt, and the other half of me insanely admires her for being able to pull that off [g].

Other shows I’m watching now:

Desperate Housewives: I still love Teri as an actress – Susan is my favorite character, and I’m loving the Ian/Susan/Mike triangle that’s going on this season. Carlos and Gabby have great chemistry together, too.

Grey’s Anatomy: I’m so proud of myself because I “discovered” this show; i.e. I was the one watching it when the first episodes aired, and all my friends were like, ‘another medical drama... whatever. It’s ER: the next generation.’ I loved it, and I kept telling them to watch... now they are hooked, too! I’ve been a Mere/Der diehard since the start. I think Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey are perfect together!

American Idol: yes, some cheesy reality TV. I’ve never tried to deny it [g].

Brothers & Sisters: Kitty and the Senator... love them together. Rob Lowe is adorable, and completely steals every scene he's in.

How I Met Your Mother: comedy-wise, it’s all about this show. I think it’s the most hilarious sitcom on television.

Hmm, do I watch too much TV? Quite possibly. But I'm in good company, right guys? [g]

Tracey

Ones I watch if I have to stay up extra late to do it:
LOST
24

Ones I try to watch the night they're on, but TIVO :
The Unit
Survivor
CSI
ER
Numb3rs
48 Hours Mystery
The "To Catch A Predator" ones - think it's 48 Hours but not sure
My Name is Earl [when Survivor's not on]
Amazing Race

Ones I borrowed my sister's DVDs to watch but too late to start the current season :
House
Criminal Minds
NCIS [still haven't seen S3 - she'll get it when it comes out]
Bones

Others we TIVO/watch occasionally:
Mythbusters
First 48
Sell This House
Big Spender [new one for us]
The one with Hulk Hogan [thank DH for that one :rolleyes: ]
NASCAR
Survivorman
Deadliest Catch
Engaged and Underage
The one where they break into the house then upgrade security... I forget the name *sigh*
Food Channel Stuff
TLC/Discovery/etc.
American Chopper

Fairly ecclectic I guess.

Ones I will admit to only among friends who are fascinated with a superhero :
Backyardigans [love them!]

Oh and all time fave: Friends.

Did I miss something? Is Early Edition still on? Or is it on overseas? I LOVED that show but lost track of it between work and school .
Carol

Looking over this thread, I can’t believe how many people have mentioned TV shows I watched when I was so small I now wonder if I just imagined them. They will always hold a special, nostalgic place in my heart.

Labrat said:

It still runs on the local TV channels from time to time, but I still remember the first time I watched it. I was about four or six, perched upon my Dad’s lap in front of the TV. I liked the old Robin, but Jason Connery was my first crush. =) I think no series ever captured the magic of Sherwood the way this series did.
And the gorgeous Celtic music! Of course, I still have that awesome action sound track running through my head…dum, dum-a-da, dum, dum-a-da, dum dum dum

Labrat said:

Oh, ditto! I watched the pilot of this series when I was seven years old and had the flu. I think my temperature went up again after watching it! < g> And for a while, I was convinced I wanted to be a forensic specialist like Scully.

Schnuffichen said:

Who wouldn’t love Bob Saget? Funniest Home Videos were so much funnier in the days when he was presenting it. Wonder what happened to the guy…

Tzigone mentioned Remington Steele and I can’t believe how many people mentioned Early Edition ! I’ve never heard a word about it since the first season (I was ten). And it was such a great show!

If there are three shows I can’t help but group together, it’s Remington Steele, Moonlighting and Lois and Clark. They embody the genre of romantic comedy cum detective series that I loved so much and died out after the 90’s. My generation seems deplorably unable to enjoy anything without state of the art special effects and CGI. And alternate rock.

Tzigone also mentioned Ocean Girl and Spellbinder . They had a cult following among school children in their day. I loved all three Seasons of Ocean Girl (How yummy was Jason?) and the two seasons of Spellbinder. I really wanted Rhianna and Paul to get together though! Such a shame.
And after the success of Ocean girl and keeping up the short-lived fad for Aussie dramas, they introduced Animal Arc , a modern day Noah’s Arc story. That was truly genius. The guy who was cast as Brett, Jason’s little brother in Ocean Girl, was in the starring role of Noah (And man, had he grown up! He was even cuter than Jason!). I think it had no more than one season though.

My favourite show when I was little was the Czech series Fantaghiro: The Cave Of The Golden Rose. It was better than any Disney animated cartoon. It had rerun when I was fifteen and I found I still loved it. Alessandra Martinez does have the most beautiful eyes, and I’m only now realizing how dishy Prince Romouldo really was. <g> It had a cult following in it’s day.

Also the Japanese serial Oshin. It defied the sordidness of soap opera’s everywhere and became a classic. Ran for years and years.

I remember watching SeaQuest , vaguely. Mainly for the talking dolphin.

Everybody Loves Raymond is still my favourite sitcom. Although I don’t know if I would have had the heart to watch it without Peter Boyle…

24 was great for four seasons, although the constant suspense got pretty old. Some humour or something would have been welcome occasionally. And then they killed David Palmer and Michelle. Now I want nothing to do with it.

Stargate SG 1 was my favourite TV show in the era of Xena and Hercules (Kevin Sorbo is the sexiest man alive!). But our local TV station yanked it after the first season. (sob!) My Dad watched it with me because he liked Richard Dean Anderson from his McGyver days. He also recognized Teri at first, from McGyver. I unearthed some photos of her in it, and she looks eerily like a young Alyssa Milano in them. Maybe it’s just the hair.

Speaking of whom, who doesn’t remember Who’s The Boss? Tony Danza’s glory days. And everybody had a crush on Alyssa Milano.

Besides the above mentioned, the two shows that I considered calamitous to miss was Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and The Highlander . I’m a Methos junkie, and still remember Tracy Scoggins’ awesome guest appearances as Cassandra. Kung fu; nobody who’d seen Chris Potter and David Caradienne together could ever forget them. It pointed me in the direction of another Martial Arts movie: Martial Law starring Sumo Hung. The first season was hilarious, and I’m convinced the most beautiful woman in the world is Kelly Hu.

Anybody remember Jane Seymour in Dr. Quinn; Medicine Woman ? I couldn’t believe how beautiful she still is when she appeared in Smallville Season Four.

I loved Gilmore Girls with all my heart and soul for six seasons. Now I studiously avoid the seventh, considering what they’ve done to the show. Nothing good could’ve come of the Paladinos leaving. Alexis Bledel is the sweetest actress ever!

AnkS mentioned Charmed (I was obsessed with it for 7 seasons), Mahabarata (the most gorgeous cinematic production ever to come out of India) and Small Wonder (that really happened?). I followed Mahabharata for years when I was small (What’s all the hue and cry about Fauji, anyway?) and I’m still stunned at how it mananged to capture the majesty and integrity of the book so completely. I still have the theme music of Small Wonder stuck in my head. Although that apron still gives me the willies.

Anybody remember Punky Brewster ? The series, not the cartoon. I never did get to wear mismatched socks.

Another show that I never got to watch through, is a comedy called Heaven Help Us . A young, newly-wed couple dies in an accident on their honeymoon. They are sent to earth as angels to help people in trouble in order to earn their wings. They are supervised by Mr. Shepherd, who I think was a sort of incarnation of St. Peter. Our TV station yanked it mid-season. Wonder what happened to it? I was heartbroken for months.

Simona, what is Colombo ? (I’m asking ‘cause that’s the name of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital.)

Desperate Housewives . This show is an addiction more than anything else. The first season was awesome but there is only so much of the suburban cynicism you can take. I started watching for Teri Hatcher and stayed for Marcia Cross. I still collect the episode transcripts, though.

Current favourite show: Smallville . I hate myself for it. I went out and bought all 5 seasons and binge-watched it. The plots and effects are great, the music is out of this world and the dialogue sucks worse than Electrolux. It’s hard to say who gets on my nerves more, Kristin Kreuk or her character, but her Bambi eyes annoy me so much that I’m sure it’ll be responsible for putting deer on the endangered species list. And it’s not because I’m pro Clois. I started watching firmly accepting that this show was not about romance, and therefore Clark could hook up with anybody he liked. (I only cared about Dean as CK, anyway). But the girl’s overacting plain annoys me. I am now an honorary Chlark shipper. Chloe deserves him.

Plus, it gave me an excuse to ogle Jenson Ackles for a whole season. I started watching Dark Angel for Jessica Alba (what kid didn’t love Flipper ?) but stayed for Jenson. I cannot BELIEVE Fox axed it after 2 seasons. That network never did have much sense. But then, I remember that it was WB who took out Related (starring Lizzie Caplan and Laura Breckenridge), after just one season. When it was well on the way to becoming the best-loved sitcom since Friends (without the gratuitous sex).

Ah. They don't make 'em like they used to. *sigh*

Hmmm . . . what shows do I watch now?

I like to catch a bunch of shows that have stopped filming, but I only really tape the NEW shows, and then only if I know I'm going to miss them. Here's my list:

• Smallville
• The Class
• Phil of the Future
• Life with Derek (I don't know if this is still filming or not, but I don't tape it either way.)
• Hannah Montana (It's kind of a second-favorite . . . not really a first)
• Kim Possible
• American Dragon: Jake Long
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Lois & Clark (duh . . . but only on my DVDs, since it doesn't air anywhere on cable anymore)
• MacGyver
• Psyche (when I catch it on my parents' TiVo)
• M*A*S*H

Yes, I'm 23 (almost 24) and I still watch cartoons.

I thought that'd be Enterprise. I like Voyager, too.


Yeah, I watched those on the Disney Channel. I thought Ocean Girl had four seasons, though. But I only remember the first two, and only a bit of the second season. First season is on DVD now. Second season, too, I guess, though the site I looked at said "awaiting stock." Can't wait to catch up on those eps, too.

I like the new Robin Hood series (though only casually). I never could get into Robin of Sherwood. I should like it. It has all the elements of a show I would like. But I just don't. It bores me. I've tried watching it twice and have seen at least two eps past the pilot. Maybe someday I'll give it another go.

X-Files - I was addicted for four or five seasons, but then gave up on it. I don't know if it was the drawing out the UST so long that got me (I don't think so) or the never-answering-questions and changing/conflicting arcs each season (think that was it). I have caught the later seasons in reruns, though.

Yes, you're right - I'd completely forgotten about Enterprise coming along. (Mercifully, I think). Up till Enterprise, Voyager was the least popular Trek franchise, but I'm dang sure Enterprise overtook it.

An iconic, classic US show from the '60's and endlessly rerun ever since (also new episodes were made much later in 2000 or so) in which a outwardly shambolic, rambling, untidy detective outwits the villains with his shrewdness.

Invariably, the villains start out thinking he's dumb as a post and are enormously patronising to him and then gradually start to realise they're in big trouble as he's smarter than he looks and the only one on to their murdering schemes.

Famous for walking out of the door after questioning his suspects and turning back at the last minute with, "Oh, sir, just one more question...?" That one more question usually being the one that lets the villain know he's not as dumb as he appears and gets to the heart of his plot.

It was a huge hit in the US and worldwide.

Columbo

LabRat

Oooh, this is so much fun! All your posts bring back such fun memories! And the funny thing is, I never would have classified myself as someone who watched a ton of TV. I guess I'm just very easily obsessed...

Okay, my current DVD buying addictions:

Stargate SG-1. Yes, I've heard all sorts of rumors of how it's nowhere near as good in Season 9 and 10. But shh!! I'm still on season 7! I used to catch bits and pieces of it on the sci-fi channel, both new and reruns, but never got hooked. Then I got hooked (through fanfic, how else? ) and decided I had to have them. Found some great sales, told my parents: This is what I want for my birthday/Christmas. I have bought them because the price was great. Wanna buy them off me to give to me? And since then, my dad has gotten as hooked as I am -- or maybe even more! So we're working our way through the whole series as a family. <happy sigh>

Remington Steele What can I say? I love secret identities and 'forbidden' romance.

MacGyver Need I elaborate? Yes, looking back, it has its cheese. But, oh, what wonderful cheese!

Pretender Had more potential than was actually executed, first season was clearly the best, but it was a good show.

Quantum Leap Used to watch it with my family. Now I want the dvds.

The Sentinel Actually, I have yet to see an ep (except half of one dubbed in French when I was over there), but I've gotten hooked on the characters through fanfic and so got the first season on DVD for Christmas. I'm almost afraid to watch it -- will it live up to the fanfic?

Star Trek The Next Generation is best, the Original Series has its worth as the start, don't even get me started on DS9, and Voyager had its moments. (Enterprise? What Enterprise? That wasn't Star Trek. That was an imposter semi-cool sci-fi show masquerading under the title of Star Trek.) I don't have the seasons on DVD (as someone metioned: EXPENSIVE!), but I do have all 10 movies on DVD. Boxed set.

The A-Team In December, when my mom was really sick, that was the only thing she could watch besides cooking and sports -- yes, it had a plot, but not really. <g> Gotta love how they blow things up, every time, and yet nobody ever dies. Murdock is my absolute favorite.

Dharma and Greg Silly, I know, but I adore their banter, their parents, their complete oppositeness and how they fit so well together. However, if I had to live with Dharma in real life...I'd go insane. So I just enjoy her craziness on TV.

Monk When it started, I hated it. Now I adore it.

Psych Just like Dharma, if I had to live with Shawn in real life, I'd probably go nuts. Or kill him. Or go nuts and then kill him. But on the show, he's fun and funny. And it's right after Monk and they show just enough fun tidbits in the commercials that I have to watch to find out what they're all about! :p

Really wanting to go watch some TV now,
Bethy

It's fascinating to read all of your answers.

Tracey, I couldn't shut up:

ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG! I thought I was the only one who thought that!

Jump right it, twin! You got yourself an eager reader!

Ditto!! Man, now I know why you're my twin.

Kae

Lady Mirth: Thank you for reminding me about Oshin. I had forgotten that one.

- Oshin
- Muppet Babies & The Muppet Show
- Remington Steele
- Moonlighting
- Lois & Clark
- Batman - 60s live action series with Adam West and the Kapow special effects
- Spiderman cartoons
- Doctor Who
- Who's The Boss - I hate the fact that Alyssa has an attitude problem though
- Full House
- Growing Pains (is that one with Michael J Fox in it?)
- Thundercats
- He Man and She Ra
- Will & Grace
- Ned & Stacey - they stopped the show right when they ended the living arrangement but admitted that they loved each other .... noooo why????
- there is one that I cannot remember that was based on a book where this girl goes off to become a teacher in an isolated town in the hills somewhere and suddenly has a preacher and a doctor chasing after her and the preacher in the series was oh so hot..... damn what is that show called?
- Dad's Army
- Allo Allo
- Are You Being Served?
- Fawlty Towers
- Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister
- something for Lady Mirth to figure out: 11-15-16-09 11-01-04-05

I think I'll stop there.

The Little Tornado.

Kopi Kade.

Kopi Kade.


KOPI effing KADE.


YOU'RE SRI LANKAN?!?!

Holly Molly Maloney!!

But you said English was your FIRST language. How?

Nope, that's the one with Kirk Cameron. Why am I blanking... Family Ties!! That's the one with Michael J. Fox.
Carol

I didn't realise that Lady Mirth had posted a reply as well as PMed me. Blurt it out to everyone why don't you? (Just Kidding).

CarolM: I saw both Family Ties and Growing Pains and both Michael J Fox and Kirk Cameron were gorgeous!

*sighs*

The Little Tornado.

Too bad Kirk Cameron went a little loopy.

In no particular order ...

1. Lois & Clark - of course!
2. Grey's Anatomy - quite possibly my favorite show EVER!
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Smallville
5. Friends
6. X-Files
7. Ally McBeal
8. Will & Grace
9. All My Children - been watching since around 1985
10. Young Riders
11. Sex and the City
12. Cosby Show
13. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
14. Full House
15. That 70's Show

I'm sure there's a few more but I can't think of them at the moment ...

Hmm... Mainly these ones:

- Gilmore Girls
- Lost

But also these ones:

- Bones
- House

Annnndddd...

-Good Eats

I love watching the Food channel...

~Anna.

Bones
Blood Ties
Super Nanny
Nanny 911

It takes a thief
Clean House
Big Spender
Little people, Big world

Law and Order CI(but only when Vincent D’Onofrio is on) and CSI NY

How do we define "obsessed" here? Because, for me, obsession indicates a deep level of commitment, such as the reading of fanfiction. In that case, I was once obsessed with Lois and Clark. I do have a couple of sentimental favourites, but as I don't have cable, if it isn't still airing, I usually have no way of seeing it.

These days, I have little time for television, but if I have a moment, I tend to watch crime shows that develop more or less independently on a week to week basis--so L&O, House, Close to Home, Without a Trace and so forth. I like that I can miss a whole month yet still follow one week's storyline. I'm only in the beginning stages of Doctor Who interest, since I keep forgetting which night it runs.

The only program currently airing that I watch fairly regularly is Scrubs--comedy keeps me sane. I used to watch Gilmore Girls, but after the main writers left, I quit. I'm also watching this season of ANTM as part of a group-bonding experience, not because I care about the show in any way.

Wow. There are so many television shows mentioned in this thread that I've never even heard of!

TV loves in the past: Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, I really went off the franchise when Deep Space Nine came along, and now my overriding feeling about the shows is... apathy.

Due South. Oh, that was fantastic. Definitely must see TV... until season three. I lost interest with the second Ray. (Fans will know what I mean.)

Then there was Lois and Clark. (Still is, I suppose, because I still hang around on the mbs, even if I'm not getting any reading or writing done at the moment, and only occasionally watch an episode.)

Recent discoveries: Blind Justice (sadly cancelled after only thirteen episodes) and, very bizarrely, Friday Night Lights. The premise should have put me off this one, but I'd heard good things about the show so gave it a chance. It's great.

Chris <who has finally stopped revelling in the world of rubbish that getting a satellite receiver last December opened up to her!>

I love Good Eats!! The Food Network Rocks!!
And, How can you forget Paula's Home Cookin'! It's the southern in me. It is genetic. I love watching those shows!!

Thanks princessanna!! I forgot about the Food channel. :p

Why is it, whenever I have to list my favourite TV shows, I never, ever think of comedy? Let's just rectify that. Among my absolute favourites along the years and having a heavy presence on my DVD shelves and in no particular order:

Frasier
Cheers
Drop The Dead Donkey
Black Books
Red Dwarf
The Office (UK version)
Alan Partridge (in all his incarnations, but especially as chat show host)
Still Game
Yes Minister/Prime Minister
Blackadder

Absolutely sure there are others, but it's after 1 am and my brain is fried...

LabRat

Ooh, LabRat. You reminded me of another of my favourites. Blackadder.

Also, someone else mentioned Doctor Who. I can't believe I forgot to add that one to my list!

~Anna.

Oh, Still Game! Absolutely! Now, why didn't I think of that one?

That's not to say that I don't enjoy some of the other comedies LabRat and other people have mentioned, but Still Game is the only one that I've bought on DVD. That says something about the series, I think.

Chris

I'm really only obsessed with three shows, and two of them involve Superman.

Lois & Clark
Smallville
and most recently, I've become addicted to Jericho. Other than that, I really don't watch much TV.

I don't get to pop in here very often anymore (RL takes up too much time!) but I saw this thread and had to respond. I'm completely obsessed with television. Here's the list of shows I'm currently watching, even if they aren't actually airing anymore:
Desperate Housewives
Brothers & Sisters
Prison Break
Heroes
Bones
Veronica Mars
LOST
Grey's Anatomy
One Tree Hill
Six Degrees
ER
Dancing with the Stars
Gilmore Girls
NUMB3RS
How I Met Your Mother
Jericho
Survivor
October Road
What About Brian
Smallville
American Idol
Sex and the City
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel
Firefly
Beauty and the Geek
BBC's Robin Hood


I also watch these if/when I have time:
1 vs. 100
Deal or No Deal
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Racheal Ray
Oprah

I've been watching these on DVD as they come out, so I'm a season or so behind:
House
Boston Legal

On second thought, maybe it's not RL that's taking up too much time....

~Anna

Well lets see. What do I like to watch besides ''Lois & Clark''?
- McLeod's Daughters
- Desperate Houswives ( Teri Hatcher's fault )
- FRIENDS ( even if it's not on the air anymore :p this and LnC are the anly 2 shows I own on dvd :p )
- Medium
- Lost (that's actually my parent's fault )
- CSI (all of them I think)
- Cold Case
- Close to Home
- and since a couple of weeks I have been watching Las Vegas ( that's Dean Cain's fault :p )
And I think that was it :p It's not that I would stay home for everyone of them (maybe just the first 2 :p ) but I do watch them!!
ooh I olmost forgot I do watch Bones now and then

Lois and Clark is the only TV show I can call myself obsessed with. There are other shows I really like, of course, but none I even feel like I have to catch every time they're on.

Some of my favorites:
House
Scrubs
The Simpsons
Family Guy
Futurama
South Park
Mad TV (the older ones)
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
Ghost Hunters

I'm with you on Good Eats, Anna. Alton Brown is great!

Krissie, I had totally forgotten about Due South. I loved that show! Though I mostly got into it because of my Brendan Fraser obsession, not that he really has anything to do with the show, but there were enough similarities to attract me (you know, Benton Fraser/Brendan Fraser, Dudley Do-Right/mountie), but it's not what kept me watching, it was just a great show.

I'm sure I'm probably missing things, but oh well, that's the bulk of it.

Jessi

Generally, I don't watch TV a lot any more, but there's several series that I still simply adore to watch:

• Lois and Clark (duh, I wouldn't be here otherwise, now would I )
• Scrubs (You just have to love JD's fantasies... and Dr Cox)
• Futurama (an all-time fav - even better than Simpsons, IMHO)
• Boys Over Flowers (a Japanese series - there's many others I enjoy watching, but that's my current obsession)

I used to watch a lot of tv, but it has dwindled over the years.

I just have 1 or 2 that I keep track of any more:
Heros
Dances with stars(don't laugh!!)

Old addictions:
Star Trek(any incarnation)
Knight Rider
Beauty and the Beast(1st and 2nd season)
Lois and Clark (of course)

OK, I admit it -- I go for the fantasy/Sci Fi/adventure stuff

My must-watch shows at the moment are Desperate Housewives and Heroes, and 24 *would* be a must-watch if it weren't opposite Heroes I am catching up on the old seasons of 24 in syndication, though.

My Name Is Earl and Law And Order:SVU are not a must-watch shows for me, but if I'm around when they're on, I'll watch them.

I usually have the tv on in the background with the entertainment shows (Extra, AH, ET, etc) and Leno and Conan. I just don't pay 100% attention to them.

Heard some interesting news today - allegedly Dead Like Me is going to be made into a film

News from MGM

Interesting if true. Now if they'd do Lois and Clark, or Wonderfalls, or...

I just discovered the series Dexter but I am a big fan already. This show is GREAT! Love it!

In another style, I like the show "The Tudors", too. That must be my "History former student" side.

Canadians may remember "Forever Knight" about a vampire who worked the night shift, and drank cow's blood supplied by a kind hearted female coroner. This show had the BEST series finale ever. I almost fell off my chair !

Every episode also featured flashbacks to other eras in his long life. I always suspecte Angel stole the idea here, though they claimed they did not.

This show is on my "really dumb and kinda lame, but somehow I love it anyway" list ( along with Beauty and the Beast)

I hear there's a new show with a similar premise coming out in the fall. I hope its as good ( or bad) .

I'm not sure whether this is a good or a bad thing, but there are absolutely no TV shows that make me drop everything to watch or that I make sure I record if I can't be in when they air.

The closest is Dr Who which, if I'm at home on a Saturday night, I'll watch. If I miss an episode, I'm not bothered - although, to be fair, I know there are other means at my disposal to view missed episodes. When Torchwood returns, I'll give that a second chance, but unless they start focusing on Jack more than the other, largely unlovable characters, I'll probably drop it again.

Otherwise, I'm more likely to take pleasure from documentaries, life-style shows, and current affairs programs. I fear I'm turning into a horribly boring person.

Yvonne

I think it's probably more likely that you actually have a life, Y.

LabRat (looking at the long list of recordings for the coming week she has pre-set on Virgin+ and wincing... )