Must Watch TV

Over the course of the past couple of years I have really gotten into watching quality television shows. I am not biased towards network and find that great shows can be found on the regular networks like CBS, NBC, ABC and such as well as on the cable programmers like Showcase, HBO, AMC and FX. I guess it is mostly due to my travel and lifestyle, but i have really been able to dive into full series' with reckless abandonment.
I am going to list a few of the shows that i have watched in their entirety and the qualities that make it appealing and addictive to me.

First up...oh, and these are not in any particular order other than how they are flowing from my brain...which by the way works in mysterious ways..and not like the U2 song, but more like the 80s teen comedy "Weird Science."

Breaking Bad

Probably the best written television show i have ever come across in the drama category. Well LOST may just be in the running for this title but i am only on episode 10 of the first season.
With Breaking Bad , which is on the AMC network , the character development , storyline, cinematography and cast is bar none.
I found myself rooting for Walt at the beginning and later on wishing he would get what he deserves. Its the type of show that really grabs you and places you firmly in the center of the action with your head on a swivel to take it all in.
Aaron Paul is one of the best actors I have come across on the small screen and his character of Jessie Pinkman is a true testament to character writing.
I pretty much plowed through 3 seasons of this show in record time on my laptop during countless bus rides across Europe and the United Kingdom. The biggest letdown of this show so far to me is that upon the cliff hanger ending of the final episode of season 3 , i was informed through the web that i would need to wait almost a year for season 4 to debut!! Now i do not like to watch a show as it runs in real time because waiting was never my forte.....so come July of 2011 i need to make a choice...either watch it weekly as it airs...or try to tune it all out and watch the full season upon conclusion...we shall see....


Weeds

Now again, remember these shows are not listed in any particular order, and order is not what Weeds is all about! A comedy/drama that airs on the Showtime Network, Weeds has enjoyed 7 seasons of fairly high ratings and some serious plot twists and turns. In fact, some of the shenanigans that go on in later seasons is almost too much to handle. My saving grace with this show is that the brother in law, Andy, played by Justin Kirk, is one of the funniest guys around! In later seasons he actually hooks up with Alanis Morrissette....one of my favs even to this day! As you watch this show develop pay attention to the opening music...
The premise of the show is newly single mother of two, Nancy Botwin, played by Mary Louise Parker, turns to dealing weed as a means of income to pay her mortgage,bills, and to raise her two boys. The cast of this show is brilliant I must say, with Kevin Nealon being a personal highlight!


30 Rock

This was the show that i started watching during the Olympics in Vancouver last Feb 2010. I only have two words to describe 30 Rock ...Liz Lemon, LIz Lemon, Liz Lemon!


Californication

All i can say is that I truly love this show and this past season, which was number 4, i actually watched real time. Secretly Hank Moody is my idol! Go Hank Go!



Dexter

My sister tried to get me to watch this show for quite some time, however i could not get into it. This all changed once i was able to get past the blood and the first two episodes. Wow did i become a Dexter addict! In fact i transferred some of the skills I learned while watching the show into solving a bit of a crime we had while on the road in the UK. There was a kidnapping of a stuffed animal who lived in catering and i became the lead forensic investigator!



Here are some more shows that captured my attention and kept me sane throughout countless hours spent on airplanes, busses, trains, boats, and time at home in the late night hours...

Skins (UK)


Summer Heights High (australia)


Modern Family


Treme


Now of course it is currently all about LOST for me......