I have barely watched TV in many many years: (though I remember a period of school holidays when we binge watched Dexter to the point of starvation) First there were tiny people to look after and any watching was bound to be interrupted, then there was so much competition for the remote that I thought it was better not to have expectations than to have them dashed.
Suddenly, there is a lot less competition, the students are on holidays so there's more help in the house and I have time to watch whatever takes my fancy. I even spent New Years eve eating cheese and cherries, sipping on grape juice and watching tv!
"The Casketeers" (netflix) is a six part series about a New Zealand funeral business, the owner of the company Francis, is hilarious....and soft hearted .....and pedantic. I want him to look after my earthly remains.
"Sex Education" (netflix) is a marvellous series, most likely designed for teenagers but thoroughly watchable for my middle aged-ness. The drama includes teens of all backgrounds trying to navigate schol, boyfriends, girlfriends, parties, sex and celibacy. It would be a wonderful starting point for conversation with a young person who is wanting answers. Or with the emphasis on relationship quality and taking steps as they feel comfortable, it might even give them the answers they need. I really enjoyed this one.
"Back Roads" (ABC iview) looks at Australian country towns, meets some of the local characters, teases out the unique strengths and challenges of each community and shows some great footage of this wide brown land. The elderly female host of the show rides tractors and sleeps in very basic accomodation, her hair is usually messy and she is far from the gorgeous, highly groomed women we see so often on TV. She is also chatty and warm and charming.
House of Flowers (netflix) was a modern, Spanish language version of the Bold and the Beautiful, enjoyable for it's stupidity and fashion (and please correct me if I should compare it to something else! My pool of reference is small!)
What have you been watching?
I never acquired the television habit. I see pieces of all sorts of things as himself plays St Vitus Dance with the remote.
ReplyDeleteThe Casketeers sounds as if it could be up my alley though. And Back Roads.
Have fun watching.
I'm sure you would love back roads but that might mean a fight for the remote....
DeleteI love a good binging show. I saw the ads fr sex education but figured I was so far out of the demo that I could ignore it. Looks like I might need to give it a try. I put shows on my Ipad and listen more than watch as I move room to room doing chores
ReplyDeleteI might have enjoyed sex education because I watched with my kids. If you do see an episode I'd be interested to hear what you think.
DeleteI can't listen without watching! Your way is much more efficient
I'm like the first part of your life. I do not watch one minute of TV per year. Sometimes I worry about this. Then again I think, What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think I must have missed some really good TV and then I remind myself it's just entertainment!
DeleteNone of us can take every opportunity ever.
Cycling is healthier anyway
I rarely watch and that too only news when something important to me is happening. I prefer to read for pastime!
ReplyDeleteI was a reader once but I can't resist the interaction of the internet (of course I read a lot online but it's usually shorter and less demanding than a book)
DeleteDon't have teevee but do watch good series on Netflix. Currently watching Schitt's Creek which I had avoided (thought it would be slapstick a type of comedy I don't like) until reading a New Yorker article about it and I am binging it. Loved "This is Us" and "The Bodyguard" on Netflix. Hated the much overblown "Bird Box". So there you have it :) I'd also love to see The Casketeers.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
It would seem that schitts Creek is a winner! Maybe I'll try it
DeleteI've seen the title "Sex Education" on Netflix but haven' t got to it yet - truth be told I don't want my daughter to know I was watching something sexy haha. Right now I'm watching Ozark which is amazing and recently finished 6 seasons of Homeland.
ReplyDeleteMy kids enjoyed Ozark but I missed it and I tend not to watch alone.
DeleteIf it helps you to feel better about watching "sexy" stuff, sex education is full of, I mean packed with, utter bedroom fails. Which is another reason to like it
The only thing I watch these days is Schitt's Creek (a Canadian production) and I watch it online. It is funny, sweet, campy - and the characters are entrancing and unique. I stopped watching TV when my husband reached a certain loss of hearing because he couldn't hear it if the volume was too low and I couldn't stand the noise! (he also had the remote and a bad habit of jumping all around the channels)
ReplyDeleteI don't think my habit of spending time online is any worse or better than TV; it's all just entertainment. I do read a lot more news than I ever watched on TV though, there's that :)
You're right, online entertainment is all what you make it, just like TV. And these days the lines are very blurry anyway
DeleteI laughed out loud at your description of Heather Ewart as the elderly host of Backtracks.
ReplyDeleteI don't think of her as elderly at all. Just depends where you sit in the age rankings I guess. After I read your post I found an article on line where she had been interviewed about that program. A good article with more info about her journalistic background.
Alphie
Hi Alphie,
DeleteI didn't really want to call her elderly but she's past middle age..?
The point is she's not a young glamour :)
I must have a google for the article you refer to
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ReplyDeleteI think I'm a TV addict, and I am trying to cut down! I watch a lot of Drama.... and zombie gore. I think I watch to avoid the news, and I love stories. Anyhow, to cut down on TV I read a book at the weekend, and that's a problem - once I pick up a book I am lost from people for hours on end, and reading could potentially turn out to be more expensive than Netflix if I read a book every weekend!
ReplyDeleteSx
Books are a lot more expensive than netflix!
DeleteTV drama is great. I don't blame you for being addicted :)
I like my relationship with television to be slightly distant. Far too many people are obsessed with TV viewing in my humble opinion. However, last evening I watched a programme about a Canadian family who live miles from anywhere in the wilderness surrounded by trees. The host was a fellow called Ben Fogle. I enjoyed this.
ReplyDeletethere are some gems on tv, it's like everything else: good servant, bad master
DeleteI wouldn't be without my television and, living alone, I can watch what I want or, more to the point, I don't have to watch unless I do want to. I regard myself as a discerning viewer. However many might have very different views.
ReplyDeletetv can open all kinds of doors for us and now that so much is available online, it's extra easy to be discerning
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