My Must-See TV Favorites

The other day my brother Tim called and we got to talking about a bunch of stuff. At one point I asked him, “How much TV do you watch?” “A lot,” he admitted. “Me too,” I confessed.
It’s true. I love winding down at the end of the day by watching the ol’ boob tube. Here are a few of my must-see TV favorites.

Tuesday nights, The Food Chanel, Chopped

My mother-in-law, of all people, first told me about this show. I watched it once and now I'm hooked. It’s a cooking competition where contestants race the clock to make an appetizer (round 1), an entrée (round 2), and a dessert (round 3), incorporating the items they find in their baskets into their finished products for each round. I’m not even into cooking, but I love this show. Each contestant has their own personality, and their own cooking style, and most are extremely good at what they do. The crazy part is when they open their baskets and find things like fish heads, or goat brain, or frozen waffles. Usually there's at least one ingredient in there I never even knew existed! But 20 minutes later they've turned it into a restaurant quality dish. Amazing stuff.

Wednesday Nights, FOX, Buried Treasure

This relatively new show follows those twin heroes from Antiques Roadshow, Leigh and Leslie Keno, as they travel the US looking for treasure in regular people's homes. Each family has a different story to tell. Some need the money to "save the farm." Others just want the old stuff gone. Whatever the case, the show does a great job of keeping viewers, like me, on the edge of their seats to see if these "treasures" are worth hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, or if it’s just old junk.

Thursday Nights, PBS, Doc Martin

I can’t get enough of Doc Martin. This show is so fun, so quirky, so unpredictable, and yet at the same time oddly believable. The title character is a miserable, rude, unattractive and unfriendly man who makes you cringe with his blunt and inappropriate comments. Then why do I love him so? I do not know, but I do. Lots.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I have for you the very first episode of Doc Martin. But be warned. It's about 45 minutes long, and once you start watching, you're not going to want to stop. Enjoy!

Additional warning: This is a British comedy, so it will also be somewhat racy at times. Funny story…so I was visiting with Jeff’s 94-year-old Grandmother last Thursday and she asked if I watch much TV. Of course I said I do, and then I told her my favorite show was Doc Martin. I gave it a glowing recommendation and encouraged her to tune in. That night there was a scene in the second episode (they show 2 back to back) where the doc walks in on his Auntie Joan having sex on the kitchen table! What will Grandma think! I can only hope she wasn't watching...or that she dozed off by then. How embarrassing. Actually, this episode has a few embarrassing parts in it too. Please don't be offended. If you think you might be, don't watch it. Nah. You should watch it. Learn what Doc Martin can't and "go with the flow!"