Martin's Musings

It’s one of the great catch-22s of the modern age.

We all want a social life that takes us out of our homes. And yet, everyone is always raving about the TV shows you just have to watch. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), whether it’s buzzy shows like The Americans, Game of Thrones, Scandal, Empire, The Walking Dead, or others, there’s just not enough time in a week to watch them all and have a social life that involves other activities — and, more importantly, actual people.

And I say this as someone who never saw a single episode of Mad Men or Breaking Bad, but who certainly watches more than his share of TV shows. Heck, even the Emmys last night made fun of the fact that there’s just too much on TV these days. Continue reading →

I’ve never seen a single episode of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Scandal, or Homeland.

I don’t watch any of the CSIs, NCISes, or Law & Orders.

I stopped watching The Good Wife early in the first season.

And I’ll probably skip the big returns of Michael J. Fox, Sean Hayes, and Robin Williams.

What can I say? When it comes to TV, there are just too many shows, and unfortunately, I can’t watch them all. The whole “having a life” thing always gets in the way.

But I am a TV fan, so now that the Emmy awards are over (hooray for Tony Hale!) and the new fall TV season is officially starting, it’s time to share the list of shows I’m planning to watch, just like I do every year.

Chances are good I won’t actually make time for everything here; between the new, heavily hyped shows debuting and old favorites returning, there’s just not enough time, or room on my DVR, to see it all. But I’m a curious cat, and I do want to check out some new stuff.

That’s why I apply my three-strikes rule: If I get backed up on three episodes of a particular show, I just give up and decide not to watch. It saves my DVR from becoming its own American Horror Story, and me from becoming a true couch potato.

So what’s on my list of must-see TV this year? Read on. Continue reading →

For the past few years, at the start of every TV season, I’ve written a blog post about what shows I plan to watch.

But a funny thing occurred to me last week: I never do close the loop and let y’all know what shows I followed through on and am still watching at the end of the season.

After all, my “plans” are rather ambitious in September, what with so many new shows looking so promising and others getting a clean slate with a new TV season. That’s why it doesn’t take long for my DVR to get backed up, and for me to get behind on some shows.

If you’re like me, that may make you concerned that I’d spend all day and night watching TV.

Well, it gives me great pleasure to let you know I’m not a total couch potato.

And to prove it, here’s a week at a glance of what I’m watching now, or was watching until the show’s season ended: Continue reading →

Many people look forward to the fall.

They enjoy the cooler weather, the chance to start anew, and the return to normalcy after a vacation-filled summer.

But not me.

Each year around this time, the fall TV preview issues of Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide arrive in my mailbox and I’m reminded that for at least a couple weeks, I’m not going to have much of a life as I struggle to watch all kinds of new shows.

And if I do try to have a life, then my DVR is going to get a workout and I’ll be up late as I time-shift my TV watching.

I know, woe is me.

So allow me to continue an annual tradition of sharing which shows I’m going to try and watch this season.

Thankfully, a couple shows have already debuted, so I’ve already previewed them. One made the cut (Ringer) and one was knocked off my list (Up All Night). But plenty of others remain.

Here’s the list: Continue reading →

It’s Wednesday, which means we’re halfway through one of my least favorite weeks of the year.

What? You thought I’d actually be happy about the start of the new TV season? Well, you’re wrong.

This is the time of year when there’s too much on, and my DVR gets an extra-good workout.

It’s the time when I have to make some really tough decisions about what to watch, what to commit to, and what not to bother with.

Most every year I post something here about which shows I’m going to try and watch, but it’s always with the expectation that I won’t stick to the plan. Which is fine, of course; there are movies, and sports, and, well, life to keep me busy otherwise.

So that’s why I generally have a two-strikes rule: If I fall two episodes behind, chances are good I won’t catch up on that show, so I don’t even bother.

Unfortunately, I’m already behind: I forgot to record Lone Star Monday night, so I’m hoping I can watch the pilot before episode two is on (thankfully, the pilot’s re-airing over the weekend).

What else am I planning to watch this fall? Here’s my week at a glance: Continue reading →

The cooler temperatures and return of college students means one thing: the new TV season is here.

Finally, I can stop wasting my evenings because I’ll have something to do again other than watch Red Sox games and go out (said with all due sarcasm).

I wonder if my couch and my Slanket have missed me.

Anyway, it’s become a quasi-tradition here, so just as I’ve done before, I thought I’d share what I plan to watch this season.

Here’s my weekly lineup: Continue reading →

Last year when the TV season began, I gave Brothers & Sisters a chance, and when it didn’t grab me, I stopped watching. But late in the season I came back to it and found myself enjoying the show. Now I’m eagerly trying to catch up on the entire first season before next Sunday’s season two premiere. Over the weekend I got the DVD set and I spent Sunday evening watching the first four episodes. Last time I did something like that was last November, when I visited Andrew and Rachel and we watched five episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. Anyway, my point is, what a great show B&S is. I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the family, and found the first few episodes really fun (well, maybe not the first couple, but once the show settled in during the third episode, it got a lot lighter in tone and more fun). I probably would have watched the fifth and sixth episodes if I didn’t have to get to sleep. This has to be one of the best acting ensembles on television, and I look forward to ending my weekends with them every Sunday night from now until May.

Of course, the week has seven days and you may be wondering what else I’ll be watching this season. Here’s my week at a glance, until I get bored or unless the new shows suck:

Monday: Chuck (8-9, NBC)
Tuesday: Reaper (9-10, The CW)
Wednesday: Kid Nation (8-9, CBS), Private Practice (9-10, ABC), Gossip Girl (9-10, The CW, recorded on the DVR), Dirty Sexy Money (10-11, ABC)
Thursday: 30 Rock (8:30-9, NBC), Grey’s Anatomy (9-10, ABC), The Office (9-9:30, NBC, recorded on the DVR), Big Shots (10-11, ABC)
Friday: nothing
Saturday: Saturday Night Live (11:30-1, NBC)
Sunday: Brothers & Sisters (10-11, ABC)

What will you be watching this season?