Stuff on Sundays: TV tells stories too...

Many people assume that since I read so much that I don’t watch television where, in fact, I am a bit of addict. It’s not unusual for me to be recording shows on two other channels while watching a third. Just as with my choice of reading, I’m an eclectic viewer, I’ll watch anything really  – documentaries, sitcom’s, dramas and trashy reality shows, though I admit I often reading during the ads.

After the agonising 2-3 months of endless repeats during the non-rating periods on television over Christmas I am thrilled that many new episodes of my favourite TV shows are returning and new programs are being introduced. Tonight it’s the much anticipated debut of  Elementary and during the week shows like Packed to the Rafters. Point of Interest, Grimm, Parenthood, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Glee, Castle and Bones are all back on screen . I’ll also be watching The Block Allstars and a bit of Masterchef.

I can’t resist fly on the wall  like documentary shows like 24 Hours in Emergency, Coppers and Legal Aid. I love Escape to Country, Homes Under the Hammer, Restoration Home and 60 Minute Makeover.  The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the stars – I watch them all! I even watch Gator Boys, Swamp People, Full Throttle Saloon and Top Gear (the British original) to placate my husband.

There are other shows I miss that I will likely have to wait til later in the year for like Once Upon A Time, Covert Affairs , The Mentalist, Greys Anatomy and Private Practice . Australia is often weeks, sometimes months, behind the US in showing – except the occasional show that is “fast tracked” (as if that is a major achievement), often the shows have already been axed in the US before they are even on here. Last week a new late night show started called Against the Wall which I enjoyed – a quick google and I discovered the show was aired in 2011 in the US and axed after the first season!

Free commercial television here is frustrating. They pull shows at random, cram entire seasons into the all too short ratings periods or play half a season and then make us wait months for the next half – enduring endless repeats in the meantime.  We don’t have cable/pay TV, it’s too expensive for our budget (probably just as well) so there are some series like True Blood I can only watch if I can borrow from the local video shop or a from a friend who, tired of waiting to see it, downloads episodes from the net.

My favourite TV series of all time is Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it’s the only one I own on DVD and I re-watch the entire series at least 2-3 times a year.

So tell me – what do you watch on television when you are not reading?

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