When I hear people say, “I rarely watch TV, and when I do it’s PBS,” I typically nod in agreement, even though I want to scream, “Liar, liar pants on fire; you watch TV but don’t want to admit it.” For some reason, it’s OK be a lover of books but not of television. Seriously, have you ever read an interview with an elected official who says, “In my off hours, I like to binge-watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”?
I became a lover of this art form in the 1960s, in a house where eight people shared oneTV. Since I was the youngest, no one was interested in my TV show recommendations. There were days I faked being sick just so I could stay home, lie on the sofa and watch whatever I wanted for seven straight hours. Sorry I lied, Mom.
Certain shows have affected the way I look at life. The Mary Tyler Moore Show convinced me that I wanted to work for someone just like Mr. Grant. My old boss, Doug, was far nicer, but I always wished he would tell me I had spunk, just like Lou told Mary. I watched The Love Boat every Saturday night with my future husband and his roommates. And I never ceased to be amazed that these manly men happily sang the theme song with me. Gilmore Girls was must-see TV for my daughter and me. And to this day, whenever the theme song starts, I get a little misty-eyed.
My plea to you this week is to watch TV. In fact, you can do it out of civic pride, if you need a reason. Two new series on Netflix feature St. Louisans. One has the exceptionally funny Ellie Kemper in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, it tells the story of Kimmy adapting to life in New York City after spending 15 years held in an underground bunker by a cult. Admittedly the words ‘cult’ and ‘bunker’ don’t usually connote laughter, but here they do. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure I will be quoting Kimmy soon enough when I get mad and start yelling, “gosh darn mommy fudging” instead of my usual terminology.
The second show, also on Netflix, features St. Louisan Nobert Leo Butz as Kevin Rayburn in Bloodline. I have mixed emotions about this one, since it takes place in the Florida Keys in Islamorada. It happens to be my favorite place to vacation, and I fear that once viewers see the scenery they will want to vacation with me. How can I say this nicely? Please don’t.
Any discussion of TV viewing would not be complete without mentioning Andy Cohen, who has forever changed my bedtime habits. As the host of Watch What Happens Live on Bravo, he’s far more entertaining than the local news. With that St. Louis Cardinals hat perched behind him, he makes me feel like I’m hanging out in his rathskeller with friends. You know, like Cher and Susan Sarandon. So, show some civic pride by tuning in to these shows.
[Patty Unleashed is a new column by Backtalk and I Tried It writer Patty Hannum, who has too much time on her hands and clearly needs something more to do.]
