Summer is, on the whole, a dark period for television programming. Networks don't exert much effort into getting us to loyally tune in. They present us such vapid and nausea inducing offerings as Love In The Wild (ABC) and America's Got Talent (FOX). Finding a show with anything resembling intellectual stimulation seems a futile task. T and I have had to settle for sub-par reality offerings like American Ninja Warrior (NBC) and The Great Escape (TNT) to pass the time. They provide only limited tidbits of entertainment, but at least I don't feel like I've lost yet another piece of my soul after watching a farce of a rose ceremony (this means you The Bachelorette (ABC)). Luckily there are a few escapes from the monotony of summer media, two shows in particular along with a certain famous sporting event.
The summer shows I DVR for myself to watch (that T has very little interest in) are NY Med (ABC) and Covert Affairs (USA). NY Med documents real doctors and nurses at New York area hospitals. I have always had a morbid curiosity for everything medical, so this is right up my alley. Usually I cry at least once every episode, like when a dad and son hug before a heart transplant, etc. The most recent installment fed into my pregnancy-induced paranoia a little too much though. The first story was about a young girl who required surgery for a tumor on her heart. Watching her parents struggle through their fear over possibly losing her made me think about how much I already care and worry for the baby I'm carrying in my belly right now. And it won't ever stop, because there will always be something to be afraid of. It's just a part of loving someone. I can't imagine watching my child go through something so painful and harrowing. The other featured story was about a woman whose aorta dissected at 27 weeks pregnant, and she required a dangerous surgical repair after the baby was born. That got me googling symptoms of aortic dissection, because of course if something happens to one pregnant woman, it must happen to ALL pregnant women. Luckily both the little girl and new mom came through fine and made full recoveries. Most of the time when NY Med is on (and I'm wound up in a nervous ball with a box of Kleenex and red eyes) I am asking myself, why am I watching this? But then I go ahead and do it again next week anyway.
My second guilty summer pleasure is Covert Affairs (USA). This is probably my all-time favorite show, period. It follows CIA operative Annie Walker (Piper Perabo), as she journeys around the globe solving mysteries, stopping evildoers, and wearing really great shoes. I love that the majority of the main cast is female, yet it doesn't come off like a soap opera. It's smart, inventive, and action packed (with yes, some handsome men and romantic subplots as well). In past seasons, Oded Fehr (the royal bodyguard guy/narrator from the film The Mummy) pops up in several episodes as a Mossad (Israeli secret service) operative who aids and hinders Annie in various missions. Perabo and Fehr have undeniable chemistry and their scenes together really stand out with lively banter and humor. The next new episode airs in two weeks, and according to this week's teaser, Oded Fehr will be back. I. Am. Ridiculously. Excited.
Lastly, there are the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, which shine like a bright two week light amid the darkness of the summer TV trash brigade. Every night we park ourselves on the couch at 8, and stay up til midnight, way later than we should be awake. Each morning I wake up drowsy, cursing NBC for airing their primetime coverage so late in the Pacific time zone. But I proceed to repeat this pattern again the next night, without question. We love swimming, gymnastics, and track and field in our house. My husband is a former collegiate swimmer (and I his loyal then-girlfriend lived and breathed swim meets for two years), so we have a great love for the sport. It's also fascinating to watching swimming events with someone who can tell you what's going on from a technical standpoint, because when I watch I usually see a hog pile of Speedo-clad men streaming into a wall at seemingly the same time. I can't make heads or tails of who excelled and who screwed up until T explains it to me. Gymnastics is a favorite (mostly of mine), because I avidly watched the 1996 gold medal team as a young girl, and thought they were all amazing acrobatic princesses. I wanted to be just like them, and would practice vaulting over the couch in our basement (not recommended). I am troubled as an adult by the stunted growth/abnormal body development and bitchy personas (was it just me, or did they all seem like divas this year?) of the US athletes, but I still retain an interest in the outcomes of the events. The track and field portions haven't aired yet, but we are really looking forward to it, because the races for the fastest man and woman alive never fail to provide drama and excitement. I'll be sad to see the Olympics end, but it's probably for the best, because I'll soon have a newborn and not be able to handle these late nights anymore! I'll have to settle for Sham-Wow infomercials at 3am feedings instead.
Have you found something great to watch on TV this summer? If so, let me know about it. It's hard to find the quality shows, but they are out there. Happy viewing!
No comments:
Post a Comment