Jamie talks Christmas on TV

I’m not talking about the annual airings of It’s a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Those are very important, but that’s not what this post is about.  Instead, it’s about how some of my favorite TV shows have celebrated the holidays in the past, let’s say 15 or so years.  Here are some of my favorites:

That 70s Show – Whether they are stealing toys meant for poor children or putting on a pageant, there is a never a dull moment for Eric Foreman and friends when the holidays come around.  I would argue that the holiday episodes are among the best for this sitcom.

The O.C. – Love it, hate it, or roll your eyes, how can you not love Seth Cohen’s enthusiastic celebration of Chrismukkuh?  Seriously, try and watch the Chrismukkuh episodes of this ridiculous (but lovable) show without falling in love with Seth Cohen.

The West Wing – While the show always seemed to get into the spirit of the holidays, the best by far is "In Excelsis Deo."  You’re laughing, then you’re crying, and when it's all over you feel like you’ve been a part of something truly special.

Friends – Do I really need to say more than the Holiday Armadillo?

The Big Bang Theory – Christmases come and Christmases go, but only on "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis" do we see a truly overwhelmed Sheldon carry multiple bath gift baskets from his room for Penny, only to ultimately realize that the only thing he can do to show his appreciation for her epic gift, is hug her.

How I Met Your Mother – While “How Lily Stole Christmas” is certainly a favorite, I have to say that I was incredibly impressed with this year’s Robin-centric Christmas episode.  Not only for the emotional performance from Cobie Smulders, but for including an ACDC light show in the apartment.  Come on, ACDC light show equals instant classic.

Glee – Obviously, there is singing.  Christmas singing. So that's awesome. But nothing tops the gang’s efforts to help Artie walk just a little, not so much for Artie, but so that Brittany will continue to believe in Santa.  It’s cool Brittany, I believe too.

Doctor Who – I’m talking "The Christmas Invasion," the first full episode with 10^th Doctor David Tennant.  The Doctor accidentally starting to quote the Lion King is pretty quality.  Also Christmas, aliens, good times.  I'm sure there are others, but I've only watched a few Doctor Who seasons, so this is the one that I love.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I just watched the Christmas episode from season 3, "Amends," the other day, and I must say it is a wonderful episode.  A little intense with our first introduction to The First, but then there is snow!  In southern California.    

My So-Called Life – Let’s call it saving the best for last. In the most touching episode of the short lived series, we see Angela helping a homeless Rickie on Christmas with the help of a homeless girl (or angel?) played by Julianna Hatfield.

I'm sure I've missed some classics (and new classics)... what else do you love?

Jamie's Fall 2011 TV Review

As shows wrap up for a brief (or in some cases long) hiatus over the holidays, I am offering up my two cents (or a little more) on how my favorite shows, old and new, started off their 2011-12 seasons:

1) The Big Bang Theory - The word for the season is consistency.  In its fifth season, this show continues to be laugh out loud funny week in and week out.  Highlight: Yet another brilliant performance by Laurie Metcalf as Sheldon’s God-fearing mother in what has got to be one of my all time favorite episodes.  The scene in the church where they each talk to God was one of the best ever.


2) How I Met Your Mother - We’re getting a little real over at HIMYM.  Last year it was Marshall losing his dad and Barney meeting his, and this year it’s all about Robin & Barney as they deal with all kinds of issues, both individually and together.  Thankfully this show keeps us laughing between the occasional tearjerkers. Highlight: The most recent episode where Robin talks to her fictional children.  I thought it was incredibly well written with a great performance by Cobie Smulders.  Also, there was an ACDC light situation.  Epic.

3) Parks & Recreation - I wrote about my undying love for this show in my last post, so I will say that while I continue to love it, love Leslie & Ben, think it was wise to give them a little relationship obstacle, I’m hoping to move beyond the episodes centered around their relationship.  Hoping that the conflicts in the rest of the season come from outside of their relationship (and I think it will in the form of this city council race).  Highlight: I loved (tears!) her team stepping up to run her campaign in the Christmas episode.  Ben showed his support in the prior episode, so it made perfect sense to have this be about her Parks & Rec team (plus her BFF Ann, of course) giving her the best gift ever.  

4) NCIS - This show is always great, but I will say I miss having that season-long story happening.  I am sure that the stuff from the premiere with Scott Wolf’s character will come back around and so I am anticipating an exciting second half for this show.  Also, I think we could use a little more Abby, but really, who doesn’t think that. Highlight: I think that Dinozzo has been very solid this season.  And I love the addition of Jaime Ray Newman. I hope she sticks around.

5) Castle - Continues to be the show that I wish was on 7, or maybe even 8 days a week.  If they wanted to make that many episodes, I would watch them.  All.  Okay, maybe that’s a little excessive. (but it's not)  Highlight: Beckett.  Her falling apart in the episode with the sniper shootings was fantastic, I mean, the performance, it's not great that Beckett is dealing with this, but it's so good... you know what I mean.  Stana Katic’s performance was riveting in the best episode of the season.

6) Hawaii 5-0 - Who knew, when we first saw the commercials last season that I would continue to tune in weekly for more than just Alex O’Loughlin’s shirtless moments?  Definitely not me, but this show continues to impress with intriguing storylines plus excellent casting additions - making Masi Oka a regular cast member was brilliant.   Highlight: The best bromance on television, Steve & Danny.

7) Glee - I’m totally jumping on the bandwagon of saying “Glee is back”!  Not that I think it really went anywhere, but the first half of season 2 was certainly a little shaky and only with the focus on Kurt and the bullying, plus the addition of the adorable and multi-talented Blaine, did it really come around last year (specifically the Furt episode, which makes me cry, and Darren Criss’ Glee debut singing Teenage Dream, which is far higher on my iPod alltime played list than I care to admit).  While some episodes have been stronger than others this season, I think the whole thing just feels more coherent (thank you Marti Noxon perhaps?).  Highlight: Mike Chang - Not only can that boy dance, but the storyline with his parents is incredibly touching.

8) Bones - It’s been brief, but it’s great to see the team at the Smithsonian back solving murders, and I think they have handled their two leads suddenly being very much together and pregnant very well.  Looking forward to the next step, Booth & Bones with a baby.  One question: What happened to Parker?  Will we see him when the baby is born? Booth does remember that he already has a kid, right? Highlight: New intern Finn.  A great addition to the rotating cast of interns, which I think was a great choice for this show post-Zach.

9) New Shows - The New Girl, Once Upon a Time, Hart of Dixie, & Two Broke Girls
    The New Girl - Can’t stop laughing. Highlight: Any time the boys step it up to support Jess
    Once Upon a Time - Totally hooked. Highlight: Getting a new piece to the puzzle each week.
    Hart of Dixie - Stop judging me, I love this show. Highlight: Lavon’s pet alligator, Burt Reynolds.     Also, Wade.
    Two Broke Girls - I just hope that isn’t the last we see of Chestnut. Highlight: Why is Kat Dennings only just getting her own show? She is one of the funninest people on TV, and absolutely the reason I watch this show.

Jamie loves Parks & Rec

Okay, I am finally going to try and put into words what it is that I love about Parks & Recreation, in an effort to convince Kacey that it should jump to the top of her Instant Watch priorities. 


Here's my best attempt at 5 reasons why you should change the channel to NBC immediately following Sheldon on Thursday nights:


5) It's not The Office.  Before the show even started, there were comparisons made with The Office, which, don't get me wrong, is a great show.  It's funny, well written, well acted, etc.  But it never really caught my attention in a "I must watch every single episode of this show and tell everyone how much I love it" kind of way.  Steve Carrell is a wonderful actor, and Michael Scott is a great character for him, but there has always been, for me, too much of that "oh my god I can't watch this train wreck" stupidity with the show, mostly with Michael.  At least for me to want to watch week in and week out.  So, when Parks & Rec started I resisted because I wasn't interested in that type of show.  But it is so not like that.  Yes, it uses the same mockumentary style (like both the Office and Modern Family), and the characters all work together, but that is where I think the comparisons stop.  While the crew at Parks & Rec is dysfunctional and incompetent at times (okay, a lot), there is never that feeling that they won't be able to overcome the obstacle, or that there won't be a heartfelt attempt.  Even when they don't care about the task at hand, they care about each other (or one person in particular) to make it work.  But if you (like my mom) assume you will not like this show because you don't like the Office, well, give it a chance.
4) Brilliant ensemble.  I'll highlight some individuals later, but this is definitely a show that relies on every member of the cast contributing each and every week.  If you picked up any one of these characters on their own, I'm not convinced they would work.  But put them together, and it's near perfection.  Aziz Ansari's wannabe Tom Haverford is beyond annoying, but it works because everyone else laughs at him.  Chris Pratt's stupid but adorable and sincere Andy is too dumb to believe, but you fall in love with him right along with... um... everyone else.  And Nick Offerman's government hating Ron Swanson and Amy Poehler's government loving Leslie Knope need each other, and so does the Parks Department (if only people with opposing views worked so well together in Congress) 
3) Adam Scott, i.e. the addition of.  I have to be perfectly honest, I have a huge crush on Adam Scott, and an even bigger crush on Ben Wyatt.  I don't know where it came from exactly.  Perhaps the first part of that one Veronica Mars episode where he was the teacher that everyone loved but was then accused of having an affair with a student, and I just tuned out the end where he did actually have an affair with a student.  Regardless of where it started, it was definitely increased by the brilliant Party Down (which you should watch immediately if you haven't, but that's another blog entry all together).  He is the perfect cute nerd (if he played Nate Silver in a movie I would see that movie many, many times), and just avoids being a hipster.  I loved the first two seasons of Parks of Rec, but when they added the character of nerdy, former teenage mayor turned government wonk Ben Wyatt, they hit a whole new level of excellence.  No offense to Paul Schneider, who did a fine job in the first two seasons, but with the addition of Ben (and to a lesser degree Rob Lowe's overwhelmingly optimistic Chris Traeger), I barely remember Mark Brandanawicz.  And again, I loved the first two seasons.  They were awesome.  It's just that Ben is there now, and he makes it more awesome.
2) Ron & April.  These two together are hilarious.  The way that the writers and these actors have developed this father/daughter-like relationship for the head of Parks & Rec and his now-assistant is comedic gold.  Every time they have a scene together, I know I'm going to laugh.  Plus, their negative attitude are what make it possible for me to unapologetically love....
1) Leslie Knope - Like I said, this is an amazing ensemble, but there is only reason this rag tag group of government employees can pull it together, and it is the one and only Leslie Knope.  She's crazy and energetic to the point of annoyance, but her ambitious is contagious and she's just the type of unyielding person you wish would work in your local government.  Her co-workers (except Ben & Chris) find her enthusiasm to be draining, if not horribly annoying, but like the audience, they can't help but root for her.  When the shit hits the fan, they are all there to chip in and make sure that things get done for Leslie.  Even if they don't care about the project or whatever is happening.  They do it because Leslie is a genuinely good person who takes care of everyone else around her. She loves her job, her friends, waffles, and most importantly, the town of Pawnee.  So much that it makes you kind of love the town of Pawnee too.


This is why I've resisted writing this, even though I love this show week in and week out.  When I get down to it, it sounds so sappy and that is not the show at all.  People far more cynical than I am love this show.  I mean, just watch a few minutes of any scene with Ron Swanson (especially if there is a Tammy involved), and you'll see what I mean. 


Basically, I just love this show as much as Leslie loves waffles.  And you should watch so you understand how much that is.