Treat Yourself with Television!

I love television. Like, a lot. When I’m not reading, I”m often watching TV. I am fortunate to have many friends who also love TV so it’s become a real community space for me (much in the same way books are). I won’t list all the television shows I love (feel free to chat with me on Twitter if you want to know!) but I do want to mention a few TV shows I’ve watched recently.

Outlander. Oh yes, that famous series by Diana Gabaldon. I watched Outlander this past weekend and I was really, really excited because it’s gotten rave reviews from several people I trust when it comes to TV. So, I was prepared to basically love it. BUT… well, suffice it to say that I did not love it. I did LOVE the scenery. I was really pleased to discover it was actually filmed in Scotland. I didn’t mind looking at the main leads having sex because honestly, attractive people going at it on TV can be both sexy and comical, which it was in this show. I especially liked Claire’s two guards whose names I never quite caught. Overall however, I found the show to be slow moving and dull. Time travel has never been something that excites me overall in books or TV so I am not surprised that it didn’t work for me here. Also, I guess I expected this to be more of a romance focus rather than a focus on the politics and history of the time. I should have known better because I did read some of the reviews for the book before I started watching the show. I’m also not a huge fan of shows with so much rape and sexual assault a part of the onscreen presentation. I realize that unfortunately these are real world issues, both presently and historically, but TV is an escape for me and that often means I just want to pretend, if only for a little while, that these things don’t exist. I know that is silly but that’s how I feel.a

So yes, glad I gave Outlander a try but I don’t think I’ll be picking up the second part of season one when it reaches my library. Honestly, the actor playing Jamie Fraser is not nearly as attractive as the men on my fave show, Teen Wolf, so you know, that’s part of my issue too.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Oh yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this show. In contrast to Outlander’s eight episodes which went by at a molasses pace, Kimmy’s thirteen episodes flew by and I wanted more. Now, this show is far from perfect. It tries to be satirical by examining some issues (being black in America, the American justice system, misogyny) but it does not quite always succeed in satire. Oh yes, I still laughed (I admit it) but the humor definitely could have been refined. That being said, I really like Ellie Kemper (I have since the Office) and I like seeing her in a new show. I don’t quite understand Tina Fey’s obsession with Jane Krakowski (she’s a decent enough actress but I mostly think of her in the orange juice commercials now) so that was a bit of a miss for me. Tituss Burgess is probably the unsung hero in the show. I really enjoyed just about EVERYTHING he did in this show and he had a really great rapport with Kemper. (His tiny doll furniture out on the street?? That had me in stitches). And of course, the random of appearance of all kinds of guest stars made this show great for me too. I know there will be a second season and I hope it’s soon!

Up next: The Musketeers! What are you currently watching?

Tagged: Television