Television Loves

A little reprieve from moody posts. I suppose having some angst in my life always makes it easier for me to write. Despite my ongoing hatred of Time Warner Cable, the husband and I are hopelessly hooked on cable television. I'm not saying that TV is all that we do- in fact we read a lot of books and do a lot of fun things- but we do enjoy a good show. Here are my recent favorites and some critiques:

• The Walking Dead: If you love zombie movies, you will love this show. If you are like me and hate zombie movies, you will probably still love this show. It is highly entertaining, great acting, and interesting take on post-zombie apocalypse life. Yes, there are gory, creepy zombies, but what really keeps you glued are the interactions between the survivors and the slow unraveling of the humanity and morality that the characters thought they had. The downside is you will need wind-down time before going to bed because your adrenaline will be off the charts.
• Boardwalk Empire: This has been a solidly and beautifully written and directed series based on the gangsters in Atlantic City (and other major cities) during the prohibition era. Steve Buschemi is brilliant, as are many of the support cast and characters. An added plus: awesome costuming and incorporation of real historical characters. Unlike a lot of series, Boardwalk has managed to stay consistently strong through the seasons. 
• Girls: I don't care what critics might say about this show, but I think Lena Dunham is remarkable. As her character proclaims to her parents in the pilot episode, Lena Dunham is "a voice of a generation." Girls is funny, poignant, brave, and smart. The characters are flawed but lovable, and the actors are beautiful, but not in the sense that they are remarkably fit, thin, or have faces built for modeling. 
• Downton Abbey: Who would have thought that a series about British aristocracy in the World War I era could be so captivating? Though there are a few characters and bits of plot that I could do without, this show has a great cast of characters and really is a fascinating portrayal of the decline of class system. I'm enjoying the tongue in cheek British humor quite a lot. 
• The Mindy Project: I love Mindy Kaling. She is a funny woman. In her show, she's a OB/GYN, which her late mother was in real life, who is great at her job but struggling a little with life. If you enjoyed Kelly Kapoor humor in The Office, you'll enjoy this show. I just love seeing an Asian American woman doing comedy! And being the star of a show!