Dexter, Veronica Mars and their Friends discuss the Big Bang Theory in the West Wing: TV Part 2

Last time on "It doesn't take much..." our fearless writer opened up about her addictions and we were left wondering such poignant questions as, "Will our heroine be able to convince us that her television addiction is acceptable?" "Will she turn her readers onto a new television show?" "Will she have time to fit another show into her tightly packed television schedule?" "Will she be able to complete a three-part blog series without losing interest?" and most importantly "When will we know more?"



The time is now, readers - all three of you! So today I give you a more detailed listing, explanation, if you will, of why I am so enamored with the sweet sixteen + one. 



24 - As previously mentioned, this is the show that really shifted my consumption of television from that of casual viewer to obsessive freak. The show's premise was just so inventive: let's look at the day in the life of Jack Bauer. But, let's really look at it. As in every minute of his life. True, we're not totally focusing just on Jack, we're looking at the events that surround his life, but still. Each episode is an hour of the day? Brilliant. Okay - granted each episode is actually about 42 minutes long - with four minutes passing for commercial breaks, and two minute bookends at the beginning and end of each episode for previously and next on segments. Here we are, about to start season 8, and even I'll admit that I have to suspend reality for the show. Sure, how bad can one guy's life get, and how convenient it is that things seem to wrap up so nicely for Jack, and how is it possible for someone his age to go 24 hours without sleeping, eating or checking twitter? That's not the point of 24, though. The point is that Jack Bauer is a bad ass and the government is out to get you. Boiled down, I love this show because you never can really tell what's going to happen in 24 hours - and that's universal. And I love Jack's quirks, from the whispering or yelling of "Damn it!" at least three times per episode to his acceptance of his ridiculous daughters to his man purse. I don't care if it was the longest day of your life, Jack Bauer. You rocked it!



Dexter - Let me just say that I am not a fan of blood and gore on television - at least the realistic kind. You can give me the Black Knight with blood shooting out of his arm all day, but show me someone slicing open some skin, and I'll cringe. So, when I first heard about this fancy new show "Dexter" I was a little cautious about diving in. The premise was pretty kick ass - a serial killer who only kills the bad guys. Not new, but not overdone. I was especially enticed by the idea that his serial killing ways helped out in his job - talk about efficiency. I had no idea how amazing the show would turn out. Dexter hooks you from the opening sequence, which deserves recognition for its ability to make a morning routine feel creepy. Michael C. Hall is so exactly Dexter Morgan and I have a soft spot in my heart for his sister Deb who is amazingly inviting and intuitive - especially in the later seasons. The other thing that impresses me so much about Dexter is its ability to keep the character moving in a natural progression. It easily could have fallen into the pattern of a kill a week - and it probably still would have been amazing - but it manages to keep the characters moving and acting in completely logical and human ways. Seann called it eye candy for the sadist and I can't imagine a better description - or one more telling. It's so amazing, that it's almost sensual. And taboo - and who doesn't love that?


Friends - Could I SAY more about this show? Well, I will, obviously, but this show...I mean...this show?! When I say that television is social for me, this is the show I have in mind. This show was the first addiction I had, the first show I started to quote.  I know this show in and out and back and forth and I can probably tell you Season, Disc and Episode number of any Friends situation you could bring to the table. It's funny, because in thinking about it, this show brought me closer to every roommate that I've ever had. I, of course, give all the credit or assign all the blame for this show to Betsy - my freshman year roommate who brought season seven with her when she came back to DePauw for Winter Term. And then I bought season eight. And then season nine. And then somehow I ended up owning all ten seasons. Then, Friends brought me closer to the two best people I know, the musketeer one and musketeer two to my musketeer three. But why stop there? Friends became the release that helped me get through THE shaping experience of my DePauw career. And when I went to DC, Jackie and I would spend days watching seasons of Friends. And one of my favorite memories of being in DC was in that last day where all we did was lounge around and sift through season nine. I know my brain works in this weird way. I know it absorbs knowledge and has it ready for regurgitation, but I don't have any way of knowing when that started. If you made me bet, though, I'd bet it started in Longden 106 some day in January 2006 when I was watching Rachel and Chandler eat cheesecake off the floor, or Ross teach Ben about the holiday armadillo, or maybe even watching Ross and Joey get comfortable as nap buddies. Plus - how can you say no to a show that promises companionship right there in the title?


Heroes - Surprised to find this one on the list? Well, me too, kind of. But there's something about this show that I love. I think it's the social aspect of it, really. But before we get there, let's talk about the show itself. It's not the most...complex of show ideas, super powers are commonplace any more. But anyone who loved that first season of Heroes can tell you that there was something different about this show - and that was nestled with how well EVERYTHING tied together. Talk about a tapestry of characters, places and events. It was seamless. Bennett - good or bad? Sylar - how bad? Claire - actually not annoying. Season one - well it was the shit. And then...well and then they got signed on to make a second season - and everyone panicked. Suddenly we have new characters every where. And then there was the darkest time of our lives - the Writer's Strike - and that just killed the second season. But Heroes, much like our economy, is something that I will not give up on. Sure - there was a slump - but season three was fun to watch - due in part to the presence of K-Bell - and it set up a season four that has me hooked.  Plus, so far, season four is serving up episode after episode with Sylar and Bennett - appealing to my love of the bad guy and the workaholic. As mentioned, though, so much of my love of this show comes from the discussions that result. People care about this show, and they think through how to make it better. And sure, the writers aren't listening to , or at least aren't acting on, suggestions, but that doesn't matter. If you keep pumping out Heroes episodes, I will keep watching them...as long as you keep Sylar...and Mmmmhinder...I mean Mohinder. 


How I Met Your Mother - For the longest time, I was in a sitcom rut. I had exhausted Friends and Scrubs and I can't consider The Office a sitcom because it's in a league of its own - as you will read a few lines down. But then, after being pushed and prodded and teased with clips of this show, I decided to give it a chance. Cut to a week and a half later I was speaking the brilliane of Barney Stinson, lovingly mocking Ted and mad crushing on Marshall and Lily's near perfect relationship. Keep in mind, that WAS the week and a half where I was without the internet, but still. It was that good. I like to think of HIMYM (see it's even got a great abbreviation, something that everyone should love!) as a combination of Scrubs and Family Guy and Friends - it thrives on the cast's chemistry and its gags come from unrelated flashbacks and montages. But it works. And, conceptually, it's managed to keep us wondering who ends up with Ted, narrated brilliantly by Bob Saget, without getting annoying. I don't care if we NEVER meet Ted's woman because that's not the reason to love the show. It's just so...well-balanced with its story lines. It has great one-liners and situations, but the writers do an excellent job of spreading the good throughout all of the characters. Every single one of them has a place in the show without feeling like a minor character. I think that takes some skill. And I think that HIMYM also makes this list because it is really the Friends of my adult life - helping to really ease into my place as a member of the conversion team, as the show is beloved by us all. And for good reason. It's a show worth suiting up for. Or suiting down for, if you want to go the way of the Naked Man - which actually gives you good odds, since it works two out of three times...guaranteed.  

The Office - You know, Abraham Lincoln once said 'If you are a racist, I will attack you with the north.' And Courtney Hime once said 'If you are my friend, I will attack you with The Office.' Be ready to be overwhelmed with my love for this show. It's not just one thing - believe me, I've tried to pinpoint it. It's a combination of the office environment, the impossible but perfect love story between Jim and Pam, the absurdity that is Dwight K. Schrute and the complete and total clueless nature of one Michael Gary Scott. This show really deserves its own blog entry because I think everyone who knows me can agree that I have poisoned their brains with this show. It's something that I think everyone who knows me associates with me. But really, credit goes to my mother who said "Watch this. It's awesome." And I watched - I watched Jim and Pam sneak out of the office and buy 69 'Cup of Noodles' for Kevin who's impending medical diagnosis was keeping Michael from enjoying his birthday. And then I fell in love. Who wouldn't? My mom says that it takes at least three episodes to love this show, but I loved it in one. The show isn't perfect. It makes you suspend your concept of reality because there is no way that any camera crew would follow these people around for six years. And there's no way that someone as inept as Michael would be in charge of an entire branch. And there is probably no way that anyone as perfect as Jim Halpert exists in this world. But despite its absurdities and lack of reasoning behind why this documentary of an office in Scranton, PA would be the focus of a camera crew, despite it all, it is a show that so captured my life in an office - even as an intern - and my life as a human - even one without the charm and grace of Pam. It's one of those shows that said "Your life will be great - even if you end up in an office." And from then on out, I kind of really did just want to end up in an office. And so, I know I have stumbled through this explanation of my love for this show. But it's okay, because now you know. And I just needed you to know, once. 

Scrubs - I did not want to love this show. I resisted for a very long time because the idea of a medical show just made my stomach a little queasy. And I didn't have an overwhelming love of Zach Braff or any of the characters, really. From what I could tell, there wasn't something that I could easily see to jump into and latch onto. And everyone loved it - and I wanted to resist. Wow was I an idiot! First of all - there really isn't anything overly medical or dramatic about the show - which were the reasons I so shied away from medical shows. But Scrubs, was really just a group of friends that dropped down into a hospital and went crazy. In fact, the show is pretty much based entirely of ridiculousness - and it works. Every flashback and daydream is perfect and a slice of what people do to get by in a place that can be so surrounded with sadness. The show, however, is not totally about J.D. It's an ensemble cast and the writers and actors have constructed a group of characters that are so quirky that you can't imagine that they exist, but if they did, they would totally all be working in this hospital. I hate hospitals, but I would fake illness to be a patient at Sacred Hospital - even Munchhausen's Syndrome. 

...to be continued...