May 19, 2017

What are you watching now...What did you watch back then....

When I was a child, I was hooked on certain TV shows....Little House on The Prairie, Eight Is Enough, Family. Little House was without a doubt, my favorite. I had devoured the books and adored the TV show. Even today, the opening credits and music makes me all warm and fuzzy. The tight family unit, Pa Ingalls's integrity and Ma Ingalls's steadfastness always worked its magic.






As I got older I changed to Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon's Crest (or anything else my parents thought was unsuitable for a teenager) I loved the glamor of Dynasty, the contrasting badness and goodness of JR & Bobby Ewing in Dallas, and just adored the twisting and turning relationships in Falcon's Crest (And I had a major crush on William R Moses, who played one of the sons) so, his tumultuous relationship with Melissa always had me hooked. Looking back, I can now see how this good guy (in contrast to some of the other characters) always was at odds with other characters, because he had a strict moral code, but also the pressures of doing what his family expected. So, in a way, Cole Gioberti was one of the first heroic archetypes I was drawn to, and certainly the kind of hero I write today. Here's a quick snippet -


Nowadays, I don't watch a lot of TV. Mostly movies, but I do try and watch reruns of the Mentalist and my favorite show, Game Of Thrones. When I think about why, I'm a touch confused. The first time I tried watching GOT, I failed after the first episode...too much violence and gore. But my husband urged me to persist, and I did...and six odd seasons later, I am absolutely hooked. I think it's because I can clearly seen the defining character types...pure good V pure evil. (A throw back to my old JR V Bobby Ewing days, maybe)

And Of course, Game Of Thrones has Jon Snow...the guy who believed he was never meant for glory...the illegitimate son of a nobleman, destined for a life guarding a great big wall of ice. And of course in true hero fashion, he defies the odds and becomes the man he was destined to be. I love Jon Snow's character - torn, conflicted, loyal, arrogant, honest....you get the picture...the stuff of great heroes!

Warning - the following clip has some swords and violence.






Here's a few other shows I give an honorable mention -

- Grace & Frankie
- This Is Us
- Chicago Fire
- Big Bang Theory


So, what are watching? Do you like the same type of TV/Movies as you did when you were younger? Do you prefer crime, drama, comedy?





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12 comments:

  1. Apparently I haven't changed much.
    Used to enjoy Hart to Hart and Remington Steele; now enjoy NCIS and NCIS-New Orleans.
    Used to enjoy Match Game; and STILL enjoy watching the latest version of Match Game.
    Loved Password as a kid; can catch little skits on Jimmy Fallon occasionally when they play it, especially if Betty White is a guest (although I enjoy watching her play Beer Pong with Jimmy just as much, LOL).
    One change is that I didn't enjoy SNL as a teen, but now I really do; I think that's because I get their jokes now, especially the political ones (and I'm truly enjoying Alec Baldwin appearing often).

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    1. Hi Laney - Hart to Hart...yes, loved it. The eighties had a strong of cool shows, like that one and Moonlighting, Scarecrow and Mrs King :)

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  2. We only had 1 TV station where I grew up, Helen so I only ever saw Little House when we would go to the Big Smoke and visit my grandmother. But I loved it :-)
    Saw bits and pieces of Dallas/Dynasty/FC over the years but nothing regular and I've only seen 3 season of GOT and I have to admit, there are just some storylines in that show I can't even bear to watch so I'll probably not be sad if I dont ever watch the last 3 seasons. Jon Snow is maybe the only reason why I might persist. One of my fav things to say to people is "You know nothing Jon Snow" :-)

    I dont think my TV tastes have changed much since I was younger. Always like a good cop/hosiptial/lawyer show. I was addicted to LA Law in the 80's :-) Anything that has a variety of romantic entanglements can usually hold my interest. Shows where personal lives of characters aren't exploired dont tend to keep me for too long. Totally loving This Is Us. And have particularly loved Gilmore Girls, Six Feet Under, Brothers and Sisters, Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy and Good Wife over the years.

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    1. Hi AA - yes, that's how I felt about GOT when I first watched, but the characters are so diverse I am loving it now. I also love The Walking Dead...so maybe I am not the home and heart romantic I thought I was :)

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  3. Helen, I adored Little House on the Prairie, read all the books too. I haven't seen This Is Us, it looks fantastic in the trailers. Must catch up on the one, and also Big Little Lies. I do have one old faithful TV show that I have watched for years and years and years and still enjoy - Law & Order SVU. They still keep it fresh with the "torn from the headlines" plots. If they ever get rid of the Olivia Benson character I might stop but that doesn't seem likely at the moment. I could not stomach the violence in GOT, so have missed out on what so many people say is outstanding drama.

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    1. Hi Kandy - I love Olivia Benson, she'd got loads of gumption! And GOT, yes, it's violent, but now I'm into season six, I think I've just become sensitized to that and just watch for the storyline and characters (maybe that's not ideal :))

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  4. Fab post, Helen! I'm trying to think how my tastes/viewing choices have changed over the years, but I suspect the changes are mostly due to choice and variety. Back in the early years, there was not a lot of choice and we kind of watched what was available. I must say I had a soft spot for Bonanza and Little House and anything vaguely western or with horses and cowboys. I still love both!

    My viewing, with choice, has become eclectic and mood-driven. I can become in engrossed in anything from OTT soap opera dramatics (Dallas, Gossip Girl, Revenge, Desperate Housewives) to panel/quiz-type comedy (QI, Spicks and Specks, Hard Quiz) to cozy crime (Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders) to quirkier different crime drama (River, anything Nordic.)

    And I do love a quality mini-series, such as Big Little Lies, True Detective, anything with top acting and a grab-me storyline.

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    1. Hi Bronwyn - what a fab list! I haven't tried Big Little Lies because I'm not a real Nicole fan, but I've had a few recommendations so I should probably give it a go :)

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  5. I liked Moonlighting and Remington Steele, but in the 80's and early 90's I was working the 3pm-11pm shifts as a nurse and rarely watched much TV beyond what my little ones watched. Now that I am retired, I like Grey's Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory, Doc Martin and Offspring. I also like Househunters International and watch some cooking shows when I am bored (not that I cook like they do!)

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    1. Hi Laurie - ah, Remington Steele...how cool was Pierce in that show. Love Moonlighting too. :)

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  6. Hi Helen

    These days I don't watch much TV at all although I did growing up and yes loved Little House on the Prairie as I grew I loved all the Cop shows as well as Quincey MD Murder She Wrote those types of shows I have never watched any episodes of GOT and won't :) these days I read :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Hi Helen - Quincy! Yes, awesome show. I was a bit of a Rockford Files fan as a kid too... Maybe because my mother used to crush on James Garner. :)

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