My 10 All Time Favorite TV Shows

What are your favorite TV shows - past, present, comedy, drama?  What shows will you always stop to see if you spot them as an unexpected rerun?

My list is more or less chronological, but the first show happens to also be my all-time favorite.  I love I Love Lucy.  When I was a little girl, I watched this in reruns with my mother, who also loves the show.  Lucille Ball was such a gifted comedienne, and the cast is absolutely perfect.  I love everything about this show.  As well as being so funny and so well written, the 1950's NYC period details are fabulous!

If I had to spend a month in a TV show, it would be The Andy Griffith Show.  There is something so sweet and appealing about Mayberry.  I love the Taylor family with Andy, Opie, and Aunt Bee.  Barney Fife is one of my all time favorite tv characters (I even named my late, beloved dachshund after him!).

The Dick Van Dyke Show is another show that so perfectly captures a time and place.  From early 1960's suburbia to work as comedy writers on a sketch comedy show ... what a fun show!  Rob and Laura Petrie (Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore) are my favorite TV couple. 

The Brady Bunch is the ultimate show of my childhood.  I grew up with this show.  The house, the clothes, school life, friends all remind me so much of my childhood.  This is tv "comfort food" for me.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a great favorite in my family.  My parents loved all the MTM produced shows, so I have happy memories of watching these with my family when I was growing up.  I think Mary Richards was a great role model as a single career woman ... but this whole cast was perfect.  I love the newsroom scenes and also Mary's interactions at home with friends Rhoda and Phyllis.

The Bob Newhart Show was my father's favorite show.  It is such a smartly written show, and another great cast.  Bob and Emily Hartley (Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette) are another of my favorite TV couples.  The juxtaposition of Bob's work life as a psychiatrist and his home life is also fun, with another strong cast.

Rhoda was one of my favorite shows as a young teenager.  I remember thinking that Rhoda's life as a NYC window dresser was very exciting ... and of course there was also her romance with handsome Joe Girard.  I also loved her family.  (Any scene with Nancy Walker is great.)

I was young to watch Upstairs Downstairs, but I watched it anyway!  It was my first period piece drama, my first Masterpiece Theatre obsession, and I love it to this day.  As a young girl I remember looking for books inspired by the show and reading about Edwardian England.  It really captured my imagination.

The Vicar of Dibley is my favorite Britcom.  I did not see it in first run, but my best friend gave me the series on DVD because he said it was the ultimate "Trish show."  He was absolutely right.  Dawn French plays a vicar in a small town in England.  The tone of the show is gentle and heartwarming (with occasional earthiness).  I love the way Geraldine Granger (played by Dawn French) is written, as a character of faith, kindness, and good humor.  This show was created by Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary). 

If you read my blog often, you will know that Downton Abbey is my favorite current show.  (I recap it weekly on the blog.) It reminds me a lot of Upstairs Downstairs.  I love everything about this show - life upstairs, life downstairs, the relationships, the social mores, the costumes and sets.  It is absolute perfection!

And a few runner up shows!

It was hard to make a list of just 10 shows.  The following shows just barely missed the list:

That Girl - I loved the story of a single woman pursuing an acting career in NYC in the 1960's.  Donald Hollinger (played by Ted Bessell) is my favorite tv boyfriend ever - handsome, smart, and funny!

Columbo - Columbo (Peter Falk) is my favorite detective, with his rumpled raincoat, Basset Hound, and VW Beetle.  A TV world with Columbo solving mysteries is a very good place.

Felicity - Felicity's college years in the 1990's remind me so much of my life in the 1980's.  I related to Felicity's romances, friendships, and debate about career (in her case, art vs. medicine).  This is my favorite J.J. Abrams show.

Veronica Mars - Veronica Mars is a modern day Nancy Drew meets young adult fiction.  I loved the mysteries, her relationship with her father (who is a detective), the high school, the little town of Neptune ...

Sex and the City - I go back and forth on this show.  I absolutely loved the stories of friendship and romance.  However, I was not a fan of the consumerism presented in this show.  (I have never waxed rhapsodic over designer shoes!)

So there you have it ... my list of favorites, plus a few runner ups.   What are YOUR favorite tv shows?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Here Comes the Sun" (The Beatles)

Happy Music Monday!  How I've missed sharing favorite songs here.  This week because it's Spring and because I love the Beatles, I'm sharing "Here Comes the Sun."  This song was written by George Harrison, and released in 1969 on Abbey Road.  How can you not feel happy when you hear these lines: 

"Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right"

Book Spotlight, Author Interview, & Giveaway: Killer Getaway by Amy Korman

Killer Getaway: (Killer Wasps Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
• Publisher: Witness Impulse (March 10, 2015)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
• 195 Pages
• ASIN: B00L1AAFCG

Description: Spunky crime-lite and the glitterati detail of a society column combine to shake up the Florida in KILLER GETAWAY, from former Philadelphia Magazine senior editor Amy Korman.

With a storm brewing in Bryn Mawr, PA, the Killer WASPs head south to Palm Beach, FL. And what could be better than fabulous friends, Lilly Pulitzer beachwear, frozen cocktails, and high society drama?

Kristin Clark, and her basset hound, Waffles, are ready to escape the doldrums of winter to bask in the warm Florida sun and dine at her friends’ new restaurant, Vicino. But when a rival restaurant undergoes a HGTV makeover and attempts to steal Vicinio’s spotlight and their patrons, the town is abuzz with gossip and Kristin and her friends–Bootsie, a nosy reporter, Holly, a chicken nugget heiress, and Sophie, the soon-to-be ex-wife of a mobster-have parties to attend.

Everything is going swimmingly in the glitz and glamour of Palm Beach until a bad batch of clams threatens to shut down the Vicino and their vacation for good. When it becomes clear that the clams may be more than an innocent mishap, the ladies must unravel the mystery before there are deadly consequences.

Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series!

Interview with Amy Korman
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Growing up, I was inspired by books such as the Nancy Drew series and Agatha Christie mysteries. Then when I discovered hilarious, inventive writers like Carl Hiassen and Sue Grafton, I was hooked! I also spent years as a magazine writer, and had great experiences along the way.

What was your favorite book as a child?
Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh, and the sequel The Long Secret, Harriet's fire-escape-and-dumbwaiter snooping were so awesome. The Killer Getaway character of Bootsie, who's super-nosy, would approve!

What is your writing day like? Do you have any interesting writing quirks?
I like to start early in the morning with a large coffee and try really hard
not to even look at the Today Show, because I love that show so much! My main goal is to get 90 percent of the day's work done while our Basset hound gets his beauty sleep-he naps about 20 hours a day! When he gets up and starts barking for his walk, it's time to step away from the computer.

What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book?
Returning to the characters from Killer WASPs was surprisingly fun, and the characters took on lives of their own. Bootsie especially is on a roll in Killer Getaway-she bribes people, impersonates a lawyer's personal assistant, and breaks into a fancy hotel suite!

Who are your favorite authors?
Agatha Christie, PG Wodehouse, Carl Hiaasen, Sophie Kinsella, and Ann B. Ross, as well as Sue Grafton!

What is your next writing project?
It's the next Killer WASPs mystery, which features Kristin and her friends back in Pennsylvania, where Bootsie's brother Chip finds himself in trouble with the Mafia, and Chef Gianni's back in town with yet another money-making and attention-grabbing scheme in mind.

About This Author

Amy Korman is a former senior editor and staff writer for Philadelphia Magazine, and author of Frommer’s Guide to Philadelphia. She has written for Town & Country, House Beautiful, Men’s Health, and Cosmopolitan. Killer Getaway is her second novel.

Author Link:
http://amykorman.com/

Purchase Link:
Amazon 

Giveaway
Win one of three print copies of Killer Getaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Friday Faves: Spring and Mysteries

Happy Friday!  Happy First Day of Spring!  Welcome back to Friday Faves.

My first fave this week is SPRING.  It's the first day of Spring, and I couldn't be happier about it.

I always think of this silly poem from childhood on the first day of Spring:

Spring is sprung, the grass is ris.
I wonders where the birdies is.
They say the birds is on the wing.
Ain't that absurd?
I always thought the wing was on the bird.  (Anonymous)

My other fave this week is the Cormoran Strike mysteries by Robert Galbraith (a/k/a J.K. Rowling).  I read The Cuckoo's Calling last year for my book discussion group, and we just discussed The Silkworm last week.  I was a huge Harry Potter fan, so I assumed I would enjoy these mysteries too.  I was absolutely right about that.  They are wonderful classic detective novels.  They are set in London.  The protagonist is an Army vet named Cormoran Strike.  He is tough, kind hearted, and very smart.  He is assisted by a clever, pretty young woman named Robin who wants to become a detective as well.  The first book, The Cuckoo's Calling, involves the mysterious suicide of a supermodel.  The second book, The Silkworm, is about a troubled and difficult fiction writer who goes missing.  The Silkworm had more violent imagery than I like, but I would still recommend it based on the great characters of Cormoran and Robin, and the wonderful writing by Galbraith/Rowling.   I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series, and I would love to see these made into a series for PBS Mystery!  If you've read these books, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, below.

That's it for this week, but I wanted to wish you a happy first day of Spring!  I hope you have a great weekend. 



 

Throwback Thursday: Brach's Pick-A-Mix Candy

Do you remember Brach's Pick-A-Mix candy displays at the grocery store?  I loved these as a little girl.   Here's an ad, probably early 1970's vintage:

You got a little paper bag, like the one in the ad, and filled it with an assortment of your favorite candies.  It was weighed at the checkout.

My favorite of the Brach's candies were the Nougats.  I haven't had these in years!

I also really liked the Neapolitan candies.  They reminded me of my favorite three stripe coconut candy bars.

My Mom or Dad must have liked these Royals, because we always had some of these in the Brach's bag.

Do you remember these Brach's assorted candies?  Which ones were your favorites?