Top ten favorite TV shows.

When I first started thinking about this idea for a post, I wondered if I could even come up with ten TV shows that I loved. As you can see, it wasn't quite as difficult as I thought it would be. :) I guess I watch more TV than I thought (I watch quite a bit of it on DVD instead of actual television, so maybe that's why I was surprised). So here are my top ten favorite shows!

1. I Love Lucy

I don't think any show could ever usurp I Love Lucy's spot as my absolute favorite show. I became a Lucy fan when I was about 14 or 15, and since then I've watched every episode at least five or six times (this show was the first time I collected an entire series on DVD). I love the 50s atmosphere and the relationships between Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred. I love Lucy's craziness, and this is one of the few shows where the episodes still make me laugh, no matter how many times I've seen them. A couple of years ago, I wrote about my favorite episodes. (And that post still gets regular views, which I think is kind of funny...that people Google "best I Love Lucy episodes" and find themselves on my little blog.)

2. Doctor Who

Doctor Who is my favorite modern TV show. If I had grown up loving it, or even just discovered it sooner than last year, it could possibly have the number one spot. :) This is the show that I never really expected to love. I'm not a sci-fi fan. And when I watched the first couple of episodes, all I could think was, This is so weird. (See here.) But then, suddenly I was hooked. I've been slowly rewatching the series again from the beginning as I collect the DVD sets (that scream of terror you just heard was my wallet. Because DW DVDs are ridiculously expensive). I was worried that maybe I just got caught up in everything the first time and that I would be disappointed the second time around. No way. I am more obsessed than ever. :) I'm currently nearly halfway through series three again...Martha Jones is not my favorite companion, but I had forgotten how many good episodes there are in this season! You can find more DW related posts here.

3. The Andy Griffith Show

 

I love that picture. :) Even if you're not a classic TV fan, I don't see how anyone could not like The Andy Griffith Show. It is so wonderful! It's heartfelt and hilarious...the two best aspects of a good show. I've watched Andy Griffith for as long as I can remember, one way or the other: reruns after school, on TV Land at my grandparents', and then on DVD. Southern Virginia is very similar to North Carolina, too, so I can definitely relate to the culture and setting of the show.

 

4. Monk

This is a new favorite, and even though I'm not quite finished with the seasons yet (I'm just starting season 7), I feel safe putting it on this list. It's a quirky detective show...quirky mostly because the detective, Adrian Monk, is OCD and has a lot of phobias. Monk has made me laugh until I cry quite a few times (and just plain cry at other times). I wrote more about it just last month.

5. Sherlock

 

Sherlock is another new favorite that I just found this year (and like Monk, it's a detective show, of course). I don't know what took me so long to start watching it! I feel a bit strange about listing it on here, because is it an actual TV show since there are only like six episodes so far? Anyway, I can't wait for January! PBS/BBC will definitely help get rid of the after-Christmas blues, that's for sure. :) I wrote more about the show here.

6. The Dick Van Dyke Show

 

I have to admit that when I first started watching The Dick Van Dyke Show, I wasn't too sure about it. I guess I kept comparing it to I Love Lucy, and they are so different. Especially when it comes to the style of humor. But the show grew on me quickly! It really is one of the most classy and timeless old TV shows. {Once again, I wrote about it a couple of years ago.}

7. Full House

 

Go ahead and laugh if you must. I'm only the tiniest bit embarrassed about loving this show. :) I know it's cheesy and pretty awful at times, but I grew up watching it and I just love it. I feel like I know the characters and everything about it feels so familiar and nostalgic to me. I love it for its cheesiness and complete 90s-ness.

8. Boy Meets World

 

Another classic 90s show. :) I remember my parents watching this when I was younger, but I don't really remember watching it much myself. But when we went on vacation to the Florida Keys a couple of years ago, I caught a couple of reruns on TV and decided to watch the show through Netflix. I ended up really loving it, and I've watched the entire series through a couple of times now. The show was a lot more hilarious than I expected it to be...especially Eric. Oh my goodness, Eric and his Feeny call and his complete ignorance. He is hilarious. I love all of the other characters, too. 

9. Lark Rise to Candleford

 

Again, I'm not sure whether this is technically a mini-series or an actual show...but it came on TV so I'm including it. This is just classic BBC period drama, and it is lovely. I even got my parents hooked on it. I wrote more about it here. By the way, I'm also lumping some other BBC shows here at number nine, like Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife. I can't quite pick a favorite, so I'll just include them all. :)

10. Gilmore Girls

 

If I could live in one real-life fictional place (does that make sense? I mean, like a realistic place instead of Narnia or somewhere like that), it would probably be Stars Hollow, the setting of Gilmore Girls. It is seriously the perfect small town, full of quirky characters...everyone knows each other and they're always having these great town festivals and there are big, old, lovely houses everywhere. But with this show, I love a lot more than Stars Hollow. There are so many characters, and they're all awesome. But Kirk is my absolute favorite, and he always will be. He just cracks me up and I love how he has basically every job in the town. I love all of the witty, rapid-fire banter in the show's dialogue and the clever pop culture references. The only reason this show isn't higher on this list is because it usually isn't very clean. There's a lot of (mild) language and some inappropriate content, and the two main characters make some very unwise decisions throughout the seasons. But other than that, I love it. (I sometimes use the language blocker on my DVD player for this show, but it's hard to adjust and it usually even blocks things like "stupid" or "shut up," which causes problem in understanding dialogue. :)

 

So...you've had my list. Now I'd love to hear what your favorite TV shows are!