Happy Hour - My Favorite TV Shows

In No Particular Order

1. Married With Children
   In an age where political correctness was really gaining steam, one show spat in the face of all that crap, and was genuinely hilarious in the process: Married With Children is one of the most gut bursting funny shows of all time, and Al Bundy is such a sad sack that no matter how crummy my life was back in the '90s, he always made me feel better since his life was worse. My girlfriend bought me all of the seasons on DVD, and it was one of the greatest gifts she ever got me.
   
2. The Simpsons
   This show has had one hell of a run. Unfortunately, as much as I was once into it, I eventually lost interest after over 20 years of religious devotion after it became too far left leaning. It is sad because I can quote lines from that show ad infinitum, and especially loved the Halloween episodes, but it just became too liberal.
   
3. South Park
   Trey Parker and Matt Stone recently came out as Republicans, but one could have guessed that long ago because the show has always poked fun at all the right people. Whether it was environmentalists, Al Gore, or just hippies in general, South Park has always cracked me up by ripping on the left. These guys are as brave as they are brilliant.
   
4. Community
   Dan Harmon, who is the brains behind Community, did an incredible job creating a show so good that as soon as I am finished binge watching it I want to immediately start all over again. The jokes come fast and furious so be sure to put the subtitles on and pay close attention. One of the greatest things about the show besides the amazing chemistry of the cast is the fact that it does not talk down to the audience. It is up to the viewer, in other words, to get the joke, and if you fail to then too bad because we are already moving on to the next one. Also, whoever was responsible for casting should have gotten an Emmy because I do not think I have ever seen a better mix of actors whose chemistry was palatable through the TV screen straight to my couch.
   
5. Roseanne
   The first few seasons were really great because it was simply about a midwestern lower class family, and they were realistic. To say that the show was funny is to be obvious. What made it great was the chemistry (there's that word again) between Roseanne, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sarah Gilbert as Darlene who may be my favorite child actor of all time. Eventually the show just became too shrill, liberal, and anti-male. The new incarnation was awesome with the pro-Trump stuff, the drowning of the Millennial brat, and the Muslim neighbors, but that came to a screeching halt. Too bad, the ratings were catastrophic.
   
6. Family Ties
   Now, this show has always been near and dear to my heart. Even Millennials will admit that the one great thing about entertainment in the '80s was that it had heart. Of course, it all revolves around Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton. Any episode not centered around him would be skipped by me. I tuned in for Alex, and no one could utter a sassy insult or sarcastic slur better than my boy APK. I remember the hour long special about his friend's death where there were no commercial interruptions for the first half; it was live. That was a powerful episode about life and death, the existence of God, and you just do not see that every day on prime time.
   
7. Rick and Morty
   Again we have the genius of Dan Harmon at the wheel along with Justin Roiland who does the voices for Rick and Morty. I love the humor of the show obviously because these guys are Generation Xers just like me so I get them, but this cartoon is also fearless. It is a no holds barred, vulgar, gross, creative, hilarious sci-fi show that is very clever and subtle; you really have to pay attention.
   
8. Futurama
   I have to include this because, even though I don't watch it anymore, there was a time when I was really into it. The characters are great, the writing is funny and imaginative, and it did not get too political (with the exception of XMAS, Al Gore, and Richard Nixon). Fry's dumbness was genuinely funny without being too stupid, Bender was deplorable but not in a crude way, and many episodes not only were deeply thought provoking, but surprisingly emotional too. The first four seasons were gold.
   
9. Curb Your Enthusiasm
   I always thought that this show was funny. I never laughed so hard as when the young man from the Survivor program is arguing with a true Holocaust survivor during the dinner scene. Both men are debating who the true 'survivor' is, and I literally hurt myself laughing when the young man asks, "Did you ever see the show?" and the Jewish man replies, "We had a show too. It was called the HOLOCAUST!" That was one of the funniest moments in TV history for me. Even more remarkable is that Season 10 has been the most humorous one yet! Larry David is a genius.
   
10. The Walking Dead
    Boy, that first season was really great wasn't it? I love zombies, and post apocalyptic movies, so this was right up my alley when it first came out. That scene where Morgan fails to shoot his zombie wife at the same time Rick puts that half zombie woman out of her misery is one of the best things I have ever seen on television. The music makes that scene. The show dragged a bit here and there, but was very compelling most of the time. It has been on nearly 10 years now, and I have all but completely lost interest, but there are few shows that I have been more into.
    

Honorable Mentions:
The Office and Parks and Rec - these are basically the same show. One has a leading man, and the other a leading woman. I do plan to do a separate blog discussing the similarities between these two in the future.

Hannibal and Californication - Hannibal was deliciously done. Everything from the acting to the directing to the cinematography to practical effects was excellent. This show made me a Mads Mikkelsen fan. Californication was debauched, which I normally shy away from, but David Duchovny and the show makers somehow pulled it off. I binge watched this show and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Tales From the Crypt - I have all of the episodes of this fantastic HBO on DVD. I cannot recommend it enough for you horror fans out there.

John Adams - another superb HBO show, and even though it was not 100% accurate that is okay because it had to take certain liberties for the TV format. The cast was perfectly set up, and the execution was unbelievable. I have all of these on DVD as well. You need to watch this one.

New Girl - I was into this show for a brief time because of Prince. Apparently he liked it and co-starred on it. I believe it is still their highest rated show ever. I stopped watching once the homosexual agenda of the show became too much to bear. Gays make up 3% of the country's population, and about 50% of this show's.

Seinfeld - Larry David strikes again. What can I say, this is one of the most successful shows of all time. It is a must watch