BIG BROTHER(Sunday @ 8pm, Tuesday @ 9pm, and Thursday @8pm on CBS) :
Big Brother has dominated my summer since 2000. I have a problem. It's an addiction. It's on three days a week and I still want more. With the amount of strategy that is running through my mind you would think that I was living in the house. Oh how I have tried. I scower the Internet for spoilers because I sometimes cannot wait to find out what happens. Recently, my roommates and I decided that we would get rid of Showtime and save a little money. 
What happens after that? CBS decides to partner with Showtime and show three hours A NIGHT of the live feeds. I could have seen Dick dump tea on Jen. I could see Amber crying endless rivers of tears. I could have seen Zach streak through the backyard. Hmmm...I think I could have missed that one. I won't get into all of my thoughts and feelings on the show in this particular post, but I have a lot to say and you will be hearing a lot of it. You can anticipate many rants of the both positive and negative variety. Usually the positive comes from the negative. For example, I had no love for Jen. I was ready for her to go. Enter Dick. Both him and Daniele are treating her like she is a dog. They don't talk to her with any sort of human decency. They scream curses and insults at her all day. She is handling it with grace and wit. Suddenly I'm a fan of Jen! Yes she was a little too in love with the red unitard, but no one is perfect.
If you are reading this blog and you don't watch Big Brother than heed my words of advice: There aren't too many people who are super likable but they are all instantly watchable. Your heart will go out to Jenn and Kail even though you kind of want to hate them a little bit. Dustin is not all that he is cracked up to be even though he is cute as cute can be. Jameka uttered my favorite line of the entire eight season run,"God is so gangsta. That's why I love him" and Jessica is probably going to win the whole thing. Tune in on Sunday! THE 4400: (Sundays @ 9pm on USA)
This show is in it's fourth season and one of USA's highest rated original programming, but I am the only person I know who watches it. It started out as a mini-series about 4400 missing people but has turned into so much more. As we wind our way through the 4th season, Jordan Collier, with Kyle and Isabelle by his side, is gathering both 4400 and individuals who took the Promicin shot to bring about Utopia on earth. 
Tom and Diana struggle with the government's growing opposition to the 4400 and there growing uncertainty on whether suppressing the 4400 is the way to go. As Tom struggles with the knowledge that it is prophesied that he will take the Promicin shot, Maia's visions cause more and more sympathy for Jordian Collier to stir within her causing conflict in Diana, who is playing the role of mother and NTAC agent.
Through all of this, Shawn continues on his journey to political prominence as a means of bridging the ever widening gap between the 4400 and the rest of the world. How can you NOT be watching this show? I wouldn't suggest starting this show in the middle of the fourth season. That doesn't mean don't watch. That means go out and get the first three seasons on DVD!
ARMY WIVES(Sundays at 10pm on Lifetime):
Need I really say more then it stars the uber-talented Kim Delaney and Catherine Bell?? I shouldn't have to, but I realize that not everyone follows the world of television with the voracity that I do. Army Wives is a product of Lifetime Original Programming. I have tried to watch many of the shows that were produced for this channel. I would tune into Strong Medicine and Any Day Now from time to time, but they hadn't been able to create a show that I was willing to fully commit to. Until Army Wives. It has all the elements of soap opera that I love without being too melodramatic. The characters are grounded in reality and ever so relatable. Plus, it shows all sides of things. Just because it is a show that takes place on a military base doesn't mean it shows only one side of life in the military. There are a lot of layers to this show and it's characters and thankfully there are many viewers out there who agree. Lifetime has already ordered a second season. The first season is still running and I'm already sad about having to wait for Season 2. 
For me the standout performer in this show is Sally Pressman. She plays Roxy LeBlanc the newest army wife. Down on her luck with two kids from two fathers, she met Trevor LeBlanc and their whirlwind romance led to marriage and a whole new life for Roxy. Sally Pressman exudes what could have been a one note character with warmth and depth that make you want to root for her. She charmed me the moment she came on screen.
TOP CHEF(Wednesday @ 10PM on Bravo)
The simple truth is that I am a sucker for a reality show which contestants are eliminated in. I love the rooting value of it all. Normally, I prefer the shows in which the other contestants vote each other off, but in the case of Top Chef the judges are as interesting as the contestants. Tom and Padma are by far my favorite part of the show, particularly this season.
The only complaint that I would lobby at this show is that I don't love any of the contestants. They are certainly entertaining, but I'm not rooting for one of them to win over the other. I love to latch onto a favorite and watch with bated breath each week hoping that they make the cut, but that hasn't happened yet. I still feel the suspense of each elimination, but it's lacking that personal touch. I'm hungry after every episode though so they must be doing something right.Degrassi: The Next Generation(Friday @8pm on the N)
I discovered this show by accident. My roommate was flipping through the channels four years ago and discovered the adventures of Emma, Manny, Sean, Paige, Marco, and all of their friends. My only complaint would be the half hour format. Why? This show is ripe for the one hour drama treatment. Sometimes the stories wrap up a little too quickly, sometimes characters disappear for too long while others are isolated in their own island stories, and sometimes there is a distinct lack of continuity to this show but you know what? I don't care. These characters are so wonderfully written that I am enthralled with their trials and tribulations. The tortured love affair of Paige and Alex is my favorite story of the moment, but anything that Manny does is insanely watchable to me. I'm a little bit over Sean and Emma, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know what happens to them. If I could change Degrassi at all I would make the episodes longer and the hiatuses shorter!Jericho(Friday @ 9PM on CBS)
I'm going to admit something to all of you. I broke my own rule. When Jericho first premiered I loved it! Week to week I eagerly awaited the next episode. Then the show went on a very long winter hiatus. I wanted to catch up on the second half of the season, but before I knew it May had come and gone and I had twelve episodes of Jericho to catch up on. Then came word that it had been cancelled. It wasn't right away, but eventually I made the decision to delete those episodes. I could always catch it on DVD and if there wasn't going to be a second season what was the point in watching twelve more hours and getting more attached to the characters? Dumb move. Jericho got miraculously resurrected and I was left wishing I had finished watching those episodes. Then CBS announced they would be re-airing the second half of the first season on Friday nights! The exact episodes I needed! Thank Goodness! I am enjoying catching up on Jericho and much like in the fall I eagerly await every new episode particularly to find out what Mimi and Stanley are up to. I have a tendency to gravitate towards the romance that sometimes develops between secondary characters that are polar opposites of each other. Hello Xander and Cordelia! The love story is never the main thrust of the episode or the series so I'm always left wanting a little more. Here is hoping for lots more Mimi and Stanley in the future!So there is a little taste for all of you to whet your appetite on. I'm going keep you up to date on all the new shows that I am adding to my ever expanding viewing schedule, and(fingers crossed on this one), give you a daily list of must see shows. For the moment, I'm only going to cover shows that I watch because this is a solo operation, but maybe if all my millions of viewers start clamoring for shows that I don't watch I can find some other TV addicts out there who watch everything that I don't.
Until next time!
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