And Baby Makes Three…in the Morning a Great Time to Watch TV

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but there’s a very good reason for that: I had a baby!

There’s lots I could write about the emotional ups and downs of new motherhood, but I’ll save that for my blog about Real Stuff. Here, let’s focus on the most important question at hand: How much TV am I still watching?

The answer is quite a bit, actually, especially in the middle of the night when I’ve been roused from a deep slumber to feed the baby and need the electronic caffeine of the TV set to keep me from collapsing onto the floor next to his crib*.

*Yes, we have a TV in the nursery. It’s a legacy of the room’s former function as my husband’s man cave, and also, let’s face it, the kid might as well get used to being around one.

That said, we obviously don’t have nearly as much time for shows as we used to, so we’ve had to make some tough choices. It doesn’t help that with the new year, we’re now in the THICK of new TV, and great new TV at that. (I don’t know how anyone raised kids before DVRs. What’d they, like, MISS shows altogether? Blasphemy.)

We’re doing the best we can to keep up, and many of these will downshift when I go back to work, but for now here’s what I’m watching–and what I’m not:

Must Watch

Broad City (Comedy Central) – Our No. 1 watch-it-together show. Love these two. The series was already fully formed from episode one and just keeps getting stronger.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox) – I see zero buzz around this show within my social media world, but it consistently delivers solid laughs each week with sharp, specific writing. My current favorite line, coming from a character who punishes a nemesis with tickets to a traveling production of Wicked: “Have fun watching some chubby Chenoweth knockoff warble her way through ‘Popular.’”

Girls (HBO) – Used to hate it, because I didn’t like any of the characters. Then, once I realized you’re not supposed to like any of the characters, I decided Lena Dunham is a genius and I love her.

Downton Abbey (PBS) – I had dropped season 4 but now I’m back in. Easy background TV while I’m doing other things.

Togetherness (HBO) – Catapulted to the top of my list by the end of the pilot. Clear, simple, honest writing and characters I already feel like I’ve known forever.

The Good Wife (CBS) – THE BEST SHOW. I know it’s not at all cool to say this if you’re under 60, but it’s easily my favorite hour of the week. As much as I loved Will Gardner (Josh Charles), the series is humming along pretty smoothly without him. Losing Archie Panjabi’s Kalinda at the end of this season won’t be quite so easy.

The Walking Dead (AMC) – Duh.

Episodes (Showtime) – I had already been a fan before I reviewed last season for Paste magazine, and this season is keeping pace. A smart bit of whimsy, perfect for bleary-eyed late night viewing.

The Eric Andre Show (Adult Swim) – Back when it first premiered, I thought this was yet another tired deconstruction of the talk show format and another misguided attempt at Adult Swim eccentricity. But it’s actually an expertly crafted theater of the absurd. Never fails me to make me laugh out loud.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) – Perfect bite-size chunks for when I don’t have time for a full episode of something else.

Parks and Recreation (NBC) – The season premiere, which oriented us in this new 2017 world of Parks, was jump-the-shark awful. But the following episodes have rebounded, and I’ll gladly see the show through this bonus, but probably unnecessary, final half-season.

Hindsight (VH1) – A little sleeper of a show that’s won me over, about a woman who travels back in time 20 years to see what would happen if she’d made different life choices. Who knew we were ready for mid-'90s nostalgia? And who else is terrified to realize it’s been 20 years since the mid-'90s? Either way, it’s light and fun and perfect for Saturday afternoon, there’s-nothing-else-on viewing.

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) – I don’t agree with all of Maher’s politics, but I think he’s vastly underrated as a host and moderator. Yes, he too often stacks the deck with like-minded panelists and plays to what Seth Meyers calls “clapter” from the audience, but he’s willing to ask provocative questions that jar his guests out of their standard talking points. And if you miss Johnny Carson as much as I do, you can still catch hints of his influence during Maher’s weekly monologue.

CBS News Sunday Morning (CBS) – Enjoying some of its best ratings ever right now, and for good reason. But a tip to watch it only on DVR, since its success means it’s packed to the gills with commercials.

Better Call Saul (AMC) – Was skeptical when it was announced, but the same was true of Fargo (which also featured Bob Odenkirk), and that turned out to be my favorite show of last year. Eager to see tonight’s premiere.

The Late Late Show (CBS) – I was never even an occasional viewer of Craig Ferguson, but I love how CBS is handling the interim weeks between his departure and the debut of new host James Corden on March 23. Each week has featured a variety of eclectic and surprising guest hosts–including Jim Gaffigan, Whitney Cummings, Judd Apatow, Sean Hayes and John Mayer–who are basically inviting their friends on as guests and spending the hour hanging out together. The January 30 episode in particular, hosted by former Happy Endings costar Adam Pally, stood out for being kind of a mess–but a hilariously watchable one.

In addition to showcasing some fresh faces behind the desk, this lame-duck version of The Late Late Show is something you rarely see on TV anymore: a show so far under the radar that the on-camera talent are free to basically wing it. It only works because the network knows nobody is watching, which makes me want to watch it all the more.

If There’s Time

Galavant (ABC) – Loved this when it premiered if only for its originality, but it’s admittedly slipped down in priority over the past few weeks.

Marry Me (NBC) – If we can’t have Happy Endings, I’ll take this.

The Soup (E!) – Hit or miss, but very funny when it hits.

Kroll Show (Comedy Central) – Underrated, even though Kroll is understandably polarizing.

Modern Family (ABC) – Still consistently makes us laugh, even if it’s feeling long in the tooth.

@midnight with Chris Hardwick (Comedy Central) – Love the show, just hard to keep up with four episodes a week.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX) – These are stacking up. Also showing its age and probably needs to wrap up soon.

Pretty Much Dropped

Portlandia (IFC) – We have a bunch of these, and I’m surprised I haven’t been chomping at the bit to watch them. Let me know if this season is worth checking out, but for now it feels like the show has become exactly the kind of indie hipster darling it set out to make fun of.

Archer (FX) – Used to be a watch-it-together priority, but I’m conceding that my husband is the bigger fan.

House of Lies (Showtime) – We both love the cast, particularly Kristen Bell, but there’s just too much other stuff.

The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (Comedy Central) – I gave this a two-week trial and liked Wilmore a bunch, but not enough to keep watching on, ahem, a nightly basis.

Cougar Town (TBS) – Better than people think and always good for at least a chuckle, but also a victim of Too Much Else. Still recording just to catch the series finale.

The “Someday” List (aka “We Know, We Know, WE KNOW!”)

Friday Night Lights

House of Cards

The Wire (we’re on season 3)

Justified

Sons of Anarchy

…and like 20 other shows you can’t believe we’ve never seen.

Some people would say TV isn’t everything, and that these years with a young child go very, very fast. And to that I say: We completely agree. I promise you we spend just as much time these days with the TV turned off. Sure, our little boy’s plot lines are simplistic, his timing is all over the place, and his dialogue makes absolutely NO sense. But if you ask us, he’s the one show we literally could watch all day.