Previously On...: A Compendium

Recently and delightfully, I've been able to stay current on my panel of shows, or certain favorites at least. As this Golden age of television marches on, I have curated a small list of shows that fall within my very specific and disparate tastes. Included among the ranks are:

The Good Wife:
Having been a loyal follower since Season 3, I am satisfied that it is now Season 7 and the writing is still so quality. The episode titles follow a palindrome pattern – one-word titles in Season 1, two in S2,... up to four in S4. Then S5 titles go back to three words, and if you do the math, we’re now at one-word titles in S7. Will there be a Season 8? Nobody knows.

                                                             The Good Wife in One word: JuliannaMargulies
                                                                                             Two words: Legal drama
                                                                                            Four words: Not cheesy  Not easy

Limitless:

I stumbled upon this flipping through hotel tv channels one night, and my power of intuition told me within minutes that I liked it. It’s a new show and a little rough around the “snappy” dialogue edges but right up my alley for brilliant, above-the-norm main characters. What can I say, there was a hole where White Collar used to be.

Better Off Ted:

A Netflix show that ended a few years ago, the super dry humor is amazing and everyone I recommend this to love it. I like Portia de Rossi who plays the corporate shark archetype Veronica, who is laser focused on the bottom line though is occasionally forced to contend with unfamiliar concepts like empathy or humility. So close, Veronica, yet so far.

Scandal:

I still haven't decided whether Scandal is artistic and culturally progressive or if it’s so dramatic it’s trashy. I just like that they talk fast and I hate that I never get to watch it live while all the actors are live tweeting.


Other good shows if you’re looking for ideas:
Madam Secretary – if you like capable characters and strong female leads
Sherlock – if you are a human being; next season airs at the beginning of next year, finally!
Mindy Project – if you like hilariously confident female main characters
Lie to Me – if you have Netflix and like procedurals as much as I do. I seriously have the longest list of both good and moderately acceptable procedurals (Standoff, Psych, Numbers, House, Scorpion, CSI Cyber).

Shows I’m looking forward to:
Heartbeat – with the actress Melissa George (who played guest characters on several shows on this list) starring as, yes, the grand synchronization of a female lead in a procedural dramedy
Younger – season two of an unusual plotline, starring the naturally talented Sutton Foster

I kind of want to say that I need something else going on in my life, but wouldn't that get too real.