What I look for in TV shows

I'm very specific with what shows I give my time to since recently I don't seem to have lot of it. Unfortunately I just finished the episodes of Doctor Who on Netflix and am in this television limbo where I don't have a show anymore. Of course the obvious question now is What should I watch next? I could just passively follow Netflix's intense suggestions and advertisement and watch Orange is the New Black but I don't think Netflix entirely understands my taste. That made me start thinking, what do I look for in TV shows? The past shows I intensely followed were Scrubs, 30 Rock, It's South Park, How I Met Your Mother, Doctor Who, and Arrested Development. The first thing I noticed is that I love shows that can make me laugh. So obviously it'll have to be some kind of sitcom or comedy. All of these shows had very strong characters that I easily Sympathized for. JD from scrubs, The Doctor from Doctor Who, and Ted from How I Met Your Mother are all strong, quirky, but powerful characters. They all have such a passion for people whether they're looking for a wife in Ted's case or they're saving the universe in the Doctor's case. All of these characters demonstrate a passion for people and that's what I think I love so much. It reminds of how we talked about creating a backbone for a character that influences every decision they make. For Ted he's always looking for a wife. For JD it's trying to help the patient. For the Doctor it's protecting all forms of life. That aspect of deeper meaning in shows is what I really love.

The next quality I think the writing. All of the shows I've listed here are so beautifully written. In Arrested Development almost every line is joke that also pushes the story line forward. In Doctor Who there are so many different story arch's beautifully intwined in each other that I can't even comprehend how they do it. For 30 Rock the characters are all so exaggerated but the situations and dialogue they're given makes it all seem like a normal thing.  Southpark still blows me away because they make it all seem so stupid and crude but are still able to make informative statements on current events. That's something I really respect because I have no idea how they do it.

The third quality I think I look for is a show that makes statements about current issues. I feel like it's hard to get a lot of people to informatively look into a current issue and have a stance on it but I think TV can help show people an exaggerated version of both sides. 30 Rock very obviously did it especially during the 2012 election. As I stated about South Park earlier, it does a really nice job on that but it also makes both sides look equally ridiculous so no one group of people feel put off by it. Doctor Who has been involving many characters who represent their stance on same sex marriages. It shows to me that they are paying attention and are really trying to make a difference with their medium.

Going from here and with suggestions from friends I think I will be starting Parks And Recreation this weekend. All I've been hearing about it from friends is how great all the characters are and how good it is.

Why Scrubs has been my favorite show of all time

One of the first sitcoms I fell in love with was Bill Lawrence's show Scrubs. The thing that I can't believe is that it is still my favorite show. It's been at the top of my list for 8 years now and I've finally started to think why. Scrubs has some of the best characters and character development that I've seen on a television series. They make it very easy to relate to so many characters on the show starting with JD or John Dorian played by Zach Braff. JD is this loving, nerdy guy who is the main character of the show. He also is the narrator, giving the show this omniscient view of JD. They also give a look into JD's head by doing these flashes to absurd thoughts JD is having. I really think it is overall JD's personality and development throughout the show that have really blown me away. He's always been a weird, quirky, funny guy but when the show just started he was this terrified anxious guy and as he spent more and more time at Sacred Heart you actually watched him build his confidence. They made him a real growing and developing human being in my eyes and that's what really impresses me.

Another character they developed really well is Dr. Cox, played by John McGinley. They started him out really tough and rough around the edges and they almost lead you on with him because they hinted at this kinder, human side of him but only let it out in huge moments in the show. They usually did this with patients that he grew attached to or made promises with. My favorite moment with Dr. Cox's human side is in season 5 episode, episode 20 My Lunch.  A patient he connected with was in need of an organ donor as well as two other patients who we're in dire need of new organs. Dr. Cox became obsessed on the idea and was looking and doing all that he could to help out these patients. Finally a former patient came in who was to believe of died from overdose. Dr. Cox convinced the former patients mother to donate her organs and at this point we thought the day was saved. Then right before the episode ends all the patients fail due to the former patient actually dying from rabies.  Dr. Cox is hit hard from this mistake and spirals into a depression.

Also I love how they theme their episodes. They had an episode called My Musical in which Bill Lawrence and Debra Bordha did a musical version of the show with music by Jan Stevens. The perfectly crossed musical theater and the world of television. They also have done a Wizard of Oz spoof, a Star Wars spoof, and have made countless other references to real events and famous shows and movies.

Another reason why I love the show is because of deeper meaning the episodes can have. A lot of people can get thrown off by this but I really enjoy that deeper message. They even get somewhat complex in the episodes for a network television series. In the episode  My Screwup they don't let you know that Dr. Cox's best friend has died and have him as a thought or memory of Dr. Cox's for the whole episode. They did this again later in the season when Nurse Roberts dies and her memory haunts Carla. I really think it's an interesting way of getting into a characters head.

Overall I'm still in love with this show because how much they've made me care for the character and what I take away from the show. I am able to feel for the characters, have a good laugh, and learn something from it.