At a time

I grew up in a time when there were 3 major US TV networks, and fewer in Canada. Remember the Battle of the Network Stars? That was a major event for me! With all the choices today from regular cable/ satellite to all the streaming services, my head is just about exploding. Probably because of how much I’m probably spending for the services- Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus, Prime Video, yup I’ve got all of those. And I hesitate to give any of them up. The kids have grown up on them and I can’t decide which ones to drop.

Here’s a roundup of a few of my guilty pleasures from Network TV:

1/ The Golden Bachelorette

I watched the early Bachelor series way back when, and found myself watching Joey’s season earlier this year. Don’t even know why as I ended up getting sucked right back into the franchise, and I was hopeful to see the first Asian Bachelorette in history. That ended up being the worst, I felt bad for Jenn Tran, and I swore I would not watch anything to do with the series again.

But it’s insidious, the draw of these shows. Both my husband and I make a night of the Golden Bachlorette, watching Joan and her several suitors every week. It’s all fantasy and so unrealistic, but it does speak to how difficult it is to date/find love at an older age. The season is somewhat sad, not only dealing with loss of life partners through death and divorce; but also how lonely people can get once they’re in the 60s plus. It’s not as easy to make new friends let alone find romantic partners. The best part has been the friendship of the men – it’s refreshing to see genuine emotion and bonding amongst mature men, who aren’t so busy posturing with bravado. They are established and have nothing to prove, but want companionship more than anything else. There is a lot of kindness and grace on this show, at a time when we need plenty of it.

2/ High Potential

This is a great concept. A super intelligent woman who makes a living as a cleaning lady – she’s a single mom with a teen, an adolescent and a baby, who helps police solve crimes because she is always thinking and piecing things together. The acting is great, Kaitlin Olson is hilarious and story lines aren’t bad!

3/ Matlock

I’m old enough to remember the original series with Andy Griffith. This isn’t a reboot, but a new show that refers to the Matlock series, about an older lawyer (Kathy Bates) who gets a job at a law firm working as an intern. It’s rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some familiar faces, Beau Bridges, Jason Ritter, and a clever twist make this another show that I make sure to PVR. Yes, as if I have time to watch later. Maybe while I keep half an eye on my blog!

I’ll do a run down on shows I am streaming on a future post.

Any other network TV shows you’re watching that I should check out?