Favorite Kid's Show as Child Rainbow Brite
Favorite Kid's Show Now Wishbone
DragonTales
Favorite Other show as Child Star Trek
Favorite Other Show Now Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Television can really show a lot about the inner workings of a person. That's something I found out a long time ago and then decided to make an informal study of over the last few years. I find a lot of myself in what I watch, so I'm happy to share it with you.

Contrary to popular belief, my life does not really revolve around the television. I have my few shows that I am strongly drawn to, but watch little else.

My week used to start on Saturday, back when DS9 was on the air and kicking, but since the end of my favorite show has past, I spend my saturays bumbling around and watching the rerun that comes on at 9pm.

So I now begin with Monday

Ally McBeal brings me to the television on Monday nights at 9, for one of the two hours I spend staring at the tube. I caught an ad for the premiere while trying to catch up on Melrose Place, which I'd left behind about a year before. I saw Courtney Thorne-Smith and became hooked. After that first show Ally tended to clash with Voyager so I've missed a few of the earlier episodes, but now that it's on away from Star Trek I get the chance to catch up on all I missed.

Once and Again comes on ABC right after Ally, and I'm very glad I get my two "serious" shows in on the same day. From the very beginning of Once and Again, I was hooked. It dealt with some really good stuff and only keeps getting better.

Tuesdays I spend half an hour in front of the TV.

Dharma and Greg starts off my Tuesday at 9pm. For thirty minutes I'm rolling on the floor with this show. I try to catch memorable quotes, but forget that pen and paper exist as I get swept away into a world of laughs.

Wednesdays are a little more crowded.

Spin City takes over one of my televisions for a half an hour on Tuesday nights. I either watch this and tape Voyager or tape this and watch Voyager. Something about the 9pm time slot must draw me in because that's when you'll find Michael J. Fox on in my area. I was a fan of his when I was much younger so when this one came out I made sure not to miss it. I'm not sure if I'll continue with watching with Michael gone, I can only hope the laughs will be as frequent.

Voyager comes on Wednesday nights at 9. I usually end up watching with a friend while with DS9 I have to watch alone. Being a Star Trek, I never miss a show, though I find that Voyager doesn't capture my heart the way DS9 has.

Thursdays used to be my Deep Space nine night.

Whose Line is it Anyway? has finally replaced my Thursday night blues. Now instead of missing DS9 for an hour, I laugh from 8-9pm with two of these half hour shows back to back. It's great fun and really pulls you in from week to week. If you watch long enough you'll see tributes to past shows and all sorts of remarks about skits like Captain Hair.

Fridays used to be full of TGIF on ABC.

You Wish used to be on Friday nights at 8:30. On the Friday nights when I was actually at home, I turned to ABC for this one.

Teen Angel came on at 9:30 in my area. I started watching this because of the main theme. Most of everything related to my multi-colored pens writing shared the idea of a mortal being the only one to see the dead friend. I regret not having more of these to watch, I really enjoyed this show.

Now I don't really watch television on Fridays.

Where Saturday used to provide nothing for me to do, UPN has been so kind as to put three of my favorites all in a row.

The Next Generation comes on first, at 8pm. Sometimes I watch while I'm on the computer, sometimes I have too much to do, but I always check to see which it is that's playing before I do anything else.

Deep Space Nine follows TNG at 9pm. It is the one and only show that my life truly stops for. Friends and family know never to call at this hour because I won't answer the phone. If an emergency pops up, I get the phone call during the commercials. DS9 is the first Star Trek that I have truly clung to as a favorite show. Until it came out I considered all Trek to be equal, having a favorite has changed my priorities in the fandom quite a bit, which is something I am still getting used to.

Voyager follows DS9, this will always be the rerun of Wednesday's show.

Sunday is the day when I tend more to vegetate. I find myself in front of Disney or Discovery one or two Sundays out of the month.

The X Files comes on at 9pm and then again at 11pm on Fox down here. I don't always watch the second episode, it isn't my favorite show in the world and I'm still trying to make myself actually sit still when I try to watch. I usually try to pick the ones that look like they'll appeal to me, which turn out to be anything about ghostly hauntings or "voices in your head" kind of shows.

Some shows I try to keep up with in reruns, though I don't usually catch them.

Star Trek comes on the SciFi Channel. I watch whenever I can and try to update the tapes I wore out as a kid. Listening to the little trivia bits in between was a wonderful little bit of something extra, while they were on. I can only hope the other Treks are presented in the same way when the time comes.

Xena I usually watch while I'm eating dinner at 7. I've a small television in the kitchen and it's the only thing that keeps me in that room for more than ten minutes at a time. I'm still getting used to being someone who watches the show regularly. I used to wrinkle my nose or flip right past but having a few of the right friends over slid me to the more willing side of viewing.

Working Girl comes on depending on whatever TVLand decides to do. I like to snuggle up with a thick blanket and a cup of yogurt or mug of hot chocolate for this one. It's my half hour of relaxing time before my work begins and my only "must see" show other than Deep Space Nine.

Dawson's Creek always overlaps something I watch. Back when this show first came on it had a slot all to it's own as far as my television viewing schedule was concerned. I miss most of what is going on, but I try to keep up. Something about it brings out the beach lover in me. And not because it's filmed down near one of our North Carolina beaches, but for some inner reason I've yet to find.

Wishbone comes on when I don't get to see it at work, but I love the show all the same. Where else could you find a cute little pup who runs around telling classic stories to children and relating them to his every day life?

ReBoot had a Saturday Morning time slot on ABC in the United States before being canceled here a year too early. I'm finally cought up in all of my episodes and I think it's still on Cartoon Network, though I don't watch it "live" anymore.

There are many shows that I've lost touch with over the years. Some were canceled or ended many years ago, others I was too young to remember well. Any of the shows I've lost touch with are listed here.

Star Trek: The Animated Series was a favorite of mine as a child. Nickelodeon used to have it on their schedule but it has sense disappeared from memory. I have a few purchased tapes, but they are hard to come by in my area, apparently.

Gargoyles was a show I watched every Saturday morning and then every weekday morning. This is the show where dead Trekers go. If you've ever had a place on Star Trek you have a home in Gargoyles. Unfortunately the show came to a quick end and I miss my half hour of Gargoyles greatly.

Melrose Place used to me my Monday TV. Then Voyager overlapped the slot. I remember running up and down the stairs to watch both. I've really lost touch with this show. I liked it better back when Matt, Allison and Jo were on. I tried to watch it one day after having lost it for the end of one season and the beginning of another. I couldn't figure out where everyone had gone and why things had changed. Someday I hope to catch up.

90210 was a show I was deeply into when it first came out. I'd watch when I did my homework every night that it came on. I don't remember what came of my viewing. Something got in the way and now I'm left to catch up in my news. I have the same problem here as I do with Melrose. Things have changed too much for my tastes.

Murder, She Wrote may or may not have been what got me into writing. I remember watching every Sunday night and putting my mind not only to the "who done it" but to the aspect of turning it into a written story. This was the way I used to start my week, solving crimes with Jessica Fletcher and wondering why people didn't start running away when they saw her come down the road. It also gave me a great opportunity to test my skills in recognizing Trek actors who had done small bits and pieces of her shows.

Empty Nest I watched from back when it first came on until it suddenly disappeared. It came at a time in my life where I really didn't keep up with the stations calling an end to their shows, so I simply missed the end all together. I would watch this up in Virginia with my grandparents and parents gathered around the television in a tiny room that barley held the television and the couch. Those are some wonderful memories.

Ocean Girl was a show that I fell in love with because this was the girl I had always imagined myself to be as a very young child. I started watching from day one of the series and was very disappointed when it disappeared of the listings in my area.

The Tomorrow People is a show that I greatly miss. There have been two versions in my life, the better one and the new one. I don't remember very much about the old show at all except for the fact that I think the computer's name was Timothy and that it spoke to the kids who had these wonderful powers. The newer version I didn't watch for very long because it just didn't have the right feel to it.

Danger Mouse was a British cartoon that aired on Nickelodeon right before I went to bed. I still remember a few lines from this show through the years and hope that I sometime run into a location with a collection of the episodes that I can watch again.

Rainbow Brite I watched more for the horses than the plots. As a little kid all I was interested in was how beautiful I thought Starlite and Onyx were. Recently I've run into a few episodes at Blockbuster and got to relive my childhood again, it was truly enjoyable.

I'm on the look out for the new Pern series by Anne McCaffery. As soon as that pops in to the time slot, I'll have to post it here. Time and television changes and so do people. Stop by in a few seasons and we'll see if I have.


Back