What I'm watching on my summer vacation

Man, thank god I get to write here. Not to be an ass kisser, but as I was perusing the news this morning there's all this DREAD and DOOM and EVERYONE'S OUT OF A JOB being reported, and I get to disregard all that completely and write about my summer television obsessions. Pretty awesome.

Anyway, so it's summer, and most of our favorite shows are in hiatus. All we know of them, if we're lucky, are the random spoilers that pop up online from time to time. BUT, just because "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Office" are off air until September, doesn't mean you have to give up lounging on your couch completely. Let me share the TV gems I've recently stumbled upon, the ones that are making this summer surprisingly bearable!

1. Wipeout -- MY GOD, this show is brilliant. Random people give their all on an obstacle course that is determined to humiliate and, frankly, bruise them. There are huge, red  balls and lots of mud for people to fall into, and it sounds like it should not be allowed on prime time, but it's surprisingly family friendly! So family friendly, in fact, that my husband and I often laugh until we cry together. And, he would like me to add -- for all you men folk out there -- one of the hosts (Jill) is hot.

2. Weeds -- I think the writers at MamaPop have mostly declared their love for Weeds in unisom, but why not say it once more: BEST. COMEDY. ON. TELEVISION. Thank god Showtime doesn't run a regular television schedule, so we are treated to this half hour of filthy fun during the summer (although, when the season wraps we'll then have to wait 9 straight years before it comes back on air). Regardless, this season is uncomfortably fantastic! There has been rape and pregnancy binge drinking and camera phone sex caught by a tween. Everything the ordinary American enjoys, right? If you haven't watched before, you really should start.

3. Entourage -- It comes back on July 12! Program those DVRs! Word is that Scott Caan is set to join the cast and Zac Efron has filmed a guest spot. Not that I care what Zac Efron does. Noooo. Not at all.

4. HGTV EVERYTHING -- OK, so I'm late to the game when it comes to this channel because I just recently bought my first house, and who wants to watch design shows or house hunting shows when they're renting. But, now that I'm a homeowner, I can't get enough. I especially can't get enough of the sea of idiots who are paraded through houses across America on "House Hunters" (my favorite of what HGTV has to offer). No, really. The housing crisis in our country can be explained easily with one viewing of this half-hour show. Most people buy out of their price range. Most people are looking for MORE space and MORE room and MORE MORE MORE. And, most people turn their noses up at a perfectly lovely home because of the paint colors. As if a $20 can of paint is such a sacrifice when you're dropping a half million dollars anyway. Seriously, if you're without something to watch, flip over to this channel and watch away. You won't be disappointed.

5. "True Blood" -- Oh, Alan Ball, you crafty brilliant man you. The premise of this show sounds cheesy and ridiculous. Vampires and humans knowingly living side by side in a Louisiana town, but it's soooo gooood. And if you're a fan of the Twilight series but not so much of its PG rating, then, OH BOY, is this the show for you. Lots of steamy vampire sex. Also, it has the best intro of any show on television.

So, what are you watching this summer?

Comments

[Sweetney]

I have previously declared my love for Wipeout (http://www.mamapop.com/mamapop/2008/08/wipeout-the-thr.html) -- one of those shows that I think anyone can enjoy. Slapstick crosses all divides! :)

[ballerinatoes]

I thought I was alone in my secretly watching Wipe Out and laughing out loud at it. It's just silly funny in that completely mindless way.

And True Blood...I declared last week's episode the best TV I've seen all year. LOVE. Hate that we have to wait 2 weeks for next ep.

[JZMom]

My kids (10 and 7) and I get so excited on Wednesdays for Wipeout. All three of us laugh out very loud. I Survived a Japanese Game Show, right after it, is pretty good, too, but it might be the post-Wipeout haze that makes me laugh at the show.

[Sarah Lena]

So, I only can say that Wipeout has been TiVo'd in my house for about a year now because my husband and my nine year old boy will watch EVERY.SINGLE.EPISODE, like, five times before they delete it.

And I love John Henson, so it's a win-win.

[Jessi]

I love Wipeout, too. But have you watched Burn Notice. God I love that show. Prettiest people ever. I might just have a girl crush on Fiona.

[Sarah]

Wipeout is also a huge hit in our house. My girls ages 5 and 2 can't get enough of it. Every time someone falls in the mud my 2 year old say "Eeeewwww!".

[DavidS]

Wipeout is like some awesome physical version of American Idol. I love laughing at the completely inept hopefuls, and kinda getting into the competition in the later rounds.

[Darcey]

I know I'm in the very small minority here, but I can't watch Wipeout. At all. Part of it is the fact I have some pretty severe back issues and just watching 5 minutes of it makes me flinch so badly in empathy that my chiropractor spends 10 minutes getting my spine uncoiled. And the other part of it is the lowest common denominator humor, partially reminiscent of "Ow! My Balls!" from Idiocracy. Idiocracy? Funny. "Ow! My Balls"? Not so much.

[ms martyr]

Have not seen Wipeout but do watch MXC, which sounds a lot like it and the voice overs for the Japanese hosts are generally hysterical. Might be too mature for younger viewers.
Looking forward to Eureka returning next week and there is a new show on SciFi that sounds promising - Warehouse 13. Remember when the Ark of the Covenant was stored at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark? This show is about a place like that and the weird stuff it contains.

[Jennie]

I used to watch MXC. My husband and I loved it just as much as Wipeout!

[Kelly]

We have been watching the Deadliest Catch and After the Catch (where all the Captains sit around, drink beer, and tell... wait for it... fish stories). We are also big WipeOut fans. I too am waiting for Eureka and Warehouse 13, also for Entourage. Saving Grace and the Closer on TNT are also current favorites. Now that the Real Housewives are gone, I am getting my Bravo fix through Top Chef Masters and the Fashion Show. I am also loving Primeval on BBC America. Torchwood is coming back on July 20th with a 5 night miniseries. Torchwood is a great Dr. Who spinoff starring Captain Jack Harkness, and various and sundry others. But the best part is the unexpected and highly exciting guy on guy action. Yes, Jack is bi, and very ok about it. I tried to make my male roommate watch the episode where Captain Jack has a quick makeout session with James Marsters (yes SPIKE from Buffy). I was all "Hot, Hot, Hot!!) He was not anywhere near as excited about it as I was. Also coming on BBC America in a few weeks is a new show called "Being Human" about three housemates, one is a werewolf, one is a vampire, and one is a ghost. Also a week after that is a new Dr. Who.

Do you think I watch too much tv? This might be why I only get 4 hours of sleep a night. I must say though in my own defense, I also read a LOT. In the past three weeks I have read about 20-22 books, mostly mysteries and science fiction, but I have to watch tv around the books, or read during the commercials usually.

[Jennie]

Kelly, no judgment here! If I listed my DVR list to you, it would be just as long.

[Jenn_C]

Yes, yes, yes to #'s 2-5. I cannot WAIT for Entourage, and my love of True Blood and House Hunters knows no bounds(High five on that one, BTW. Some of those house hunter people make me want to stab the TV). I'm also all about Top Chef Masters this summer, even though there's no Padma or Tom. Other than that, I'm really just trying to catch up on my movie watching through Netflix.

[Sweetney]

Idiocracy is a favorite film of mine, but no, I think that's a hugely diminishing comparison. What makes Wipeout funny to me, and I think to many others, is the commentary -- the humor behind and backing up the slapstick. Besides, silly physical comedy has been used to great effect by everyone from the ancient Greeks to Shakespeare, and no one thinks the less of them or their intelligence for it. Maybe not your cup of tea, but if it's "lowest common denominator" humor then all of us, myself included, would be in that category, no?