What we're watching.

Avid tv watcher

Last night as I was surveying the options on my DVR, I realized that it's been a while since my television junkie side made an appearance on the blog. As you know, Dr. H and I manage to squeeze a pretty insane amount of television into our weekly schedule, almost all of which is original, scripted programming. In my opinion, we watch some solid, quality, tv! Here for your read-than-view pleasure, is a bit of what we've been watching and loving lately:

Wednesday nights on FX

Who'd have thunk that curly haired Felicity could also be a bad-ass Russian spy?!  Set during the Cold War of the 1980s, The Americans is the story of two KGB officers who are "hiding in plain site" by posing as a normal American family (kids and all!) while working to support the Soviet cause. Already renewed for a second 13-episode season, Kerri Russell, Matthew Rhys and really the entire cast, turn in brilliant performances every week and the show's plot is a twisty, exciting mess of drama. Probably our favorite new show of the year, it's time to find FX on your cable box and start watching The Americans!

Sunday nights on HBO

Even though we were 2 seasons late to the Game of Thrones party, it somehow feels like we arrived just in time. Currently in it's 3rd season, Dr. H and I managed to get caught up on GoT in just 2 weeks of dedicated DVR viewing (it's that addictive and at only 10-episodes per season, easy to get up to date). An adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of novels by George R. R. Martin,  I never would have expected to love this fantasy-but-somehow-feels-so-real series, but I do. Hard core. Webs of characters, beautiful cinematography and story lines that never cease to surprise will have you counting down until the next new episode. With several more books to cover (the last two of which haven't even been finished yet!) there's plenty of time to jump on the GoT bandwagon. I promise you'll be glad you did.

A long time comedy favorite and a new show I'm still trying to decide about... Parks and Recreation (Thursdays, NBC) is without question one of the funniest shows we watch. Local government enthusiast Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is surrounded by comic genius on all sides (the meat-loving, always deadpan Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) might be Dr. H's favorite character, ever) and the simple story line allows you to jump in and start laughing at any time (though if you have Netflix or OnDemand, catch up!) The Mindy Project (Tuesdays, FOX) is led by Mindy Kaling, who has proven her comic chops as a writer/actor (The Office, her book) but seems to still be searching for how to make this show a hit. I laugh during every episode about Mindy's single life and gynecology practice, but can get aggravated by the meandering plot and weirdly developed characters (though I love Morgan, a mid-season male nurse addition to the cast). I'm guessing that Mindy is only going to get better over time, so get on the boat now!