Tuning back in.

Time to tune in!

I am proud (probably too proud) to share that while on vacation, Dr. H and I watched television a grand total of 1 time. That's right, the television addicts who brought you posts like THIS and THIS went 7 of 8 days without their beloved boob tube. Now there are a few explanations beyond our lack of interest that I should disclose: 

#1- for the first 3 nights of our trip, we stayed somewhere without a single tv on the premises. Not in the room or the lobby or anywhere. It was kinda awesome.

#2- We don't speak Finnish or Danish (which limits your tv options in Finland and Denmark). 

#3- Dr. H and I are "tv show watchers" not "tv watchers" meaning we rarely turn on the tv as background noise or to mindlessly flip through the channels. We're either watching a program we love (see #2) or not turning the thing on.

Given all that, we certainly should have watched less tv, but I'm really pleased with just how little we actually did. We turned on a tv just once, when we were back in the room after a night out and fell asleep to Tom Hanks being adorable in The Terminal (#Random).

But ENOUGH of THAT!! Now we're back in NYC where the evenings are long and cold and the winter hiatus of shows is nearly over. Thank goodness. I mean, Sunday night's premiere of Downton Abbey was pretty much the only thing that kept me from spiraling into a deep end-of-vacation depression. Click HERE for a full list, by day, of all the winter premiers, from Mindy, to Modern Family, Parenthood, Girls, Shameless, Parks and Rec and The Americans... By the end of January, my DVR will be overflowing with options and our vacation induced tv-hiatus will be a distant memory. 

What I'm watching...

The end of September is here which means we can all stop watching re-runs and Netflix and the bottom of the barrel shows left on our DVR and focus on the new and returning shows about to re-stake their claim on primetime. HOORAY! Being the tv junkie that I am, I thought I'd give you a little Fall 2014 TV lineup. What are you watching!?

New shows that have caught my eye:

As we all know, August and September means seeing an influx of marketing for all the network's new shows. Some will be awesome, most will be cancelled. Here's a list of the shows that have caught my eye

* How to Get Away with Murder - ABC Thursday @ 10pm

Another drama from hit-maker Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy and Scandal), this show about a criminal law professor and her students has definitely grabbed my attention. The first episode (last Thurs. was good, but I'm not totally sold yet).

* A to Z - NBC Thursday @ 9:30pm

I'm always on the lookout for a decent 30 minute comedy (I miss you Office and 30 Rock!) so this uniquely structured romantic comedy about an entire relationship is definitely going to get a chance. 

* Manhattan Love Story - ABC Tuesday @ 8:30pm

This show gets a look purely because they've been filming it all over my neighborhood. The premise seems cute enough though, a budding romance in NYC with voiceovers sharing what's actually going on inside each characters mind. Let's see...

* Marry Me - ABC Tuesday @ 9pm

I love Ken Marion (since his Wet Hot American Summer Days) so this comedy featuring him and the show's writer's real life wife (Casey Wilson of Happy Endings, a show that never did much for me) is worth a shot. A couple in love but vexed with silly complications!? Maybe.

And coming back for another season...

* Parks and Recreation - Left us with a big jump forward in time at the end of last season. Excited to see what this season has in store.

* Parenthood - This is one of the better shows on tv that not nearly enough people are watching. Coming in for it's final season, this complex family drama is totally worth getting caught up on.

* Scandal - Though I worry that this show's schtick may be getting a bit tired, I'm not nearly ready to give up on Olivia and her band of gladiators.

* Nashville - A prime time soap opera with live country music, the mom from Friday Night Lights (love you Connie Britton) and a surprisingly impressive Hayden Panettiere... highly entertaining and a good filler for my otherwise available Wednesday night!

* New Girl - This show wavers for me, but when it's funny, it's really funny. The show is at its best when the ensemble feeds off one another, but especially scene stealing Nick and Schmidt. Watch for a laugh.

* Homeland - Enough said.