Giving thanks to television

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (even if it is a day late) I thought I would give thanks to my favorite things that I love on television right now. I have to say, I am stealing this idea from what my main source website (tvline.com) did. My way is going to be a little different though because I would like to address everything television, including shows that might not even be on air anymore (Lost). So let's all give thanks to that little box in our living room who somehow provides the greatest entertainment anyone could ask for.

JJ Abrams
There is no way my television life (or movie for that matter) would be complete without the brilliant creations of my man JJ Abrams. You don't know who Abrams is?! He is only a genius, the next Spielberg. He is the creator of shows like Alias, Felicity, my favorite Lost and my current favorite Fringe. He directed Star Trek and Super 8 (he also wrote this one). He is a genius and without the creative shows like Lost and Fringe, I would not love TV as much as I do. Not to mention his continual creation to expand the expectations and has a new show premiering in January called Alcatraz. Totally looking forward to that one.

The funny ladies
I am of course not only talking about the brilliant Tina Fey or Amy Poehler, both who out perform anyone else on television with their amazing and quirky characters. But also the new generation (and old for that matter) like Melissa McCarthy (who won the Emmy this year) but also April on Parks, Robin and Lily on How I Met Your Mother, and of course Annie, Britta on Community (I'm not a big Shirley fan). All of these women make me laugh and make a statement that women can be funny too. But let's not forget who really pioneered this movement: all the women who have been on SNL. Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, even the older ones like Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner.

Let's not forget the men
There are many female powerhouses out there right now. Women are kind of rocking out on television at the moment. Think about it: Revenge, Once Upon A Time, Homeland (power to Clare Danes), New Girl, 2 Broke Girls. Women are getting star roles and doing a great job. But they couldn't succeed without their male counterparts. Props to Patrick Dempsey on Grey's, Jason Segel and NPH on How I Met Your Mother, Mandy Patinkin on Homelnad (and Damian Lewis) and who could leave out (well a lot of people considering he doesn't get a dang nomination for his role) John Noble in Fringe. These men are great characters with comedic timing, great dramatic performances and support their women well.

ABC for its discovery of great television
Finally. It only took ABC a long time to discover what a great television was again and now have one of the best line ups on television. From Once Upon A Time to Revenge to hits like Modern Family and classics like Grey's and Private Practice, ABC is certainly doing much better than NBC. Although I am still uncertain, Pan Am has also done pretty well and I have to say it's great to see some good shows happening on ABC. I can remember when they had Lost, Grey's, Desperate Housewives, Pushing Daisies (one of the greatest shows ever, and ended way too early), Ugly Betty, and the launch of Dancing With the Stars. All of these shows were very popular when they started and of course lost viewership but that was one of the best years of television ever. ABC is coming back and am so happy they got rid of those struggling shows and investing in fun television (Revenge).

Premium television
What would my life be without the channels like HBO and Showtime. From Sex and the City to True Blood from Dexter to my new favorite Homeland, these channels know how to make great television. I've also watched Weeds and The Big C and brilliant storytelling is what they know best. I may not have watched HBO's critically acclaimed shows like Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire but even True Blood is addicting (certainly a guilty pleasure). They may swear, there might be inappropriate sex scenes but they sure know how to tell a story and keep you guessing (hence, Dexter).

With that I give you some side notes.
1. I just have to complain a little. Why the heck does ABC Family have a countdown to the countdown to the 25 Days of Christmas?! Can they not think of anything else to put on their channel?? Why don't they celebrate other holiday's like Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? It's like two months of Christmas talk! That totally ruins the holidays for me and is unnecessary. Thankfully we all can watch the Santa Clause and Home Alone now because it now is Christmas time. I appreciate you all listening to my soap box.
2. Classics never die. It was announced today that Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving beat out Lady Gaga's special on Thursday night. Now, I have nothing against Gaga she is pretty talented, but you can't go wrong with some Snoopy and Woodstock.
3. I suppose I should give some congrats to J.R. Martinez for winning Dancing With the Stars. I'm not a huge fan of the show anymore, especially the stars they had this season. But it's pretty cool that he won and beat a Kardashian. I still have to say my favorite reality television show is So You Think You Can Dance. Although watching fat people bouncing and losing weight on Biggest Loser is pretty entertaining.

With that I say... Live long and prosper.