Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: What I’ve Been Watching On TV




Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic has nothing to do with books. In honor of the fall TV season, I’m going to tell you about the trash I’ve been watching this summer and the trash that I’m looking forward to this fall.

I stole the show description from the network websites because they’re better at this than me. Click the show title for more info.




Trash I Loved This Summer






1. Lost In Transition (TLC)


Follow four couples during the most trying time in their marriages where in each relationship, the wife has recently found out that her husband has grappled with his gender identity for years.

This is a reality show, so of course it’s edited in the most unnecessarily dramatic way possible, but I learned a lot about transgender people and the process of transitioning. I like that the show focuses on whole families and not just on the person getting the surgeries/hormone injections/makeovers.












2. The Great British Bake Off / Baking Show (PBS)


Follow the trials and tribulations of passionate amateur bakers whose goal is to be named the U.K.’s best.

Confession time: I hate cooking, but I watch every food show ever. If there’s a food competition out there, I’ve probably seen it. I even watch those shows where Gordon Ramsay verbally abuses people. Out of all the food shows, Bake Off is my favorite. The contestants are so sweet and calm. I wish I had Netflix so I could see the newest seasons.












3. Sharp Objects (HBO)


Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) returns to her hometown to investigate a string of unsolved murders.

I debated putting this one on the list because I have mixed feelings. I like the music, the plot, and how the show looks. (Is there a word for “how the show looks?” I know nothing about TV! The closest word I can think of is “mise-en-scéne,” but I don’t know if that’s what I mean.) Anyway, the characters on Sharp Objects are irritating. I was hoping that the season would end with them all getting stabbed by sharp objects. 












4. Expedition Unknown (Travel)


Expedition Unknown chronicles the adventures of Josh Gates as he investigates iconic mysteries across the globe.

If I’m not watching the Food Channel, then I’m watching the Travel Channel. Expedition Unknown is my favorite Travel show. The host is hilarious. If I had friends, I’d want them to be like him. He travels the world and attempts to solve well-known mysteries (such as locating Egypt’s lost mummies or investigating yeti sightings). I don’t think he’s ever solved a mystery, but whatever.












5. Catfish Trolls (MTV)


Catfish Trolls brings online bullies face-to-face with their victims. The show follows a similar format to the online dating show Catfish.

This Catfish spinoff only has 3 episodes, so you have no excuse not to watch it. Nev and Max aren’t in it, but it’s still good. Instead of bringing together people who fell in love online, Trolls allows a victim to confront their online bully. Trolls are horrible and fascinating. Of course I’ll watch a show about them.














Trash I’m Anticipating This Fall





6. South Park (Comedy Central)


This animated series is not for children. In fact, its goal seems to be to offend as many people as possible.

Satire is one of the greatest human inventions. I’ve loved this show for most of my life. I think I was 12 when I saw my first South Park episode, and I’ve now watched every single one. I live in the state where the show is set, so it can be hard to avoid mentions of South Park. There was even a huge poster of the characters in the Denver airport for a while. Yes, I have been to the real South Park, Colorado. What’s there? Cows. So many cows. 












7. American Horror Story (FX)


American Horror Story is a groundbreaking anthology horror drama series.

This is another one that I debated putting on the list. I’ve never watched a full season of American Horror Story. I love the first few episodes of every season. They’re innovative and disturbingly beautiful. By the halfway point of the season, the plot has become so convoluted and stupid that I lose interest. This season’s theme is Apocalypse, which is awesome, so I’m hoping it’ll be different.

(Oh, random tangent: Last season’s American Horror Story taught me the word “Trypophobia.” Ever since I was a little kid, I knew that certain images could make my skin itch. I never really thought about it because it wasn’t a big deal. Then ads for last year’s AHS started coming out, and they made me itch so bad. Like, clawing-my-skin-and-ripping-out-my-hair itchy. I finally Googled it to see if the commercials made anyone else itch. They did! I’m not crazy! I learned that 15% of the population has Trypophobia. Even though the ads made me tear my skin to shreds, I still watched the show because I’m a very stable genius.) 
(Oh, related tangent: There’s an easy way to figure out if you have Trypophobia. Look up “Trypophobia” on Google images. If you regret Googling it, then you probably have it.)












8. Survivor (CBS)


These castaways will be forced to compete against each other with the same ultimate goal: to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other in an attempt to become the Sole Survivor.

Another reality show that I’ve been watching forever. You guys know about this one, right? It’s been on TV for 18 years. A bunch of strangers are dumped on a beach, and we watch them scheme, argue, become paranoid, get skinny and hairy, and win $1,000,000. I don’t know where the show finds these weirdo contestants, but they’re usually entertaining. 












9. The Big Bang Theory (CBS)


Leonard and Sheldon are brilliant physicists—geniuses in the laboratory but socially challenged everywhere else. Enter beautiful, street-smart neighbor Penny, who aims to teach them a thing or two about life.

When this show first started (way back in 2007), I watched it every week. I liked the smart quirkiness of the characters. Then, I stopped watching it so I could devote more time to reading. Now that the show is ending, I should probably catch up. 















10. All The Animated Shows (Fox)


The Simpsons’, Bob’s Burgers, and Family Guy.

Remember how I said I like satire? These shows have more satire! Homer Simpson is my favorite fictional character ever. Pretty much everything that comes out of my mouth is either a Simpsons’ reference or a Harry Potter reference. I contain no original thoughts.








What have you been watching on TV? What are you looking forward to?











80 comments:

  1. I don't get TLC. I wonder if I can find Lost in Transition on Hulu or Netflix. I'll have to check. Not sure if I can take the drama, but it might be interesting to check out.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I don’t have Hulu or Netflix, so I’m not sure, but TLC sometimes has free shows on their website. You might be able to find it there. It’s not as dramatic as some reality shows, but there’s still a lot of focus on repetitive arguments.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  2. I don't have a TV, but on the rare occasion that I have the opportunity to watch, I'll go to the Food Network. I also enjoy checking Once Upon a Time out of the library.

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    1. Food Network is my go-to channel. I use it as background noise when the house is too quiet.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  3. So South Park is accurate about the cows then! It's been years since I watched it but I loved those early seasons. Big Cartman fan! And I love watching Bake Off. I can't cook but I love watching cooking competition shows like this and Masterchef. Oh yeah, I got your email and sent a reply...thanks!

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    1. Yep, South Park is accurate about the cows. Pretty much the only thing in South Park is cows.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  4. I love The Great British Baking Show so much. and all coloring competition shows too. I tired Sharp Objects but find it slow.

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    1. I considered giving up on Sharp Objects because I found it slow, too. Then I got bored one day and watched the final three episodes. It’s not a show that I’d ever re-watch.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  5. At the risk of sounding controversial (meh, when has that ever stopped me?) - The Great British Bake Off is, imho, a piece of propaganda. It paints this faux-1950s British vision of 'bunting and buns' and, well, The Daily Mail love it.

    I was originally going to be harsher, but I appreciate that people love the show and a lot of people use it for self-care, and that's fine by me! Do what you need and enjoy yourself :)

    I just... need to remind people that it's a *very* selective portrayal of Britishness (white middle-class Englishness, mainly.) And one which paints a picture that's often used to hide some very dark truths.

    Plus, I always get annoyed because I can't EAT the effing cakes! Lol ;)

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    1. I like GBBO because the contestants don’t spend the entire show screaming at each other. American cooking competitions mostly consist of people yelling.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  6. My seven year old is really into the baking shows and got us interested in The Great British Bake Off. Sugar Rush is her favorite though. I haven't yet seen Sharp Objects. I want to read the book first. Which will happen at some point. Maybe. I don't watch much reality TV, but I did like Catfish when I caught it on. I curious about the spinoff you mention.

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    1. Sugar Rush is one of the few that I haven’t seen. I’ll probably get to it eventually.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  7. Oh man, I've been watching Survivor since the first season (okay, I was five when it started so my memory is a bit dodgy, but still--the commitment is there!) and it's still something I love watching with my mom and have recently introduced to my fiance. Expedition Unknown sounds like fun, I'll have to see if I can track that one down! I love Food Network and all those cooking competition, so why I haven't watched The Great British Bake Off yet is beyond--I need to get on that. Great list of shows, quite a nice variety! :)

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    1. I vaguely remember the first season of Survivor. I was pretty young, too.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  8. Yay for South Park and American Horror. I can't believe it will be the last season for Big Bang. I will miss it so much. Wonder if Leonard and Penny will have a baby? I keep meaning to watch Sharp Objects and your comment about hoping they would all get stabbed by sharp objects is such a "me" thing to say!

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    1. Haha, I hated all the characters on Sharp Objects. It was an entertaining mystery, though.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  9. I'm looking forward to AHS too, although I'm a little behind since I wasn't into the series when Cult was airing and it's not up on Netflix yet. But I'll definitely be blasting through Cult before I get to Apocalypse.

    - Louise

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    1. The first few episodes of Cult were terrifying. It starts with Donald Trump becoming president . . . .

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  10. I love The Big Bang Theory! I'm so sad it's ending.

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    1. Now that it’s ending, I finally have a chance to catch up. I’ll probably be sad when I finish it, though.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  11. I watch so little TV, but I was a survivor fan back in the day.

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    1. I don’t watch much TV, either. Most of the shows I watch regularly are old. It’s been a lot of years since I tried out a brand new show.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  12. Expedition Unknown sounds like fun. I've always loved Survivor as well. I hardly watch any TV any more at this point.

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    1. Expedition Unknown is extremely underrated. I wish more people watched it. It’s so fun.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  13. The Great british Bake Off sounds great, and I've seen it mentioned on various blogs from time to time. Must be pretty popular. Also, they're nice? That seems like a nice bonus. Lol about Sharp Objects. And I've never heard of Expedition Unknown but it looks super fun! I like yetis so that episode would definitely catch my interest! How come we never find yetis or anything?

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    1. I think there were several episodes about yetis. You’d think someone would have found one by now. :)

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  14. Great list! I really need to watch the British Baking show sometime!

    Here’s my TTT!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  15. I LOVE The Great British Baking Show! My mom and I watch each episode together :-) Here's my TTT.

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    1. That’s cool. Nobody in my real life understands my obsession with food shows. Especially because I hate cooking.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  16. I've been watching Survivor since the very beginning - I'm still hooked. :)

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  17. I adore the Bake Off. Such a good show. Wonderful list! :-)

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  18. I, too, started out watching Big Bang and then drifted away. I like to tune in for the big episodes, but I'll probably watch more of the coming season since it's the last (and since I don't see a ton of other shows I'm interested in).

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  19. You are my TV Shows twin. I love, love Survivor and you are so right about the contestants. Your comment actually made me think about Coach and Phillip haha. Where did they get those guys? Big Bang is another favorite of mine. I am a season behind on American Horror story, the last one I watched was about the circus. There is a lot of buzz around the new season though. I need to watch that. Great post!

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    1. Coach and Phillip are such weirdos. I didn’t know that people like them existed. I wonder if they’re like that in real life?

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  20. I LOVE the Great British Bake Off too! It's such fun to watch.

    One of my colleauges is talking about the next season of American Horror Story nonstop. She is obsessed, haha. I've caught one or two episodes on the telly but it didn't impress me much.

    I can't wait for the next season of Iron Fist that's coming out in a few days and also my favourite Spanish show, Cable Girls is coming back too! Good times.

    Ronnie @ Paradise Found

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    1. A lot of people in my life are obsessed with AHS. I always like the first few episodes, but then I get irritated with it. Why does the plot need to be so convoluted?

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  21. I love The Simpsons! They are like my comfort show to go to haha I've been wanting to watch Sharp Objects for a long while now but I still haven't decided whether to read the book first or just watch the series.

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    1. The Simpsons is my favorite show ever. I’ve been watching it for as long as I can remember.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  22. I can't get enough of the GBB. It's just so uplifting to watch -- and now without cable, I am without my show!

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    1. I feel your pain! I only have basic American TV, so I don’t have access to most Bake Off episodes.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  23. You can never go wrong with Southpark and The Simpsons.

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  24. The Great British Baking Show is my favorite cooking competition show! It's so much fun! Great list! :)

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    1. It’s my favorite, too. I like that there isn’t constant pointless drama.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  25. I love Catfish, so I can't believe I didn't know a spin-off even existed! The premise sounds so good. I know what I'm watching now when I take reading break haha

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    1. I hope you like it! I want them to bring the spinoff back. Three episodes wasn’t enough.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  26. We both included Great British Bake Off/Show. Lol.

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  27. Really looking forward to the new season of Survivor! It's amazing that it's still so good after so many seasons.

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  28. Oh gosh, I haven't watched South Park in ages but it is definitely a bingeworthy show, lol.

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    1. It’s easier to binge now that the seasons are so short. We only get a few new episodes every year.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  29. I want to watch Sharp Objects so badly! I need to figure out a way to get HBO again. Great list!

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  30. I don't watch much TV, just came back from spending several days away planning and without TV and internet (except off my phone, which I tried to hide). But of all these, I have only seen South Park and the Simpsons. I do enjoy the Simpsons (I never got into South Park).

    wwww.thepulpitandthepen.com

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    1. Going somewhere with no TV or internet sounds amazing right now. I could use a break from the news and social media.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  31. I'v watched SP since forever too. And I watch repeats of TBT and Bob's Burgers almost every night.

    I've thought of watching Sharp Objects but I'm really impatient with characters lol

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I got frustrated with the characters in Sharp Objects, but the mystery was entertaining enough that I watched the whole season.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  32. Catfish Trolls sounds redundant, no? Like duh, most of the Catfish ARE trolls hahah. Still, I obviously need to watch it now that I know it exists! I have always wanted to watch American Horror Story, too! One of these days, I am going to do it! If you ask me, it's worth watching ANYTHING that features the incredible Adina Porter. I used to watch Big Bang but it just got so repetitive that I gave up, though I'll probably watch a little of the last season just to see what happens!

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    1. I liked Trolls because it got rid of the whole love (or fake love) angle and brought together two people who hate each other. Most of the relationships on Catfish end with people hating each other. Trolls streamlined the process. They don’t even pretend to like each other first.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  33. American Horror Story has always been a show I'm vaguely interested in, but also I'm terrified of horror so I don't know if I could manage it. :D

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    1. The first few episodes of every season are scary. Then things become more stupid than scary.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  34. I love the Great British Bake Off! And exactly because they are all so calm and nice. It's so comforting to watch calm people bake food, although it does always make me want bread or cake or whatever. I loved Sharp Objects!! And I agree, it was very visually cool.

    We are watching Anne with an E, and I am loving it. I never read the books (which I am going to remedy soon). Not sure what else is in our television watching future, besides HGTV crap like House Hunters International and Log Cabin Living. Lol. Enjoyed your post!

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    1. YES! We need more calm reality shows. I haven’t read the Anne books, either, but they’re on my TBR list.

      Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  35. Despite your less than enthusiastic praise for Sharp Objects, I am very curious about it. It looks really interesting and I never picked up the book, so it might ultimately be surprising. I'd go with the word aesthetic for the look of a show.

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  36. Love South Park. My brother called me recently while he was traveling cross country just to tell me he was at Casa Bonita!

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  37. I love love cooking shows too! A friend told me about Stay Here. A renovation show for homes for short-term leasing. Love the two hosts. Expedition Unknown sounds like fun. Love travel shows. Thanks for sharing! ❤️

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  38. I saw you liked the birtish baking show because in the american they all yell in the comments which is what I dislike about the american ones as well. Maybe you'd like the Australian Masterchef too then? There is more about cooking and a bonding between the contestants there. There is so little competitiveness. They all support each other.

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  39. Aw I love Bake-off, the new series has just started over here and is just nice watching (but also weirdly full of tension.) I love the Great British Sewing Bee too (which is like bake-off with clothes instead of cakes) - I wish they'd put it up on netflix!

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  40. I love South Park, the show is just so ridiculous and never fails to crack me up.

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  41. I'm definitely going to have to try and jump on the American Horror Story bandwaggon. Everyone seems to love this show but I'm not yet tried it.

    I wonder why they changed the name for The Great British Bake Off?

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  42. I've always wanted to try the Big Bang Theory but I think there are eleven billionty seasons so I haven't yet. 😂And I always kind of liked watching MasterChef when it was on TV but omg I haven't watched a reality TV show for ages! I usually avoid them but the baking ones are good...except I get so so hungry ahhh.😂

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  43. I've heard Sharp Objects is good, and I like Amy Adams, but I don't think it's really a "me show." Still... maybe someday I'll watch the pilot. :)

    Thanks for the Finding Wonderland visit last week, AJ!

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  44. YES! I LOVE The Simpsons and use to watch it all the time! And then when the movie came out?! Loved, loved, loved I still sing the spider pig song to this day lol! I hope you enjoy watching all of your favorite shows!
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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