The Office
Emily L: I’ve watched The Office all the way through at least 5 times, including when it was actually on during NBC’s Thursday night line up. (Screw thirsty Thursday – I maintain this was the best Thursday night you could have). The jokes never get old, but I find the main reason I keep rewatching is that I need other people to like this show and I will force them to if I have to.
My boyfriend had never seen The Office, so as you might imagine, we were on the brink of breaking up. How dare he laugh at a “that’s what she said” joke without getting the reference? So over the past couple months, we watched all nine seasons. And thank Belshnickel, he loved it. I’m sure he got annoyed that I mainly stared at him while we watched to make sure he was laughing at all the right parts, and it must’ve been frustrating to hear me say “oh, this is a good part” before anything remotely funny happened, but we powered through. Now we have matching Schrute Farm sweatshirts. Ah, love.
Janna: I’m gonna one-up Emily L and admit that I’ve probably watched The Office from start to finish over 20 times, if you count having it on while you multi-task. Because before kids, it was usually on all the time in the background. It’s an intrinsic part of my life, mostly because it was an important part of my relationship with my husband. We were friends for several years before dating, and we bonded over our shared love of The Office. On Thursday nights I’d head over to his apartment and we’d order Chinese and watch the new episodes. Our relationship weirdly mirrored Jim and Pam’s; he was my closest friend and confidante even while I dated a loser who didn’t appreciate me. Thankfully there was no Karen to contend with once I finally realized that he was The One.
Nostalgia aside, it’s such a great show. The characters feel like my friends (yes, I know that says a lot about my social life). Turning it on is like putting on those worn, soft, baggy sweatpants that have holes in the crotch but don’t judge you when you eat too much Mexican food. There’s no risk in watching it like there is in starting a new show or new season. I know it’s going to be great every time. It always leaves me satisfied. (That’s what she said).
Parks & Rec
Janna: This is another show that I re-watch frequently. It’s hilarious, the characters are great (as with The Office, I consider them all my close and personal friends). It’s happy and uplifting. So many quotes that I use every day. So much comedic gold. And so many iconic creations: Galentine’s Day, Treat Yo’Self, DJ Roomba, Lil Sebastion, Mouse Rat, Ron-effing-Swanson, Ron and Tammy, Snake Juice, putting Twilight in the Time Capsule (#EGBTT), JJ’s Waffles, Cones of Dunshire, cameos by Joe Biden and Michelle Obama. And this gif of Ron Swanson.
This show gives me all the warm and happy feels. So keep your Stranger Things or Jessica Jones or Lost In Space, or whatever it is the cool kids are watching these days. I’m gonna go watch Ben and Leslie fall in love in front of a wildflower mural again.
Emily L: Yeah, we moved straight from that Office binge into a Parks and Rec binge. It’s the only natural course of action. My boyfriend’s name is Ben so I like to pretend I’m Leslie. It’s very wholesome I swear. But when it comes down to it, I’m obviously a Ron. I won’t eat a salad to save my life.
I’ve also been toying with the idea of starting a book club called The Punk-Ass Book Jockeys. All are welcome.
Thinking of starting a book club called The Punk Ass Book Jockeys. Y’all in? #punkassbookjockeys #ParksAndRec pic.twitter.com/rdImkghm9T
— Emily Leyland (@emilyleyl) April 13, 2018
Angela: I resisted the Parks and Rec cult until about three years ago when my (librarian) coworkers wouldn’t shut up about being punk-ass book jockeys and my FOMO won. I think it is the only show I have very literally watched the finale and restarted the series. In the 3 years since my life got funny, I have watched it no less than 10 times through.
There is a GIF for everything. I think the food poisoning episode is the funniest episode of television ever. I think that it saved my relationship because it was the first show we both liked and I couldn’t be sure I could live with someone who likes The Office (Sorry, not sorry. I do not think Steve Carell is funny. Yes, I have watched it all the way through, but will admit it gets better when he leaves.) but not The Mindy Project. Leslie and Ben’s wedding is my new dream wedding. Why would anyone watch anything else?
Our fave Parks and Rec Posts on TN
New Girl
Emily L: New Girl is full of a different type of nostalgia for me. Along with Jersey Shore (don’t judge – also anyone been watching the reunion?! It’s amazing), it was a show I watched with my college roommates. We played True American (or tried to, at least) and we called it the Friends of our generation (which was really just a pull quote from the season 1 DVD).
Somewhere between now and then I lost track of the show. I stepped out right about when Jess went to jury duty (does anyone else hate that storyline? I get it’s because she was pregnant, but still), but when I heard the final season was coming up and that the most recent season was added to Netflix I wanted to jump back in. And I promptly remembered how much I love this show. Particularly Winnie the Bish. I really identify with him and his love for Ferguson. I would rather watch this show 10 times over than watch Westworld or whatever drama people are going on about. Don’t @ me.
New Girl on TN is the greatest
Vampire Diaries
Emily A: The final season of The Originals started April 18th and I am excited to see what happened to Klaus, Hayley, and Elijah. **Spoiler alert** When we last left the Mikelsens little Hope was attending the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted. Klaus helped get it open after all with a $3M donation. Before diving into their final season which fast forwards 10 years, I wanted to remember all the fun times of Mystic Falls. And since Caroline will make a few appearances, I wanted to be reminded of all the reasons she didn’t want Klaus in the first place. I figured between Vampire Diaries and The Originals I had 12 seasons of vampire love to keep my heart happy since I’m just over the frustrations of other WB shows like Arrow, Flash, and Legends. Personally, these season-long villain arcs are grating on my nerves. I like shorter storylines that wrap up in smaller packages.
We used to write about Vampire Diaries on TN all the time
Doctor Who
Emily A: My other go to show for when I’m bored, just need noise on, or getting ready for bed is Doctor Who. I’ve seen all of the new Who a million times each. I know exactly what’s coming but it doesn’t matter, it’s a comforting bedtime story. This is one new season I’m looking forward to – when we finally get a time lady!
We have so much good Doctor Who Stuff on TN
The West Wing
Emily A: My other thing I go back to is The West Wing. If something coming out of DC today is too much to handle, I usually escape into the Bartlett administration. Need an explainer about a Government Shutdown looming? There’s a West Wing episode about that. Should we lower the voting age to allow 16-year-olds to vote so they have a say in their future? There’s a West Wing episode about that. How is a show from 18 years still timely and relevant? The pilot episode talks about Syria and a proportional response.
How is it that a show that went off the air 10+ years ago, long before today’s politics were even being considered and the closest thing to a Presidential scandal was hiding MS. They tackled white supremacy, illegal immigration, LGBT rights and how a Supreme Court Justice is nominated. They tell you what happens with the 25th amendment and order of succession. This show is fantastic and comforting to me.
The Golden Girls
Angela: When I got rid of cable, the only thing I missed was The Hallmark Channel because I watched The Golden Girls every night (and Christmas movies, obvs). And then HULU answered all of our prayers. I would have no way to even begin to put a count on the number of times I have watched the series in my life. Dozens and dozens. I want to be Sophia when I am in my 80s and curse people’s mustache hairs to grow up and tangle with their nose hairs.
There is no way for me to tell you which one I am because I am all of them: I have Blanche’s dirty mind, Dorothy’s sarcasm, and Rose’s…well, I’m sure I have more of her in me than I want to admit. As I introduced Boyfriend to the best thing to ever come out of Miami (Pitbull is a close second but in a completely different way), I have seen how much of an influence these fierce ladies have been on me. Now, if HULU or Netflix could just add Designing Women, all of my childhood role models could be a part of my life.
Hart Of Dixie
Angela: This is the show that I watch when I am PMSing want something sweet. I love that small town full of hot, accented people and love hexagons. I watched it when it was originally on, and never thought I would enjoy binging it as much as I do, but watching Rachel Bilson’s Dr. Zoe Hart figure out how to go from Big City Surgeon to Small Town Doc while choosing between two hot guys to figure out who her OTL is…it just lifts the spirits the way only cheesy romances can.
Zoe and Lavon’s friendship not only proves that men and women can be friends without ever questioning that, but they are one of the best friendships on TV. Oh and that eventual Lemon-George-Annabeth-Lavon square…I think I change my mind about which way it should go every season. Just thinking about the show makes me so wistful that I start throwing ellipses everywhere.
We Actually Found More Hart of Dixie on TN