Monday List #24-Watcha' Watching?

In the 80's and 90's I was a regular watcher of Aaron Spelling created TV shows, TJ Hooker, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Love Boat, Dynasty, and Fantasy Island. In the decades since and with more and more crap on cable I've watched less and less TV, especially with the horror of reality TV and trash like the Kardashians and housewives from American cities. Shudder.

 

Once the Olympics is over this summer I am planning on cancelling my cable subscription and instead use Hulu Plus, Netflix and Red Box for any entertainment I want to watch. So before I say goodbye to cable, here are the only shows that I still watch and enjoy. Most of these show will be available on Hulu and Netflix, those that aren't are usually in season box sets at the library. 

1. House Hunters & House Hunters International. I've been watching this show for years and try and catch only new episodes. Now that we know it's all staged it's a little stranger to watch but I love to see the locations where they film. 
2. Giada at Home. I love this cooking show with Giada De Laurentiis. The home where she films is serene with the California surf through the kitchen windows, her light and easy meals and her fun guests including her hysterical Aunt Raffy. I experiment with her recipes regularly. 
3. Barefoot Contessa. Her beautiful home and gardens, her eccentric friends and her beloved husband. I rarely make her recipes but I like to watch her cook, especially when she visits Paris or New York. 
4. Downtown Abbey. Completely. Obsessed. This show has created an entire culture of people who love it. I haven't been as obsessed with a show since General Hospital in the 1980's. Fantastic characters, beautiful locations, history, tragedy, vintage clothing, love, this show has it all. I can't wait until the 3rd season begins. 
5. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover. He tells it like it is when he travels and eats. My son and I watch his shows together whenever we can. Anthony was in Chicago filming last week and rumor has it he went to the locally loved former speakeasy Simon's. Paul and I stop by there for a beer or glogg when we are in Andersonville, great place when it's cold outside. 
6. Glee. A show my son and I don't miss, and not because one of the producers based it on the high school my son and I both graduated from. Regular watchers suffered through the horrible 2nd season and we're hoping the show ends as well as it started. 

What are you watching and have you or are you ready to get rid of cable?