Why Game of Thrones is the best TV Show right now...

It's hard to find someone who doesn't like Game of Thrones. Typically you either love it, or you're not even watching it. Which is lame. So if you're one of those few that are currently NOT watching this show - let me tell you why you need to start. Immediately.

The characters
This show has so many fantastic characters, it's hard to choose a favorite. And there's always that one character everyone loves to hate, until they get killed and you find a new person to loathe... Now, some people might complain that there are too many characters. Which I can understand at the beginning. But the show does a great job of keeping track of them all and getting viewers invested into their stories.

My top three favorite characters are Dani, Tyrion, and Jon Snow. With Arya & Sansa rounding out the top five. Some make the argument for Bran as a favorite, which as his story is developed I'm starting to like more & more. I will give a caution to new viewers: don't get too attached to characters. They may not last as long as you'd like!

The stories
Because there are so many characters, you get all sorts of stories. Romance, action, even a little science fiction & zombie action thrown in! You won't find any spoilers here, but I guarantee that if you're somebody who enjoys a good story - the saga that is Game of Thrones is amazing. But I will say, that if you haven't watched the show and someone tries to tell you about the Red Wedding, Jon Snow, or Hodor - run away! Don't let them spoil those must see moments!

Now even with amazing characters and the story that is told about them, there is something that Game of Thrones has that not many other shows has. It's this journey that you're on with the show: knowing that winter is coming, that what is dead may never die, and that all play the game of thrones. There's an end game that is happening and you see the characters work toward something, you're just not sure how or when. And that's what keeps bringing you back week after week, season after season. Hoping that you're favorite character stays alive, and trying to figure who will ultimately win the Game of Thrones!

Check out Game of Thrones here: http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones

Don't Miss the Best TV Has to Offer

As I mentioned in the last post, TV has certainly changed in the past three years. There are a thousand channels and countless streaming options on the Internet. And there are so many good programs available now. It's hard to know what's quality work. How are you certain not to miss the best that's out there?

First step, follow the TV News. Trust me, there are a lot of TV critics and bloggers out there, and a select few get the inside scoop and can tell you what to keep an eye out for. My two favorites are TVLine and Entertainment Weekly.

Second step, start watching TV! A few shows that pretty much all TV fans will agree are excellent (in no particular order): Game of Thrones, Orphan Black, and The Americans. You may also like NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, Big Bang Theory or Empire - all top rated shows by Nielsen Ratings.

But what if you're not watching these shows? That's the beauty of the age that we're living in. You can find just about anything on the Internet, Hulu, Amazon, or Netflix.

For example: I'm currently catching up on The Americans. I had heard it was going to be a good show when it first debuted in 2013. I don't know why I didn't start watching it then, but I've consistently heard good things over the past three years. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys play KGB spies on American soil set in the1980s. Last month I decided I needed to start watching it. I was three years too late, but I knew I had to start at the beginning. So I first checked the FX app (The Americans is on FX, Wednesdays at 10pm), but no luck. Next I tried streaming Hulu or Netflix.  Still no luck. But I could order the DVDs from Netflix and catch up three shows at a time. In the past two weeks I'm already done with season one. And let me say, it did not disappoint. I'm already getting season two this week and can't wait to catch up to watching it live.

Because that's the goal: to watch TV shows when they're current. To be part of the dialogue as it's happening, not three years too late. But sometimes that doesn't always happen, and it's okay. There are tons of shows that were great and no longer running that you should probably go catch up on. Here's just a few shows to get you started:

30Rock
Parks & Rec
Scrubs
Gilmore Girls
Friday Night Lights
Sons of Anarchy
Friends
How I Met Your Mother
Sopranos
SixFeetUnder
Dexter

So don't miss out on the best that TV has to offer. Get to work, starting watching some amazing shows! They won't disappoint!

TV has changed since 2013

It's been three years since I wrote in TV Nerd. It was the Golden Globes; I blame Ricky Gervais.

In the past three years we've added Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and who knows what other streaming services. Original programming is EVERYWHERE!

So what do I watch now? A little bit of everything, and a whole lot of nothing. Here is a current list of everything I've watched within the last six months (because some shows are off season, or I'm catching up on Netflix/Hulu)

(in no particular order)
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Grey's Anatomy
Scandal
How to Get Away with Murder
Blindspot
The Americans
Daredevil
Survivor
The Flash
Arrow
Sons of Anarchy (netflix)
The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt
The Ranch
Fuller House
11/22/63
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson
Quantico
Downton Abbey
Sherlock
House of Cards
Orange is the New Black
Marco Polo
Peaky Blinders

Some of these I'm no longer watching either because they're off the air (Downton Abbey, sniff), or don't have any new episodes available (looking at you Marco Polo and Peaky Blinders).

I'll write next about The Good Wife ending. It's been an amazing seven years and I'm interested in seeing what they do with Alicia Florrick.