If your study habits resemble mine in any way, shape, or form, you often use Netflix as a refuge from doing work. Paper due tomorrow morning at 10? I could write it or I could watch all of Psych…again…for the third time. I think I’ll go for option b for 100 Alex*. Clearly Netflix’s InstantWatch is among is among my default procrastination tools. As such it is only fitting that I bring to you a few television series worth revisiting. It is only appropriate since fall break ended and I know you have a thirty- page lab report, a drawing, a problem set and a blog update that you’d rather not think about.
Hey Arnold
As a child, I was an adamant Nickelodeon viewer. To me a lot of the Disney shows back then lacked the hilarity of Nickelodeon series, so it is no small wonder that I was obsessed with Hey Arnold. Everyone character had their own distinct idiosyncrasies that not only made them hilarious, but memorable. I mean who can forget characters like Chocolate Boy, Helga and Grandma Bertie. Their adventures were always engaging and there was always a lesson to be learned without being outright didactic. Some of my favorite episodes include Pigeon Man and Stoop Kid.
Cosby Show
My grandmother would often watch me while my mother went to run errands and such. While I love my grandma and all, there really wasn’t much for us to talk about when I was all of seven years old. Thus, I often watched TV until my mom came to retrieve me. One amazing day–that I don’t actually remember–I discovered the Cosby Show.
I was captivated; the actors’ camaraderie was so authentic, that I wanted to be apart of their family. Although the Cosby family had a heavy female presence, my favorite character by far was Theo. His nonchalant attitude was the perfect. Given my adoration for Theo, it is no surprise that one of my favorite Cosby episodes is Theo’s Holiday, where his family serves him a reality check.
Arrested Development
While this show is a ubiquitous cult favorite that everyone I have ever met can’t stop talking about, it took me this past August to watch this series. And I wonder why I didn’t sooner. For me the show wins points for the sheer ridiculousness of the plot. I mean a whole mixed family living in a sample home, as the patriarch is in jail for security fraud and embezzlement? Even though the storyline was enticing enough, the characters are the best part. Tobias is a true gem, with his inability to understand why everyone thinks he’s gay. The best part about watching this series is that not only will you laugh until your neighbor calls security for a noise compliant, but also it will prepare your for the upcoming mini-series. Although Arrested Development was cancelled in 2006, producers have planned to film a nine-episode mini-series that will serve as an epilogue to the series and a prequel to a feature length film.
*Trebek, natch