Staff Picks: TV Shows We're Thankful For

 

Greetings fellow turkey eaters and welcome to TVRage's very first Thanksgiving table. While most families gather around the dinner table to recite what they're most thankful for (namely each other), our TV-crazed staff has decided to give a unique twist to this time-honored tradition by giving thanks to the shows we love most.

 

These beloved programs continue to fill our hearts (and our paychecks) each and every year, and since we spend the majority of our days writing about them, it just seems like the right thing to do. So while you're busy consuming copious amounts of delicious food and waiting for the tryptophan to take effect, take a moment to check out our selection below and stuff yourself with television goodness.

 

'American Horror Story': Chosen by Kelly Schremph

 

 

Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a healthy helping of horror, right? (Have I been celebrating holidays wrong?) Sure, it's not exactly going to put you in a festive mood, but it does make you very grateful for a lot of things…like not getting abducted by aliens or being burned at the stake or just basically being alive in general. You know, small things like that. But in all seriousness, the storylines are rich and fully developed, the scripts are engaging and powerful, and the acting is almost borderline perfection at this point. (I'm looking at you Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and Jessica Lange!) The series defies TV traditions, making each season feel like a brand new show, and isn't afraid to test boundaries…or rather just disregard boundaries altogether. Not to mention, it makes for excellent family dinner conversation. (Hey Grandma, remember the minotaur scene? Oh, and can you pass the stuffing?) Classic. It's edgy and insane and will keep you coming back for seconds…and thirds…and fifths.

‘The Vampire Diaries’: Chosen by Allyson Koerner

 

'New Girl': Chosen by Rachel Harris

 

I recently injured myself while trying to pick up my nine pound dog (let’s not get into how ridiculous that is) and subsequently got to spend a lot of quality time on my couch with a heating pad and some muscle relaxers. What does one do when they are under body induced house arrest? Watch a lot (a lot) of television, of course. I have always heard great things about the FOX sitcom ‘New Girl,’ but had never had the time to sit down and give it a whirl. Little did I know that after watching just the very first episode I would be setting myself up to spend a solid 48 hours in a ‘New Girl’ infused haze. Besides the obvious reasons to be thankful for a show like ‘New Girl’ (Zooey Deschanel’s adorable glasses, the show’s theme song, etc.), there are so many reasons that this show has quickly become one of my personal favorites in so short a time span. ‘New Girl’ is a television show that does not take itself too seriously. The chemistry between Jess, Nick, Schmidt and Winston is both endearing and hilarious. Never have I imagined I would be sitting here wishing I lived with three guys in a loft. This is a show that is filled to bursting with cultural references, smart humor, wit, charm and some very relatable embarrassing moments. I feel like it was written to cater exactly to the kind of person I am — a slightly awkward, accident prone, twenty-something who maybe does not have it altogether. That is what is so great about ‘New Girl,’ you can watch and feel that maybe it is okay to be completely weird. Well, as long as you are not being a douchebag, but even so you just have to put a dollar in the "Douchebag Jar." On the same light note, can someone please teach me the rules to ‘True American,’ because there is nothing I want more in life right now than to play this game. “So, it’s a 50% drinking game, 50% life-size Candy Land.” Sign me up! 1, 2, 3 JFK! FDR! ‘New Girl’ is a show that genuinely makes me laugh out loud, and for that, I am thankful.

'Community': Chosen by Anthony Marcusa

 

Ever so subtle, exceedingly clever, and simply hysterical, ’'Community' at its peak rivaled the greatness of ‘Arrested Development’ as a sitcom that embraced and subverted the confines of television and created outrageous situations in the mundane. Once former and now returning showrunner Dan Harmon created a seven-member Community College study group, championed by charming slacker Jeff Winger, which were immediately and always fun to watch. There are too many highlights to count. A first season paintball episode that riffed on action movies was wonderful, until it was supplanted by two-part finale the next year, spoofing spaghetti westerns and ‘Star Wars.’ There was a ‘Glee’ episode, an all-animated episode, and a clip show where all of the memories were things that the audience had never seen. While Season 4 may have taken a dip, and off the air problems with cast members (and Harmon) have disrupted the flow and quality, fans are still eagerly awaiting the fifth season, and the show’s early promise – six seasons and a movie.

'The Mindy Project': Chosen by Brianne Hogan

 

No doubt the FOX sitcom has been a little uneven at times since its debut last year. Is it a work place comedy, or a rom-com? Or is it like 'Friends' but with better jobs? Its roster has taken a hit as well with a number of co-stars coming and going, and don't even get me started on its guest stars. The show almost puts 'SNL' to shame with its revolving door of big-names that show up each week. With news of the show going on hiatus for two months in the new year, it seems like FOX might be questioning the place of the Mindy Kaling-starrer in its lineup, too. But I really, really hope not. Because, although 'Mindy' is struggling with its identity as a series, Mindy Kaling's Mindy Lahiri sure as hell knows who she is. Mindy is brash, unapologetic, and yes, sometimes rude. She likes fast food and fashion. She's a professional woman who still yearns for her fairytale ending with Prince Charming. In essence, Mindy Lahiri is one of us. She's a real-ass woman in a TV landscape that still believes that women should be portrayed as both sweet and sexy, but never mean, and, most especially, never ever argumentative. Because if a woman has an opinion on TV, she's usually called that nice "B" word and eventually gets her just desserts. Like being thrown off a building or something. We need more female characters like Mindy Lahiri on television. We need to see women fall flat on their faces one moment, and then save the day in the O.R. the next. So, thank you 'The Mindy Project.' Thank you for making women real for once. See you in April.

 

'Sherlock': Chosen by Colleen Weiler

 

 

'Parks and Recreation': Chosen by Chris Hill

 

Lord, thank you for JJ’s Diner waffles, Paunch Burger’s Double Bacon Grenade Deluxe, and Sweetums all-natural sugary goodness. As we accept this bounty, we are also grateful for Donna’s Twitter account, Tom’s entrepreneurial ventures, and April’s total disdain for everything. Though we are saddened that Ann and Chris are planning to move away, we take solace in a return of Jerry/Larry from retirement, and a brief visit from the child-like Andy Dwyer, on a break from 'Guardians of the Galax'  — I mean…his new job in England. In this coming year, we would like to see more of Ben speaking Klingon at the office. We would also like to see Leslie Knope comeback from her loss in the recall election and climb back into Pawnee politics — Knope for Mayor, anyone? We also want more Ron Swanson. Period.  And although there are signs the show may be coming to an end (way to shuffle the lineup NBC), thank you for another fun season of 'Parks and Rec,' the smartest and most heartfelt comedy on television. Happy Thanksgiving everybody, and don’t forget to treat yo’ self.

 

'Scandal': Chosen by Kate Rocheleau

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at TVRage!