The looks are quite amusing, really.
First it is shock – like deep shock. Being slapped in the face shock. That is followed by a sadness. It is fairly close to losing a family member sadness. Not quite, but in that neighborhood at least.
Finally it evolves into anger. Serious anger. “What did you say about my wife?” anger.
It always happens in that order when I tell people I have never watched a single episode of “Game of Thrones.”
The dark dragons and swords and mayhem drama that earns a lot of eyeballs for HBO just doesn't interest me. I know some of you are thinking, “What is Game of Thrones?” But others are thinking, “What is wrong with that moron?!”
I have had people almost pass out when I tell them I have never watched the show. My own son thinks I am a sad human being for never having watched an episode.
That's the thing with TV these days – it is so loaded with great shows that it's almost impossible to invest the time in watching all of them.
It is not like it was when I was a kid and you only had three channels. If your mom wanted to watch “Love, American Style,” you watched it too. (Anyone remember that gem?)
Cable has obviously exploded the number of channels and variety of shows available, and that has been the case for years.
But it is more recent that excellent shows, many of them geared toward adults, have become common. And there are now plenty of other sources besides just the networks and cable. There is Netflix, and Hulu and Amazon Prime just to name a few. And all of them have some incredible shows.
For me, it started with “The Walking Dead.” For people who think this is just a show about zombies, you are incorrect. It is a human drama with incredible acting – and yes, there are zombies eating people from time to time.
How about “Breaking Bad,” which for me is the greatest TV drama of all time? That show was dark – very dark. But it was also very human. The acting was beyond compare, and the writing is the best ever seen on TV. It's spinoff “Better Call Saul” is incredible as well.
Others I love include “Preacher,” like “The Walking Dead” based on series of comic books (or graphic novels, depending on how you look at them); “American Horror Story,” which is really not a family friendly show; and “Goliath,” a show on Amazon Prime starring the always profane but likable Billy Bob Thornton.
With all of the great shows on TV, I can't think of the last time my wife and I went out to see a movie. If we want to watch movies, we stay at home and watch them. TVs now are huge and super high definition. Add surround sound and you don't need to go to a theater.
If you enjoy watching TV, I encourage getting some of the services mentioned here. There are shows for pretty much any taste.
If you need me, I'll be spending some downtime watching shows I enjoy – and ignoring “Game of Thrones.”
