Me and TV | Eastern NC Now

    Until I got married twenty years ago, I didn't watch much TV. Perhaps because I liked to read and was always in the bed no later than nine-yes, really-I was never up late enough for the good shows. And this was before TIVO and other DVRs. I'd get home from work around seven, maybe jog a few miles, maybe watch "Friends" reruns, eat a bite and go to bed with a book.

    My TV watching picked up a bit when I got married but really didn't ramp up until we got TIVO. With the ability to record shows that came on after my bedtime and watch them right after dinner the next night, my husband and I got hooked on "Law & Order" in all its infinite varieties, "Friends," "Castle," and other network shows. We never have indulged in HBO and such. I still wanted to be in bed with a good book by nine, so a show or two a night was plenty.

    I'm currently addicted to British shows: "Midsomer Murders," "Endeavor," Poirot, Maigret, "Victoria" and anything else PBS comes up with. We were hooked on "Foyle's War" and mourned its passing and felt the same way about "Inspector Lewis" when it ended. I keep considering getting a subscription to Britbox so I can indulge my "Midsomer Murders" addiction without waiting for PBS to dole out the episodes.

    My husband can be found watching the History Channel most days and now that Adam of Dunwoody PC has installed ROKU for us, he's also watching the ROKU history channel. Those I can do without.

    Yes, we still watch network TV but seem often to be disappointed in their offerings. We got tired of the Good Wife before it ended, and I think we watch "Law & Order SVU" out of habit. My husband enjoys that one more than I do. His favorite saying when it ends each week is, "You're never to going to NYC again."

    We were happy when "Last Man Standing" resumed. It is one of the few comedies we like, and we could never understand why it was canceled. Be prepared. I'm about to sound my age: To us, most of the newer comedies are just plain crude and not for us. We give them a try and then give up.

    We've long enjoyed "Blue Bloods"-and not just because we're Tom Selleck fans-and the "Rookie" and "FBI" are two new shows we've enjoyed. We're also enjoying "Elementary" but I understand this is its last season. Can you tell we like witty dialogue with our murder and mayhem? That could be why we recorded several black and white "Thin Man" movies from TBS.

    When we finally got a smart TV, we started watching Amazon Prime originals like "Bosch." To us, that one's been the best by far. We also watch many of the British mystery series offered-some going back to the 90s. And yet ... and yet, I find myself lately not wanting to watch much of anything. I'm not quite sure why. Could it be the quality of network TV? If that's it, then you'd think Amazon Prime would solve our problem. Friends keep telling us we should get Netflix, and we'd have a great selection.

    Then again, is not wanting to watch TV a bad thing? I keep glancing longingly at my To Be Read pile of books and thinking the answer to that question may be a resounding "No."

    Kathy is a Georgia resident. Find her books "The Ink Penn: Celebrating the Magic in the Everyday" and "Lord Banjo the Royal Pooch" on Amazon. Contact her at inkpenn119@gmail.com, and follow her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/KathyManosPennAuthor/.