When I’m not battling the government or playing darts, I enjoy sinking into my big ol’ couch and watching me some T.V.*  Not enough to justify the monthly premium mind you, but when I do watch, this is what I like:

True Detective (HBO) Great acting, outstanding writing.  The Louisiana setting is also a pleasing change of pace. It’s only been out for four episodes, but it’s keeping my interest thus far (which is actually a pretty high bar). Starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.

House of Cards (Netflix) A political drama (and remake of the British original which I have not seen).  Set in Washington, DC of course although the lead character is a Congresscritter from South Carolina.  It’s true to life in that the politicians are all pretty much self-serving hypocrites.  What’s different is in this series they are Democrats (although truth be told, the Republicans are portrayed just as badly, they are just not featured).  The Tea Party gets the usual disrespect you’d expect, but this article (spoiler alert) makes the point that the series should delight the Tea Party types.  One thing that is really cool about the Netflix format is that they release the entire season of episodes at once so you can watch at your leisure.  Season 2 was released on February 14 and I watched the season ending episode on February 16 (technically 17 I guess since it was around 2:00 in the morning). Starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.

Shameless (Showtime) Ah, the dysfunctional Gallagher family, which actually functions quite well considering the obstacles they must overcome.  Probably a more accurate depiction of a “typical” family than most of the white bread shows we grew up with.  Actually, the McCrarey household I grew up in was closer to Shameless than Leave it to Beaver (eh, but whose wasn’t?).  We were more like Shameless than all our neighbors is perhaps more apt. Maybe that’s why it resonates.  Anyway, good stuff. Featuring William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum and an outstanding ensemble cast.

House of Lies (Showtime) I hadn’t intended to rank these in my order of preference, but I guess that’s how it’s turning out.  This show is about a group of management consultants, a type I encountered all too often over my years in the federal service.  Yep, your Uncle Sam does love to fritter away your tax dollars on crappy consultants.  The series is based on a book entitled:  House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time which pretty much sums it up.  Still, it’s entertaining enough although it’s not amongst the shows I look forward to seeing each week.  Truth be told, it’s right beside Shameless in my On Demand queue, so I kill an hour on this while I’m there.  Starring Don Cheadle.

Other stuff I watch to pass the time (I normally do all my television viewing between 10 p.m and 2:00 a.m.) includes Episodes, Parks and Recreation, An Idiot Abroad, and when really desperate, Burn Notice.

Another of my favorite shows is Game of Thrones but it won’t begin airing again until April.

I supplement all of the above with the occasional documentary or other non-fiction programming that piques my interest.  I spend much more time on Netflix (around $8.00 per month) than I do on AT&T Uverse ($110 including internet).  But the best programs tend to be on the premium channels and I’m not that easily entertained.

* I will not sit through commercial television programming because of the commercials.  I just can’t tolerate the interruption. So, unless a series has migrated to Netflix or is on a premium channel, it’s a no go.  And those tricky bastards at ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX that make their shows available “on demand” will not permit fast forwarding through the commercials.  So fuck them, I just don’t watch.