Commentary #20: “July TV Show Photo Challenge” (Days 1-15)

Image Credit gettingthroughanxiety

Image Credit: gettingthroughanxiety.wordpress.com

I just discovered / stumbled upon Getting Through Anxiety through a few other blogs earlier this week, and I loved her TV show challenge posts so much, that I wanted to try this for myself!

I’ve tried month-long challenges like this before, typically through Facebook posts. Most of the time, though, I’ve failed miserably, or given up within a couple of days.

Since I discovered this challenge close to the halfway point of July, I’ve decided to summarize the first 15 posts here, and then post the remainder on a daily basis until the end of the month.

I think I’m up to the task!


  1. Favorite TV Show
  2. Favorite Season of Favorite Show
  3. Favorite Crime Show
  4. Favorite Animated Show
  5. Favorite Character
  6. TV Crush
  7. Show From 80s
  8. TV Best Friend
  9. Most Hated TV Show
  10. Show from 90s
  11. Show from 2000s
  12. Favorite TV Relationship
  13. Most Hated TV Relationship
  14. Show with Best Lines
  15. Favorite Superhero Show

Favorite TV Show

Ooooh, there are so many favorites!

But, my favorite show of all-time, one where I can watch episodes over and over and over again, is …

Cold Case

Cold Case - en.wikipedia.org

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

At this point, my understanding is you can only watch full episodes in syndication – The ION televsion channel has run regular marathons in the past, for example.

YouTube has a good collection of clips, but due to copyright issues regarding the music used in the show, I don’t think the series will EVER be released on DVD, and that makes me super sad!

I’m sure there are other websites that advertise the full episodes, but I’m always a little leery of these types of sites. I don’t want to give my laptop a nasty virus!

Regardless, Cold Case is one of my absolute favorite shows. I love the cast, I love the drama, and I especially love the history angle involved in the episodes.


Favorite Season of Favorite Show

Season 4 of Cold Case

This was one of the most emotional seasons, in my opinion.

COLD CASE

“Rampage” — Rush (Kathryn Morris, pictured here with John Finn, far left, and Jeremy Ratchford) reopens a 1995 case involving two teenage boys who committed suicide after going on a murderous rampage at the local mall, on the fourth season premiere of COLD CASE, Sunday, Sept. 24 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Mitch Haddad/Warner Bros./CBS ©2006 Warner Bros.Television/CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Image Credit: tvguide.com

Here’s a few recommended episodes:

“Forever Blue” (Photo below)

Cold Case - sidereel.com Forever Blue

Image Credit: sidereel.com

“Saving Sammy”

“Lonely Hearts”

“8:03 AM”

“The Good-Bye Room”

“A Dollar, A Dream” – You may recognize Jennifer Lawrence in this one!

“Stand Up and Holler”

Each individual episode typically covers a different time period, and I feel the writers have done a good job of balancing the past with the present. They have always tried to show important facets and facts of life – Bullying, shootings, unwed mothers, homophobia, homelessness, loneliness, love, heartbreak, peer pressure, racism, sexism – Not only in this season, but in all seven seasons.


Favorite Crime Show

CSI: NY

CSI:  NY

Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise star in CSI: NY, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. from left, Carmine Giovinazzo, Eddie Cahill, Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes and Hill Harper. Photo: Anthony Mandler/CBS ©2005 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved Image Credit: fanpop.com

New York is where I was born. Even though I have no memory of living there (We moved to Alexandria, Virginia when I was two-years-old), there’s a huge part of me that identifies with the city. I was born 15 weeks premature, and every summer until my 16th birthday, my parents took me back to the hospital where I was born to see the doctors and nurses that took care of me. My high school orchestra received the tremendous opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall in April 2007, so that was a thrill as well.

To this day, I enjoy visiting the city. I dreamed of living there when I was younger, but now I’m happy to have stayed in Virginia! My goal now is to get my husband to visit with me, at least once 🙂

CSI: NY is my favorite of the CSI: series. I’ve enjoyed all of them, having some family connections to Miami as well, but the team and the city they live and work in captured my heart very quickly. Gary Sinise is perfect as Mac Taylor, and the rest of the cast fits very well. I found myself attached to all of them, at some point.


Favorite Animated Show

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Scooby Doo Where Are You - Wikipedia

Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org

I’ve always liked mysteries, and I’ve enjoyed seeing Scooby and the gang figure them out.

Scooby Do - dccomics

Image Credit: dccomics.com


Favorite Character

I couldn’t pick just one!

Lilly Rush – Cold Case

Cold Cash - Lilly Rush - tvguide

Kathryn Morris as Lilly Rush. Image Credit: tvguide.com

Lilly is smart, courageous, and hard-working. I admire her strength. She has quite a rough-and-tumble backstory, and her being one of the first female in the Philadelphia cold case unit is fitting.

Frank Reagan – Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods - Frank - pinterest.com

Tom Selleck as Francis “Frank” Reagan. Image Credit: pinterest.com

I fell in love with Blue Bloods because of my parents. The cast is stellar. And, no surprise here, the series is set in New York.

Frank Reagan has one of the toughest jobs – NYPD Commissioner. He’s excellent at his job. Besides work, he’s an awesome patriarch. I would’ve loved to have had him as a father or grandfather.

Jamie Reagan – Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods - Jamie - cbs.com

Will Estes as Jamison “Jamie” Reagan. Image Credit: cbs.com

Aside from his father, Frank, Jamie is my favorite. He’s handsome, tough, and just a great guy. He appears to be the epitome of a police officer – Tough, smart, funny, has a good rapport with his partner, colleagues, and family; and community-oriented. I think he would make a great brother.

I first fell in love with Will Estes on another show – American Dreams. It only lasted for three seasons on NBC, but it was a decent historical drama.

Eve Baxter – Last Man Standing

Last Man Standing - Eve - sidereel

Kaitlyn Dever as Eve Baxter. Image Credit: sidereel.com

Eve is my favorite of the Baxter girls (Read on for more about her siblings, Kristin and Mandy). She’s still in high school, but she’s funny, sensible, hard-working, and determined. I have great admiration for her character.


TV Crush

All-time favorite: Richard Castle from Castle

Castle - Nathan Fillion - masslive

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle. Image Credit: masslive.com

Swoon! I’ve loved Castle from the beginning. I knew Fillion from Firefly and Serenity, but I took to Richard Castle immediately. I found myself wishing, a lot, that I was Stana Katic!

Close second: Derek Morgan from Criminal Minds

Derek Morgan - de.criminalminds.wikia.com

Shemar Moore as Derek Morgan. Image Credit: de.criminalminds.wikia.com

It was really hard to choose between Morgan and Reid (See below). But Morgan is a smooth-talker, tough, and hot! Haha.

I also love, love, love his relationship with Garcia (Read on for more!). I found myself going back week after week to see their interactions!

Third: Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds

MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER

CRIMINAL MINDS – “Criminal Minds” stars Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid. (ABC Studios/Cliff Lipson) Image Credit: criminalminds.wikia.com

Reid is goofy, and nerdy as all-get-out. I love his character! He’s a genius, and I love his interactions with the rest of the team.

Fourth: Barry Allen / The Flash from The Flash

Grant Gustin - tomandlorenzo

Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash. Image Credit: tomandlorenzo.com

Grant Gustin is a local boy (Norfolk, Virginia). So handsome! The show is pretty kick-ass, too. He’s a forensic scientist (Awesome), and doubles as one of the coolest superheroes ever (Fantastic)! He’s almost perfect for the character!


Show from 80s

Full House

Full House - abcnews.go

Image Credit: abcnews.go.com

I didn’t watch Full House while it was on the air; I was too young.

However, I discovered it in syndication on ABC Family in college, and fell hard. I found myself planning my classes around the TV schedule! I’ve seen every episode!

And, if you haven’t seen Fuller House on Netflix, I recommend watching it. It’s pretty good! Check out how I plowed through season 1 within 24 hours. I can’t wait for season 2!


TV Best Friend

This was one of the toughest ones to pick!

For me, I would love to have Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds as my best friend.

Criminal Minds - Penelope

Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia. Image Credit: criminalminds.wikia.com

She’s smart, goofy, funny, and I absolutely adore the relationship she has with Morgan. Her style is a bit wacky, but it just adds to her character! She’s a seriously cool chick and I would absolutely love to be friends with her. I can see myself hanging out with her a lot.


Most Hated TV Show

Supergirl

Supergirl - CBS

Image Credit: cbs.com

Ugh. I tried so hard to like this show! I was very excited when I heard that Melissa Benoist (Glee) was chosen as the star. I’m hoping that the decision to move season 2 over to The CW will help. I’m not holding out much hope, though.


Show from 90s

ER

ER - avclub

Image Credit: avclub.com

I credit my parents (again) for getting me into ER. They recorded it first on VHS, and then the DVR, almost every week. Once I was old enough to stay up late and watch it, I loved the drama, action, and characters. It lasted for 15 seasons from 1994-2009, and was a juggernaut. I own most of the series on DVD!


Show from 2000s

Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds - CBS

Image Credit: cbs.com

Based on several character profiles already mentioned in this post, you can probably tell that Criminal Minds quickly became one of my favorites when it premiered in 2005. I like the work that the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) does, and in college, I even considered applying for the FBI because of the show.

The only drawback is that the show is so vivid for me, I can’t watch the show at night anymore. I’ve had several terrible nightmares from the graphic portrayals of crimes in the show.

Other than that, I’ve found myself getting attached to many of the characters and their interactions. The show is action-packed, too.


Favorite TV Relationship

This one is a three-way-tie.

Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky – Full House

Uncle Jesse - mtv

John Stamos as Uncle Jesse and Lori Loughlin as Aunt Becky. Image Credit: mtv.com

When I first discovered the show in college, I quickly fell in love with these two and their relationship. They’re silly, funny, quirky, and great parents to their boys.

Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia – Criminal Minds

Morgan and Garcia - pinterest

Image Credit: pinterest.com

Morgan and Garcia - youtube

Image Credit: youtube.com

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I love these two! They are perfect for each other.

Castle and Beckett – Castle

Castle - bustle

Image Credit: bustle.com

Castle and Beckett - tvguide

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle and Stana Katic as Katherine “Kate” Beckett. Image Credit: tvguide.com

These two are amazing! They’ve had their challenges throughout their series, but I admire their determination.


Most Hated TV Relationship

This one was a near-tie between two of the sisters on Last Man Standing.

Last Man Standing - Kristin and Ryan - usatoday

Jordan Masterson as Ryan Vogelson and Amanda Fuller as Kristin Baxter (left and center). Image Credit: usatoday.com

Last Man Standing - Mandy and Kyle - pinterest

Molly Ephraim as Amanda “Mandy” Baxter and Christoph Sanders as Kyle Anderson. Image Credit: pinterest.com

However, the one that’s bugged me the most has been Kristin Baxter and Ryan Vogelson. I liked Kristin’s character early on, but I loathed Ryan, especially in the beginning. It made me so upset that he left Kristin when she got pregnant with their son. I can remember getting irritated as soon as Ryan came on screen in many episodes!

However, his character started to improve as the seasons have progressed. I’m still a bit leery of their relationship as a whole, but who am I to judge? They’re just characters on TV. Frankly, Kristin’s sister Mandy doesn’t treat Kyle very kindly, either!

Despite my personal opinions, I’m going to keep watching the series, in part, because of their relationships. We’ll see how this goes with the new season in fall 2016!


Show with Best Lines

Last Man Standing

Last Man Standing - netflixlife

Image Credit: netflixlife.com

I remember watching a few seasons of Home Improvement, and enjoying Tim Allen. He’s so funny! At this point, Al and I have watched every episode of Last Man Standing, and are eagerly awaiting the new season to premiere this fall. It’s a great comedy, and we’ve found ourselves quoting several lines over the years. If you haven’t watched it, we both recommend it. All seasons are currently available on Netflix.


Favorite Superhero Show

The Flash

The Flash - imdb

Image Credit: imdb.com

I’m not a huge superhero/sci-fi fan in terms of TV shows, but The Flash is the one that has stuck with me since the very first episode. It’s well-written, and the cast is great. I’m very excited for season 3 to premiere this fall!


Look for my daily posts for the rest of July, starting tomorrow!


Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12 thoughts on “Commentary #20: “July TV Show Photo Challenge” (Days 1-15)

  1. Oh! I want to do this challenge too!! I love challenges! I love Penelope Garcia! I dressed up like her for Halloween last year!

  2. You have some great answers! I like Grant Gustin too – he’s really cute! I also like the relationship between Beckett and Castle although that whole thing with them being married but taking a break was kind of stupid. I also love the Flash, but I liked season 1 a lot better than 2 and was NOT a fan of the last episode of season 2! Also, I liked Iris for the first few shows but then she got annoying! I thought Supernatural would be dumb too by the way but LOVE it!!

    Oh yeah, so I both like and dislike Supergirl! My problem with it is that for a superhero, she’s pretty weak. I mean, I get that the point is that everyone has struggles and stuff, but come on! She always seems to be getting beaten up and stuff. That’s not supposed to happen!

    • I agree with you. I hated the season finale of The Flash! I looked at my husband and I said, “That was NOT the way I wanted that to happen!”

      I’ve heard about Supernatural, but it’s not my thing. Talk to several of my friends though – They’re huge fans.

      I see your point about Supergirl. I hope season 2 is better!

      Thanks for reading, and commenting! I’m really excited about this challenge!

      • I’m happy to hear you’re excited! In The Flash, going back and changing the past changes EVERYTHING! So annoying! I liked the end of Supergirl actually, kind of suspenseful. We’ll see.

      • Oh yes, don’t mess with the past. Haha!

        I don’t think we made it halfway through Supergirl. We’ll catch up over the summer. We’ll see what happens.

  3. I didn’t see a contact button, but I wanted to let you know that I have nominated you for the leibster award!

    The Liebster Award is a very special one for the bloggers community, given by bloggers to bloggers. It helps to introduce the readers to new blogs as well as sharing a bit of who is the person behind the blog.

    Liebster-Award

    These are the rules it consists of:

    Recognize 5 other new bloggers.

    Tell me the answer of 11 questions.
    Tell readers 11 random facts about you.
    Ask 11 more questions to the new bloggers.
    Link this post back to the blogger.

    You can find the questions at the end of this post.
    https://lifelessonsaroundthedinnertable.wordpress.com/2016/07/15/leibster-award/

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