Today’s a Sunday that I need to fit both lounging and working in. Cannot procrastinate. Deep desire to chill out. Tasks absolutely need to get done – it’s crunch time. And I have been meaning to write, write write for such a long time!
Solution: A program that will move my television agenda forward (my deepest use of weekends) that I can have on in the background. Binging Better Off Ted is turning out to be a great and inspiring option. It was on ABC 2009-2010 and now available to stream on Hulu. I hadn’t gotten around back to watching it in full. At the original time of air I lived in Nashville, about to move back to NY. Broadcast television had to be watched live. And my television had to be converted from the newly digital antenna signal.
I am currently watching Bernie, Sonny’s erstwhile mob “accountant” on General Hospital, make a little appearance! I see you Malcolm Barrett!! Portia de Rossi as Veronica! I can name them all here now – Andrea Anders, Jonathan Slavin and Ted Himself headed up by Jay Harrington. And Isabella Acres, playing the child I’ll mention below.
I have guffawed on several lines so far! “Better of Ted” has heart, smart and art. And fart.
Portia de Rossi’s boss character Veronica asked for this child’s business card because she did such a good job firing people. I love that Veronica sees actual potential in this child’s mind and abilities. That’s a hero, to me. I like her character a lot. I made the opposite conclusion to Ted’s character: I felt that the workplace was exactly where this child belongs! She’s the voice of reason in the show of zany heartfelt characters, our True North. Veronica understands power: boss recognizes boss.
Sometimes I’m asked how I keep track of so many television shows.
“I lose count!” They say. Or, “I’m already watching too many.” Forsooth! Here are some pointers that I go by to keep track of the endless and counting.
There are several mechanisms by which I keep track of shows like this. This time it’s the Hulu watchlist that successfully kept Better Off Ted in the algorithmic forefront. Years ago, I requested to Hulu’s app that I see “General Hospital” whenever I open the app. These days all I have to do is go to “my stuff” and there she is. Mindy’s there too. Hulu has good content, decent interface, and has been my #1 since it’s beginning.
TV Guide still operates an app that gives you local (zip code based) live TV airings up to about two weeks in advance. Yesterday I used the TV Guide App to plot my Fall 2022 Broadcast Television weekly schedule. I noticed that the CW has different international acquisitions airing than the Tom Welling and Winchester/Supernatural vehicles I’d previously written down in those times slots. But NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC are certainly starting up their fall premieres this week!
What an uncharted ride the Fall 2022 broadcast television development season has been! And now it’s upon us. Who knows for whom the bell tolls!
The TV Time App is what I live and die by. It keeps track of episode progress. I can see what shows I am due to catch up on, how far behind, what’s in front and what’s upcoming more generally. My own and others user stats are visible and interesting. Not only can you track what you’ve watched and intend to, it also allows you to count rewatches. (I’ve only tracked Outlander in full 5x!). I’ve actually submitted entire beta testing tickets fangirling over how much I appreciate and love using TV Time’s app. I can see exactly where I stand on series and it tries to keep the most relevant information current and evolving. I enjoy the community, too.
What’s most important to me is that my opinion – mean user ratings, comments and screenshots – go into the Whip Media “WhipFlash” report that Cynopsis uses to chart. Social media impact is measured. The top 10 Streaming originals, TV and movies are charted and shared to interested parties for free. I get these emails and it’s thrilling when media I support is showing up on top!
What I'm Watching 