At this time of year many people are posting their favorites of 2021, and I planned to reveal my favorite television shows of the year in this post. As I thought about it, though, I realized that most of what Ron and I watch on television is chosen not by me, but by the master of the remote, Ron Davis. I’d have to drug him to get the remote into my own hands, but even then I wouldn’t know how to operate it.
Ron works very hard and needs mindless television to relax, and if he had his way, we would watch his favorite: “American Pickers” nonstop. We met a farmer years ago with a colorful barn off the side of the road in Ohio who burst the bubble: it’s a fake! The scouts for the show plant car parts, old bicycles, and other junk in interesting settings, and Mike and crew “discover” it by “surprise”. Even knowing this, Ron will even watch reruns of this annoying show. I’ll ask, “Isn’t this the one where they find an old Ford fender in the crap behind the barn??” And he’ll simply grunt “Yes” in reply and go on watching.
It’s very hard for us to decide on something to watch on Netflix, as we like different kinds of shows. He likes action shows with lots of explosions and car chases. He laughs like crazy when a character is beaten to a pulp. On the other hand, shows that make me laugh until I can’t breath like “Seinfeld” (No soup for you!) and “Portlandia” (Cacao!) make him fall asleep. He absolutely refuses to watch “The Simpsons” or any other cartoony show that I love. Romantic comedies are out of the question, except even Ron laughed at “As Good As It Gets”.
We both like detective shows and watched countless seasons of “Inspector Morse”, “Bosch”, and any detective show on Britbox.
But our favorite series on television this year was (Drumroll): “The Good Fight”. The acting was good, the characters compelling, and the cameos by Mandy Patinkin and other celebrities were wonderful. Unlike many shows on television, this series was About something. In large part, it’s about politics, the law, and race, but it doesn’t beat you over the head with its messages. Christine Baranski is convincing as a gifted lawyer who joins a predominantly Black law firm and deals with problems with her NRA-member husband on top of resentment from Black lawyers at her firm who don’t like a white lawyer at the helm of their firm. Believe it or not, this show is often very funny. Watch it if you haven’t already!
