The "dark" stuff has never appealed to me. The creators of those are trying to ride the coattails of "Hunger Games"-type entertainment, plus the TV shows that had the fantasy/dark themes.

What's on my DVR? Episodes of "The Astronaut Wives Club" (haven't started watching it yet; I think I even picked up the book at a library sale), "Rizzoli & Isles" (there have been some dark-ish episodes, but I think the chemistry of all the actors on the show is worth it), "Major Crimes," "Poldark" on Masterpiece Theater, and some old movies: "Funny Girl," "The Fortune Cookie," "The Apartment," "WALL-E," "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy." Plus a few episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" -- there are some that still make me laugh everytime I watch!

And I have Netflix, so lots of options there. How's your neighborhood library -- does it have a good inventory of DVDs? Mine has TV series sets as well as movies.

Just before the summer TV schedules came out, my newspaper had a huge listing of new ones w/descriptions, and there were very little that interested me.

Do you have the Hallmark Channel? They specialize in light, frothy movies!

I hadn't noticed. ;) But then I don't have satellite or cable tv. I only have antenna tv, and that hasn't been on much at all. I manage to catch the news about once a day, and am otherwise just way to busy.

But back in the married days, I would have lifetime or hallmark to watch in the evenings.

Moni

Pammyfay, thanks for all the suggestions. I do have some of that, though I get awfully tired of murder as entertainment. I'll give Astronaut Wives a try, on your suggestion, though I didn't care for the promo. At least the lights are on!

There have been some frothy comedies I've enjoyed recently. I'm not a big fan of the network faves like Modern Family (I really dislike the stagyness and the reality show style confessionals), but I really enjoyed Younger. Also You're the Worst, Odd Mom Out, and the new Amazon show, Catastrophe. The problem is they demand a lot more attention than the old Summer dramas.

And, yes, I've taken to playing those cotton candy Hallmark movies! There was one last night. Appealing people, obvious storyline with the edges knocked off the characters. I like the realism, in some ways, but the lack of distinctiveness can be cloying. During last night's movie (doing dishes, catalogs, etc.), I was rooting for the movie star princess type to turn out to be the sweet one and get to keep her man, and the earnest girl next door on the edge of foreclosure to be the conniving schemer who gets cast aside, but that would be unexpected, and therefore forbidden. At least it's a change from all murder all the time and all those dark shows that are literally dark like they forgot to pay the electric company.

In general, I like TV as a mental activity for while my hands are busy. I listen when it's music and it's too distracting. :)

I really enjoyed the first hour of the Met's Merry Widow that was on recently. That requires paying attention, though, and I haven't had a quiet time to watch the rest. Most of the time I have the TV on, I'm doing a couple of other routine tasks (think folding laundry). This production of The Merry Widow is beautifully sung, and staged like an extravaganza of a show. They said something in the introduction about it being mounted by Broadway people, rather than the opera company (I assume the singers at least, and maybe the dancers are from the Met). The set is on two levels allowing the viewer to see what's happening in the back, like on an old fashioned raked stage, without making the performers stand and move on a hill for hours. They don't even teach ballet with curved arms for raked stages anymore. :)

I was thinking most of the stuff is very very risque. Astronauts wives does not sound a bit interesting. Married couples behaving badly. I know my age is showing but I long for the day TV had characters that inspired moral, heroic, LOVING behavior. All we do now is get to laugh at the stupidity, rudeness or innocence lost. I even gave Downton Abbey a try and the longer it went on the more salacious it became. No, we are becoming readers or game players. The golden age of TV is gone. I agree 100% TV is dreary and uninspired.

I like PBS this summer. Certainly am watching Poldark and I have caught a few rerun segments of The Forsythe Saga. I also enjoy the show right after Poldark, called The Crimson Field, about WWI and the battlefield nurses. I enjoy a lot of the PBS and BBC detective shows too. DCI Banks is showing this summer, I believe. I have enjoyed The Astronaut Wives too. I understand it is based on a book about the real wives.

I don't notice too much difference. Although it's gone downhill the past couple seasons I watched Big Bang Theory, but that's in reruns now. I too have no cable or satellite and enjoy Andy Griffith, Hogan's Heroes, Newhart and the rest of the shows. Been a number of movies on the movie channels that I never saw since I can't handle going to theaters anymore so I watch a couple of them. Broadcast TV is fine for me. I also find a lot on the internet.

Being in and out of the hospital, back and forth to the clinics so much over the last few years I started debating about cable/satellite. But every time I've seen it, I become more convinced that I'm better off with broadcast. More stuff on there that I WANT to watch. So why waste the money.

I know how you feel, Pillog. My interests are limited to non violence as it is played out in real life every day and yet more programs that disparage different races are added yet no one cares to stop the black and white violence and bad behavior portrayed as well as other groups on the TV, WTH? I am watching on PBS Poldark and The Crimson Field. There is a group on Facebook called Masterpiece theater and we are following together, sheilajoyce . The group of mostly women are wonderful on that site. Try it if you are on FB. Those shows don't compare to Mr. Selfridge and Jeremy Pivens or Downton Abbey in my opinion but the group are good companions and friendly. The volunteer Admins give us lots of background info and teasers for these period pieces which have real value in the history of our country. I am recording good movies also. I don't have Netflix and don't need it.

Downton Abbey salacious???!!!

So I just saw the first two episodes of Ballers. It's predictable, cliched and not as funny as it thinks it is, but it's not dreary. :)