I’ll admit I’m not much of a TV watcher, so it’s not often I’ll comment from personal experience about what’s happening on the “boob tube.” Sure, there are hundreds of channels to choose from, but few, in my view, are really must-see TV. Like many of you readers with kids and activities, TiVo is the only way we get to watch the few shows we like. Even better is waiting until the show comes out on DVD and then watching several episodes back to back like a movie. And here I thought I wasn't patient.
 
I’ve done this twice this summer, each time with pleasing results. Lipstick Jungle (starring Brooke Shields) shows us in sassy, high-fashion details what it’s like to be a powerful woman in New York. The characters are so wonderfully flawed that it was like eating too many Hershey Kisses in one sitting. You felt a little guilty, but darn it was worth it. The show actually had poor ratings, but I believe it’s because it’s core audience (me and you), didn’t know about it, or we were at soccer or recital or whatnot and missed it. Due to the writer’s strike, the show got saved, so it’s getting a second chance. So if you’re interested in some dishy, delishy TV, try it.
 
Sunday night hubby and I finished the last episode of season 1 for Mad Men, the Golden Globe winning drama on AMC about advertising men on Madison Avenue in New York in 1960. Jon Hamm, who plays the star Don Draper, the sexy, mysterious creative director, won Best Actor at the Golden Globes. I have a strong feeling it will snatch up the Emmys this season. Reasons to go mad for Mad Men:
    1.    The cast is suberb. Slimy, sexist and salacious. It is 1960 after all, and the actors are pitch perfect in their roles.
    2.    A look at the un-PC past. Nothing gives you more appreciation for your present life than seeing what our foremothers had to put up with. You know what I’m talking about. People drank, smoked (even while pregnant) and infidelity was high (though the divorce rate was low.) A single mother moving into your neighborhood was a scandal and women were seen as sexual objects with no brains. The secretary Peggy takes us on a topsy-turvy journey as she tries to make a name for herself in the very masculine industry.
    3.    Advertising. It’s kitchy to watch old TV commercials from 1960, and yet the creative process really was the same as it is today. They just drank more bourbon back then.
    4.    Fashion, furniture, setting, culture. The show does a beautiful job of weaving in real-life events (such as the Nixon-Kennedy presidential campaign) to make the show feel authentic. And women especially will enjoy the tell-tale details of domestic life back then.
    5.    Great writing. Even a superb cast means nothing if the writing isn’t up to par, and Mad Men is impeccably written. Every line has text, then subtext then sub-sub-text. It’s brilliant. I found myself after many scenes, with my mouth open, muttering “wow.”

The new season starts Sunday, July 27, so rent the DVDs today. To find out more about Mad Men, go here.

What’s your Must-See TV? Have you watched Lipstick Jungle or Mad Men? Do you believe TV is a nice escape or a waste of time? Share your thoughts.