Guilty Pleasure TV Viewing

C'mon, I know you have some shows that you watch when company is unexpected; shows you might not talk about at the office watercooler. After all, someone has to be watching Jerry Springer or Maury. No, those two aren't on my list, but I know they're someone's guilty pleasure. Okay, perhaps one is Connie Chung's guilty pleasure and that carries the Nielsen ranking.

What? My guilty pleasure shows? Hmmm ... I'm not sure if I'm ready to reveal my television viewing quirks to the world. Oh, okay. I'll spill the beans. Just promise not to laugh at me. Well, you can snicker at me; but no guffawing, please. I'm sensitive, y'know.

COPS: "Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" Yep, that's the first show which comes to mind when I think guilty pleasure TV viewing. Old episodes, new episodes - I'm there. I can't understand my fascination with this show other than I'm a bit of a crime/police buff at heart. In 1989 Bertram Van Munster, the same person behind The Amazing Race, was on the production staff. Heck, even the tune is catchy. Older episodes airing on Court TV have the entire song by Inner Circle at the beginning of the show. As for the people appearing on the show who aren't cops? Yikes! What is going through their minds? Not only are they out there doing stupid criminal nefarious doings and all, but they sign releases to let the show air their ne'er-do-well ways!

Leave it to Beaver: Thank the heavens for TV Land network! The Beaver was one of my favorite shows when I was a small child and, now as an adult, I know the episodes by heart. Watching them brings me back to more innocent days. No, my Mom wasn't anything like June Cleaver although, if memory serves, she did have a strand of pearls - she just didn't wear them around the house. My Dad looked a bit like Hugh Beaumont, but certainly didn't wear a tie much. Then again, my older brother had a friend reminiscent of Lumpy Rutherford and I've known a lot of Eddie Haskells over the years.

When I want blood, gore, veins in my teeth (um, wait ... that's Arlo Guthrie), I can watch a myriad of shows on the Discovery Health Channel. From Medical Incredible to the goings-on in trauma centers and emergency rooms, they have it all. They have a Medical Examiner show, as well. But that's all recreated drama. I want real blood, gore and veins in my teeth.

The People's Court: I tend to peep at the various court shows. Perhaps one day I'll write something up about the genre. But, my favorite? I'm so over Judge Judy after so many years! It's Marilyn Milian who's my choice of outspoken judge these days. I started watching this back in the days of Judge Wapner, then Koch, then Judge Judy's husband whose name is slipping my mind at the moment. Well, not really slipping it, but I'm too lazy to look up how to spell the last name. Judge Milian rocks.

On a bit of a regional level, another guilty pleasure is watching CBS2 Crew early mornings as I get ready to go to work. It's an early morning news/weather/traffic and such show out of Manhattan, NY. Yes, it will let me know if my train is running late and whether I should bring an umbrella or not. However, I watch it just as much for the smiles and the giggles as I watch Dave Price on Dance Fridays and the interaction between the crew.

A really late night guilty pleasure is watching the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Now, that show isn't anything to be embarrassed about watching, mind you. It's just the hour that it's on that's the problem. No way can I tell folks at work that I watch it when I'm often into the office by around 7 AM! I know when I hear that Cow of Time, it's way past my bedtime and I must be a crazy person to stay up that late!

So, there are a few of my guilty pleasure shows. Now it's your turn. What do you watch behind drawn curtains? And, why?