Have I mentioned October TV yet? I'm lucky if I can remember yesterday, and yesterday I know that I didn't mention October TV. Well, if I have, then claim selective amnesia and read on. If I haven't, then wahoo, it's new to you.
I am a big TV watcher. It is in my DNA. I won't get into specifics but I will say this, 1) I am a Nielsen family member 2) I know what sweeps, up fronts, and anchors are 3) I love TV as much as I do reading and movies 4) I have 22 shows I follow yearly. That should give you some idea as to where I am coming from. October turns out to be a very lucrative time of year for TV watching. This year more so than others, since most of the fall shows decided to come back at the end of September/beginning of October. The new TV season is like back to school for me. I have my premier date diagram, I plot out my viewing schedule. For an organizational nerd like me it is like Christmas. I get positively giddy. Plus, there is the added bonus that the networks turn their promo ads spooky, bats fly out of logos and chirons get changed to pumpkins. I'm pretty sure they do it just for me.
But October, October is something special when it comes to TV. October means that most all of my shows (unless they are too cool/serious to lower themselves) have a special Halloween episode. Halloween episodes are always different from the other holiday episodes. For the Halloween episodes anything goes. Some shows that are on hiatus come back just for Halloween and do special episodes while they are on break. Some shows use the Halloween episode to do something totally non linear in the story line. Some shows just run with it and go all out on the Halloween theme.
Remember how I said that I wanted to live in my Halloween village? Well, come Halloween time, I really want to live in a sitcom. Every year I am excessively jealous of the costumes and decorations that TV families have. Yes, I am well aware that they are TV shows, and the families aren't real and they have costume departments to help dress them. But man, I want to live there. No matter what, the costumes are always super cool. A character may only have 5 minutes to get to a party and only have their closet as a costume resource, but somehow, they show up in full gear, and look great. Every. Time. Arghhh. I want the magic TV costume closet.
And the decorations. They always have the best fog, candy bowls, creepy lights or front yard displays. I know what it takes to decorate my house and the storage space it eats up. If just one TV character had to store all their decorations like I do mine, they would have to rent a storage space I promise. That said. I love the creativity that goes into each episode. Tonight I got to see three Halloween themed episodes and they were all marvelous. Some of them even gave me costume ideas for next year.
My favorite Halloween themed episodes are, in no particular order; The X-Files: Home, which has forever made me fearful of a Johnny Mathis song. Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place: Mind Over Body, which was the best brain swapping episode ever done on TV. Modern Family: Halloween, which is the most realistic portrayal of how I am around the holiday. The Friends episode where Ross dresses up like Spudnick and has to keep explaining it. (Best costume ever. Second only to the Holiday Armadillo) Psych: This Episode Sucks, which totally gets my geekery for Halloween and pop culture references. And of course, it wouldn't be October without It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Which isn't a TV show per say, but these are my October Thoughts and I can put it in there if I want to. I always feel SO sorry for Charlie Brown. Every year I think, maybe this time he will catch a break. He never does, but I hold out hope. I also love Linus sitting in the pumpkin patch with his blankie waiting for the Great Pumpkin. It totally sounds like something I would do. Which is probably why my parents never let me see it when I was little. Smart parents. Then there was the year that Sunday Night Football fell on the same night as Halloween and my Benglas were playing. Leslie Nielsen (no relation) did the scary intro and I just about died from holiday TV programming bliss.
I know not everyone is a big TV watcher, and I know not everyone likes Halloween, but I think I have enough joy in my system to make up for that lack. After all, it is the little things in life that can add the most joy sometimes. At least for me.
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