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Shows That Take Me to Interesting Places, Times, and Things 📺🎥🎬
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items What I have found interesting is often, shall we say, less-than-mainstream. High on my (rather eclectic) watchlist are thought-provoking documentaries that focus on nature or chronicle the origin stories of famous consumer brands – and some sitcoms a...
Note: This list may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission (at no charge to you) if you make a purchase using these links.
Note: This list may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission (at no charge to you) if you make a purchase using these links.
Sections
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Comedies & Sitcoms
David Attenborough
Drama/Sci-fi/Supernatural
The History Channel
Travel
Comedies & Sitcoms
If laughter is the best medicine, these then are my favorite prescriptions!
It's the little pig who could! A heartwarming fish-out-of-water / underdog story (I know, quit it with the animal metaphors, Hui!) that gets me right here in the ol' ticker when I watch it (I loved it so much that I also read the book). It was a bit ...
Babe
Cheers achieved an amazing longevity for a sitcom with a large ensemble cast of characters.
Cheers (1982-1993)
Well-orchestrated mishaps ensue after a crotchety retired police officer father moves in with his erudite psychiatrist son. Throw in the psychiatrist's equally stuffy brother, their father's sassy British physical therapist, and Frasier's coworker Ro...
Frasier (1993-2004)
IMHO, this is the best "Star Trek" movie ever! It's a hoot to see Tim Allen in his first post-Home Improvement role, Sigourney Weaver in a rare, non-Aliens comic role, and of course, Alan Rickman as the crusty but heroic Doctor Lazarus. I know it's e...
Galaxy Quest (1999)
My TL;DR synopsis? It's Footloose on the Antartic ice floes! 😉 But who can't get behind such an engaging story of an individual whom society casts out for not conforming? Not to mention the repertoire of songs!
Happy Feet
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Monstrously funny with a star-studded voice cast of characters (how many can you recognize?) Igor shows you that you can't judge a book (or person) by the hump on their back. ;)
Igor (2008)
So many spoofs in this quadrilogy (and probably many more that have gone over my head). I have the big green guy to thank for introducing me to such hits as “All Star”, and “Changes” (and no, I haven't been living under a rock all this time). Donkey ...
Shrek 4-Movie Collection (2001-2010)
I found this series even funnier than Friends and watched every single TTBT episode!
The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
My favorite comedian! I loved watching her eponymous TV series (with its infamous sendups of movies and the cramp-inducing antics of Tim Conway), and had the privilege of seeing Carol live when she came to The Orpheum in 2012!
The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978)
I watched The Incredibles on the big screen and have put my DVD version through the wringer countless times, too. In my opinion, this is one of the few fully animated movies whose plot and humor can appeal to an adult crowd as well as a younger (but ...
The Incredibles (2004)
What could go wrong when a family of aliens comes to Earth and learns to be human? I binge-watched this favorite of mine in its entirety – THREE times! John Lithgow and Jane Curtin deliver command-level comedically funny performances, and the plots a...
Third Rock From The Sun (1996-2001)
David Attenborough
I am a big fan of just about any documentary that has Sir David for its narrator. He makes learning eloquent and entertaining, and does it with a sense of gravitas and humor – whether he's expounding on shrinking Arctic ice or why birds lay eggs, and...
As a photographer and nature lover, I am impressed by the ability of today's technologies (and those who wield those tools) to evolve and continually push the boundaries of cinematography.
What does it take to keep the entire world – with its many different climates, habitats, and challenges -- in perfect homeostasis?
A Perfect Planet (2021)
Space isn't the final frontier. It's the oceans with their dazzling diversity of life and largely undiscovered depths.
Blue Planet II (2017)
A breathtaking computer-generated reenactment of what the last days of dinosaurs must have been like, 66 million years ago, before humans even set foot on Earth.
Dinosaurs - The Final Day (2022)
Follow the stories of the next four families of the wild kingdom, struggling to survive, dramatized as only Sir David can.
Dynasties II (2022)
When we hear the word “desert”, we think of searingly hot and arid places like the Gobi, Kalahari, or Sahara. Well, the Arctic and Antarctic are deserts, too, and they are much, much more than vast stretches of ice.
Frozen Planet II (2022)
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It is awesome to see how life evolved so differently in shape, size, colors, and behaviors, on one of the most remote places on Earth!
Galapagos with David Attenborough (2013)
An entertaining look at some of the most colorful, flashy, and feisty members of the avian kingdom, with captivating slow-motion sequences of hummingbirds in flight. I watched this one over and over!
Hummingbirds: Jeweled Messengers (2012)
This was a fun romp, done in the style of a certain movie you may be acquainted with. :) Watch the Royal British Museum come alive after closing hours, as David interacts with computer-animated dinosaurs of sea, sky, and land, and examines what they ...
Museum Alive with David Attenborough (2014)
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Explore different and astonishing habitats of the world in this 8-episode series. All have breathtaking footage, but If I had a choose a favorite, it would be the Oceans episode.
Planet Earth III (2024)
With such a poetic title, you know that this has to be one of my favorites. Explore the worlds, environments, and creatures up close across all seven continents.
Seven Worlds, One Planet (2019)
Before animals and humans there were ferns and mosses – the most ancient of vegetation on the planet. Without the sustaining infrastructure of plants, animals and humans could not exist today.
The Green Planet (2022)
Drama/Sci-fi/Supernatural
Yes, I even have the odd supernatural TV show on this list.
A successful mystery writer gets tapped to work for the local PD when a murder is committed based on the plot from one of his bestselling novels. Exciting premise? You bet. Nathan Fillion as one of the co-leads? Even better.
Castle (2009-2016)
My favorite sci fi show. Like most TV shows that I end up following right through its run, I didn't watch ST:TNG from the beginning, but, rather, somewhere about its 3rd season. The large ensemble cast had great chemistry, and it showed--because it w...
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
It's a particular point of pride that The X-Files TV series was shot in Metro Vancouver for its incredible 11-year-run. The myriad of stories from wonderful and weird to horrific monsters of the week and the alien conspiracies, was enough to keep me ...
The X-Files (1993-2002)
The History Channel
Disney, food, toys, and mega-brands that have become part of the cultural fabric and history of Americana.
History is more to me than just a random string of events in the fabric of humanity's timeline. What can be explained is logical. What cannot be, is astonishing.
History's Greatest Mysteries (2020-present)
Learn how the House of Mouse become one of the most iconic brands of Americana.
How Disney Built America (2024)
Food, glorious food! I drop everything when an episode of TFTBA is airing – and I have watched every one.
The Food That Built America (2019-present)
I am riveted with the beginnings and backstories behind success stories like Costco, Fedex, Proctor & Gamble, and more!
The Mega-Brands That Built America
(2023-present)
There's nothing like the dolls and arcade games of yore to send me back to the best moments of my childhood! My second favorite non-nature documentary series.
The Toys That Built America (2021-present)
Another series that encourages my curiosity about the paranormal and longstanding curiosities.
The UnXplained (2019-present)
Travel
Thanks to these wayfarers' adventures, I am able to travel vicariously through many different cultures and countries.
Michael Portillo explores the U.K., Europe, Asia, and North America from a train – often with great humor.
Great Railway Journeys Around the World
The RSE episodes that explored the origins of the microstates of Europe and the five villages on Cinque Terra are my favorites!
Rick Steves' Europe
This globetrotter (who often goes solo, and sometimes with his wife and son) takes us to hotels and accommodations around the world, giving unscripted and candid reviews of his adventures.
Walk With Me Tim