So living in Japan, it can be a little difficult to maintain a feeling of “connectivitinesstitude” with your home country, what with the not-English and all, which makes TV from back home all the more welcome.  I of course took that concept to the extreme and am now watching way more TV than I probably should.  And since I don’t want this blog to be barren of new content, I decided to share (well not share share because that’s illegal) what I’ve been watching with you.

The TV shows that I’m currently watching (with many more to be seen once they return to the airwaves) are (as presented in no legible order and divided between comedy and drama because whatevs):

Comedy
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Andre Braugher is amazing. Also, being brought to you by Schurr and Goor)
Togetherness (HBO dramedy by the Duplass brothers)
Fresh Off the Boat (Having grown-up as an out of place chubby half-Asian kid with an Asian mom, this show hits kinda close to home)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Now living in Japan, I don’t quite have the time for the Daily Show, which honestly wasn’t really my cup of tea to begin with, but I have always loved John Oliver’s delivery and some of the reporting done on this show honestly eclipses the best journalism found on any of the news networks)
The Last Man on Earth (Absolutely love everyone involved.  Also RVs)

Drama
The Americans (great spy drama even if I flippin’ hate Keri Russell’s character at this point. Also some of the Russians in this show remind me of people I went to high school with so there’s that)
Fortitude (God, I love me some Stanley Tucci. Also Dumbledore.)
Better Call Saul (Can’t go wrong with the people involved. Also enjoying the (semi-)lighter tone being used when compared with the joy-sieve that was the final two seasons of Breaking Bad)
Broadchurch (The second series just concluded and seemed rather final but apparently there’s going to be a third so heck. Also, Olivia Coleman’s work is great and she and Tennant have amazing chemistry together.)
The Walking Dead (The most frustrating television show currently on-air. Occasionally wonderful, often frustrating with great FX work but inconsistent writing. That said, I enjoy seeing how the show diverges from the comics and rooting for the worst of the characters to die a brutal, merciless death.)
Person of Interest (Pretty much Batman without the costumes. Solid action-espionage that occasionally accidentally stumbles into insights about personal liberty and national security)
Banshee (Perhaps the most insane show on television. Goes some places in its violent action sequences that no other shows really dare to go. Also, Geno Segers just wrapped up a role as a big bad that still makes me smile when I think about it. Plus, it’s got Amish people in it AND Lili Simmons AND an asskicking transvestite Asian dude.)
Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (I’m a comic book geek at heart and, after a frustrating start, this show has settled into being yet another solid espionage action show with bits of super heroics and science fiction thrown in in true Whedon fashion.)
The Flash (The show I go to for an hour of good, clean fun. The entire cast is adequately likable, the VFX work is surprisingly good for a CW show and WE GET TO SEE GORILLA FREAKING GRODD IN A LIVE ACTION SHOW)
Arrow (Also frustrating but I really admire the practical stunt work that goes into the show. Some of the acting is really really wooden and the show falls into the CW brooding drama trap too often but it can still occasionally bust out a good hour of solid television)

Reality TV
Masterchef (There are no words)

Upcoming/Returning
Game of Thrones (disregarding the utterly over-the-top amount of softcore porno, a great fantasy show that lets Peter Dinklage shine without really resorting to “He’s short!” too much. Also I may have a bit of a crush on Sansa Stark.)
Community (at one point my absolute favorite show on television but then a bunch of stuff happened and now it’s premiering on Yahoo for a sixth season)
Silicon Valley (Having known a lot of tech dudes throughout my life, this show hits me right in the laugher. Also, I want Mike Judge’s babies.)
Veep (It took a couple of years but this show has finally graduated from just being that other show from the creator of The Thick of It but not as good. Interested in seeing how they handle the bombshell that dropped at the conclusion of last season. Also, freaking Hugh Laurie is showing up next season.)
Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi is amazing and the transition to his curmudgeonly sardonic Doctor has rekindled my love for the franchise more than any 50th year anniversary could)
Hannibal (Nobody watches this show but they should because it’s both revoltingly disturbing and also cleverly staged and written by Brian Fuller. Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal Lector is a chivalric psychopath if ever there was such a thing. And last season’s cliffhanger left me both on the edge of a nervous breakdown but wanting to know the next step.)
Penny Dreadful (Timothy Dalton. Timothy Dalton. Timothy Dalton. That is all. Okay, I guess I’ll say Eva Green as well.)
The Leftovers (Probably the best new show of 2014.)
Daredevil (Perfect hero to use for a Netflix-style “twelve hour movie” style TV show.)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (A new show being written by Tina Fey? Count me in.)
Louie (Partly pretentious auteur stuff, partly just a solid series of darkly comedic vignettes.)
Orphan Black (Tatiana Mislay plays like ten people on the show and does great as each of them)
Powers (Playstation’s making TV shows now and this one just so happens to be based on a fairly good comic and stars Sharlto Copley)
Fargo (I thought it was a dubious concept but golly I loved what we wound up getting)

So that is it.  I probably forgot to mention a few shows but that’s what’ll happen when you live in an era fueled by binge-watching and download culture.  Also, it’s a wonder that I still have a job, considering how much time I apparently waste watching TV shows.

That’ll be that.  If anyone has any questions or concerns, you can ask me in the comments or on Twitter or shut the hell up.

Are there any good shows that you think I’m missing?

-Stephen