Squawk Radio

What Christie’s Watching

We didn’t get cable TV for a long time. Not quite as long as my brother, however, who just informed me on Friday that they finally have more than four channels—now that their second and last child is off at college (I can hear my nephew’s bellow of protest from UCLA as I type). So though we’ve had lo, so many channels for a few years, I continue to be amazed by what’s at the tip of my remote-punching fingertips.

Now I know everyone is into Lost, Survivor, Idle, Grey’s Anatomy and such, but here’s a three shows you may have missed:

Little People, Big World
My younger son and I are addicted to this show. (They had a Mother’s Day mini-marathon and we loved it.) This program is about the Roloff family. Mom and Dad and one son are little people, the rest of their kids are average-sized. We can’t figure out what charms us so, because they’re just doing the things any regular family does (kids squabble, Mom rolls her eyes at Dad’s plans, Dad tries to appease Mom…sound familiar?). They do have a way cool farm, though, and you just gotta love their can-do attitude.

Walker, Texas Ranger
In case you never saw it during its prime time run, the repeats play every day. Even if you’re not into martial arts, you just gotta love the dialogue. It’s nothing if not excruciatingly bad. One of my fave lines: “There’s more to being a Ranger than wearing a badge.” Yes, each episode offers up at least one such polished chestnut. And if you’re really, really lucky, you’ll get to hear Chuck Norris sing the theme song himself.

And…drumroll please…my newest television find—

Pants-Off Dance-Off
Yes, this is real program. I discovered this show last week in the triple-digit range on a network named “Fuse.” With a music video playing behind them, contestants dance while stripping down to their skivvies. They also tell about their work and their hobbies and always have an awkward pause as they try to get their pants off over their shoes. At the end they even remove their undies, but the show puts a “tasteful” barrier over their privates in order to preserve someone’s (theirs? the viewer’s?) modesty. Then, if you feel so inclined, you can vote for your favorite who then goes on to compete in the big dance-off on Saturday nights. While this might not be anyone else’s idea of entertainment, I was laughing so hard when I discovered it that my whole family came in running. It’s now must-see TV in the Ridgway household, though I did astonish my son when I told him that if anyone attractive comes on the show (which appears to be a long-shot) he’ll have to leave the room. “I only get to watch the unattractive ones?” he asked, incredulous. Yes, I told the 13-year-old. Am I the only to whom this makes complete sense?

All right, now it’s your turn to share! What TV tips do you have for me?