Don't Have Time to Watch Anything? Me Neither, But I Watch These Anyway

Back from hiatus with a healthy new daughter to show for it. So far, she's sleeping slightly better than her older brother, but that may not last. As such, I'm only able to watch what my DVR gives me, and I can only stay awake so long, so I have to be very careful with my choices. Here's my Sleepy New Parent Planning Guide for the precious few moments available for TV watching. Being less wakeful than usual, we've decided to re-watch an old favorite, follow two existing programs, and try one new thing. Breakdown:

OLD FAVORITE TO RE-WATCH: Deadwood. For this, I must thank channel 101 on DirecTV. Whatever blessed person decided to re-run this amazing HBO series has my undying gratitude. I love the show. I love listening to Shakespeare if he had put the nastiest derogatory language into his prose many times over. The ensemble is stocked with terrific actors. The writers make lyrical poetry with foul language fit into fascinating Old West historical drama. Meanwhile, creator David Milch and his directors steer the show perfectly. I've already seen every episode, but the show still hits me, even when I'm half asleep. That's how good Deadwood is.

TWO EXISTING PROGRAMS TO FOLLOW: The Soup and The Daily Show. Big advantage to these shows is that they're less than 30 minutes. If we're lucky, 60 minutes is about as much time and energy available for one sitting. Both these shows have smart humor and cover current events with sharp satire. Perfect TV candy.

THE ONE NEW THING: Mad Men. For this, I must thank a co-worker who lent me his DVDs (TV episodes on DVD is another blessing for the sleepy parent). I'd heard nothing but praise for this show the past few years. Two episodes into the first season, it's well deserved. I really like how Mad Men presents the perfectly coiffed exterior of 1950's American idealism while showing everything going wrong underneath. The setting of the biggest marketing firm in New York only makes it more appealing to me. Despite all the pretty pictures, misogyny runs rampant, co-workers smile through hateful statements, and people have lots of dirty secrets. Marketing can involve a lot of half-truths and masking of ugly reality, so the setting is perfect for the action. The series has barely started and I'm hooked. Can't wait to see more.

So for anyone dealing with nursing, changing diapers, burping, breast pumps, holding the wailing little ones, or if you're just missing sleep, I hope these help.