TV temptations: This season's "Must Watch" TV shows

As I've said before, I'm someone who will devote way too much of my time to excessive TV watching. I don't have a TV in my room (which, realistically, is perhaps the only thing that prevents me from wasting my life away), so I often go to the gym to watch the TV shows I deem too important to be viewed later than their initial air date. Of course, that means I am forced to make some attempt at athleticism for at least an hour while I watch TV, so while this approach is definitely better for my health, I often instead resort to waiting the 12 or so torturous hours it takes for my blessed TV episodes to be posted on Hulu. Now if I happen to find a link to the episodes before Hulu saves me from the suspense, I am more than thrilled (thank goodness SOPA and PIPA died, right?). Still, despite my utter devotion, I cannot watch every TV show I would probably waste my time on if I didn't have better things to do (or rather, other things to do ... they're often not better). I have had to make the unfortunate decision that I can only follow a certain, limited number of TV shows, and that I can really only have one show I absolutely must watch per night. So here's the breakdown of my TV schedule. Keep in mind these shows are not necessarily the best of the best. In fact, they're kind of the best of the worst. But they're the shows that inevitably keep me coming back and never really fail to disappoint my expectations of their "so bad it's good" qualities. Here goes ...

Monday Night
"Castle" - Perhaps the best quality show on my list - I guess I like to start the week out well. Not only are the characters interesting, but the show thankfully hasn't lost the "will they or won't they" tension between the title character, Richard Castle, murder mystery writer and his inspiration for his novels, NYPD detective Kate Beckett. The murder mysteries are great, the secondary characters are amazing, and the overarching questions surrounding Kate's mother's murder have stayed intriguing after all these seasons. Plus, who doesn't love Nathan Fillion (R.I.P. Firefly ... yes, I am actually a SciFi geek at heart).

Tuesday Night
A sad night for TV in my opinion. "Glee" used to be so good, but there's only so many episodes you can do before you run out of the best songs and the stories about high school stereotypes get old. So I take this opportunity to watch the a remanent of Monday Night's line up - "Pretty Little Liars." Oh, don't get me wrong, I know it's bad. But between my obsession with the fashion, the houses (anyone else wish they lived in Aria's room?), they guys, and the murder, and the mystery, I'm sold. As long as the show keeps us in the dark about who "A" is, I'll keep watching.

Wednesday Night
"Revenge" - A new show this season, but it actually made me question my obsession with "Modern Family", which also airs on Wednesday nights, so it must be really good. It's actually getting decent reviews, although many of the reviews have mixed opinions, but one thing everyone can agree on is that this show is entertaining. Between the mystery, murder, cover-ups, and actually decent acting, it has become my #1 watch of the week. Guys like it too, and while it may be a soap opera in disguise, that doesn't make it any less juicy.

Thursday Night
"Vampire Diaries" - sad that this is my favorite, but true. The gore, supernatural, and mythology behind this show draw me in every time. Not only is every member of the cast ridiculously good looking, but I don't actually care who ends up with who anymore as long as I get to keep watching. It has replaced "Grey's Anatomy" (which has really gone down hill recently) as my favorite Thursday night show, and the suspenseful endings keep me coming back for more every week. There's no way I would be content reading an episode summary of "Vampire Diaries" like I am for so many other shows.

Friday Night
Make an attempt to be social and don't watch TV. Plus now that "Chuck" has ended, there's really nothing good on anyway (although "Grimm" is a bit intriguing). At least go to the movies instead of watching TV by yourself.

Saturday Night
Ditto on the "be social" attempt of Friday. Plus, now there's not actually anything good on at all.

Sunday Night
"Once Upon a Time" - I am officially and totally hooked on this new TV show. After all the socializing of the weekend is over and I am forced to return to my academic life, I love taking a break with these darker, intertwined remakes of classic fairy tales. I love the cast, the two costume and set design is great, and the true fact is I have no idea where this show is going. It's simply so good. The minds behind "Lost" have done it again, and I am, for one, hooked.

Hello, World!

See, now I have officially gone and made a computer science reference ("Hello, World!" is the first thing people learn to program when learning a different programming language), which is perhaps best a testament to the fact that I am an English Major living among the masses of Pre-Meds and Engineering Majors that constitute so much of Rice University's student body. My name is Rachel, I'm a sophomore in McMurtry College (like a house in Harry Potter), and I'm pretty much your average girl at college. I would much rather watch TV than do homework, would much rather online shop than go to the gym, and spend way too much time fantasizing about the weekend. Like many girls in college, I am far from willing to forgo my chance at a successful future just for the many temptations college brings, but that doesn't mean I don't grapple with the super fun boy, roommate, and friend problems that every college student enjoys so much. Check out this blog on a weekly basis and you'll be blessed with some of the tips I use to get through the mess and glory of it all, plus get an insider's scoop on the life of an average college girl.