Inspired by Derek. Thanks Man.

I recently read a blog on Derek's website that inspired me to write one of my own. The blog had to do with the shows he enjoys watching and how those shows are a true test to his manliness. Did I get the jest of that Derek? I hope so.

None of the shows Derek has listed on his blogs are ones I watch, so please keep reading if you have already read his. I promise the shows I am about to list are just as "manly" as the ones he watches, perhaps even more so.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

I am so ashamed to admit this, but I am a huge fan of this show. I have seen some of the episodes of the other "Housewives" shows in the franchises of the O.C., Atlanta and NY, but I was never really interested. Were they funny? Yes. Did they have an episode where a mother of three flipped a table in the middle of a classy restaurant? No! Welcome to New Jersey. To tell you the truth, I saw a clip of the show before the season even started. This is where I first caught a glimpse of the table flip. I tuned in the whole season to see this table flip, but of course it was in the season finale. It didn't really matter, I was hooked from the first episode. Watching these guido mobsters who joyfully reaffirm every Jersey stereotype in the book was quite fun in 2009. I hear they will be back this year. I'll keep you posted.

Cougar Town

If you are not watching this show, you should. You have my permission to take a break now and watch an episode online. At first glance, this is a chick show. However, the men on this show are hilarious, and make this at least a 50/50 male and female show. Okay, maybe it's 60/40. (or 70/30, whatever) The show follows Jules, played by Courtney Cox, as she is navigating her way through the first year after her divorce as a 41 year old cougar. Everyone on the show speaks to each other with an extremely sarcastic wit, but it is also dripping with love! To me, the real standout on the show is Ian Gomez. He plays Jules' best friends husband. The couple lives next door to Jules. He is friends with Jules, married to Jules' best friend and best friends with Jules' ex-husband. His blind loyalty to Jules' ex is one of the funniest things I have ever watched. Seriously fellas, this show lets us laugh with the guys as they sit on a raised boat in the middle of a concrete ocean as well letting us watch the cougariffic goings on of three beautiful women. If anything, girls should be blogging about how they are embarrassed about watching this truly manly show.....right? If you want to check out a clip of Ian Gomez in the show, follow this link to youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb-mRiRJ8Dw

Desperate Housewives

This one I am not so ashamed of. I have watched every episode of the show, even when it got not so good for a couple of seasons. I hung in there and saw the show come out for the better on the other side! If you do not know what this show is about, reread the title of the show. Get it? The show is all about desperate housewives. It is also about their husbands, kids, jobs, drug habits, suicides, revenge plots, catering, cheating, murders, sex and all other things that are commonly found in suburbia. Does that sound like your neighborhood? Me neither. That is why the show is so watchable! Seriously though, this much stuff has not gone down in one neighborhood since Angela Lansbury was solving murders in Cabot Cove. (speaking of, I love Murder, She Wrote)

So there you have it. Those are three shows that I happily, and now not so secretly, enjoy week in and week out. I am sure their are more shows on my playlist that would raise an eyebrow or two, but perhaps you should check your own repertoire before you begin casting stones. Feel free to comment if you think of shows that I watch that are less "manly" than those listed.