TV Shows

My husband and I watch TV shows almost every night.

I used to be more of a movie person - I liked the format where a story unfolded over the course of about 2 hours and then it was done. 

These days, the <1 hour per episode works so much better... because we are tired and can't stay focused late in the evening (after kids are in bed) for >2 h. I've been really enjoying long story arcs, too, where you get used to the characters and get to know them, and character growth can be awesome. Also, streaming (we have you-know-what_prime) is awesome because we control the time (ie, can watch whenever we want to), there are no commercials, and, for older shows, the story unfolds much faster without all that pesky waiting for the new season.

 Husband and I have somewhat different tastes. I love science fiction. He loves comedy. Part of the fun is findings shows we both enjoy. I couldn't watch Sopranos (too violent... too stressful) and he refused to watch The Expanse (too sci-fi). I had to quit watching The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (too anxiety-inducing and I missed half the jokes). We both loved The Americans, The Tick, True Blood, Sneaky Pete, White Collar, Monk, The Man in the High Castle.

We are watching Buffy right now - we are on season 5. I've seen random episodes during re-runs in the early 2000's, but I don't think I've ever seen the entire thing beginning to end. I am kind of surprised that husband likes it - but I guess there is enough comic relief stuff for him. I am not even sure why I like it (character growth, maybe?) - but we are having fun watching it, even though there are some cringe moments and some of the characters are so annoying (Xander!) I have no idea why they are part of the show.

I still enjoy movies on occasion - like a family movie night (extra fun if I get to share one of my old favorites with kids), but the TV shows have definitely become our default relaxing grown-up time. I really like watching shows with my husband - somehow, watching alone just isn't as much fun. Because, hey, we get to smirk at each other, and raise eyebrows and give each other meaningful nods, or do eye-rolls during cheesy moments.

Kids smuggled their way in during a couple of early season 1 Buffy episodes, but I think they are too young for the show (ages 6, 10, and 12). Kids were super-grumpy to be banned from watching Buffy but I think I found a decent substitute that is more kid-friendly: Wolfblood. We saw the first 6 episodes and the kids seem to like it, and husband and I had fun watching it, too.

Please share any recommendations for TV shows, especially kid-friendly stuff for the 6-12 range!