Television & Teaching, Sort Of

I like television.

I don't watch a great deal of it, just four shows that are currently still in production: CSI, CSI: NY, Glee, and Dollhouse. Occasionally I'll watch Cold Case, because I love how they use the appropriate music.

If I have a choice, though, between watching a movie or two episodes of a favorite television show on DVD, I'm going to pick the television show. I like watching shows I didn't catch the first time on DVD, too.

As EG is getting older, though, I'm starting to wonder about when to introduce her to some of my favorites. They're part of our cultural heritage now, like it or not, and the ones I like, I like quite a bit.

I want her to get to know Buffy & the Scoobies; Fraser & Ray (both of 'em) from Due South; Sam, Al, and Ziggy; Captain Tightpants, Kaylee, and River; Kotter and Horshack; Starbuck, Adama, and Apollo; Echo and Sierra-and-Victor; Rachel, Will, Emma, and Finn. I've kept her so carefully sheltered from commercial television, because of the commercials and the inane content, but it's also sheltered her in other ways. How do I know when it's time? How do I make sure I don't miss the window? I don't know.

I don't know, except that I've already pre-ordered the first half of season one of Glee, and I think that I'll be letting her watch it with me. We'll talk about the lies, the problems of pregnancy in high school, and some of those topics to which she's not really been exposed. She'll probably ignore a lot of it anyway, in favor of the musical numbers. I already have been forced to keep certain songs in a loop in the car, and our CD just arrived today.