We Agree

“So, what’s on?”

“Nothing.”

“Gotta be something on. You watched that last week, same episode. Check the menu.”

“What menu?”

“This menu, I showed you just click here and scroll down it tells you what each program is about. If you can’t find something you hit “On Demand.” See TV or Movie.”

“I’m not paying to watch a movie.”

“You used to go to Blockbuster and rent them. Here look through the free ones.”

This is usually how a night goes when deciding on what we are watching. So, in order to break this dreaded cycle, I have done some silent research. I know what I like, I can usually cross a large portion off my list right away. Unfortunately, some of that is what my husband likes, so we have to meet in the middle. But where is the middle?

He likes action movies and so do I, he likes real drama cops and forensics, I prefer CSI, NCIS something with a good story line. This we can compromise on. So, I must look for other programs we can both enjoy watching because it is not fun to watch when I know he is bored with my favorites and he feels guilty when he knows I do not enjoy his shows, but I sit with him sometimes.

I like Hallmark and of course he is not impressed with love stories. So, if I change it to Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, I can usually find a movie he will watch because they do murder and mystery, with just a little romance thrown in. Still, this is limited. So, I looked further for things we could watch together.

History shows are another genre we both like. Ancestry, Antiques Road Show, some of the new Pickers and some occasional re-runs. Often we share movies of Civil War or documentaries on other wars, often he surprises me with his knowledge as I have always known he hates reading and didn’t pick it up in school.

One interest that we both share is animals, I in particular love horses, he likes cowboys, so it works, we watch some westerns and some animal conservation, Nature shows and the zoo are shared frequently and we both enjoy fishing so fishing tournaments and others fishing shows I often share with him. We watch Swamp People and Guardian of the Glades (because we are kin to one of the actors) even though we know much is put on. I suppose under this category of animals would be rodeo, my husband used to ride in his very younger days, and I love all aspects of the rodeo this is high on our list of shared shows.

Retro TV is another category we share frequently, MASH is a favorite and we often watch shows and movies of favorite actors such as Dick Van Dyke, Carol Burnett, Elvis, yes, I know I am dating myself but many of the oldies are just pure enjoyment with no real agenda. There are a few recent shows that are modeled after the old style that we both enjoy such as Tim the Toolman and Last Man Standing and they are just fun, even though Last Man Standing does have Christian values incorporated it is still written to include all.

Coming to one final category where we both share an interest and that is Christian TV or movies. We are strong in our faith and do love the music, and good solid preaching. We watch things like the Gaithers, Joey and Rory, Billy Graham and Christian concerts. Now I realize this is not for everyone but for us it is good for our souls.

Yes, there is a lot left out most cartoons are dumb, actions movies are not really our thing, Zombies and aliens are usually not on our list and maybe this comparison does not work for all couples it work for us. We never argue over the TV and often one or the other will put up with a show we don’t particularly like, but marriage works much better with compromise and saves numerous arguments. Try it you may like it.