Kevin's TV Guide to NYC

I'll start this project with a mission statement.

I'm not the biggest TV fan out there. In fact, I got my first television less than a year ago and still haven't gotten around to shelling out for cable. But in my nearly two years of living in New York City, I've seen tapings of two of my favorite shows: The Daily Show and Late Night With Conan O'Brien. There are plenty of other shows filmed here, too. Game shows. News shows. Shows for middle-aged pseudo-feminists. Shows for stupid people. Headache-inducing morning people. Conservatives. Trivia buffs. Homemakers. There's a wide range of demographics, usually those I most pointedly avoid, who are represented best by television shows found in Manhattan. Also, a few of the shows give you prizes when you show up.

It occurred to me that reviews of these experiences is an untapped market, and with some careful scheduling, I can see a show a week. Whether you're a resident or tourist of New York, a TV connoisseur or simple travel voyeur, or even just a big fan of me, I hope you enjoy my weekly descriptions and reviews.

I'll try to judge a viewing on its own merits, despite the discrepancy between my predicted enjoyment of, for example, the Colbert Report and the Martha Stewart Show. If the former's uncomfortable, relatively unfunny, and tiresome, and the latter delivers on its promises to teach me how to make the best poached eggs and knitted snowman pillows, then Martha's getting the higher grade.

I will pointedly strive to have a new post available every Thursday morning.

One final note: whether I know you or not, I wholeheartedly invite you to comment, question, etc. Television is a one-way form of communication, but this project needn't be.

This Thursday: The Colbert Report