The Everybody Loves Raymond Effect

image via sharetv.com

When I lived in Milwaukee, my roommates and I paid for Most Basic Cable (ten channels and reception) but ended up getting Basic Cable (lots of channels–forty? eighty? lots!).  The man who installed it had been transferred from Texas, and was distracted by the chilly weather and the fact that so many Milwaukee homes have basements.

Anyway.  We were delighted with this fortuitous turn of events.  Katie and Kristin got to watch the Tour de France, and I got to watch West Wing reruns to my heart’s content (in fact, this was how I became hooked on The West Wing).  It was great!

Thanks to the wonders of, I believe, TBS, we also discovered a little show called Everybody Loves Raymond.  (You may have heard of it.)  Katie and I went around saying, “Have you seen Everybody Loves Raymond?  It’s hilarious!”  Since this was 2003, and ELR (pro tip: this may or may not be a way true fans refer to the show) had been on the air since 1996, most people had, in fact, seen the show.

Here are some other cultural phenomena that I discovered embarrassingly late.  If you haven’t yet partaken, consider giving them a try:

Mad Men: In fact, I did try watching this show when it first came on in 2007.  After a few episodes at my parents’ house, with my mom saying, “The Sixties were really like that ” and Don Draper being a big jerk, I gave up.  Thanks to Netflix Instant, I gave the show another go this fall and am now hooked.  Because, guess what?  Mad Men is a really well-written, well-acted show with amazing period costumes and sets.  The rumors, it turns out, were true.

Pandora: I had obviously heard of this internet radio thing, but until last week I had never tried it.  I don’t usually listen to music while I work, but I had a sudden need to listen to Dar Williams.  So, I went to Pandora and requested “Dar Williams” radio.  It’s like magic!  Not just Dar, but other artists Pandora thinks I might like.  And, how about that?  Pandora is mostly right!

Community: People were always saying to us, “You should watch Commuity!  You would like it.”  And just three years later, we did watch it, and we do like it. And, apparently, it is on the verge of cancellation.  There’s a lesson there somewhere.

Greek yogurt: All of a sudden, everybody was raving about this stuff.  (At least, everybody who is interested in yogurt was.)  I was skeptical, but then, I had a coupon.   The raves were right!  Our whole family loves this yogurt, plus it has “2x the protein of regular yogurt”.  Why eat “regular” when you can have “Greek”?

Blogging: I didn’t think this would be nearly as fun as it is.  Could the same really be true for Twitter, that other cultural phenomenon I’ve heard so much about?

How about you?  What is a TV show / book / food / activity you resisted trying but are glad you finally did?  Or, what is something you still resist trying?

Update: Hey, I got Freshly Pressed today!  This gives me more joy than is probably reasonable.  So, if it’s your first visit to the blog, welcome!  Take a look around, put your feet up, and stay awhile.

And, if it is not your first visit to the blog, welcome to you, too!