My favorite show as a kid: The Jerry Springer Show
I actually wasn't allowed to watch TV. We didn't have satellite, just the very, very basic cable, so the shows I remember while growing up are shows like Jerry Springer. I would pretend to be sick and stay home and watch Jerry Springer and Maury and just the worst kind of television. But, you know, I found it fascinating. My dad was always like, “It's going to rot your brain,” and he’d freak out if he ever saw me watching it, but it provided an escape and was also just fascinating. From an anthropological standpoint, it was very enlightening. I was enthralled, to say the least.
And then at night, I would watch Will & Grace. That was my favorite show. I did grow up above a video store, so I was more of a movie kid, because that was all I really had access to.
The show that was formative for me as a teen: Degrassi
It was people my own age living their lives, but with Canadian accents. In a way, my life was nothing like theirs, but again, it was escapism. That's how I always saw television. It was something I could put on to escape my life and pretend I'm there. Pretend I'm in the TV. Degrassi was one of those shows, but I didn't even have access to that show, so I could only watch it if I was at a friend’s house.
And then there was MTV and the E! Network — shows like E! True Hollywood Story, MTV Cribs and Punk'd. Those are shows that really stand out in my mind from my childhood.
The shows that most influence my personal style: Desperate Housewives, The L Word, Sex and the City
Desperate Housewives my favorite show ever, and I feel like there was a little bit of everything. Even to this day, I think in terms of, “Oh, this is a very Bree Van de Kamp outfit. This is a very Gabrielle Solis outfit,” or, “It’s an Edie Britt outfit.”
And The L Word, which was a big style inspo, because I just love lesbian style. That's where I gravitate in my day-to-day comfort clothing. That's a big one.
And obviously Sex and the City. Duh. I mean, Sex and the City was the backdrop of my life. Every time I hear [the theme song], I'm transported: It’s 1999, and it's the biggest thing everywhere you turn. I would have to get the DVD box sets from the video store and watch them after the fact. I just have such happy associations to that time. The clothes were amazing, and I definitely have a shoe fetish because of Carrie Bradshaw. And I wanted to be a real-life Samantha. I still feel that way. I mean, she's goals.
The show I consider to be ahead of its time: Nip/Tuck
I feel like Nip/Tuck was just like, whoa, you know? And now, because of a show like Nip/Tuck, we actually do have a reality show of two doctors who do surgery on people and tell their stories. I don't think we would have a reality show like that if Nip/Tuck didn't bring that to the forefront. Just like how I don't think we’d have Real Housewives if we didn't have Desperate Housewives first. These are shows that really changed the course of our culture and left such a big impact.
I feel like I'm always referencing Nip/Tuck in the back of my head, because I was glued to the TV when it was airing, and I was devastated when it ended. But I like all those dark-themed shows. The more fucked up, the better, you know? Nothing's off limits to me. I want to go there. And when I go back and rewatch all these shows I've listed, I'm like, “Oh my God, this would never air today,” which is crazy to think — they’re just so politically incorrect. So many people would be offended, and rightfully so. But it was a moment in time. It was a blip. The stars aligned, and we had magic for a second.
The show that is must-watch weekly viewing for me: Law & Order
I feel like it always delivers. I love the older episodes, of course, but I still tune in and watch the newer episodes, too. I feel like it’s another show that I really grew up with. Especially growing up in New York — oh my God, every day a street was closed off because of Law & Order, you know? It was just so right there. Like, me and Law & Order grew up together. We're both from New York. It’s a show that I can put on and it'll do what it needs to do. It'll get the job done, you know? Is it going to be mind-blowing, and I'll be thinking about it for days after? No, but it does what it needs to do.
The show I can watch over and over: Desperate Housewives
I was going to say Euphoria, but there isn’t really enough of it to go for that long. Probably Desperate Housewives. I know I said it already, but it’s the one that, every few years, I will sit down and binge it all over again. And there are so many different storylines. Sometimes you miss something, and then you get it the next time you watch it. I mean, it's my favorite show of all time.
