Find the other posts here: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/miscellaneous-musings/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-for-january-27-2021/
I can hear Marianne saying she knows what show I’d pick. M*A*S*H has been a very influential show for me, but it’s not the most. Honestly. I’m never going to be a doctor, even if I secretly had a crush on Hawkeye and Trapper. I can’t stand the sight of blood.
The show that really influenced me the most has to be Night Court.
Am I ever going to be a judge? No. A lawyer? Not going to happen. But the heart of this show, that’s what got me. Now I was a kid when this show came out. Like a kid. This show was sort of an eye-opener for me. Judge Harry was a riot and I had a BIG crush on him, but I liked Christine. I liked that she was naïve, but strong. I didn’t like Dan, the DA, but I loved Bull, the bailiff.
There was a variety relationships, like Mac and Kwon Lee, showed the fragility of people (I think every one of the characters wanted to quit at one point and didn’t give up), plus it showed how groups of people who aren’t that much alike can work together.
Now I have to admit the part that influenced me the most was the end. If you haven’t seen the show, then you might not know what I’m talking about, but throughout the show, Christine and Harry always had a Sam and Diane will they or won’t they vibe going. At the end of the show, Christine is elected to congress so she and Harry can have a relationship. Harry decides he’s going to tell her how he feels once and for all. Dan, the slime ball the whole time, decides he’s going to tell her, too. It wasn’t the most satisfying ending to the show and I’ve been told there were suggestions there should’ve been another season to tie up the loose ends. I don’t know the particulars, but the series was never totally finished.
I got irked because (as a kid) I didn’t like that Harry and Dan were chasing Christine. A, I thought Christine deserved someone better than Dan, B, I was a romantic even as a kid and wanted Christine to end up with Harry and C, I didn’t think Christine needed to have a man. There was no answer to my issues on this topic and the unfinished-ness bothered me. I guess that’s what factored into me wanting to write happy endings for my characters.
So there we go. That’s the show that influenced me the most. What about you? What influenced you?
While you’re here, my latest release is Our Moment, showing how one moment can change everything.
Our Moment by Megan Slayer
Contemporary LGBTQ Romance
M/M, Anal Sex, Masturbation
Novella
From MLR Books
Cover Art by Kris Jacen
Can the words I love you lead to lasting love? Or a moment in time?
Chase Snyder wasn’t looking for his perfect person when he crossed the commons on the Riordan College campus. When he passed the beautiful man with pink hair and dazzling blue eyes, he followed his instincts…and blurted I love you. He’s never seen the man before and doesn’t know his name. Is it possible to find forever with a man he’s just met?
Jamie McCullough hadn’t expected the sweet man in flannel to say the words I love you, but when he does, Jamie can’t deny the attraction or the inspiration. He wants to photograph the guy and paint him…naked. He’s determined to find the man again. A little cunning, a little cuteness and he’ll not only have his man, but his muse, too.
Their meeting might have only lasted a moment, but the sizzles just might last forever.
https://books2read.com/u/3kAgOn
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1064663?ref=draft2digital
Megan Slayer and Wendi Zwaduk 
I’d never heard of Night Court before. Sounds interesting.
(And I can’t stand the sight of blood either! 🙂 )
I can handle DH and tot’s blood, like if they get hurt, but my own? Oh…boy… I will faint.
If you get a chance to watch any of night court, even if it’s on youtube, try it. It is funn.
Loved both of those shows… I’m a sucker for ensemble pieces anyway. One reason I love series. Thanks for coming by!
Welcome! Happy to see you!
I caught a few episodes here and there when it was out. Life was rather busy for me then to get tied up in a series.
I remember watching pieces of MASH with my great-great-uncle. He would have it playing all the time when I was a kid. Great post!
We have it playing here a lot. Good memory
I enjoyed night court too. It may have had a little influence in my becoming a paralegal in my first life for 18 interesting years. LOL My mom loved MASH, but then she always wanted to be a nurse. Tried to talk me into that profession, but I don’t do well at the sight of blood. So that took care of that. Thanks for sharing. Here’s mine. https://www.tenastetler.com/a-book-movie-tv-show-that-influenced-my-life-lsrs-blogging-challenge/
Those are good reasons to do what you did and didn’t. 🙂
I was a M*A*S*H* freak (I still have the TV Guide from the week the final episode aired), but I loved Night Court, too. It was one of the best ensemble shows of its time. And, yeah, I hated the ending for many reasons, too. I felt completely cheated by it — I can see how it would make you want to write your own HEAs. Maybe you should write your own version of the show and end it happily!
Funny you should say that. They did a happy ending version of it (sort of) on 30Rock. The one character felt cheated as we did and he got the Tracy Morgan character to recreate what should’ve been the last episode. It only had Christine, Mac and Harry, but it’s cute. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1248345/
Enjoyed your post, Megan! Both shows were phenomenal! I saw the M*A*SH series finale at the Oakland Coliseum–one my hubby and I will never forget.
That’s a great way to see the ending.
We watched Night Court faithfully. I don’t remember the crabby woman bailiff’s name, but I’ve used her line repeatedly. “I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me.” Classic!
Selma!!
I loved night court!!!!!! I also loved Mash, as it was the first show that demonstrated intelligence and humor in the midst of severe difficulty – how we find hope over and over again even when every day is unbearable.
That’s one I’m not familiar with, but I think I’d have enjoyed it.