Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory)
Putting aside the fact that Leonard is a full on genius, he is the kind of guy that young boys should aspire to be. He is respectful of women, a good housekeeper, a loyal friend and clearly has good study habits. More importantly, he gives young men hope of scoring chicks who are way out of their league.

Daryl Philbin (The Office)
Daryl is a true American success story. Going from a recurring character who runs a warehouse to a regular who manages the entire shipping division for the whole office. He’s also a single father who cares deeply about his daughter as well as a true friend. On top of all that he’s hilarious. Who says that working in an office has to be joyless?

Leslie Knope (Parks and Rec)
Despite Leslie’s personality quirks and innate awkwardness, she is a role model that any young girl can aspire to. Smart as a whip, honest to a fault and more driven that any government employee on or off television. If you can get past her constant weirdness, she;s pretty cute, too.

Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother)
There are some people who see Ted as a loser due to his inability to find love but I see him as the opposite. Ted is such a believer in true love that he is on a never-ending quest to find that one perfect woman to have his children and then build a show around her. Besides, being an architect is a pretty sweet gig.

Cam Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett (Modern Family)
Since gay characters started appearing on television, very few of them have been more than horrible stereotypes. Cam and Mitchell are good parents, upstanding citizens and it’s no doubt that they are gay. I can’t think of two better examples of how it “gets better” for a young gay teen.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

1. Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd) – Taxi
What could make a young Ivy League undergrad from a rich, influential family become a burned out reverend/cabbie with questionable judgment and a terrible memory? I doubt that even Jim could compile a complete list? At least his driving isn’t any less safe than most New York cabbies.

2. Otis Campbell (Hal Smith) – The Andy Griffith Show
If only all drunks could be counted on to walk themselves into a police station and sleep off the night’s festivities, the world would be a much better place for us and them.

3. Barney Gumble & Otto Mann (Dan Castellenata & Harry Shearer) – The Simpsons
What is more disconcerting? A stoned bus driver in charge of the lives of young children or a blackout drunk driving four hours to New York City?

4. Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) – WKRP in Cincinnati
When you’re entire life exists in the middle of rock and roll culture it’s difficult not to imbibe. Although it must be great not to have to shave ever.

5. Foster Brooks & Dean Martin – The Dean Martin Show
All the biographies say that their drunkenness was an act. I suppose that’s what Lindsey Lohan’s biography will say as well.

6. Manny the Hippie – The Late Show with David Letterman
Although his fame was short-lived, I was a huge fan. Never have I seen someone so unabashedly proud of their burned out, skeevy, conning persona.

7. Nigel Wick (Craig Ferguson) – The Drew Carey Show
I always wondered why he was such a terrible boss. Eventually we found out why. You’d have to be “chasing the dragon” to continue to employ Drew and Mimi.

8. Larry Finkelstein (Alan Rachins) – Dharma & Greg
How the tight ass from LA Law became burned out Dharma’s dad I’ll never know. Even as the series started to get lame, Larry always made me laugh.

9. John Hemingway (John Larroquette) – The John Larroquette Show
The best part of Hemingway was that even though he was a recovering alcoholic, he was still paying for the mistakes he made while drinking.

10. Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) – 30 Rock
I’m not exactly sure what Dr. Spaceman has prescribed for Tracy but whatever it is, it makes him funny for the first time in his life.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

As many of you know, in the year 2000 I was crowned TV Land’s Ultimate Fan. It was a great experience that I will always remember. I got to visit New York in the Fall and, again the following winter, I won a bunch of prizes and I also got to meet a lot of cool people. The coolest by far was Mr. T.

I met Mr. T before the competition started at a mall in Orange County, California. I decided to drive out there to audition for the show and, once there, I discovered that the celebrity appearing that day was Mr. T. Before the competition, Mr. T signed autographs for people and once that was done, he got onstage and answered questions. Many of the questions were typical; “Will there be an A Team reunion? How did you beat cancer? What projects are you working on?” But I will always remember the question asked by a young man in the front row.

I couldn’t see the young man because I was standing in the back row, so when the young man raised his hand, I thought nothing of it. However, when he stood up, I realized that he was not a young man but a very large child who was suffering from Down Syndrome.

His question was this… “Mr. T, why are you so mean to Murdoch?”

The entire mall went silent. The Sunglasses Hut, The Hot Sam … even over at Baby Gap people stopped what they were doing to hear his answer. Does he explain that Murdoch is not a real person? Does he politely ignore the question? Does he go off on a rant about how he doesn’t like to fly? We all watched with baited breath to hear his response.

Mr. T looked the boy straight in the eye and said, “Because he’s a crazy fool!”

The crowd went wild. The reaction was amazing. People were cheering and shouting catch phrases. “I pity the fool!” and “No time for jibba-jabba!” At that moment I realized why Mr. T was the huge celebrity he was, because regardless of the era, the setting, or the audience Mr. T treats each and every fan like they are his biggest fan.

I am often reminded of this day when I see other celebrities treating their fans poorly and like Mr. T himself, I often am forced to pity the fools.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

I do remember when Glee first came on the air. I had no interest in watching it. I’m not sure exactly what it is about the show that turned me off. I love acapella music. I like underdog stories. I’ve known and liked members of choral and glee groups.

Perhaps it’s because I watch very little live TV. Maybe it’s because I’ve invested in many shows only to see them get cancelled early on in the first season. Possibly it’s because as much as I like underdog stories, I’m not a fan of martyrdom, especially overly dramatic “poor, unappreciated me” people. I do know quite a few singers and choral directors who seem to fall into that category. I dunno, I just wasn’t interested.

As my daughter has grown older, my wife and I have been looking for television shows we can share with her. At Paul Goebel‘s recommendation, I introduced her to The Middle (which she liked), and on my own last month I introduced her to Glee on Netflix.

The first episode was a little heavy, compared to my daughter’s usual Disney Channel/Nickelodeon fare, but my wife loved it and my daughter was interested and patient enough to give it a few more episodes. It’s now become one of their favorite shows, as they are averaging four episodes a week as they race to get to Season 2.

I admit, I’ve enjoyed it as well. It’s less acapella than I’d expected (and hoped), but it’s good. It gets a little whiny sometimes, but so far it’s pulled itself back just enough.

My concern, so far, is not the maturity of the themes (so far it’s been fine), it’s the constant references to the Glee kids as “losers.” They call themselves “losers”. Other people call them “losers”. It’s clear they are meant to be misfits, but it’s declared over and over again.

Now, my wife and I do talk about what we see on TV with our kids. So, we made a point of addressing this with our daughter. “The point of the show,” I said, “is that they’re really NOT losers, at all.” My daughter agreed, and we went on to discuss it in much more depth: What would you do? Has anyone ever treated you that way? What could this character have done? etc., .

It almost had me pull the plug. If my wife hadn’t immediately taken to the show and there had been a viable alternative, we might’ve given up on it quickly, but so far it remains in our Netflix Instant Queue.

I do find myself still looking for that perfect family show to share. The Nick and Disney shows are decently produced, but they have such snarky young characters and such dumb adults – not what I’m looking for. Yes, there are game shows and singing competitions we can watch. She’s still a little young for the Mythbusters/Top Shot/Chopped type shows we watch with our son, and I find myself still looking for a good family show to share with my wife and daughter.

For now, I’ll give in to Glee, but I wish I felt better about it.

I watched American Idol in the first season and have been a loyal fan ever since. Like many Americans, I get sucked in by the hilarity of the bad auditions and the honest talent of the good ones. The next thing I know, I’m watching the finale and enjoying the hell out of it.

The X Factor is similarly addictive. The show parades a collection of hopefuls, some good, some bad, some atrocious and we, as fans, pick a favorite and settle in to root them on. However, if The X Factor is, in fact, too similar to American Idol, it’s the few differences that make it truly engaging.

Unlike AI, anyone over the age of 12 can audition for The X Factor, that means that not only do old people like me get to see their peers compete but the untapped talent pool of people over thirty finally have a place to show their talents.

The other big difference is that contestants can audition in groups and duos as well as by themselves. This is especially good for true music fans because it opens up the field of songs to more interesting arrangements than the usual simple ballads on Idol.

Sure, the audition process is a grueling exercise in manufactured drama and overproduced emotional outbreaks but isn’t that a small price to pay to see Paula and Simon reunited and doing the only thing they were ever any good at?

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

“Yes, but I will never watch it because it sucks.” (America’s Got Talent)

“No way. That show is too stupid for anyone.” (Jersey Shore)

“Sure, but they won’t be interested.” (Men of a Certain Age)

“Yes, too bad, it’ll be canceled in a month.” (Flash Forward)

“No, that’s a little inappropriate, but I’m going to watch the hell out of it. (Breaking Bad)

Finding stuff to watch with your kids can be a daunting process. The only thing worse than having to watch some dumb show that they like is watching one of your favorite shows while they constantly talk about how dumb it is.

The good news is that as my kids get older, our taste in television get closer and closer. The weird part is how often I find myself enjoying shows that are made for people as stupid as them. I started watching Storage Wars because I thought it was an interesting show about businessman and treasure hunters, but after my kids watched it with me, I realized we were both enjoying a reality show about a bunch of dumbasses who argue over abandoned junk. Don’t even get me started on how much we both enjoy American Dad.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

Buddy & Buddy

Even Coach Eric Taylor and his family have left the great state of Texas, there is still plenty of story to be told. Follow the adventures of Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland) and Buddy Garrity Jr. (Joey Truty) as they live the life of a single father and his wise-cracking son. Laugh and learn as they sell cars, sell beer and try to sell new ideas to their marketing manager, recent MBA graduate, Landry (lance) Clarke (Jesse Plemmons) and his doting wife Doreen (Amy Sedaris).

The Pizza Bowl

Thirty years after Frank DeFazio closed Milwaukee’s most popular bowling alley/pizza joint, the new owner is ready to open it back up to the public. Gordon McKenzie (Norm MacDonald) is a newly naturalized American citizen with a dream to own his own business and start a family. Unfortunately, his new wife Angela (Shannen Doherty) has an aversion to hard work and would rather go shopping with her daughter from her first marriage, Deena (Ali Lohan). Can a Canadian ex-pat with a dream and pizza cutter make it in Wisconsin?

The Horshacks

Ever wonder what became of sweathog Arnold Horshack? Really? In that case, check out this new show from the producers of 704 Houser St. It’s 1982 and little Arnold (Ron Palillo) is now a widower trying to enjoy his new retirement after a long life of teaching high school and raising three kids. His oldest Gabe (David Henrie) is fresh out of graduate school and is constantly coming to his father for advice on his new career as a college professor. His twin daughters Robin and Rachel (Alicia and Annie Sorell) are boy crazy high school seniors who leave Arnold in a quandary on how to manage their dating habits. Luckily his longtime friend and ladies man Beau DeLaBarre (Stephen Shortridge) is always happy to drop in and share some advice.

The Face Squad

Sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, these men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Eventually these men grew old and were forced to retire, giving up their lifestyles as soldiers of fortune and disappearing inbto a life of anonymity. Luckily for the denizens of Los Angeles, Face Man (Dirk Benedict) was reunited with the son he never knew he had. Dack Peck (Zac Efron), a decorated Marine yearns to follow in the footsteps of his infamous father. Along with his friends; Raj (Dev Patel), Craig (Kyle Massey) and Jukebox (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) the team serves those Los Angelenos who need their particular brand of help. If you have a problem – If no one else can help – and if you can find them – maybe you can hire the Face Squad.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

The New Improved Jordan McDeere
Due to the cancellation of the long-running sketch comedy show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Jordan’s tenure at the network is considered a complete failure. She is forced to leave LA with her newborn daughter in tow, leaving her fiancee, Danny Tripp, and Hollywood behind. She ends up getting a new job teaching video production at a community college in New Mexico. Helping her along the way are the idealistic young English teacher (Adam Brody) and her thrice-divorced hard drinking next door neighbor (Katey Sagal).

The Nelsons
WNYX employees Lisa Miller and Dave Nelson have gotten married and decided to raise a family. In this hilarious sitcom set ten years after the end of Newsradio, Dave is now the editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia Gazette (inexplicably located in Altoona). Lisa Miller-Nelson is now the head of the local PTA and full time Mom to her and Dave’s three children, Jimmy James Nelson (Erik Per Sullivan), Billy Matthew Nelson (Nathan Gamble) and little Beth (Brenna and Bronwyn Tosh)

The Becky Chronicles
After the accidental death of her husband, Mark, Becky Conner moves to Chicago to “find herself.” Unfortunately what she finds is a job waiting tables at Hooters. Hopefully with some help from fellow waitress Donna (Drea de Matteo) and her night school professor (Christopher Lloyd reprising his role from Stacked), Becky can find a career and a successful love life in the windy city.

Zuckercorn & Loblaw & the Law
Barry Zuckercorn and Bob Loblaw, the former attorneys for the Bluth family team up and open a firm together. Watch them struggle to run a profitable firm with a collection of wacky clients and even wackier paralegals. Allyce Beasley reprises her role as Agnes Dipesto the receptionist who nobody remembers hiring.

Niles & Daphne
After Frasier leaves Seattle, Niles and Daphne are forced to take in Martin and Eddie. Daphne has to deal with Martin’s new and more protective physical therapist (Patti Labelle). To make things worse, Maris moves in next door with her new husband (Jeff Goldblum).

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

The most interesting part of the show is the collection of talking heads they got for the show. In addition to some funny comics (Judy Gold, Chuck Nice, Chelsea Peretti, etc.) they also feature ex child stars like Danny Bonaduce, Leif Garrett and Todd Bridges. Now if you are a savvy TV lover like myself, you may remember that these stars not only used to be on TV but they have all been arrested for various offenses involving drugs.

As I watched the show, I wondered why they didn’t get more troubled child stars. Was Adam Rich unavailable? Did Brian Bonsall not get the message? Where was Corey Haim? Oh, right.

The big question, however, that comes up is why do so many child stars end up on the wrong side of the law? Is there something particularly troubling about being young and famous? Does being a child star automatically lead to drug use? Will every paragraph in this blog have three questions each?

The answer, of course, is no.

Bridges and Bonaduce are only different from Sheen and Dick in that the latter two got famous after they were eighteen. They were always drug using dingbats, they just weren’t in movies or on TV wen they were kids. Brian Bonsall would very likely be a drug addict whether he played TV’s fastest growing baby on Family Ties or not.

In short, don’t hate the TV, hate the TV star.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.

Putting aside the fact that the IRS takes a considerable chunk of that cash prize and the winners must pay tax & license on that new car as well as income tax on it. As someone who won a new car on a game show, I can tell you, that ain’t cheap.

The other day, I told my oldest daughter how cool it would be if her and her sister went on a reality show together after they were both eighteen. She then told me that she wanted to go on with me, which got a huge laugh from my girlfriend since she knew that meant that I would be one of those old men in their fifties who never win.

It got me thinking about kid and reality shows. Do shows like Survivor give young people an unrealistic view of how tough things like that are or do they inspire them to give it a try thinking that if Richard Hatch can win a million bucks, so can they?

My kids and I watch The Amazing Race, Big Brother and Survivor every year and they always comment on the challenges in the show. In response, I always have to remind them that the real challenge is getting through the emotional and physical drain that these shows put on you. Hanging from a giant banana isn’t that tough, but spending two months with people who think they are more clever than they really are is excruciating.

Personally, I would love to see a reality show that challenges a houseful of teenage kids to see who can be the laziest. The first kid who breaks and actually picks up after themselves, gets sent home. That’s a reality show.

Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.