7 Things I like to See in TV Dramas ...

There has to be at least one really smart character, because I think intelligence is hot. Of course, on shows like House and Bones, everyone is pretty smart – but, of course, the eponymous stars stand out with their smartness. House is the smartest man alive, as far as I'm concerned, and his cane makes me like him just a little bit better than Dr. Brennan.

Somebody has to be funny at least part of the time. Ironically, in House, this is also Dr. House, and Wilson when he's relating to House. In NCIS, Abby is comic relief, all the CSI shows always have someone funny. When you're dealing with that much drama, somebody has to make you laugh.

If something's going on, it has to be at least theoretically possible. Like, Booth's hallucination, I hated it but I bought it because he was in a coma or whatever, right? House's hallucination, however, wherein he dreamed an assignation with Cuddy, was slightly more believable to me, because all his fantasies had the patina of withdrawal from a hardcore substance.

At least one character has to be brilliant and also hot. Examples: House, of course; I don't really find Bones hot, precisely, I'm afraid, but she's cute (I think Cam is hot); in Criminal Minds, oh Reid, oh yes please. After all, if you're hot and smart, in television dramas, you ultimately get everything you want!

I can't always understand what's going on. I want to be confused some of the time. I don't want to get it. House is great at this, but so are lots of other shows. Big Love (hot and brilliant for Big Love is Amanda Seyfried because, I don't know, I said so) is full of things I don't understand. I hardly ever know what's going on in CSI until the last few minutes.

Violence is awesome! I know that's horrible, but it's true. I love it when House gets punched, I love the violent seething in Vampire Diaries (look, I only watch that for Ian Somerhalder, I swear), there's always something crazy going on in Bones and Criminal Minds and Desperate Housewives.

And finally, someone has to want to have sex with someone else – who is typically having sex with yet someone else. There must be sexual tension because there has to be chemistry between cast mates. Otherwise, I don't think a drama would even be allowed to air on TV; the pilot never, ever gets made. It doesn't have to be overblown, like how everyone is always sleeping around with everyone else in Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy, but you know, a “Huddy” situation is awesome.

So as you can see, I'm picky about my melodrama. It has to be good for me to get interested. Sometimes it takes me a while; I didn't get into Sons of Anarchy until this past season, and now I'm hooked. What's your favorite drama on TV?

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