What's on Andy Cohen's Watchlist? Not Exactly What You'd Expect
Bravo's Andy Cohen is not a shy man.
So he was a perfect candidate for TVGuide.com's new Watchlist feature, in which notable TV personalities tell us their favorite TV shows, and why they love them. As the executive vice president of development and talent and host of the network's myriad Real Housewives reunion specials and the late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live!, it's clear that Cohen knows what makes for good television. Among his picks: Friday Night Lights ("I want Riggins to be my freakin' defensive end"), Mad Men ("I'm obsessed with Joan's figure") and Downton Abbey ("I haven't figured out how they go to the bathroom").
Here's Cohen's full list. Watch his video introduction to his Watchlist below and then watch his picks in our new mobile app.
Friday Night Lights: I am a late discoverer of Friday Night Lights. I cry every episode at least once. I love to cry — happy, emotional tears. I just love it. I want Connie Britton to be president, I want that coach to be my coach, I want Riggins to be my freakin' defensive end — or whatever he is. I want to date Minka Kelly, she's so hot on this show. By the way, I know nothing about football... or Texas. This show is about humanity. It's just incredible.
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: There's nothing that Jimmy can't do — he can sing, he can dance, he can be in skits, he's a gamer. To me it's just the freshest thing in late night — except for Watch What Happens Live, of course — and I just love it. I think Jimmy is infectious. He's fun, he's an enthusiast, I like his suits, I like his hair, I like his smile. He's just the best. I love him.
American Masters: It's a staple on my DVR. It's just an incredible docuseries that explores in a really in-depth and well-crafted way the lives of people I've always wanted to know more about, from I.M. Pei to Lucille Ball to the history of the Warner Bros. film studio to Bob Dylan and on and on and on. I just love it. If Mitt Romney wins, I guess I'll have to say goodbye to that, because he wants to cut PBS. Awesome!
South Park: To me it's still as good as it always was. Because of how they cut the show and their low-tech-style animation, it's incredibly topical. I think they do the episodes in the days leading up to air, which I'm sure drives Comedy Central crazy. They must have a pot pharmacy around the corner from where they write the show because the stuff they come up with is totally out there and just hilarious. I think my favorite episode was the one that Oprah Winfrey and the A Million Little Pieces controversy, I just loved it.
The New Normal: I just think it's smart and funny and fresh and Ryan Murphy plucked my girl Nene Leakes from Housewives. I'm just so proud of her and happy for her. It also stars Ellen Barkin, who's a good friend of mine, who's hilarious playing kind of an Archie Bunker type. It's really well-written and sharp and funny. It's great.
Top Chef: Not to be self-serving and put a Bravo show that I'm an executive producer of on my list, but Top Chef makes me so happy. It's a gorgeous-looking show, it always has drama, it's got a sense of humor. It makes me hungry, it makes me happy, sometimes it makes me a little horny. (What?) I mean, Padma's hot. I love Top Chef. I think it rewrote the book on how food shows are presented on TV.
60 Minutes: It is one of the only shows on television that celebrates hard-hitting journalism. It's smart, it teaches you about things you didn't know you cared about, or were interested in. It's one of the few shows on TV that sets the agenda; it doesn't follow the agenda. When you see something about Afghanistan, you know, wait a minute, I should care about it, and they tell you why. It's not flashy, it doesn't have sound effects or quick cuts. It's very simple and brilliant storytelling and writing done by the best in the business.
Mad Men: There's nothing I don't love about Mad Men. I thought this last season was their best season and one of the best seasons of any show on TV ever. It took you to very unusual places, like Roger Sterling's acid trip. They prostituted Joan to get that big client! To me it's like a moving painting. I can watch it on mute and it calms me down. The clothes are gorgeous, the people are gorgeous. I'm obsessed with Joan's figure. Matthew Weiner is really the star of that show. What he comes up with every week is incredible.
Saturday Night Live: It's been on the air forever, but they keep freshening themselves up. It's on my DVR every week. I wake up on Sunday morning and say, "What did SNL do last night?" It's still pretty funny. I'm finding my way since Kristen Wiig left. I love Bill Hader, I think he's a genius. I love Vanessa Bayer. My eye is on her. Every time she comes on the screen, she makes me laugh.
30 Rock: I love a smart, well-written show, and 30 Rock, well, you can't get any better than that. Tina Fey poos funny. There's nothing that she does that isn't funny. That show is an example of how brilliant she is. It's so smart. They've done some brilliant commentary about the Housewives with "Queen of Jordan," their show-within-the-show. She is just so funny and smart, and it's so smart. I think Jenna is one of the most well-written characters on television.
Downton Abbey: I love it so much. Maggie Smith is just brilliant. That Thomas, the vicious, gay, closeted butler. The tortured love story between Bates and Anna. I cannot wait for Shirley MacLaine to come and spray some American bitch all over Downton Abbey. I haven't figured out how they go the bathroom. Do the maids have to change their toilets? You never see that, and I wonder about that.
The TV Guide iOS mobile app, which launched in August, is an innovative, one-stop TV companion app exclusively for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, designed to make TV simple again by allowing fans to find, share and watch instantly — anytime, anywhere. It's available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.
