What are the series TV stars watching/catching up on this summer ?

The LA Times asked some TV actors/writers what are their favourite shows, and here are their answers :

- Ryan Murphy (creator of Nip/Tuck and Glee) : The Walking Dead and Justified.

"My favorite show of the past year was The Walking Dead. Even though I watched every episode as it aired, religiously, I went out and got the DVDs and I watch one a week. It's a treat. I love what that show did. I thought it was sort of intellectual horror. I was really impressed with it. And if you haven't joined the bandwagon already, I think Justified is a brilliant show with a great cast. I love Margo and Timothy on that show".


- Michael C. Hall (David Fisher on SFU and Dexter Morgan on Dexter) : The Wire and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show : that's a great show. It's available on box set, I have one. The writing is perfect, it's perfectly structured, the characters... it's great. In this day and age it's a borderline museum piece. As far as a show I just devour, it's The Wire".


- Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars on Veronica Mars) : America's Funniest Home Videos and season 1 of Damages.

"N°1, and I'm being honest : you will not be disappointed if you watch any of America's Funniest Home Videos. It without fail puts me in a good mood. They are on Season 17 or something. I particularly recommend the animal extravaganzas episodes. I have all the seasons on DVD : not all 17 years but a couple of seasons. If I'm talking serious TV, the first season of Damages from start to finish is one of the best television experiences I've ever had. I have never seen a thriller executed that way on television" [you should try The Wire, or 24, or The Shield, or Dexter, or Sleeper Cell].


- Betty White (lead actress on Hot in Cleveland) : Frasier and 30 Rock.

"I just love Frasier. And now I'm working with Jane Leeves, that's marvelous. It's great comedy. You know, actors take all the credit for things, but unless it's well written they don't laugh. I don't think writers get enough credit. And Frasier is well written... oh, goodness, yes. I just love it. I'm also a big 30 Rock fan. Tina Fey is just pure gold".


- Julian Fellowes (creator of Downton Abbey) : Mad Men and thirtysomething.

"For some curious reason, I missed the beginning of Mad Men. And the longer it went on, the more I realized I should be watching this show. So that's gonna be my own treat. I want to go back to the start. But if I had to get a show out of the trunk and watch it, it'd be thirtysomething. I thought it was so great. I think shows on TV work if you care about the characters in them. If you don't care about that, then the special effects don't matter. It was the end of the '80s, early '90s. But even that, that's nearly 20 years ago. It's a period drama now. Time is a strange thing".


- Kristen Bauer (Pam in True Blood) : Deadwood.

"Deadwood ! I am a western fanatic, and for me this show was and is an obsession. The writing, the acting, the characters, the sets, the costumes are all so authentic-seeming, one can almost feel the dirt. I have watched it three times through and can't wait for the fourth. It just gets better as you watch it !"


- Brooke Elliott (lead actress on Drop Dead Diva) : Damages.

"This summer I will be catching up on one of my favorite shows, Damages. It has such a talented cast, smart writing and is so captivating. Anyone who hasn't seen this show should check it out !"


- Evan Rachel Wood (Sophie-Anne in True Blood) : Freaks and Geeks.

"I love Freaks and Geeks. It was so ahead of its time, and I think that's why it got canceled so quickly. It was so brilliant. All our favorite comedians now were rocking it back then : Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and James Franco. When no one knew who they were. And they were hilarious".