English for Talking about What's on TV

Television shows are a good way to understand how a language is used and to be able to describe what you’ve seen is a great way to practice it!

When we are talking about TV programs with our friends we can use phrases such as… “My favourite program of all is…”
“I love watching…”
“I adore watching…”
“I hate watching…”
“I can’t bear watching…”
“That program keeps me on the edge of my seat”
“I can’t bear to miss an episode of…”
“The special effects are…”
“I missed last night’s episode. Can you tell me what happened?”

We can ask our friends’ opinions
“What did you think about..?”
“Could you believe what happened last night in..?”
“Did you understand the ending of..?”
“What was going on in..?”

There are lots of adjectives we can use to describe TV programs and what we think about them
“Scary”
“Interesting”
“Fascinating”
“Great fun”
“Funny”
“Absorbing”
“Exciting”
“Depressing”
“Sad”
“Uplifting”
“Boring”
“Realistic”
“Amazing”
“Unrealistic”
“Soppy”
“Enthralling”
“Addictive”
“Stimulating”
“Thought-provoking”

Think about the TV shows that you’ve seen. Which of the following descriptions would you use?
“I think soaps are boring.”
“In my opinion, news and weather programs are usually depressing.”
“Most sports programs send me to sleep, but I quite enjoy watching tennis and snooker.”
“I love comedies – I always feel optimistic and happier after having a good laugh.”
“I love watching most types of films – even tear-jerkers.”
“I find wildlife documentaries totally absorbing and thought-provoking. “

What type of TV programs do you watch and why? Try to use some good adjectives and descriptions in your answers.