The house is quiet, everyone’s asleep—or, worse, everyone’s awake and you sneak the remote. Here’s what we watch when no one is watching us. To protect the guilty, some names have been changed.
“We watch a ton of Judge Judy. If we were to meet Judge Judy, we would go full fan-dork mode. We think she’s the smartest, wisest, scariest, most awesome woman on television. We DVR four episodes a day.”
-Kate Bennett, Bethesda mom of one & Cathy Merrill Williams, DC mom of two
“When truly in need of a mindless escape, I go full Kardashian marathon. My kids and husband walk out of the room in disgust if they catch me.”
-Sue Smith, DC mom of three
“I watch teenage television series, like Gossip Girl (I have a crush on Chuck Bass!) and Pretty Little Liars. I download them on my iPad. I also DVR The Young and The Restless.”
-Micky Farivar, Virginia mom of two
“I watch all of the Kardashian shows, including the spinoffs like, ‘Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons.’ Also, I love awards shows, even the ‘Kids’ Choice Awards’ and ‘MTV Video Music Awards.’”
-Sabrina Nicols, Bethesda mom of two
“I wish I had more time for TV, but I am hooked on Scandal. Homeland and Orange Is the New Black are next on my late-night-I-need-company-while-folding-the-laundry list.”
-Anne Book, Virginia mom of one
“House Hunters and House Hunters International on HGTV. I love the voyeurism of looking into other places, other houses. And I can’t believe how cheap it is to live in some parts of the country and the world. Greenland, anyone?”
-Lynn Feinberg, Silver Spring mom of two
“Vanderpump Rules. I just can’t get enough of the restaurant and the love-triangle drama. And I am convinced that Stassi is my spirit animal. I also watch Shameless on Showtime, because it’s so bad and yet so good—it also gives me a good ego boost, as I can say hands down I’m doing a better job parenting than those characters.”
-Jennifer Stiebel, DC mom of two
“Definitely any Real Housewives show. And Watch What Happens Live—I so want to be real-life friends with Andy Cohen. I also watch The Biggest Loser. My husband is worried that I’m losing brain cells from watching these shows, but I can’t stop.”
-Alison Chase, Bethesda mom of two
“My guilty pleasure is the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but I only allow myself to watch when I am on the treadmill. It makes my workouts pleasant, and I actually run farther so I can watch the whole episode.”
-Britlan Malek, DC mom of two
“After my son goes to bed, I head to my office, which is conveniently located just down the hall. I tell my husband I’m going to do work, but I end up streaming my favorite shows online, like The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Having a beverage cooler in the office is a plus.”
-Georgetown Mom of four
“I am fascinated by Millionaire Matchmaker. Patti Stanger is just such a mix of mushy, LA emoting and hardcore New York pragmatism—I never get tired of her.”
-Tricia Morgan,DC mom of two
“Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and Vanderpump Rules on Bravo, Total Trash.”
-Jessica Graber, Bethesda mom of two
“Married at First Sight. The new season just started and I couldn’t wait for it to get going.”
-Julie Steindler, McLean mom of two
“Property Brothers on HGTV (also Curb Appeal, Flip or Flop…the HGTV list goes on.) Tabitha’s Salon Takeover is also a good one. General Hospital, because even if you catch a random episode, it’s still the same town, same families, same drama; watching it brings back the nostalgic feeling of catching it after school.”
-Kristen Olson, Annapolis mom of three
“I’m a big fan of Scandal, and not just for Olivia Pope’s chic wardrobe. I’m also a devotee of The Voice, Downton Abbey, and Game of Thrones. I’m waiting for a weekend to binge-watch House of Cards, because I’m a little behind on that one.”
-Helena Brixton, Georgetown mom of three
