tv meme, day 16: your guilty pleasure show

Now, I suppose because of its accolades from critics and audiences alike, perhaps this isn't quite qualified to be a "guilty pleasure," but nonetheless, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List is a silly reality show. And so, I have to inherently feel a little guilty about it.

Now, Kathy has certainly taken a lot of guff from talk shows and nay-sayers alike, but if people would giver D-List a shot, I think they'd be pleasantly surprised at how human Ms. Griffin is. Sure, you sort of have to enjoy her brand of naughty humor and celebrity bashing, but from her trip to the Middle East to entertain troops in Iraq during wartime, to her visit the Walter Reed army hospital to spend time with families of injured veterans, to the maximum security women's prison set she did to bring her comedy to the inmates on death row, Kathy is definitely not afraid to push barriers with her stand-up. If it's any indication of her ability to feel and act like a normal, emotional human being, just take a look at her very close relationship with her parents throughout the show - one of the true highlights of the series is her standard interaction with her mother, Maggie - the 90-year-old, boxed-wine-loving hoot that serves as Kathy's voice of reason.

But the true pinnacle of D-List awesomeness came last season, when Kathy devoted each episode to at least one meet-up with an "A-list" celebrity. The highlights? Well, she convinced Lily Tomlin to sort of crank call Jane Fonda on a whim, she had a sleepover with Paula Deen in Savannah, Georgia, she convinced Al Sharpton to introduce her set at the Apollo Theatre, and she got Melissa Etheridge to knight her with her Best Original Song Oscar. So in short, with season six just underway, summer programming has certainly never been better. No one should feel guilty about indulging in a show that keeps your laughing so hard you cry for a solid 60 minutes - without fail.