The presidential programs

Barack Obama would make a discerning TV critic: his 10 favorite television shows include The Wire, M*A*S*H, Parks and Recreation and Boardwalk Empire.

Whatever you might think of Barack Obama's qualities as a politician, there's little doubt that he is a man with good taste in television.

Obama, like presidents before him, needs a way to switch off from the demands of being Commander-in-Chief. Richard Nixon used to watch the biopic Patton, about the bombastic World War II general, over and over again, while Bill Clinton regularly watched High Noon (it was shown 17 times in the White House private cinema).

For Obama, though, it is US television shows that he enjoys in his downtime, and judging from his taste, he may have a future career as a television critic.

Obama's favorite shows

1. M*A*S*H

There were 256 episodes of M*A*S*H, which ran from 1972-1983. It was a comedy about a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War and starred Alan Alda. In 2012, Obama was asked by a couple in a Minneapolis restaurant about his favorite TV show and he replied: "You know what pops in to my head? I'm older than you, so you won't remember, but it's a show called M*A*S*H."

2. THE WIRE

Obama called HBO's masterpiece The Wire, which was created by David Simon and set in Baltimore, "one of the greatest shows of all time".

3. BREAKING BAD

Obama admitted that his taste in television is "a little darker" than that of his family; and what could be darker than Breaking Bad and Walter White's meth-dealing shenanigans.

4. BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Prohibition, Steve Buscemi and great music from the 1920s and 1930s: Obama has described Boardwalk Empire as one of his favorite TV shows.

5. HOUSE OF CARDS

Obama watches the Kevin Spacey remake of House of Cards. Speaking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Obama said: "I have to tell you, life in Washington is a little more boring than displayed on the screen. Most of my days are spent in meetings with men in gray suits, and we talk about issues that wouldn't make very good television."

6. SPORTSCENTER

Obama says that he and First Lady Michelle watch SportsCenter, a newsy roundup about sport, "when we're working out". In December 2013, he told Bob Iger, the chairman of Disney which owns ESPN, "At least I know what I want to do when I retire ... host ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 List."

7. MODERN FAMILY

When it's time for the Obama family to relax together, it's comedy that hits the spot. "For the girls and me, Modern Family, that's our favorite show," said Obama, referring to ABC's Emmy-winning sitcom.

8. PARKS AND RECREATION

"Parks and Recreation gives us a good laugh," says Obama, whose wife Michelle made a cameo appearance on Amy Poehler's award-winning program.

9. GAME OF THRONES

Obama is such a fan of the show that he was given copies of season four before it aired. Ah, the perks of being president.

10. DOWNTON ABBEY

Both Obamas are fans of the UK period drama, and the entire cast was given a tour of the White House in 2013.

(China Daily 08/02/2014 page24)