4 Shows That Made a Sick Day From School Totally Worth It

Much like what seemed like the entire U.S. this cold season, I was recently hit with a cold that kept me out of the office for a few days. I came to the realization while trying to work from my bed, answer phone calls, and down enough water and medicine to kill a large moose, that a sick day from work is not nearly as enjoyable as it was when I was in school.

There was no Chicken & Stars, grilled cheese, and ginger ale being delivered to my bedside. No constantly replaced cold rag on my forehead. And the lingering thought of the deadlines I was missing from my zombie-like state.

With all that said, there is one thing that hasn't changed about a sick day whether you're 10 or 27 (or older). Morning and daytime TV. Below I've compiled a list of five of the TV shows that made (and still make) a sick day totally worth it.

1. The Price Is Right

If this were a power ranking of weekday, daytime TV, The Price Is Right would be a mainstay at #1. It's faded a bit in recent years with Drew Carrey unenthusiastically taking the reigns, but when Bob Barker was leading the charge it was a can't miss show. How can you beat it? Guessing the price of a bag of Oreo's with the chance of winning a "A BRAND NEW CARRRRR" it's what dreams are made of! Everyone of us has fantasized at least once of winning the opening bid with a strategic $1 bid and then seeing that giant PLINKO board gracefully rolled onto stage! As a pre-teen, the models in swimsuits weren't a bad consolation either!

2. Family Feud

The runner-up in the game show category, sitting just below The Price Is Right, it has its own charm with overly-energetic families working together to figure out what "the survey says ..."

The whole idea is genious: Ask a poll of 100 people to name "Their Favorite Summer Activity," and watch as these families each try to name the top 3-6 answers. And the final round, oh boy, 20 seconds to answer 5 of these questions. Guaranteed to make you sweat. Although it's been through its fair share of hosts, Steve Harvey is bringing back the funny, yet somewhat creepy host vibe, of original host, Richard Dawson.

3. Any syndicated show that was also on ABC's T.G.I.F.

As a pre-teen we all (especially those households that were sans-cable) tuned-in to ABC on Friday night for the power line-up on T.G.I.F.:

8:00 p.m. - Full House

8:30 p.m. - Family Matters

9:00 p.m. - Boy Meets World

9:30 p.m. - Step by Step

If any one of these shows is aired while I'm home for a sick day, you can bet I was watching. If it was a marathon of them, even better! What could be better than Friday night T.V. in the middle of the day on a Thursday?

4. Whatever soap opera your mom watched

Inevitably by day two of your sickness, you'd start getting claustrophobia from your room and you were ready to venture from your bed to the kitchen and then to the couch for a change of scenery. But your mom's choice of TV was much different than what you fancied. She'd somehow watch the Today Show for four hours, skip The Price Is Right (crazy lady) and then resume control of the tube at noon for her "stories."

It doesn't matter what her poison was, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, The Generally Young and Restless Hospital, the story lines were always the same. They led you to believe that life as a grown up was full of sex, exotic trips, illegitimate children, and murders. You didn't necessarily LIKE the shows, but they were so twisted and ridiculous that you couldn't help but be involved with the characters. A week of the flu and you're yelling at the TV with your mom, "Don't do it Beau, she doesn't love you!"

Like sand through the hourglass ...