Since Catherine was busy all weekend watching her daughter's synchronized skating team compete, we thought we'd step away from our screens and consider the entertainment that energetic youngsters put forth on the ice, and the sometimes puzzling choices their coaches make on their behalf when it comes to costumes and music. Can you guess which popular song popped up the most? What a costume for a Casablanca-themed skate would look like? What late-night show inspired a team's theme? Or what carbonated beverage? Listen in for a mom's-eye view of the competition (and watch the video above to see what kind of skating we're talking about -- come to http://parentingroundabout.com to do that if you're reading this somewhere else). 

Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to let entertainment flow over you. For this week's post-Thanksgiving episode, Catherine and Terri start with a chat about the gigantic balloon hovering over the holiday, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, discussing live vs. home-viewing options, the fun Broadway show snippets, the possibility of heating the area where Broadway performers in skimpy costumes perform, and the certainty that whatever you are doing and wherever you are going at this point in history, you will surely hear Shawn Mendes singing "Stitches" at least once while you are doing it. Then we left the NYC hoopla behind to talk about houses that would probably fit inside some of those balloons and floats. Catherine watched a lot of Tiny House programming -- who knew there was so much? -- and reports in on how FYI and HGTV are making a big splash with little living. (If you're watching this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Dancing With the Stars has finally made it to the end, and we're one show away from someone hoisting the mirror-ball trophy. After watching Night 1 of the finals, Catherine and Terri discussed their favorites and predictions, the freestyles they liked and didn't, what constitutes a gimmick, how hard a lift is, and how enjoyable a show can be when you don't pack it full of unprepared non-professionals trying to learn too many dances. They'll be back tomorrow to discuss the winner, but in the meantime, they took a moment to chat about Netflix's new series Master of None and Terri's new favorite Undateable Live, which she finally got Catherine to watch. The verdict: thumbs up on both, but if you think Undateable's 8 p.m. timeslot means its safe for the kids, be warned that it very much is not, as the above clip will illustrate. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

On a new Round 2, Terri and Catherine chat as usual about Dancing With the Stars, which this week included three dances for each star, a withdrawal due to illness, a number involving a rope and a nearly invisible bodysuit, another involving a box and another rope with a lightbulb on it, and a fake-out non-elimination that was really kind of mean. We chatted about this year's likely winners and how the show could be improved in the future, if the producers would just listen to us and people who write on Internet forums. Next, after discussing the problems with asking a 17-year-old to dance dirtier, we turned our attention to shows that ask kids to do other unlikely things, including fashion designing and cooking with unusual items. Catherine shared her thoughts on Project Runway Junior, Terri did the same for Chopped Junior, and they joined Catherine's dog in strategizing other possible reality-show permutations. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.

This week's Round 2 started as it has for the past many weeks with a chat about last night's Dancing With the Stars, which reveled in its live status by not knowing until the very last minute whether one of its stars would even be able to make it onstage to dance. But Tamar Braxton didn't let a little pneumonia keep her out of the race for the mirror-ball trophy, arriving from the hospital just in time to avoid automatic elimination. Did we mention this show is live? Tom Bergeron did, a lot. Also live: the NBC sitcom Undateable, which Terri is going to be talking about a lot until you watch it (or at least Catherine does), and the unfortunately titled Best Time Ever, also on NBC, which is maybe not the best time but still a good time and full of the kind of completely random entertainment moments you don't see that much of anymore. Catherine ended the episode by reporting on a re-watch of the movie Big with her son. Listen and see if the scene that got the biggest laugh in her house would get the same in yours. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

This week's Dancing With the Stars left us a little underwhelmed, with poorly filmed dance-offs, uncomfortable baby-gender-revealing gimmicks, unnecessary lying on the floor in a fancy dress, and the departure of good-guy Andy. With hopes that perhaps the competition will step up a bit in the weeks to come, we moved on to a reality cooking show Catherine's been enjoying, My Grandmother's Ravioli, and then a more general discussion about whether we care as much as Terri's husband does about the lack of reality in reality shows, or whether we just want the food to look pretty, the houses-hunted to look interesting, and the dancers to look like they're having fun. Terri also encouraged everyone to get with a show she's starting to watch faithfully, Undateable live, and follow all the many, many Periscope segments the folks involved are doing. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

It was Halloween theme night on Dancing With the Stars, as well as team-dance night, which provided lots of opportunities for the costume, hair, and makeup folks to show off. (Or not: what WAS that thing on Bindi's head in the group dance? Andy's contacts for his couples dance were indeed fantastically freaky, though.) We then moved on to other unsettling things -- like news of Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes and Chris Rock hosting the Oscars; or doing a sitcom live every week; or watching an actor you like in a show you hate. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlnks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com. And if you're interested in watching Undateable Live, it's on Fridays at 8 p.m. on NBC, as I should have remembered to say on the episode.)

Famous dances of some sort or another were the focus of this week's Dancing With the Stars, and Catherine and Terri found both the dances and the judging to have no particular rhyme or reason. They chatted about the dances they liked and didn't, the scoring they liked and didn't, the readiness of Paula Deen to go home, and the unfairness of low-scoring anyone who has to dance with a snake. They quickly moved on to something a little more respectable -- the two stage shows Catherine managed to see in one week, Kinky Boots on tour and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Timeon Broadway. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.

It was switch-up night on Dancing With the Stars, and also "Judges say what?" night, because the scoring was all the heck over the place. We talked about the dances we liked, the conspiracies we wondered about, and the partnerships we wish could stay switched. Then, we moved on to our promised discussion of Fox's Grandfathered and The Grinder, although neither of us completely did her homework and watched all eps of both. Still, we liked what we saw or heard enough to try again to watch and chat next week. Other fall TV we've been consuming? Mostly stuff from last season still on the DVR and whatever Terri's husband happens to be watching when she walks through the room, but we're working on it. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

It's the most thematically uncomfortable Dancing With the Stars of the season: the dreaded Most Memorable Year episode, where celebs are asked to honor the death of a loved one with a cha cha. The mix of real-life hardship with sequins and fluff is always tricky, and this year's degree of difficulty was kicked up by contestant Alek Skarlatos's personal connection to the shooting at an Oregon college and host Tom Bergeron's absence to be with his ailing father. We chatted about our favorites, those that impressed us less, the awkwardness of judging someone who's just cried on camera, and the dilemma of having a happy personal story amongst the angst. Leaping on to non-dancing topics, Catherine gave her review of A Lego Brickumentary, and Terri bid a sad goodbye to one of her favorite podcasts, Firewall and Iceberg, RIP. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Football pre-empting ABC's schedule foiled Catherine's efforts to watch Dancing With the Stars this week, and if you had to pick an episode to be pre-empted in your viewing area, this would be the one. Terri gave a recap of the TV-themed episode -- which labored under the need to 1) pick only TV theme songs they could get rights to and 2) use the TV show as the theme of the dance -- and recommended Alek's, Alexa's, and Nick's as the three to watch if you also missed the ep (and previously.tv forums if you want more commentary). Then Catherine reported on her latest book-club read, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, a Swedish novel that's described on its cover as "a mordantly funny and loopily freewheeling novel about aging disgracefully." (Despite what Terri says, she hasn't read a Swedish novel --Smilla's Sense of Snow was Danish, and not loopily freewheeling at all.) Finally, we looked forward to watching Grandfathered and The Grinder on Fox tonight and discussing it next week, along with hopefully un-pre-empted star dancing. Join us, won't you?

We started out our Round 2 this week with a look back at Sunday's Emmy Awards, which we live-tweeted with Round 3 contributor Kathy Ceceri. Since neither Catherine nor Terri watches much of the stuff that gets nominated for Emmys-- even though Olive Kitteridge sounds to be right up Catherine's alley -- we mostly talked about how Andy Samberg did, what happened to those interesting little interviews with creative types ad the evening went along, and how the critics we read who do watch this stuff felt about the winners.

Next, we chatted about last night's Dancing With the Stars,and maybe the fact that Terri accidentally called Gary Nick when admiring his unexpectedly decent foxtrot and Catherine called Alek Andy when wondering whether Terri still hates contemporary says something about the lack of memorable-ness in this field so early in the season. We said goodbye to Chaka and "shape up" to Allison and "surely you're gone next" to Victor, and looked forward to a week when the good get better and the bad get out.

Finally, we looked forward to a new TV season for which Terri at least is not ready, having so much of the old season still on her DVR. But she figures her family will try out Grandfatheredand The Grinder, Catherine is planning to sample The Muppets and Empire, and by next week they'll already be behind on what everyone else is streaming, but have a few new-show reports. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

On this week's Round 2, we said goodbye to an enjoyable season of So You Think You Can Dance, congratulations to our mutual favorite Gaby (we love you too, Jaja!), and hooray for Jim finally getting that dance with Alex (though honestly, show, you couldn't have scared up some ballet choreography?). Then, we turn our attention the glittery world of Dancing With the Stars, where many of the contestants we don't think can dance at all. The sooner some of those trainwrecks get hauled off the better, though Catherine's daughter thinks way more of Hayes Grier than Terri does (he shall be hereafter referred to in this blog as "that punk") and DWTS history suggests that a decent dancer or two will be gone before all the wreckage is cleared. Still, there were enough non-cringe-worthy performances to suggest that the second half of the season will be enjoyable, and the least star-ry "star," French-train hero Alek Skarlatos, did respectably well for himself. Join us back here every week for DWTS chat, and if you like reading other people's snarky opinions of the show, may we recommend the previously.tv forums. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Join us for an Emmys live-tweet this Sunday, 9/20, 8 p.m. ET at #EmmyPRP!

On their next to last chat about the current season of So You Think You Can Dance, Catherine and Terri chat about their favorite routines, their least-favorite choreography styles, their favorites for the win, and their guesses on what in the world the show is going to fill two hours with in its results episode. That episode will go up against the opening ep of the next show we'll be discussing weekly, Dancing With the Stars, a show that once again interprets "star" exceedingly loosely. We typecast the current lineup as Terri clues Catherine in on some of the show's traditions and tropes. Finally, we slip in a little something serious with Catherine's review of Unbroken, which was in theaters a while back and watchable at home in all its traumatic glory now. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Noooooooooooo! Not Jim! Our mutual favorite for the top spot made his last leggy leap as a contestant this season on So You Think You Can Dance, and while the judges didn't have a vote in that, we'll blame them anyway for swaying America with their relentless dissing of Jim as just technically wondrous and flawless and the best ever. (I guess he should be grateful they didn't make him dance like a sexy fish.) We chatted about the dances, booed (or fast-forwarded past) the "expert" critiques, and picked our faves and best guesses for the big winner. Then we turned our sights to the next dance show on the horizon, Dancing With the Stars, taking a look at the "stars" so far announced (including singer Andy Grammer, whose performance on last season's show and video for the same song you should go watch after listening to the podcast) and the differences between the shows (like the fact that if the choreography stinks, at least the choreographer gets booted along with the dancer). Finally, we peeked in on the VMAs, and decided that the less said about that self-consiously provocative exercise, the better. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Our weeks for talking about So You Think You Can Dance are running out, with the cast whittled down to six this time around. We wished they'd stop calling attention to Jim's (alleged) lack of "connection" and Virgil's (undeniable) lack of height; felt sorry for Megz being dumped on by the judges; did not feel particularly sad to lose Derek and Neptune; and wondered how the few remaining episodes will pair or pare away our favorites. We also looked ahead to Dancing With the Stars, which Terri will be making Catherine watch with her this season. Then, turning to more literary topics, Catherine gave a book report on Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee's controversial sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. Spoiler warning! She totally ruins the ending. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

This week on So You Think You Can Dance, Terri and Catherine enjoyed the absence of sexy fish and the presence of brief solos from the top 10, as well as some winning routines by our favorite dancers and their All-Star partners. Like the commenters on the Previously.tv forums, we questioned how a professional Broadway dancer ended up on the street team, and we also wondered about the cultural appropriation of Jaja's Bollywood routine and Gaby's geisha-vs.-ninja duel. Then we moved on to other TV talent showcases, like America's Got Talent. We think the Professional Regurgitator would have fit right in on David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks segment. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

They are fish. But they're sexy fish. Dancers, if you hear those words, you can be pretty sure that your time on So You Think You Can Dance is over. The most ... notable choreography on this week's show was the one seemingly designed to prevent two dancers from getting a Twitter save (see video), but as Catherine and Terri discuss, the whole episode seemed to be more about the business of getting rid of four dancers than the art of, you know, showcasing good dancing. On to the top 10! In other pop-culture discussion, Catherine's review of Into the Woods (Meryl Streep version) moved into a look at other Meryl Streep singing movies, including the new Ricki and the Flash and the older Mamma Mia, and a list that ranks all of her film performances. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Last week, Terri made a wish for a Broadway number and some tap-dancing from Gaby on So You Think You Can Dance, and voila! her wish was granted. Gaby and Virgil's adorable number was enough to get her through all manner of contemporary thrashing, though both Terri and Catherine wondered what was up with all the mental-illness-themed choreography and whether those "Here's what America needs to know about me!" bits had to be quite so all over the place. Of one thing there was no doubt: It was time for Asaf to go home, no matter how good he looks with his shirt off. Also up for brief discussion was Apple Music, the new subscription service that gives you access to pretty much all the songs that Terri has found particular benefit in for parents. (If you're watching this without hyperlinks or access to the video of That Dance, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

So you think you can choreograph something besides contemporary? That's what Terri's wondering about the ongoing rounds of So You Think You Can Dance, which feature about 75% more thrashing about than she's really comfortable with. She and Catherine discuss a fairly meh episode in which Catherine liked Kate and Neptune's number, Terri didn't think Asaf's was so awful, and they both felt bad that somebody thought a dance in which Jim and Moises were supposed to swagger was a good idea. Moving on to Catherine's latest book-club pick, Lisa See's Shanghai Girls, which is as full of tragedies as #SYTYCD is of contemporary emoting, but sparked some interesting conversation about immigration. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

So you think you can dance more adorably than Jim and Jaja (left) in the lastest episode of So You Think You Can Dance? Probably not; their hip hop routine was pretty awesomely cute. In our weekly chat about Fox's dance competition, Catherine and Terri checked on the progress of dancers they like; worried about dancers who are poorly served by choreography, costumes, or camera work; wondered how West Coast viewers felt about that live Twitter-save business; pondered whether Asaf is as big a jerk as he's being edited to be; and wished Cat would put on some flats already. Next, they took a look at this year's Emmy nominations and asked why Kimmy Schmidt herself is missing from the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt nominations, how exactly Allison Janney is a supporting actress on Mom, and whether we really need to be honoring so darn many reality shows. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience. And if you're watching the SYTYCD special tonight, look for us tweeting about it at @mamatude, @AboutFamilyFit, and/or @RoundAboutChat.)

So you think you can dance in the style you're comfortable with for one more week? That's the question asked on this week's episode of So You Think You Can Dance, which Terri dutifully watched and Catherine will catch up with eventually when she is reunited with her DVR. After Terri filled Catherine in on what she missed, Catherine shared a New York Times Magazine article about two pairs of twins separated at birth, and Terri plugged TV critic Dan Fienberg's "Take Me to the Pilots" series of articles that look at each of next fall's pilot episodes and consider whether there's a season's-worth of TV there. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

This week's entertainment episode started with our weekly look at Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which winnowed the field down from a seemingly huge number of dancers to 10 on Team Stage (including one of our mutual favorites, tap-dancer Gaby, left) and 10 on Team Street. We're glad to be moving on to the real post-audition part of the show, but wondering why most of the folks we got to know and root for have fallen by the wayside. Good luck to all you dancers we kind of maybe recognize! Catherine has also been enjoying Chef's Table on Netflix, and Terri has been wincing over a raunchy song selection on Spike's Lip Sync Battle. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

In honor of Catherine's recent cross-Midwest drive to deliver a child to skate camp and many of our listeners' upcoming drive to see family for the Fourth, we chatted about road-trip entertainment, from new possibilities like audiobooks and Bluetooth and watching MacGyver on your iPad to old-school memories of melted cassette tapes and listening to DVRs you couldn't see while driving. Catherine recommended three audiobooks her kids enjoyed: Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger, Lionboy by Zizou Corder, and Jeremy Brown: Spy by Simon Cheshire. Meanwhile, on So You Think You Can Dance, which we're watching and discussing every week, a bunch of sentimental favorites made the road trip to Las Vegas for nothin', as a moving up-close-and-personal wasn't enough to get you through to the next round. Bye, newlyweds! Bye girl who overcame a terrible leg injury! Bye guy whose family never saw you dance! Bye cute ballroom guy with a foot injury who would dance on one foot if you could! Bye all you folks we were encouraged to care about! There's always next year! At least we appear to be done with solo auditions for the next little while. Please? (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

Catherine's book club had another meeting, and so she's got another book to talk about, in this case The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. She sets up some of the book's storylines and themes for us -- but don't worry, no spoilers -- and gives it a thumbs-up as a novel tailor-made for book clubs. (Terri's dog, on the other hand, is clearly disturbed by the lack of canines in the narrative.) Next up for Catherine's club and our podcast is Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, so read along if you want to know what she's talking about in a month or so. And watch So You Think You Can Dance if you want to know what we're talking about when we chat about the show every week. Our audition fatigue continued with this last week of try-outs from New York City, and despite some excellent hip-hopping and tapping and duo dancing, we wished a couple of non-contenders could have been allowed to peacefully fail without all the build-up and the, you know, chasing of the shamed out into the snow. We're curious to see where the show goes from here with its two extremely large teams and how cruel the winnowing to a manageable number is going to be. Join us every Tuesday for our entertainment talk, and if you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.