Like to Watch? Check Julie Goldman on "The People's Couch"

There is something very meta about watching a TV program and laughing at the way someone else watches a TV program. Bravo Media has struck pay dirt with their new reality TV show, "The People's Couch," a series that follows 10 families as they watch their favorite TV shows. And a familiar face can be found in lesbian comedian Julie Goldman of "The Big Gay Sketch Show" fame, who watches with her BFF, Brandy Howard. EDGE chatted with Goldman and Howard about their friendship, their favorite shows and why they enjoy watching... while others watch them.

The two women met in 2008 on a Rosie O'Donnell family vacations cruise, during the time that Goldman was starring on the "BGSS." Howard said that they really hit it off, and started writing together soon after. Before long, they were halfway to becoming the BFFs you see on the show today.

"The People's Couch" is modeled after the UK reality show, "Gogglebox," (their colloquialism for television), which won a prestigious Royal Television Society award in March. The U.S. version is much more unscripted, and features the denizens of Los Angeles and surrounding areas watching a combination of very popular and brand new shows.

"It's got that same feeling but what's different is that it's all in the moment, and I think it's a little more authentic than a scripted show," said Goldman. When comparisons are made to the cult comedy series "Mystery Science Theater 3000," she admits, "This is aimed at pure comedy, like 'Mystery Science Theater' was, except for we just sit and literally watch the show in real time, and are shown reacting to it."

The show features a number of different 'families' watching TV, from the close-knit Egber family, who all watch from bed, to the Resnicks, to three octogenarians in a retirement home, to a trio of gay friends -- Blake McIver, Scott Nevins and Emerson Collins -- to Goldman and Howard, who watch with their dogs as they drink Pinot Grigio.

The two got involved in the show after a mutual friend sent them the casting notice looking for "friends who really watch TV together." They weren't looking for money or fame, they just figured that they watched TV together all the time already, so what was the harm?

To prepare each week, they simply get acquainted with what the TV shows are, and then, as Goldman says, "we go over to Brandy's and we sit down."

Although they only know their co-stars via social media like Twitter, they each have their favorites. For Goldman, it is Princella and Rashawn Zeno, and for Howard, it is the sisters Amanda and Kenya. All are currently watching "The Voice" and all of the Housewives franchises, many of the Bravo programming, and shows from TLC and Discovery.

But the two sometimes have very divergent tastes in programming. Goldman said that, "Little Monsters" and "Bizarre ER" are "fun to watch because they're kind of gross, and prompt a lot of whacky reactions."

"Absolutely the Bravo shows are my favorite," said Howard. "We're huge fans, and even when we got on the show we didn't realize it was on the Bravo network. I love reunion shows, then Bravo shows, and my least favorite are scripted shows and ER reenactment shows."

Goldman said that it was "a dream come true" to work with her bestie, calling it, "the perfect way to spend the day" before admitting, "it's what we were doing anyway, but now a camera is capturing it."

But they still aren't sure why people enjoy watching it. "I thought when we did the first three episodes that no one would like it," said Howard. "But now we kind of think it's the soup of the new millennium. Rather than one host making fun of a bunch of clips, you get a cross-section of people and opinions not always making fun of the shows, but connecting around them in different ways."

In the U.K., "Gogglebox" has made stars out of its "watchers," nabbing 3.5 million viewers per episode and becoming beloved by critics and viewers alike. When asked if they are afraid "The People's Couch" will make them so famous that they'll never be able to go to the grocery store again, Howard quipped, "I hope I never have to go to the grocery store again!"

Although the two aren't expecting their celebrity to translate into a spinoff, Goldman does concede that if someone wants a story about lesbians driving across the country and eating at different restaurants, she is game. And both say that they are hoping to use it as a springboard to take them higher than just their Internet web series, which are excellent; check out their series "Your Box Office," where they review a movie and reenact it in under five minutes, and "Gay Street Therapy," where they go to lesbian parties, interview drunk people and give them advice.

Goldman was more pragmatic, saying, "I'm worried it's not going to do anything for us. It's so complicated to answer without sounding like a douche, but even a little notoriety is truly an honor. It feels so good to have people really like what you're doing -- even if it's just being a moron and watching TV.