Many days stand out in a man’s life. I remember my first day at college, the day I was married, the day both of my daughters were born, and the day I bought my first Tivo. I bought it a few months after it hit shelves. I bought it for my wife as a surprise gift. She doubted the sincerity of my “Honey, I love you and knew you wanted a way to digitally store shows and pause live television.” Despite my assertion that I had only bought it for her, I was intrigued just as much as she wasn’t. It didn’t take long for both of us to wonder how the hell we lived without it for this long.
Over the past few years, I’ve bragged about Tivo to anybody who even showed the slightest interest. We now have a dual receiver in our family room and in my office. I can theoretically “tivo” four shows at once. Now you know how I watch all these shows. My favorite part of Tivo is the season pass. If I love a show, I set it up to record each new episode. If the show is moved to a different night, Tivo knows it. It has other fancy functions but that’s my primary reason why I love it. No more rushing home from a night on the town to catch a show. That really sounds pathetic doesn’t it?
Tivo has changed the culture of television viewing for good and bad though. TV execs are whores for ratings and ad rates. With people recording shows on Tivo and regular DVRs instead of watching them live, ratings are no longer accurate. Networks yank shows off the air rather quickly nowadays if you haven’t noticed. Remember that “Emily” show starring Heather Graham? They advertised it for months and yanked it after one episode. Did I hurt “Evidence” by recording it and watching it Saturday morning? Should I care? Yeah, I do. I love watching shows when I want but I’m also concerned that networks can’t see far enough in the future to see that DVRs aren’t going anywhere.
I’ll admit that I forward through commercials too and I grasp that this can hurt a show’s ad rates if networks can’t charge as much. Networks are in the money making business. I get that. So how about being proactive about this issue and stop fighting it? There has to be away to make money. Maybe you could release the shows on DVD later at outrageous prices. Oh yeah. I’ll start feeling sympathy for the poor, old networks when they start being concerned about the needs and wants of its viewers.
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The Simpsons (FOX) 8:00 pm
Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife-Homer decides he wants to wife swap, but not the good kind! He signs up Marge for a reality show and ends up with an overbearing, controlling wife. Marge’s reality TV husband gets a crush on her. I stopped watching The Simpsons regularly about 6 years ago. I’ll catch a show here and there but it long ago ceased to be a must see for me. Don't forget to turn in early to see the cool live action "Simpsons" intro that has been all over the internet.
The Sopranos (HBO) 9:00 pm
Mayham-Tony tries to avoid being sued while Silvio cracks under the added pressure. Forget the little stuff, I want to see somebody put in concrete shoes and sent to sleep with da fishes. Does anything else really matter?
How I Met Your Mother 8:30 pm
The Pineapple Incident-Honestly, who amongst us haven’t awakened after a long night of drinking to find a beautiful woman and a pineapple beside you in the bed. I mean, who’s with me? Anyone? Oh, nobody, huh? Yeah, um, me either. Just that freak Ted. It's a rerun but I live to relive old memories.
24 (FOX) 9:00 pm
Day 5: 9:00-10:00- Wow, who didn’t see an attack on Wayne Palmer’s life last week? That was easy to see. Now admit that you yelled “Holy Shit” when the terrorist/pin-up model, Collette, said “Audrey Raines” gave her the information. I felt a little disturbed by the fact that I yelled “kill her Jack” while watching the previews for this week’s episode. Maybe I got a bit carried away. I’m not sure I buy that Audrey is a conspirator but if she gets tortured by Jack for awhile, it’s OK with me. Hmm, was that over the top too?
Exploring Space: The Quest for Life (PBS) 9:00 pm
As much as I love shows like “Earl” and “Lost”, it’s also nice to sit back and watch some PBS. Makes you look well-rounded...or like a dork. I’ve always loved watching space specials so I’ve already given Tivo its marching orders for this one. Scientists sit around discussing the possiblility of life beyond Earth. Honestly this could be a two hour snooze fest but who knows?
Amazing Race 9 (CBS) 10:00 pm
Good thing I took that human anatomy class in high school-We’re entering the 5th leg and the teams head to Italy. While there, teams must reconstruct statues to find the clue. One team, while trying to find the roadblock, ends up at the pit stop. That’s never good. I’m still cheering for “Team Hippy” and I still can’t stand “Team Dork”. That must sappy love just isn’t a good thing.
Thief (FX) 10:00 pm
Pilot Episode-I’m a big fan of Andre Braugher who portrayed Detective Frank Pembleton on “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” Braugher was the best actor on television during its run. If only the DVDs of the show weren’t so ridiculously overpriced, I’d own them all. Anyways, “Thief” is about a band of thieving brothers who struggle with marrying their chosen profession and there personal life. While the pilot’s subplot of Braugher’s relationship with his wife and step-daughter slightly worries me, I’ll give it a shot. I owe it to Frank.
LOST (ABC) 9:00 pm
Lockdown- We have TWO new episodes in a row? What is ABC thinking? This kind of scheduling snafu could lead to too much interest in the show. Wouldn’t want that. In this Lock-centric episode, The Hatch comes to life. Is this the episode when somebody forgets to push the button? We’ll also get more of Sayid, Charlie, and Ana Lucia’s search for the Henry Gale’s balloon. I hate to admit it, but Lost is beginning to frustrate me. The writing is inconsistent since J.J. Abrams is too busy with Mission: Impossible 3 to keep up with it I guess. It’s still better than most shows but this season has dragged along with silly pissing contests between Jack and Locke and other things. Get that damn army going. Where’s Michael? Where’s Walt? Give me more Eko! Keep focused on the important parts and less about this other crap.
Evidence (ABC) 10:00 pm
Down for the Count- I watched the pilot episode and I really liked it. Rob Estes and Orlando Jones are the main stars and I didn’t even realize Martin Landeau was in it! The show gives you the evidence and the crime at the beginning and then the cops try to figure it out. It’s a bit edgy which adds to the quality. This week, a boxer is found dead in an alley after a fight. I’ll definitely catch this again.
My Name is Earl (NBC) 9:00pm
Boogeyman- Last week wasn’t as funny as I thought. Bleh, they blew it. The show should have focused more on the Y2K fear and less about hanging out in the store and discussing their relationships. This week, Earl must make amends to a kid he scared in a robbery six years ago. Malcolm David Kelley stars as the kid. You know the kid that “LOST” has ignored all season? Nice to see the kid getting a paycheck.
The Office (NBC) 9:30pm
Michael’s Birthday- It’s Michael’s birthday and nobody cares except for Dwight. When the staff frets over Kevin’s possible cancer, Michael is miffed that it is taking away attention from his special day.
Television on Friday and Saturday is terrible. When I was in college, I would be in downtown Athens drinking a lot and trying to pickup coeds on Fridays. Now that I am married with children, I’m at home writing columns for the internet. Yeah, it’s a long fall from the top.
40 Greatest Pranks (VH-1) 8:00 pm
Ahh, nothing exemplifies Friday night boredom like a crappy VH-1 clip show. How depressing is watching a show about celebrity pranks? How depressing is it that I might watch it?
Modern Marvels (History Channel) 10:00 pm
The Atlantic Wall-I’m a history nut and I love researching World War II. This week, the show focuses on the D-Day invasion and specifically the Nazi fortifications along the Normandy coast. Yeah, if you have to be home on Saturday night, at least learn something, why don’t ya?
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