Summer is here and my “to do” list has nothing but Jeopardy, PTI, What Not To Wear and the occasional Mythbusters and American Chopper on it.
One of the great things about Tivo is skipping the commercials. One of the drawbacks is that we skip the commercials for new shows.
Anyone got any suggestions for things we can Tivo? New summer shows would be our preference, but any suggestions would be appreciated. My husband and I watch all kinds of things, from crime to comedy to cooking shows.
"So You Think You Can Dance" is the ideal summer Tivo show. For one, most of these people CAN dance, so it’s fun to watch. For two, it’s syndicated now, so no reruns. And three, it’s totally intolerable when watched live. Most of the show is composed of inane jabbering, replays of crap that was aired on the last show, and general lollygagging. With Tivo, it becomes downright enjoyable.
Fast forward to dance, watch dance, rewind if something is really neat, fastforward to dance, etc.
I’ve heard of this Tivo for years now, but have never seen it. We don’t have it here. Not sure how it works.
The 2nd season of Eureka starts this month.
The short story: It records television shows and lets you watch them later as your leisure. Sort of like a VCR, only without the tapes (it uses a hard drive).
The long story: It does all of the above, only with a user interface that makes it so bloody easy that you actually use it, unlike recording things with a VCR. Want to record a show? Use the TiVo remote to choose “Find program”, type in all or part of the name of the show you want to record, and click OK. Want to record all episodes? Same process, only click “Get a season pass”. Want to record every show that comes on that has Carrot Top in it? You can do that, too, just as easily. Or every show about World War II, or every show that has Eastern Phoebes in it, or whatever.
You can also use it to pause live TV shows, but you will never use that feature because after you live with a TiVo for a week, you’ll never watch live TV again. It changes how you watch TV. Even if you do forget to record something, you set up TiVo to tape it and go do something for 15 minutes so that when you watch it, you can fast forward past the commercials.
Ah, what the hell - rather than let this thread meander about, I’ll post a few other recommendations. These don’t fit the OP quite as well as SYTYCD, but they’re good things to Tivo:
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Top Chef / Hell’s Kitchen** - they both have their moments. New seasons going on right now, so good for summer. Also, they suffer from the endless repetition endemic to reality TV, so Tivo is essential.
Pirate Master - yes, I am ashamed. However, it’s worth it just so you can participate in the PM threads here in CS.
**Meet the Press **- IMO the best news/political show in the business. It comes on Sundays at “oh hell no, I’m not getting up this early” o’clock. Hence, the Tivo.
Late Show with David Letterman - what can I say? I’m a Letterman guy. Course I don’t like to stay up and watch it, and I like to be able to fast forward through guests I don’t care for. Hence, the Tivo.
Thanks. That’s a little clearer. The word keeps popping up over the years, but no one here has ever seen one.
Coming up on Turner Classic Movies, and recommended. All times Central:
Monday, June 18
9 p.m. — The Picture of Dorian Gray. A man remains young and handsome while his portrait shows the ravages of age and sin. Cast: Hurd Hatfield, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed.
Tuesday, June 19
12:30 a.m. — The Haunting. A team of psychic investigators moves into a haunted house that destroys all who live there. Cast: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn.
2:30 a.m. — The Seventh Victim. A girl’s search for her missing sister puts her in conflict with a band of satanists. Interesting precursor to Psycho and Rosemary’s Baby. Cast: Kim Hunter, Tom Conway, Jean Brooks.
1:00 p.m. — Gigi. A Parisian girl is raised to be a kept woman but dreams of love and marriage. Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director. Cast: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan. Dir: Vincente Minnelli.
Thursday, June 21
1:30 a.m. — The Producers. A Broadway producer decides to get rich by creating the biggest flop of his career. Cast: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder. Dir: Mel Brooks.
1:00 p.m. — Born Yesterday. A newspaper reporter takes on the task of educating a crooked businessman’s girlfriend. Academy Award for Best Actress. Cast: Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, William Holden.
***The Closer ** * returns tonight on TNT!
Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe on Discovery
I love The Closer. It’s on opposite Big Love tonight, but the DVR can get them both if I am careful not to screw it up.
Yeah, my Tivo to-do list shrank from “maxed out” to “hello…anybody home?” very quickly. So this summer it’s:
The Closer (never seen it – thought we’d give it a whirl)
So You Think You Can Dance
Pirate Master (I should probably join a support group with Doctor Who)
Big Love
Creature Comforts
and playing out the string…Studio 60.
But don’t watch it after eating lunch.
or while eating dinner!