While watching TV tonight, I realized there's virtually nothing I want
to watch anymore.  I have a TiVo and receive most of the channels
DishNetwork offers. I generally prefer to queue up a week's worth of
TV and watch it all one night a week - so I don't need very many shows
to satisfy me and I don't care when they're on, so long as no two are
on at the same time (only one receiver on the dish).

I'm looking for suggestions, based on the following list of shows I do
enjoy - while my Tivo is sort of okay at picking up random things for
me to watch, I'd like some advice from an actual human that shares
similar tastes.

I currently actively seek out the following shows to watch:
* Six Feet Under
* Greg the Bunny
* Jeremiah
* Friends

I also watch Enterprise on a semi-regular basis.  My tivo hasn't
picked up any Iron Chef or Junkyard Wars lately, although I like those
too.

I used to watch the Simpsons before it started sucking, Futurama and
Family Guy before they were canceled, and Dennis Miller before he
turned into an aging yuppie.

I realize my tastes are a bit eclectic - hopefully someone out there
thinks along relatively similar lines.  I'm looking for shows that
real people (i.e. you) actually like - I'm not all that interested in
"what's doing well in the ratings" or what professional TV critics
think.

Hello from TV Land,

Well you picked a bad time to want to get into new shows, most of the
fall line has just finished up their season, although Boston Public's
season finale is tomorrow night. Tuesday is 24 & Smallville (amazing
shows both of 'em, I usually TIVO one of them and watch the other
live). Wednesday, West Wing is on, and if you've ever watched the
amazing show Sportsnight, you'll recognize Aaron Sorkin's style and
flair. If you're into something a little more hedonistic, this
Wednesday marks Celebrity Boxing 2 with Screech & other hillarious
matchups. Drew Carey's also on Wednesday, but this all might conflict
on your Enterprise. Thursday pretty much belongs to NBC with Friends,
Fraiser, Will & Grace, and then Just Shoot Me and or Scrubs depending
on what week it is. Although, you're into funny improv Whose Line Is
It is always good for laughs. Fridays you'll be able to find Dark
Angel (season ended but it's always been a good show). Saturdays &
Sundays, you have your Simpsons, Futurama (as you mentioned) and a
couple episodes of Gene Roddenbery's two other creations, Earth: Final
Conflict, and Andromeda. Almost forgot Alias which is ABC's Sunday
night spy thriller. With my TIVO, I find that I don't have enough time
to watch all the shows I have d/l'ed! In three weeks, South Park's
starting itself back up, and since you mentioned Family Guy &
Futurama, I figured this was right up your alley. Couple this with
some gross out action of Fear Factor, throw in a couple soapy Change
of Heart / Fifth Wheel / Blind Date dating games, and you've got
yourself a night with only popcorn missing. Listed below are the fall
preview schedules that you'll find for each channel just so you can
get a feel of what's to come, and never forget TV Land and the
Gameshow network always offers new and exciting old material.

Additional Links:

ABC Fall Schedule:
http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?25886

CBS Fall Schedule:
http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?25921

Fox Fall Schedule:
http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?25926

NBC Fall Schedule:
http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?25857

UPN Fall Schedule:
http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?25925

WB Fall Schedule:
http://tv.zap2it.com/shows/features/features.html?25889

Current TV News:
http://tv.zap2it.com/


This is just what I watch though, hope I could throw a couple
suggestions out there!
skermit-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by skermit-ga on 19 May 2002 22:49 PDT

Oops, almost forgot to list my fav.'s for what I watch on a daily basis:

Sunday - Simpsons, Futurama, Malcolm in the Middle, sometimes Alias
Monday - Ally McBeal (series ended), Boston Public
Tuesday - 24, Smallville
Wednesday - Enterprise
Thursday - Friends (season ended), Scrubs
Friday - Dark Angel (season ended)
Saturday - Andromeda

---

Request for Answer Clarification by lexi-ga on 20 May 2002 14:51 PDT

Is 'Whose Line' still on?  I remember seeing it occasionally a few
years ago and thinking it was funny, but at some point it dropped off
my radar - that was back before the tivo, though.

The only one on your list that I can veto offhand is Boston Public -
I'm married to a high school teacher, and we watched one episode of
this at the beginning of the season because we thought it might be
funny or something - it was so far from the reality of how schools are
that we just couldn't watch more.

---

Clarification of Answer by skermit-ga on 20 May 2002 15:31 PDT

Whose Line Is It Anyways is now a NEW show on ABC. It's been redone,
and has Drew Carey as host. You'll remember Ryan Stiles & Collan
Mochery from the old UK shows, and they have two more very funny
people added. It's on Thursdays, and the website can be found here:
http://abc.abcnews.go.com/primetime/whoselineisitanyway/index.html

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll have the tivo catch most of these
this week to try them out.

I also have Dish Network and have come into the same dilemma several
times.  But lately I have been watching a lot of Game Show Network and
TV Land, classic TV never gets old, but it isn't for everyone.  Just
my advice.

My sentiments exactly johnjohn-ga!

Six Feet Under is the best thing on TV, IMO. :)

Other shows I watch regularly:

* NYPD Blue
* Enterprise
* Ed - when Enterprise is a repeat
* The West Wing - I find it thought-provoking, partly because I'm not
American, and I like the fast pace.
* Friends
* Will & Grace
* ER
* This Hour Has 22 Minutes - News satire. It's very good but heavy on
Canadian content.
* Made in Canada - another Canadian show (obviously)

Shows I watch if I happen across them:
* Alias - it's good; I just never remember it's on
* Andromeda

Show I wish were still on the air:
* Sports Night
* Once and Again
* Due South

liza-ga if we're talking about satire, then THE DAILY SHOW! hah,
that's the funniest satire show on tv right now.

i would suggest buffy the vampire slayer and west wing, which together
with six feet under i consider the best shows on tv.

I am not american or live in the US/Canada but I had the same dilemma.
What I ended up doing was buing on DVD
The buffy collection - 1st to 4th season
The Angel collection - 1st and 2nd season
XFiles 1st to 4th season

They are not expensive (in my opinion) and have tons of extra -
something like 2200 minutes per set

Firstly,  I'm interested in whether you are the Lexi I know; have you
ever
been associated with a blaxploitation film club?  if so, write to me
at its!

Secondly, Insomniac on Wednesday nights at about 11pm on comedy
central is pretty good.
So are Hunger Force and Sealab on Cartoon Network Sunday nights at
11:30.
(Hunger Force is only on every other week, regrettably, but Sealab is
there every single week.)

Dogs with Jobs is on Oxygen at about 10am, maybe not every morning,
though.  This show documents the exciting lives of seizure alert dogs,
cattle herding dogs, drug sniffing dogs, and that sort of thing.  It
is light, friendly,
non-controversial entertainment at its best.

Every weekday at about 4pm on PAX you can check out "Scarecrow and
Mrs. King," a detective show where the co-heroine is a housewife who
saves the day by knowing that bleach and ammonia don't mix.
Sometimes it's best to bring your own laughs.

Hope this helps,
Ginny

It sounds like we have bery similar tastes, and after resisting for a
long time, I finally watched and got hooked on Sex and the City. 
Also, I don't know if it's still airing, but based on its success I
bet it'll be back soon - The Osbornes.  Everyone I've shown it to has
loved it... it shares a twisted fascinating quality with 6 Feet Under
(which I agree is the best there is.)

Malcolm in the Middle (Fox-Sunday night) is one of the funniest shows
on TV. Another very good show is Farscape on the Sci-Fi Network, very
well-developed characters, interesting action plots, laced with a good
balance of humor and the occasional twinge of romance--enough elements
make happy viewers of both my husband and me. We too lament *channels,
channels everywhere and nothing there to view.*

They have a very good (free) service over at:

http://www.mybestbets.tv

For people who don't know what a TiVo is: TiVo is an automatic
recorder with a hard disk. ("TiVo DVRs are like VCRs, but with a hard
disk and without the hassles of videotapes.")

http://www.tivo.com/home_flash.asp

CBS's Thursday night CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has always proved entertaining.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi/main.shtml

Futurama and Jeremiah (two of my personal top3) were mentioned, so I
have to recommend Babylon 5. All these shows are similar in a way -
they are clever, have little jokes in 'em and on top of all - they are
interesting. Jeremiah and B5 obviously are very similar because J.
Michael Straczynski had part in doing both. The way B5 reflects some
things (politics, for example) from real world is almost scary (makes
one think "what if this was true").

While these shows are absolutely the best three I watch, putting 'em
in any order seems impossible.