Appointment television?

We tape, then watch after kids are in bed.

No appointment needed.

You must be one of those fancy schmantzy high tech fellers.

Survivor has been it for the last several years. Well, I wrote down the season finale of "Avatar" but then sozlet wasn't in the mood to watch TV when it came on and I couldn't quite bring myself to say, "Fine, you do whatever you want while I watch your show!" (I like it!)

And for that matter I've missed the last 2-3 Survivor finales, too. :-?

I can usually remember Survivor -- and 60 Minutes. Those are the only two shows I make an effort to watch and usually I forget!

When Mo goes to bed is really the only chance I ever have to read. I used to tear through books. Now I'm lucky to get through a couple each month.

The only shows that I watch regularly are "60 Minutes", and all three versions of Law & Order. L&O is on somewhere practically every evening.

I don't watch the current season of anything. I catch L&O reruns on TNT regularly and simply scroll around looking for options at other times. I do like, "Without a Trace" but hardly ever catch it.

Tivo is your friend. You set it to record all the shows you have an interest in and then watch them when you want to watch them.

Everything on VH1's "Celebreality" lineup is GREAT!!! I never make appointments with my TV though. That's just stupid.

Unless it's a live sporting event or something that has to be seen right when it happens. Then, and only then, is it okay to make an appointment to watch TV.

Doesn't Tivo select based on your watching habits?

I already get enough Sponge Bob and golf matches without taping them.

Even if I were to record things I doubt I'd ever get around to watching them without making an appointment.

The show that convinced me to make an appointment is a documentary on PBS -- it isn't on at a time or day that I would usually be watching so I made an appointment to see it.

What is so different about making an appointment to watch something on TV than going to a movie at the time the feature is listed to start?

Gotta love the DVR. And soz, I love Avatar too! The kids like it, but I like it more. One day we were fortunate enough to stumble onto an Avatar marathon. I swear we watched it for 3 hours. Other than that, I record whatever HBO series I happen to be addicted to, and Cyberchase for the kids, and any pay per view movies we buy -- so we won't have to buy again if we want to watch again.

But yeah, the DVR is a godsend for those of us who can't keep appointments with our tvs.

nooo.... You can select by program title, time/channel (like you would for a VCR) or you can set it up to record any program that has a "keyword" in it - the keyword could be an actor's name or, like Quinn does, any show that has the word 'Pandas" in the title or description.

The Comcast DVRs (if you happen to have Comcast for cable service) can do the 1st two but not the keyword search (bunner!).

I used to have a standing date with Tony Soprano every Sunday night. He's all reruns now...tain't the same. March can't come soon enough.

I only have basic cable but it is through Comcast so maybe I'll look into that DVR thing. What does it cost?

Really though I'm not sure that there is enough on that I really want to see for it to be worth it to me.

I do like to watch TV and at the times I do get a chance I'm often grouchy about there not being anything to see.

I'm kind of afraid that all of my free time might get eaten up watching TV if I had one of those things!

Ironically, I think I watch less tv with it. I think it's because I'm not afraid to miss anything and can fast forward commercials. I watch what I came to watch and then I turn it off. It's wonderful, really.

I'm with FreeDuck. Other than the evening news and live sports (football!) I don't watch much other than what I've recorded.

I think Comcast charges $9.95/month for their box. You'd have to check the WWW site. I got it when I upgraded my package to HDTV.

Being a creature of habit, I always know when my favorite shows are on. There seem to be less favorites for me each year anymore.

Ain't it the truth, EB.

Yeah 9.99 is what I paid at my old cable company. Where I live now it's 14.99, but still worth it IMO.

I did indeed keep my appointment with my TV last night and I'm glad I did. What a fascinating show that was. I really recommend it if you should be able to catch it on rerun or set your Tivo to pick it up: http://www.pbs.org/opb/raisingcain/