With the start of September just days away, I’m looking to fall. And fall means TV for me. Naturally. This morning I took the liberty of printing out a fall TV schedule and highlighting every hour of television that I’m interested in watching. Well, at least, highlighted the shows I want to give the good old college try to watching. Needless to say, the page was rather covered in yellow. It sounds sick, but it was a full 32 hours in total. Yes, I said 32! (Hey, it’s my job!)
And, as usual, I discovered — horror of all horrors! — that my dual-band DVR won’t be able to fully serve my TV needs during several time slots. Like, for instance, Wednesday at 9 p.m. is a situation: I’ve gotta watch Fox’s Glee and I want to give ABC’s new comedies Modern Family and Cougar Town a try. And then, there is the sure-to-be-hot mess The Beautiful Life, which I’ll be watching solely to observe the brilliance of Mischa Barton, on The CW. Granted, I’m guessing my allegiance to The Beautiful Life will last only a few weeks, but what to do? What to do? You get the idea. I can’t capture everything I want if I have to pick just two shows an hour!
Of course, in this day and age, with online streaming and iTunes, anything can be watched later, so I shouldn’t complain. But I like to watch things on my TV. Via my DVR. (And don’t tell me to get AppleTV or whatever.) Plus, honestly, I shouldn’t be watching more than six hours — that’d be two shows for each of the three primetime hours — of television in any one evening anyway. But sometimes I want to.
After perusing the full schedule a little more fully, I think I’ve identified the time slot that is most troublesome for me: Thursday at 8 p.m. I’m greatly anticipating four shows that air during this hour: ABC’s sci-fi-ish Flash Forward (which I haven’t seen, but my colleagues tell me is great), The CW’s Twilight-esque The Vampire Diaries (which is like True Blood Lite), and, of course, NBC’s comedy line-up of SNL: Thursday Night Live (heart you Seth!) and Parks & Recreation (this show was a slow burn, but got good by the end of its first six episodes). I hate admitting it, but sometimes I like to watch Survivor, too. And, the hour would have been worse had ABC not decided to dump Ugly Betty on Friday nights at 9 p.m. Dodged a bullet there! There’s no other way to put it: The hour is a beast. I think the plan will be to watch Flash Forward on ABC.com’s player later, but I’m not happy about it.
So my question for you, PopWatchers: What’s your worst time slot on the fall TV schedule? Which night makes your DVR explode? What are your strategies for watching all the TV you want? Let me know on the message board below!
More on TV coverage from EW:
Fall TV: Your most eagerly awaited return?
Neil Patrick Harris talks ‘Idol’!
Ausiello TV: ‘True Blood’ shocker!
Photo Credit: Mitch Haddad/NBC; Craig Sjodin/ABC; Alan Markfield
I have AT&T, so my DVR records up to 4 shows at once. I won’t have to make any tough decisions!
Screw You, Suntrap!!
Agreed!
I have 4 Tivos one of which is dual band and they all talk to each other so I can transfer programs from on to another – so I am set for the fall and can get then all
I enjoy watching television programs, but don’t own a television. You guys need to understand how lucky you are. Seriously. These comments are amazing. No sarcasm, I’m being honest.
Ugh, I hate my DVR. You can record 2 shows at once and only watch those 2 shows. I’ve been hoping to watch Flash Forward, Survivor, and Parks & Recreation. Vamp Diaries looks like it sucks, so it can do without me.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA “Vampire Diaries looks like it sucks” was that on purpose?
soooooooo jealoouusss!!!!!
So Jealous!
Me too. AT&T U-Verse is beast. Which is good for me since I watch almost every show.
I have time warner DVR and I’m in trouble on Tuesday nights (only two shows can record at a time): Biggest Loser, So You Think You Can Dance and the 90210/Melrose Place punch are all on in the same two-hour block. Why would they do that? I’m hoping they air repeats of 902120/MP at some other time slot.
I have three Time Warner VCRs. Problem solved. Except I have only one big screen TV with comfortable seating, so I do have to decide which show goes to the big screen…
Thursdays at 8 central. Supernatural, Fringe, The Office, and Grey’s Anatomy. I feel like the networks are being d*cks for programming everything at that time. I don’t watch CSI, but that’s on at the same time too. I’m still really pissed that FOX moved Fringe from Tuesdays to Thursdays.
I agree with you! My thursday nights are going to be full of tough decisions! The Office, 30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Project Runway. Fortunately I can watch most of those shows online after the fact but it really just isn’t the same. And that means I have to make time outside of my Thursday nights to catch up. And it’s going to be hard to do that and still, you know, have a life.
Agreed! One of the execs actually said that Fringe wouldn’t be a problem on Thurs. because it’s not a crossover audience. DUMB A**.
Yeah, I don’t get that, as it seems that the audience for Supernatural/Fringe are pretty much the same…. Thursday nights are gonna be a frezt for sure…
That’s the one that gets me, too. One of those hours is going to have to be viewed next day on the web. In my case it’s Grey’s Anatomy, The Office/Community, and Fringe.
Yeah I actually wailed a little when I saw Fringe was clashing with Supernatural. I’m not gonna be happy if Fringe crushes all the ratings gains Supe made last season. Plus I really wanna see Community. Not so bothered about the others though. Grey’s and CSI? Bleh.
I agree. Hey networks– why not maximize the advertising and spread it out a little? I’m more likely to watch Vamp Diaries if I’m already planning on Supernatural, for example. Spread it around!
Thank goodness for an internet connection, so I can catch up!
Word. That timeslot is the worst. Sucks that my DVR only can record two.
ME too. Thursdays always suck. All my favorite shows come on at the same time! On the same freakin’ Day!
Thursday is always the most annoying. Why can’t the networks spread it around a little?? Nobody plays anything good on Fridays except for Fox. Think about that NBC, ABC and CW! (CBS is mostly a waste if air time)
I just looked over the schedule, so make that Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday that are wide open. There’s only one show on each of those days that I want to see and at least 5 on Thursday!
For me Thursday nights are the worst, but not until Winter. Love Bones and Fringe on Fox and then I’ve gotta try Vampire Diaries and of course I’m a huge fan of Supernatural. I’m good until Burn Notice returns this winter – then I’m in TROUBLE!!!
my 2 tivo’s linked over the wifi used to be great until a new update came and now well over 1/2 the shows are untransferable. the networks still seem to be okay so I’m hoping to be able to record and transfer on those packed timeslots.
I also am most worried about Thursday nights from 8-10pm. You already mentioned the 8-9 hour. I’m gonna have to choose between NBC comedies and Flash Forward on ABC. I’ll probably go with Flash Forward and set the DVR for Parks and Recreation. The SNL Thursday thing isn’t a huge deal to me, but once it ends in October, I think Community (which I’m hearing good things about) will takes its place so I’ll have to set that on the DVR too.
And then the 9-10pm hour is even worse. My two favorite comedies on TV, The Office and 30 Rock (which begins once Community moves to 8pm), are up against one of my favorite new shows from last year, Fringe. I was pretty annoyed that Fox moved Fringe from Tuesday to Thursday night. I still haven’t made the decision about which I’ll watch live and which gets set on the DVR. Decisions, decisions.
Time to admit it. I am a DVR-less TV fan. I don’t even have cable. I watch Conan on live TV, but otheriwse I get all my fixes online, at all odd hours of the day. Sometimes it’s a hassle, and my computer is running slower and slower each day, but hey, it has to be done.
I watch everything online since the TV stations (around here, at least) have started cutting the sides off all of the widescreen shows. God forbid all the “Mom & Pops” have to have black bars on the top & bottom of their screen, even though they are actually getting MORE to look at. Idiots.
They do that here in DC as well. Lame!
I always notice that on Supernatural. It’s terrible! I’m like “Why is half of Dean’s face missing from the screen????”
Mondays are always tough for me- Lie to Me and House, plus How I Met Your Mother, Intervention, and the God-awful Make It or Break It, which I keep watching. We’ll See!
Mondays at 8 is going to suck– HIMYM, House and Heroes (only if it gets good again) all on at the same time. Thursdays at 8 are going to be hard, too– Bones, Flash Forward and Community (in Oct.) My Tuesdays are wide open since I don’t watch most reality TV and the Melrose Place rehashing don’t interest me.
Flash Forward and Vampire Dairies are both being carried by CTV in Canada which means no conflict.
I know it’s just a typo, but I would kind of like to see Vampire Dairies
I second this. Vampire Dairies sounds far more unique than the “diaries” they are offering.
The two major problems for my fall are Fridays and Wednesdays at 9. There are only three shows that I have made sure I take the time to watch directly when they are programmed – it gives me a “real tv” feel – instead of cheating with Hulu or a similar. These are: Criminal Minds, Dollhouse, and Ugly Betty. And I had been planning to add Glee to the collection.
Now of course, Criminal Minds and Glee are in direct competition, as well as Dollhouse and Ugly Betty. This means that every week I’m going to have to shift Wednesday or Friday to happy/sad night, with the opposite for the next.
Saturdays have always been my catch up day, but now it will just be ridiculous.
hmm, looks ok for me. HIMYM and BBT (wish they were still back-to-back) and Castle on Mondays, Old Christine on Wednesdays, the entire NBC lineup (aside from Leno) on Thursdays and Psych and The Dog Whisperer on Fridays. The only wars I face are Top Chef/Modern Family on Wednesdays and everything on Sunday from 8-10 (I like my comedies/Amazing Race).
i agree with Vickey on that 8pm Thursdays slot. The way I see it, only the best shows need to be seen in HD on my TV and if i can’t watch it online, that’s what i choose to DVR. So what i’ll probably do is record Supernatural and Fringe (best show besides Lost) and then watch the Office and Grey’s anatomy the next morning at work. Either way, i’ll be watching way more than 32 hours a week. It’s more like 40 hours on my schedule…
Thursday between 8-10 are totally going to be a disaster. Thanks to Hulu and online streaming i’ve now become addicted to way too many shows that I can’t keep up with on the regular. I don’t know how else I could keep up! Bones, the office, fringe, supernatural, flash forward, parks & rec, grey’s anatomy, 30 Rock (when it gets back on air)…this is going to be impossible without the wonders of the internet–even with dual band DVR.
For once I am happy to be in Canada for watching tv: with digital cable we get to enjoy both the East and West coast feeds – so all shows play twice an evening. One primetime set between 6 and 9 pm, and a second round between 9 and 11 pm. Our only DVR concern is memory, there’s only so many HD shows we can record before it’s full!
This is what I do too! I don’t have DVR at all, so I strategically plan my tv show watching around the feeds.
Is this really only available in Canada? (I am in Canada as well and have time shifting with Eastern, Central and Pacific feeds.) How is it possible then that I get three time zone feeds of American stations as well??