What is on T.V.?

[redwood973]

So I broke down yesterday and ordered cable T.V. and at 8:30 this A.M. they came out and hooked it up. So for the first time in a year and a half (maybe two years) I have T.V.

So what shows do you recommend for someone who has not watched, and ain't really all that much into T.V.? [I should point out that my sister thought it strange not having t.v. so she recorded NYPD Blue and CSI for me each week. When I had nothing else to do I did pop the tapes in and watch them so I have not been completely without t.v.]

These are the channels I have (I went with the smallest [and thus the lowest price, $12 month] package):

ABC
CBS
C-SPAN
C-SPAN 2
FOX (not the news one)
IPT (Iowa Public Television)
KPWB (the WB whatever that is)
NBC
PAX (not sure what this is)
QVC (home shopping channel: my reason for getting T.V. I would rather have TBS so I can see the Braves)
WGN (Chicago)

I paid for three months. If I don't use it all that much in that time it's getting unplugged. So anyone recommend anything?

[Cybrludite]

PAX is a family friendly channel, showing mostly old syndicated sit-coms & such. I think they may be run by some Christian group or another. Great stuff, if you're having trouble sleeping. Glad to see I'm not the only one who missed the MTV music awards last night. I haven't seen co-workers this excited since Brittany reached the age of concent for this state...

[Dan Stack]

If you like CSI you might like CSI: Miami. (My wife is a chemist and loves CSI: Miami). Given that and NYPD Blue you might like Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, or Law & Order: Criminal Intent. If you're not a big fan of courtrooms I'd steer clear of Law & Order and stick to the two spinoffs (all three are mainly episodic so they're easy to get into). All of them are on NBC.

[qerlin]

The only thing that would be on any of those channels might be John Doe -- don't know if it's running over the summer -- on Fox.

All the really good stuff is on the other channels: The Shield, & Lucky on FX are great. I don't really watch anything other than news, my wife is the one that watches TV -- mostly the history channel, A&E, etc...

[Ramage]

I am still happy to be amongst that tiny percentage of Americans who has no t.v.

[AslanC]

Might I recommend "Everwood" a really really good family drama that airs on the WB and Ithink gets repeated on FOX. It was on this past season on Mondays 9pm.

[Robbert Raets]

I would suggest watching 24 reruns, if available.

[Sea Tyger]

My primary viewing schedule goes something like this:

Monday
9ET ABC Monday Night Football

Tuesday
8pm CBS Navy NCIS (another new show with Mark Harmon as a Navy criminal investigator, have to give it a chance, as long as it's not as hokey as JAG)
10pm ABC NYPD Blue (cop show, simply phenomenal)

Wednesday
9pm NBC The West Wing (White House based drama...even though they're liberals, it's a great show! )
10pm NBC Law & Order (my favorite police drama, ever)

Thursday
10pm NBC er (medical drama...it got flaky two seasons ago, but it got back on track last season)

Friday
8pm CBS Joan of Arcadia (new show, going to give it a look...family drama centered around a teen who suddenly encounters God, talking to her through various people she encounters)
10pm CBS The Handler (another new show, with Joe Pantoliano as the trainer/supervisor of FBI undercover agents...I like the actor, so I'm going to take a look)

Saturday
10pm L.A. Dragnet (Ed O'Neill's remake of the classic cop show, first season was excellent!)

Sunday
6pm ST: Enterprise (we don't have UPN, so it airs on the local Fox station)
9pm NBC Law & Order: Criminal Intent (found out this incarnation was a vehicle for Vincent D'Onofrio...still quite excellent)

I also catch Whose Line is it Anyway? whenever I can (new eps usually appear in the summer). It's phenomenal improv comedy, and usually has me in stitches for the entire half-hour.

Another show that isn't on the list is Crossing Jordan, the NBC Jill Hennessey vehicle about a Boston medical examiner. The show won't premier it's new season until January, but it's certainly worth the time when it does.

I also like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but NBC placed it directly against NYPD Blue, Tuesdays at 10pm. Between the two, of course, I choose Blue, and I don't think that SVU will last in head-to-head.

The rest of primetime I fill up with ESPN, A&E, History Channel, rugby and aussie rules football on Fox Sports World, and the occasional Star Trek marathon on Sci-Fi.

[Owen E Oulton]

"8pm CBS Navy NCIS (another new show with Mark Harmon as a Navy criminal investigator, have to give it a chance, as long as it's not as hokey as JAG)"

Gee, he'll actually be legally investigating. I really wonder why the character in JAG isn't in the stockade for interfering with NCIS investigations. He's a frickin' lawyer, not an investigator, and the brass take a real dim view of that sort of interference.

[redwood973]

WOW! I have gotten to see Law & Order: Criminal Intent twice now since getting hooked up. I really like this show.

And I got to see ST:ENT for the first time Saturday (and again tonight). Not bad either. [How is it that FOX runs this show when it is on UPN?]

I will be checking out everyones suggestions as they air. Thanks for everyones input!

[Greg Davis]

Personally, I'm a recent convert to Law & Order (watching it when I get home from work in the mornings on TNT), and I have to say that I'm hooked, especially after I caught myself walking around at work humming the theme, and, whenever something unexpected would happen, making the patented Law & Order 'bum bum' sound effect.

I'm looking forward to the new season when it starts on NBC. Between it, ER and The West Wing, it seems that NBC is drawing all of my TV watching time.

Aside from those shows, I watch the much-maligned Enterprise, as well as Smallville (which airs at the same time, on the same day, on two different stations here...thanks network programmers! ).

Between a full work week and graduate school (which I started last week), I don't have a lot of time for TV, so I try to catch the shows that I'm really interested in, like those listed.



Greg

[Cmdr Powers]

I try to make a point of catching:

CSI

JAG

ST: Enterprise

SG1

Futurama, Blue Gender, (and whatever else is cool on Cartoon Network)

Kim Possible

Mystery (on PBS)

Mysterious Ways (on PAX)

Peacemakers

...and whatever else my wife is watching while I rub her poor tired feet

[ComaBoy]

I'm one of those few people without cable or a satcom dish (I don't need them as I sit between two major markets so I can switch between cities if a signal goes south).

Anyhoo. . .

Here are some of my favorites, days and times are best guess as I don't know if any will be changed.

Alias (ABC, Sunday 9pm) A sort of action/spy thriller. It can get a little complex but don't let that deter you.

Everwood (WB, Monday 9pm) Aslan has already vouched for this show, I second it.

Gilmore Girls (WB, Tuesday 8pm) Family oriented and/or mainly for those with undifferentiated chromosomes, the writing can be both very good and very funny. Unfortunately I tend to miss it due to a standing commitment.

Angel (WB, Wednesday 9pm (?)) Roughly speaking a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It can be uneven at times but the characterization and writing are excellent. Quite often the characters are forced to face very difficult decisions which have real consequences.

All of these shows are fairly episodic in nature.

Hope that helps. Tell us what you thought of the suggested shows in 3 months.

[Sea Tyger]

Originally posted by redwood973
And I got to see ST:ENT for the first time Saturday (and again tonight). Not bad either. [How is it that FOX runs this show when it is on UPN?]

We don't have a local UPN affiliate here in Monterey (although, technically, the local CBS station is also the UPN affiliate), so the local Fox station (owned by the same people who own the CBS station, btw) has the rights to the show (same station that had the rights to Voyager when it aired). That's why I don't get to see it 'til Sunday.