I have a DVR and I am completely unashamed by it.
I have been trying to slowly wean myself off the constant craving of those cathode-ray emanations for a year or two now (even while contemplating the purchase of a massive flat-panel plasma or specialized home theater projection system). Sure, there’s a lot of the typical “TV rots your brain” propaganda behind my decision, but more and more it’s just become inconvenient for me to consistently watch something that intrigues me.
That is, until we got the DVR.
My worldview has suddenly become crystal clear. Instead of being a slave to the Idiot Box (and I’m still waiting for my pal Alex to release the box set of his show), shushing my children so I can hear the Final Jeopardy answer or cutting a shopping trip short so I can make it home in time to see who gets cut from Hell’s Kitchen, I can now make the TV do my bidding.
See, my wife works retail, so her schedule is different every week. And our children are crazy and refuse to adhere to a consistent bedtime schedule. Not to mention the fact that, if I decide to do some channel surfing and come across a cartoon (any cartoon), they scream and cry until I switch back. It’s like trying to herd blind sheep by waving your arms in front of them.
The television in our house has become more of a weapon than a tool. Occasionally the kids (and me) are mesmerized by Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters or How It’s Made. Sometimes they actually want to learn. But, for the most part, I wield the remote like some parents wield a belt or the threat of a timeout. If I don’t like the way they’re acting, Spongebob goes away for a little while.
What I’ve noticed since the arrival of the DVR is, aside from the obvious possibilities, that I’ve become much more critical about what I choose to record. A lot of the time I’m in the house, I just have the television on as background noise or I want to unwind and I’ll just lounge back and keep flicking through the channels until something catches my eye. But the DVR is for the “important” stuff.
Here’s the current list of series being recorded in our home:
Rescue Me (FX)
Mad Men (AMC)
Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations (Travel)
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (BBC America)
Rescue Me is my favorite show on television. Period. It has the perfect mix of funny moments and “I can’t believe that just happened” moments. Every single character is unique and has their own flaws, which makes for realistic viewing. I haven’t watched the first episode yet, but Mad Men appeals to me because I’m fascinated with early 60’s culture and I used to work in advertising. Flight of the Conchords is quietly ludicrous with quick, witty dialogue. And the other two shows just appeal to my outlaw chef sensibilities. Look, I’m not a real critic, okay? Most of my explanations toe a fine line between “I like it” and “Who cares?”
Just believe me, it’s all good stuff. And, once the new seasons kick in, I’ll probably be adding these shows too:
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Venture Brothers (Cartoon Network)
Heroes (NBC)
Kitchen Nightmares (US version on Fox)
Friday Night Lights (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
The IT Crowd (NBC, midseason)
Yes, I like (or, in the case of the new shows, should like) all of these too. End of review.
And this list doesn’t include the stuff that I try to watch when it airs…Best Week Ever, Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, The Soup, Man vs. Wild, Good Eats, Iron Chef America and a bunch of VH1 shows (still debating on that new I Hate My 30’s show). Plus, I’d like to check out TNT’s new show The Company starring Batman (Michael Keaton) AND Robin (Chris O’Donnell). And, holy moley, am I in trouble once college football starts up again…and the political campaigns hit their stride too…EEP!
You know, now that I look at this never-ending list of stuff, I realize that I haven’t begun to limit my television viewing at all. The only thing I’ve managed to do is shift around the schedule a bit.
Thanks to DVR, I’m now a couch potato strictly on my own time. More like a couch Pringle really…
