There’s nothing on TV, now what?
Cory Bergman December 19th, 2007
I don’t watch a ton of TV, but a couple times in the last week I found myself surfing Comcast VOD for something… anything… to watch. It seems all the best shows are out of fresh episodes. 30 Rock is done. The Office and The Daily Show are in repeats. Heroes is over. My DVR is empty. Empty! I suspect many of you are in the same boat.
So kind Lost Remote readers, what’s out there that’s worth watching right now? It can be a TV show, movie, podcast, webisode, DVD, video game, anything. As you post comments, I’ll compile a helpful list…


40 Comments Add your own
1. Jake | December 19th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I’ve only watched about 60 minutes of tv in the last two weeks, but it was comprised of two or three episodes of family guy on alluc.org. There’s nothing on tv these days. (certainly not when I want it!). ( :
2. Joe | December 19th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
As soon as the strike started, I began scooping up podcasts. A few I can recommend are:
- Break A Leg (a podcast sitcom about the production of a sitcom pilot)
- Cerialized (three roommates and their breakfast-based discussions)
- Crash Test Kitchen (a normal couple who loves food try out recipes they’re usually unfamiliar with)
- Port City PD (podcast cop show…easily my favorite podcast on iTunes)
- Something to be Desired (a podcast currently on its fifth season, this show kept me occupied for a week getting caught up)
3. Terry Heaton | December 19th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
The Closer is the best show on the tube today and one of the best ever. Treat yourself to a half hour of Pants Off, Dance Off. And a guy can be entertained for weeks with Law & Order and CSI reruns on cable.
4. gillico | December 19th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
there’s still great stuff on the science/nature channels- “how it’s made” and “how do they do that” are always fascinating, and “planet earth” is going to sell a lot of HD tvs.
5. Rico Suave | December 19th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
I heard a rumor that Battlestar Galactica may be aired on NBC if the strike continues… Can you imagine that show, from the beginning, in high-def? Put it up against “American Idol!”
My wife also just bought us an Xbox 360, so we can play Halo when nothing’s on…
6. Jeff | December 19th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I just watched the 6 or so episodes of “30 days” on Hulu recently.
7. coffee | December 19th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
….and so it begins (for we, the regular viewsers). Thank goodness I’ve been training by waiting the multi-month intervals between each issue of Joss Whedon’s excellent “Astonishing X Men” run….You can pick up the trades. (Ok it’s a comic, but there’s NOTHING ON).
8. Frank Catalano | December 19th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
I’ve had a secret stash of unwatched TiVo items just for this eventuality: the last season of MI-5 (known as Spooks in the U.K. and now on BBC America after being unceremoniously dumped by A&E), Jekyll & Hyde (the miniseries from BBC America), and a bunch of movies from the several Encore channels in the Comcast Digital tier.
But for now, I’m just doing a TiVo wishlist on “Christmas” and looking for all the nostalgic specials I enjoyed as a kid and have missed the past several years.
9. Mark Mascolino | December 19th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
As for podcasts let me recommend The Sound of Young America (kind of a younger, hipper Fresh Air) and Jordan, Jesse Go which Ira Glass called one of his favorite podcasts (and one of mine too).
10. Rob | December 19th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Archive.org - link in my name - has a repository of public domain movies, short subjects and serials from all over the world. Movies can be downloaded in a variety of formats - including MP4 - and played on your computer offline.
The archive is quite extensive … everything from Battleship Potemkin, Birth of a Nation to the serialized series Radar Men on the Moon and The Three Stooges. They’ve even got quite a collection of 50s teensploitation films on everything from how to get a date to Reefer Madness.
11. FrankM | December 19th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Remember when you first got your DVR it was completely empty?
Of course, you wanted to make sure that your new toy was working, so you started setting timers for the majority of the day, so when you got home you had plenty of things to choose from. In time, you ended up getting sick of shows (or realizing you never had time to watch so much) and deleted the timers one by one. well,….
It’s time to go back to that. Catch up on your syndicated reruns and check out some discovery or history channel shows.
12. J$ | December 19th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
lots of movies! in HD of course.
13. Bogopolis | December 19th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I’ve resorted to recording shows that I didn’t normally watch or couldn’t fit into my DVR schedule before - alas Monk and Psych are coming back with fresh episodes - I fear that that is the best ray of hope in the future!
My roommate and I are talking about canceling our cable - I’m having a very difficult time justifying a $100 + bill for very few television shows when I can almost get unseen shows (or reruns) just as easily off of the Internet for free or low cost (which I guess is why they’re striking in the first place…).
What to do, what to do…
I don’t if I can handle much more the reality TV bonanza. I don’t if I saw it on LR - but God help us if the Canadian classic - Little Mosque on the Prairie comes to American networks…
14. Ryan Price | December 19th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
I’d like to second Something to be Desired, and I also have to point to some great stuff:
The Mimi and Flo Show - Choose your own adventure vlog
Galacticast - spoofing on Sci-Fi movies and shows
GardenFork TV - Eric cooks up some fresh ingredients and around-the-ranch how-tos
ALocalFolkus.com - a great tv-show length documentary about a guy trying to create a locally sourced Thanksgiving Dinner
FindingAmerica.TV - John and his wife Kamrin rented an RV and rode all over the country looking for some great people, places and eats all over our great nation.
SOLMI.net - short films, including a fun series called The LOFTS and lots of other shorts inspired by contemporary television.
15. Jeff V | December 19th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Watch the revamped Galactica from the start if you aren’t watching it already. SciFi is certainly giving them the shaft as they enter their final season starting in March, but I just can’t see that show on “network” TV. They’d have to cut too much out of it.
I’ve just discovered Nimrod Nation on Sundance and I quickly filled up my DVR tonight as they went through many of the episodes. As a lower-penisula Michigan resident, it is quite the contrast between the urban life down here and the Canada-ish style life in the U.P.
16. Andrew | December 20th, 2007 at 6:54 am
Agree with the Galactica fans on the comments. Best show produced on television.
If not, Hulu always has Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and oh yes… really really old TV shows from long before I was born.
17. Doug Perry | December 20th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Rock Band if you’re looking for a fun as heck game to play.
Bioshock if you’re looking for cinematic quality storytelling in a video game.
18. Ricky Clinch | December 20th, 2007 at 7:55 am
I am surprised that I am not seeing anyone praise two of my favorites this year. I like Pushing Daisies (which may be out of episodes now) and Journeyman. I have really enjoyed watching Journeyman, even though it is just a new twist on the whole Quantum Leap thing, it is well made, well acted, and has been a fun one to watch.
When all else fails there is always Myth Busters on Discovery.
19. david johnson | December 20th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Been catching up on old episodes of AMC TV’s “Mad Men” - Also working through DVDs of HBO’s “Carnivale”
20. Sean Tubbs | December 20th, 2007 at 8:13 am
I’m catching up with a lot of shows I’ve not seen before on Hulu, and I second the Arrested Development shout-out, too. I also recommend watching Journeyman. Even though it won’t be back, the episodes that are there are pretty good.
I also recently discovered the very surreal Tim and Eric Awesome Show, which I’m enjoying while it’s still new to me.
21. Hussman | December 20th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Don’t knwo if it’s on DVD, but “Extras” from the BBC is well worth watching.
Podcasts? I love “Ask a Ninja” - very funny stuff. Also like “Military History Podcast” for some enlightenment.
I’d joke and say you could read a book.
Thanks for the other heads up on some of the vidcasts. I may look into them.
22. discreet_chaos | December 20th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Since a lot of people are praising Hulu, I’ll throw my suggestion out there for “The Riches” and there’s a few episodes of “The Reaper” available on the CW’s site - it’s crap, but not bad crap. Of course eventually we’re all going to run out of repurposing to watch online and because most straight-to-internet stuff is shortform, I really suggest that you get to know the guy at the video store or social network the heck out of your Netflix. Barring a few new shows here and there, it’s going to be a long winter.
23. Brink | December 20th, 2007 at 9:03 am
I thought no one was watching TV anymore.
Lots of stories on this site about how EVERYONE is watching online videos nowadays.
Now, TV isn’t producing anything new, and surprise! “It’s going to be a long winter,’” yada, yada.
Guess TV’s not irrelevant yet, huh!
24. Ricky Clinch | December 20th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Shows how much attention I have been paying to things. With Journeyman cancelled, with the exception of Earl, I have no reason to watch NBC anymore. I’ll cross my fingers for Sci-Fi to pick up the show now that Stargate is old and tired.
25. Alex | December 20th, 2007 at 10:15 am
I love love Journeyman. It’s intelligent, and in HD on NBC. The show is twisty and suspenseful. It’s got a whole mystery that it’s building up to Hero-esque style. I’m constantly watching and say to myself “Oh $#*&, no way!”
Project Runway. Okay, this is not one I’d readily admit, but it’s pretty much the only reality show that I would watch. Aside from Idol, it’s one show that really does take talent to be on. I’m not a fashion person, but the challenges as projects are very interesting.
Firefly. I used to DVR this show because it always came on Saturday nights. It was a witty, interesting sci-fi show. However, I have not seen anymore episodes come out, did it get canceled?
26. Joe G. | December 20th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Bishop Sheen on You Tube, What’s My Line repeats from the 60s on GSN, Nova and Frontline on PBS.
27. discreet_chaos | December 20th, 2007 at 10:29 am
BTW: Because I see the update, where some suggestions were taken up top;
There are a half-dozen episodes orr so of “Monk”, “Psych”, “Burn Notice” and all of “The Starter Wife” available on the USA Network’s site (click my name for the shortcut to their video).
I haven’t really watched “Psych”, but the “Monk” episodes partially turn over from time to time and when I was watching before, I’m pretty sure that once you get into “Burn Notice”, you have access to the full season. (”Monk”, Psych” & “SW” play from the video page, while “Burn Notice” comes from its own page and it takes some figuring-out)
I also have to say that USA’s delivery is quite possibly the worst that I’ve seen on the web. You have to manually start each chapter and you’ll get really annoyed by the ad (mute), if you watch a couple of episodes in a row, but none of the above are bad shows and I’d even say that “The SW” and “Burn Notice” are both pretty good.
28. discreet_chaos | December 20th, 2007 at 10:33 am
(When you say “click my name”, it’d 2help if you insert the URL)
29. PBrown | December 20th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Quite possibly the best show in the history of Television, the fifth and final season of “The Wire” begins January 6th! If you start now, you can watch the previous four seasons and get ready!
30. Joe - fourhman.com | December 20th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Coffee Prince, a Korean prime time drama from last fall. Easily found and watched (with subtitles) on Veoh.
31. Chris Rooney | December 20th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Read “The Entitled” by Frank Delford.
32. Anon | December 20th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
If you haven’t seen Tin Man yet, watch it on Hulu. And 30 Rock has one new episode without an air date yet. Thanks goodness!
33. tdc | December 20th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
what strike?
there’s a strike?
haven’t watched tv in months though.
34. Nick Geidner | December 20th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Black20.com
Try that out. It is a bunch of TV writers that didn’t like where TV was going. It is pretty funny. I think The Middle Show is probably the best show on there, but try them all out for size.
35. Frank Catalano | December 20th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Alex: Firefly was indeed cancelled, and spawned the very good movie sequel Serenity. Recommended.
Last Journeyman episode in the 13-episode order, BTW, aired Wednesday night. There will be a DVD set. It hooks you and pulls you in with its subtle mysteries over time.
36. Steve Safran | December 20th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Stewart and Colbert are coming back, sans writers. The strike is falling apart.
37. Patrick OBrien | December 20th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
The Soup on E! is fresh every Friday night. That’s all I have left that’s new on the ole DVR.
Funny though, I’ve taken this time to up my web time, such as Twitter, RSS Feeds for Mobile, and blogging. I like it so much, I may not chillax in front of the tube as much as I did before.
38. lilly | January 7th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
My God! There is almost nothing on tv but junk. I am older, and remember intelligent, well written drama and comedies that had new episodes every week thru the winter, and this was just a couple years ago. But shows like Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Hill Street Blues, to go back further, LA Law, and dozens more all held attention and still played thru out winter. Now the junk is rerun, and the industry is doing rubbish. Many of you are too young perhaps to remember way higher quality productions, and I am sad for that, and for what you are having to settle for. We should all speak out. Back when there were three networks there were wonderful productions, and it was free. Many have cancelled cable, if it weren’t for soprano reruns and a few other things I would too. I have cut back.
39. TvFan | January 20th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Why is it so hard to pay talented people the money they deserve? Anyways check out http://www.tvaddicted.com for some of your favorite shows streaming online.
40. Lou Raritan | June 4th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Yup, isn’t a single show worth watching tonight. There isn’t anything in the entire on demand line up either. Im a guy and I don’t care about farmer needs a wife or basically any of the reality shows. Dexter was awesome, so was jericho. I really like the Unit but I think it got cancelled and now its just reruns at 10pm on Sunday nights. Its really not fair….The person that actualy works to pay the cable bill should get a few shows to watch too. I am really thinking about downgradeing and makeing everyone read.
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