TV on DVD

The black hole that is the summer TV programming schedule was less painful this year. Mainly because I discovered the joys of watching TV on DVD.

My friend Dave, who has HBO (that is NOT the only reason that I'm friends with him, although--given that he was over last night and proceeded to turn my crystal clear 27" TV picture into SNOW which, after much despair and bickering, was restored to crystal clarity once again when I, in a fit of desperation, randomly pushed two buttons on my remote control. And yes, I DO remember which two buttons should it ever happen again!--as a professional AV tech, his much vaunted audio-visual technical skills leave much to be desired. Fortunately, he is kind and loyal and generous. And he makes me laugh. And, as I mentioned before, he has HBO...) records entire seasons of Entourage for me, which we watch in marathon sessions.

But this has been the summer of Dexter and more Dexter, Desperate Housewives and Pushing Daisies (check out the review of season one tomorrow!).

Oh, I'll still be doing the appointment TV thing once the Fall season gets under way. After all, what's the use of watching a water cooler TV program if you don't watch it in time to talk about it 'round the water cooler (or, in my case, the metaphorical water cooler that is the blogosphere...)?

Anyway, TV on DVD--how do I love thee? Let me count the ways whys:

1. Don't subscribe to cable? No problem! I can get Showtime, HBO and even obscure little British series from Netflix. Who needs hundreds of channels when you have access to hundreds of THOUSANDS of DVD titles?

2. Marathons! The agony of the cliffhanger is no more. Is your favorite character in mortal jeopardy? Can't wait a whole week to find out what happens to him? Just pop in the next DVD!

Yay!

3. Pause, rewind, fast forward. No more waiting until a commercial to grab a snack, use the bathroom or check my e-mail. Just press pause and the action stops for ME! Was that a clue lurking in the shadows? Rewind and check it out again and again...And we don't need no stinking recaps or openers--fast forward and get to the good stuff!

4. Subtitles - I have mixed feelings about subtitles. On the one hand, if I turn them on, I find I'm READING the show more than WATCHING the show. On the other hand, it's a great way to catch those quick quips that might fly by. There is no more, "What did he say?" and wasting time rewinding and listening closely. It's right there, on the screen!

5. Revisiting the past - Whether you're catching up on seasons missed (like I did recently with season one of The Office) or nostalgic for favorite shows of yesteryear, DVDs offer the opportunity to fill in those fuzzy gaps or indulge in some fuzzy feelings. Linz recently revisited LOST--all four seasons! And Esther recently posted about the final three seasons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show coming to DVD.

6. Extras, extras! If watching 20-some odd hours of a beloved TV show isn't enough for you, most TV DVDs are loaded with behind-the-scenes extras giving insights into the inner workings of how the show was cast, developed, shot. The best thing about TV DVD extras is that they usually feature the writer/creator of the show.

Double yay!

I'm currently finishing up Pushing Daisies and Wonderfalls, and Mad Men is on the list.

What other TV on DVD is a must-see?