No doubt you, like many TV-lovers, have discovered the joys of television on DVD. Summer evening trips to Blockbuster have certainly resulted in many a marathon viewing of entire seasons of some of the best television has to offer.
And why shouldn’t this be the case? It’s way cheaper than the absurdly overpriced expense of a visit to the movie theater, and the money you save by picking up a DVD or two of Arrested Development can be put toward more important purchases, things that would never be allowed in a first-run movie theater, like cheap beer, weed and second-rate pizza.
Plus, it’s summer time, there’s nothing to watch on TV anyway. That is unless, of course, you have cable, which I certainly don’t, and am going to assume neither do you, since most college students are poor as dirt.
Barring this option, TV on DVD is for you, and I can assure you won’t be disappointed, unless you pick up Grey’s Anatomy, in which case you’ll either be filled with self-loathing or scorn a god that would allow such garbage to make it to air.
But I’m not going to focus on what’s new on DVD this summer. Every Tuesday will see the release of about 600 million TV on DVD sets, and for the most part there isn’t much out of the ordinary. You’ll have to wait till the end of the summer for most of your big network faves, but that’s OK because that gives you all summer to catch up on what you haven’t been watching (unless, of course, you love sunshine, exercise and warm summer evenings spent on the front porch … you jerk, I don’t even have a front porch).
So without further ado, here’s a list of what you and your friends, presumably high on glue and cough syrup, should be watching to get your summertime-TV fix.
Battlestar Galactica
Sure I’ve already gone to great lengths to explain why this show is best goddamn space-opera/political science/social criticism since, well … ever. But if you haven’t yet had your world rocked by the hardcore Commander Adama, the sensual Caprica Six or the overall brilliance of this program, you’re in for a treat.
A miniseries and four seasons of space-faring, genocidal robots await you with plenty of twists, turns and, oddly enough … Bob Dylan references. After it’s all over, you’ll finally understand why every nerd around you has continually been repeating, “so say we all” and “what the frak?”
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
If you haven’t been watching FX’s It’s Always Sunny, you have been missing out. The comic misadventures of “the gang” that runs Paddy’s Pub are hilariously offensive and worth every minute. Never has a show been so wrong, but felt so right.
The characters’ total disregard for one another’s well-being, safety or happiness makes the show all the more amusing. The highlight by far is Charlie, a disgusting man-child who is unable to read and oblivious to basic courtesies.
How do these characters sleep at night, you may ask. Well, in Charlie’s case, he eats a can of cat food, drinks some beer, huffs some glue and passes out before the thousands of cats in the street begin their nightly screeching as they attempt to get into his rat-infested apartment.
Lost
I hadn’t really jumped on the Lost bandwagon until extremely recently, and really only at the advisement of one of my teachers who happens to know a lot of the guys who write the show. Plus, five seasons in, about 20 goddamn episodes a season and 45 minutes an episode, who in their right fucking minds has the time to catch up to that?
But I picked up the first season with the intention of beginning the long and seemingly endless trek through Lost, way behind the rest of society, and avoiding the inevitable pop culture references in other shows (see: Family Guy).
I’ll be honest, it’s a great watch and extremely engrossing, but if you have any semblance of a job or employment which requires your attention, it’ll probably take you all summer to power through to season four and begin awaiting the release of season five, which wraps up real soon.
The Wire
The Wire is a work of fucking brilliance, and thanks to its airing on HBO, it was afforded a good deal more plot and character development than other major network shows. As a result, the first season is pretty damn slow, but it picks up, and it’s fucking good. But like Lost, The Wire will take some time.
David Simon brings us into the world of drug-traffickers, police officers, journalists and whoever else is involved in drug trafficking in the Baltimore area, and there’s a lot. If you’ve heard anyone mention McNulty, they’re talking about this show, and there’s a damn good reason.
And the rest
There’s plenty of other great programming out there, if you’ve got the time. As for the sitcom, much easier to digest in 21-minute sittings, I recommend the (recently released, thank God) Andy Richter Controls the Universe, the absurdly underrated, and prematurely canceled Andy Richter vehicle on FOX, as well as a couple of half-hour HBO comedies like The Life and Times of Tim and the hysterical Flight of the Conchords.