How I'm Going To Handle the Writers' Strike

I have a plan. A real plan for surviving all the reruns that come with the holiday season and that could stretch out before us afterward, if the writers strike goes on forever. Yeah, and I like lists. And before you say it, of course I can read and do other things. I already do a lot of things while the TV is on. (Don't remind me of the craft projects I haven't finished!! Or my Christmas shopping. Or the dishes that need doing.) I'm just talking about my viewing.

1. I'll catch up on all the new episodes of my favorite shows, as they air. Pretty basic, and makes sense. Why not see what there is to see new while it's out there? Some shows are holding onto new episodes to air in mid-December or early January, even though they've already been filmed. That makes it all seem less dire. Plus I always tape a lot of stuff I haven't had time to watch yet, so I can catch up on those shows and at least one other tape of horse racing from this spring that I haven't watched yet. (If I had a DVD burner, I would spend a lot of my time transferring horse races to DVD. A girl can dream about her Christmas present under the tree, right?)

2. TV shows on DVD, of course. I have a season and a half of The 4400 on DVD to watch and return to a friend, and as far as I'm aware, there's at least one other season of that show on DVD that I can rent. Plus I have a ton of shows on DVD that I love and could easily rewatch - Buffy, Angel, X-Files, and a few other goodies - Firefly, Harsh Realm, Keen Eddie. Plus, I've been rewatching S2 of Supernatural on tape and listening to the accompanying podcasts.

3. TV shows online. I just realized that part of the second half of S3 of Battlestar Galactica is still online. Sure, I'd rather watch them all and in order, but if it comes down to it, I can easily fill in the blanks later when reruns air. Might as well know most of what's going on so that when S4 starts, I'm at least mostly up to speed. I DON'T plan to download episodes from I-Tunes; no point in paying for what's going to air eventually on TV anyway. Plus, well, I'm cheap.

4. Catch reruns of shows that are new to me. Everybody raves about 'Pushing Daisies' - if I know that it's going into reruns (as opposed to being replaced by reality TV) I'm considering watching it. There are probably other shows floating around out there that are just as worthy of watching.

5. Cable, baby. Reruns of Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs, Cold Case Files, Forensic Files, and those shows that I am still catching up on, like The 4400. There's a whole lot out there worth watching that I just haven't had time to see. Plus I can always watch old CSIs, guilty pleasures like World's Wildest Police Videos, you name it. In the summer I watch a lot of educational programming - I've probably seen every program on Egypt that's out there - and I can always do that now instead.

6. There are always movies. I'm not a big movie watcher anymore, but I can always, if need be, find a film or two I haven't seen that I'm interested in. I can rent 'em, borrow 'em or watch 'em on Turner Classic Movies.

So which of my shows might not survive the strike, in terms of my viewing? I think the writers and the shows are kind of shooting themselves in the foot. If I get out of the habit of watching a show, I'm going to have to want to get back into the habit. Bionic Woman is the show most at risk of being ditched. It's been inconsistent and I just don't care about the characters like I should. I've been watching it for BSG alums, mostly. I half-watch CSI:NY, mostly on On Demand and for the scenery.

I already ditched Prison Break this season - I just felt like with Sarah's death, it jumped the proverbial shark. I ditched CSI: Miami from last season - too many holey plots, and if I start picking apart your plot, you've got gaps.

Of course, then I'm worried about the shows that I love that might not survive the strike if it goes far too long, in terms of cancellation. Supernatural is the most likely one; it's barely hanging on as it was, and the CW has been messing with it pretty hard. I'd be peeved if I lost Reaper or Chuck too; I think Chuck's safe, but Reaper tends to be kind of repetitive. Moonlight could also suffer, but I'm not emotionally invested in this show, really. It's fun, but not appointment TV.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have one last tape of GhostHunters to watch...while I darn my socks.