The Single Greatest Invention Ever is TV shows on DVD

Last night, I finished the very last season of a very good show. It was a great accomplishment for me. The normal mixture of saddness, joy, and impressiveness swept over me.

Saddnes: There will never be another episode made of that show. Every time I see a re-run, I'll know that I've already seen that episode.

Joy: This show had quite a few seasons, and it's taken me a while to finish them all. But now when somebody is talking about that show, I can secretly know that I have seen every single episode.

Impressiveness: It was a good show.



Which brings me to my "Single Greatest Invention Ever" and it is TV Shows on DVD.

Without DVD's last night never would have been possible. I don't watch a lot of TV. But I do enjoy TV shows. Here is why I watch my TV shows on DVD:

1: It's chronological
You might not be one of those people who care, but you'll never fully appreciate each episode (of a good show), if you haven't seen every episode before it. I like chronological things. The story lines become more concrete in your mind. So when you start thinking about an episode you want to see again, you can quickly figure out what season it is, just by thinking about what else is happening around the story.

2: It's shorter
I'm all about saving time. Don't spend an hour of your life on something that is only 42 minutes. Don't spend a half hour of your life on something that is only 20 minutes. Besides you can get 3 20 minute episodes done, in the time it takes you to watch 2 episodes on TV. Now that's efficiency.

3: It's a whole season at once - not just one episode
If you are one of those people that tries to religiously watch their show at the same time every week, chances are that at some point in time you are going to miss an episode. With a DVD, you never miss an episode. And you always have the option to go on to the next episode as soon as you're done with the previous episode. And if you're smart, you have the next season ready to go, by the time you finish the previous season.

4: Two words: Gag Reel
If you've ever wanted to stop laughing, just watch any gag reel. I have never seen a funny one (and I make it a point to watch them.) They generally involve people laughing over things that aren't funny. Which is, of course, never humorous. But it is enjoyable.

5: You can say with confidence, "I've seen it all"
I don't know how religiously people watch shows, but when I finish a show, there is no doubt in my mind that I've seen every single episode for however many seasons there might possibly be.

6: It's on your own time
If you wake up one morning, and have the urge to watch a whole entire show in one day. Guess what? You can. I will not go into how utterly lazy that makes you, or how utterly fun it is to do it just once (or twice) in your life. On the other hand, if you feel like watching one episode before you go to bed each night for the next 3 weeks of your life, that works too.

7: No commercials
I know you can eliminate many of these aforementioned problems by simply investing in a TiVo, but with a DVD you don't even have to fast forward through commercials, because commercials simply don't exist. Now that is a happy world.

My personal numbers: I have now finished 7 full shows. And I'm in the midst of (plugging away season by season) another 13. Every show that I start on DVD involves me making a promise to myself that I will finish this whole show. You can see why I'm trying to cut down. I've got a long road ahead of me. And please no suggestions about which show I should watch after I finish those 13. I already have a list.

The Single Greatest Invention Ever is TV shows on DVD