Friday, August 7, 2009

Addicted to Hulu

DH loves to watch baseball. He might be OK watching something else if his beloved Yankees aren't scheduled but otherwise, the TV is his for the night. I could go up to his office and watch TV but there's no DVR and I can no longer watch commercials. Yes, in the 6+ years since I received a TiVo I hardly ever watch "live" TV.

So during the summer and all the baseball watching, I decided to check out Hulu.com. Now when DH starts watching baseball I do my own thing and power up Hulu.com. I love it! I love when they give you the option of watching the longer commercial for no commercials during the program (duh, easy choice) or to pick amongst three different commercial options. Very, very smart advertising strategy. And I actually do watch the commercials since they are usually 15 or 30 seconds and then right back to the show. I love when I find a show that I've been meaning to check out and I can "dip my toe" into the water. I love all the old shows they have although some of those have not held up well.

Since I started watching Hulu I have seen the last few episodes of Scrubs, all of John Doe, a couple of Doogie Howser, MD (wow, those are dated!), dabbled in a variety of other shows and discovered 30 Rock. When I asked for TV suggestions before heading out on maternity leave quite a few of you recommended 30 Rock. I have avoided the program because I was afraid it was too much in the vein of The Office and rife with embarrassing moments humor. I hate that. Plus I also discovered that watching shows via DVDs isn't for me. I need to tape them and have the urgency to watch them as my % available decreases. Otherwise it just won't happen.

Anyway, back to 30 Rock. I freaking love it! I've been skipping around because Hulu doesn't show a lot of episodes or all of them in order. But ever time they have one up I haven't seen before I am very excited. I love everything about the show. Alec Baldwin is a genius. And the writing is very sharp. Question, what do the letters TNS (is that right?) stand for before "The Tracy Morgan Show" on all the signs? I can't figure it out and have only seen episodes from Season 3 so far.

If you all are interested in my other recommendations for comedies here are the ones I've enjoyed. Comedy is probably the hardest genre in TV shows. So few are truly enjoyable (Yes, Everybody Loves Raymond, I'm looking at you):
  • Friends - yes, along with the rest of America. But even now if I see an episode I will still laugh out loud. Pretty good for a show that has been off the air for years.
  • Scrubs - I stopped watching this show when it was airing new episodes but I enjoyed catching up on the last season via Hulu. And if there's nothing else on I will watch some episodes on Comedy Central.
  • How I Met Your Mother - it's a-wait for it-mazing. I have never laughed louder or longer than at the Bob Barker and Slapsgiving episodes.
Have you tried Hulu? What do you think? Game changing in how we view entertainment? I think so. I've even heard they are getting higher ad rates than prime time shows. What other comedies do you like? I'm tempted to check out The Big Bang Theory but it's not offered on Hulu. Curses!

10 comments:

A. said...

We've been enjoying Better Off Ted. New episodes are airing now.

M. and I stopped watching Scrubs, probably the year of the writers strike. The humor just isn't fresh anymore. But it was a "must see" for us the first few seasons, so funny! I was sad to see it go downhill.

Nicole S. said...

I like all the comedies you mentioned and would add New Adventures of Old Christine because it makes me laugh out loud every episode. That being said, it is a little bit "embarassing moment" humor but nothing like the awkwardness of the Office. And the character is very different from Elaine on Seinfeld - I don't even make the connection anymore.

Mommy, Esq. said...

HIMYM is great - just started watching it on DVD from Netflix. It's TGS - The Girlie Show - but once Tracey was brought on they started using the initials.

H said...

I'm so glad you are finally watching 30 Rock- It makes me cry! Wait till you see an episode where Todd Buonopane shows up- he was in like 3 episodes this season.
oh- and The Big Bang Theory is worth it, very cute.

LauraC said...

I love 30 Rock also!
I don't think we record any other comedies, just 30 Rock, Office, and HIMYM.

I loved Slapsgiving!

Donna said...

Okay I know about Hulu, but right it is of no worth to me. We barely watch anything above a preschool level. If the kids are not watching disney or noggin or a dvd, the TV is off. If we do watch it, it is usually HGTV or sports or the science channel. TV just seems so dull to me now.

confused homemaker said...

I'm SO glad you like 30 Rock. We love it, it's the right mix of characters. TGS was supposed to stand for The Girlie Show but then Tracy joined the cast, stole the show, & so it just became TGS.

LauraC said...

Hey do you have a TiVo Series 3? If so and you have a Netflix account, you can stream Netflix to your TiVo. They have all the seasons of 30 Rock on there and you can watch them whenever you want.

bakerteam said...

I don't really have any fun comedies to recommend. But I was a big fan of John Doe, and have caught marathon episodes a couple of times on the SyFy channel. Dominic Purcell is one of my favorites. I was a big fan of Prison Break as well. I find myself watching more dramas and mysteries than comedies.

Natalie said...

first of all, you broke the news to me re: paula abdul and her not returning and THEN on a late night talk show somebody repeated YOUR joke about another season of Hey Paula, you are just a genius my friend. anyways, love HULU and love that you discovered doogie howser again just like me! I mean, really, how could we NOT think he was gay?