Missed an Episode of Your Favorite Network TV Show? Online TV Has Got You Covered

I find it amazing that people are still doing the unthinkable: missing their favorite television shows because they "don't have the time". Oh come on! This is the age of TiVos. If you can't afford that, then please learn how to program the VCR that is slowly going out of style. Of course, no one wants to take time out from their daily routine to learn how to program these new and old gadgets, but there is an easy, alternative way.

It's called high-speed Internet. If you don't have it, get it, because you won't have any excuse for missing a major network show again. Most people are not even aware that many of the major networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX have placed some of their best shows online. They are designed so that people like you and me can watch them, on our own time, with limited commercial interruptions.

ABC (www.dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing)

If you like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Lost (when it isn't on hiatus), or some of ABC's newer hits, like Ugly Betty, then you should be glad to know that ABC has them available to watch. Unless they have special previews, you should be able to catch your favorite show in the next evening after its official airtime.

The downside to this is that ABC tends to have some downloading problems. ABC's player is the one that usually freezes up the most. I always get really disappointed when the screen goes still, because it usually never goes unstill. The only way out is to just exit out and try again, but that usually doesn't work. Also, the screen is very small, and that is with the Large function, which will only work if your computer is set up for HDTV functions.

Also, unless you missed recent episodes, you might not be able to see them. For some reason, the first six episodes of Lost for Season 3 are readily available, while only a handful of Ugly Betty episodes are there. I did catch the rerun of the Pilot and wished I could watch all of it. Looks like I'll have to wait until all the reruns go online.

NBC (www.nbc.com/Video/)