Remember when TV was actually free. Commercials were the price we paid for
our free TV, right? Seemed like a decent trade. Then came cable. HBO had
no commercials, so paying for it seemed okay, I guess. But, what about TNT
and TBS and Oxygen. Why do we have to watch commercials on those stations,
which we're paying for?

Now, the big entertainment companies have figured out how to charge for our
free TV too. Releasing old programs on DVD often with no extras) is a huge
windfall for them, and consumers can't seem to get enough. The Jetsons, the
Flintstones, every season of Friends, and weekly DVDs of the old Carol
Burnett show, if you call this toll free number within the next five
minutes.

This month saw the release of The West Wing: The Complete Second Season.
Extras are minimal, but here's your chance to pay for what is constantly
rerun for free on TV. Still, this is around the time of the shows greatest
critical acclaim, and the performances are always good.

Going one better, the Friends finale has been released on DVD. In fact, it
was released on DVD just a few days after it aired on TV. Missed the show,
but can't wait for the rerun, aired eight days later on TV Land? No
problem, pay for it, and you can own the DVD to watch over and over and over
again. You deserve it.

Sure, reality shows are fun time wasters, but sometimes you have to wonder
if you want such a large chunk of your one lifetime sucked down the tubes,
just for the suspense of who will be voted off the island. Now, you can buy
Survivor: Season One, and waste all that time watching, even though you
already know the outcome. Enjoy.

What about those shows you watched as a kid, but can't really remember why.
Maybe it was because there was no cable TV, and you were a kid, so you just
watched whatever the hell was on. That might help explain the once popular
depression era country drama, The Waltons. Now, you can relive all the
maudlin madness with the imaginatively titled, The Walton's: Season One.
You'd think in this digital age, they could at least do something about
erasing John Boy's mole.

Court TV: Crime Stories. Really. I mean, this is the kind of show you flip
to, watch for a few minutes, and flip away from again. Is it even meant to
be watched in its entirety? True life crime and trials and...

Have Gun, Will Travel: Season One. At least this program is not easily
found on six cable stations. This old time black & white detective show is
fairly unremarkable, but does offer an interesting look back on what used to
pass for a typical TV show. It's not bad, just paced a lot slower.

The X Files: Season Nine. Could there really have been a season not yet
released? Does anyone still care?