PBS

               When I am trying to find something to watch on TV, I have a selected list of channels that I check.  I know which ones I am most likely to find something I like and I go to those first.  Over the past couple of months this list has grown a little and it now includes the two PBS channels in my area.  I do not know how many times I came across these channels and found something interesting to watch.  It became a habit to check them and now they are officially part of my list.

                One of my most exciting finds has been the airings of Midsomer Murders during the week.  Each weekday half of an episode is aired.  While I do prefer to watch the shows in their entirety, I love the show too much to care that it is split in half.  At least of the episodes I have seen.  If I have not seen an episode, I want to first see it on DVD where I can view it all at once.  After this is does not matter to me how many parts the episode is in, as long as I get to watch my Midsomer Murders.

                Another show on during the week is Tavis Smiley.  It is a talk show, for a lack of a better term.  In actuality it is more a filmed conversation with Mr. Smiley taking the lead and asking questions of his guests as well as putting in his own stories and thoughts.  A half hour show, Mr. Smiley has all sorts of guests on his stage.  I will be honest, the ones from the entertainment industry interest me more than those from the political and economic arena and I tend to not watch the non-entertainment ones as much.  No matter who is on, Mr. Smiley makes the conversation very interesting and informative.  He knows about his guests and asks things that are not usually asked in interviews.  I really like having the opportunity to see this different side of people. 

                Then there are all the other different types of shows I have come across.  Of course there is Downton Abbey which will be returning with its new season soon.  There are also a lot of different British mystery shows and mystery movies other than Midsomer Murders.  I have a thing for mysteries and shows from Great Britain and I am thrilled to have a channel where I can watch them.  Independent Lens and American Experience also have interesting topics.  Recently Independent Lens concentrated on two young playwrights and how their work got to the stage.  A couple of months ago American Experience featured War of the Worlds and what happened after its broadcast in the 1930s.  Last week there was an independent special about how the detection techniques used in the Sherlock Holmes books changed crime investigations to how they are done today.  It feels as though PBS is always covering something exciting.

                With so many fascinating topics, it is easy to miss one when I am not paying attention.  Unfortunately, it is not easy to catch a repeat.  This is what happened with the American Experience episode I mentioned.  For some reason I was not able to see its original airing and I was unable to find it again.  As for the Sherlock Holmes show, I was very tired that night and slept through it.  Thankfully, a lot of the shows on PBS can be found on DVD meaning I do not have to miss the show permanently.  I can throw it on my movie list and wait for it to arrive in the mail, whenever that may be.