One of the perhaps underappreciated joys of the TiVo is the things it records for you on spec, stuff it thinks you might like based on the things you have asked it to record. Thanks to this feature, Tiffany and I are now hooked on BBC America's Waking the Dead, a classy two-hour cold case files-type crime drama which is now among our Season Pass items. BBCA is quite the gold mine for mystery fans - I really need to start recording Murder in Mind (I've caught a couple of eps by chance), and both Wire in the Blood and Red Cap look promising, too.
Of course, there can be some unintentional amusement as well. Once in a while, the TiVo doesn't change channels on our cable box successfully, so what you see listed as an episode of, say "Law and Order" on Channel 35 may turn out instead to be Channel 3's "Buscando Amor", a Spanish-language version of Blind Date, complete with snarky hosts, thought balloons, and hot tub scenes. As long as it wasn't something you had intended to record, it can be more fun than what you thought you were getting.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on February 08, 2004 to TV and movies | TrackBackBBC America is one of the more interesting channels on cable. It also, for me, is one that I watch only when I stumble across something interesting. Then I can leave it there for hours.
Time Warner's DVR does not have the problem (or is it a feature) TiVo has. The only problems I've come across involve a change in programming.
Posted by: William Hughes on February 8, 2004 9:35 PMWe've been watching Red Cap for a while -- in fact I think a new season starts tonight. The whole Mystery Monday thing is pretty good viewing on BBCA -- we also watched The Vice (very dark) and a couple of others whose name esacpes me right now.
Posted by: David on February 9, 2004 8:25 AMLove most of the mysteries, but since BBCAmerica is actually the Discovery Channel, they hack the hell out of them. The Jonathon Creek Mysteries are 30 minutes longer in source form, etc, and what they cut was apparently more of the funny stuff.
Didn't like Wire in the Blood, because I think that we don't really need to see more of that kind of stuff (what's next, live executions?) and I'm REALLY ticked at BBC America for showing the commercials for it during the day time. Nothing like watching Changing Rooms or Ground Force with a 3-year old and having to change the channel for EVERY commercial break.
Posted by: Richard Frueh on February 9, 2004 8:59 AMI happen to be doing Nielsen diaries this week, and I protest this use of TiVo. My hard work noting what I'm watching in 15-minute increments will be for naught if this profligate and indiscriminate recording takes hold. Fie upon TiVo!
Posted by: Linkmeister on February 9, 2004 3:14 PMRed Cap won't be returning. BBC cut the funding. Write in in complain if you'd like.
BBC (Ask for a Finale!!) http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/contactus/form.shtml
BBC America
http://www.bbcamerica.com/about/contactus_email.jsp