I made an amazing discovery yesterday.
I am probably one of the ten people in this country who deeply lamented the cancellation of The WB's dramadey Everwood about three years ago.
Television is probably the extracurricular activity I devote the most of my time to, which is a little sad for me, but very good for the box set industry.
My box set collection remains incomplete, however.
I have Everwood season one, which came out shortly after the first season finale in 2003. The other three seasons have yet to appear on DVD, and could not be found online.
Until yesterday, that is.
TheWb.com now has full episodes of its old, canceled shows - Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Jack and Bobby, Friends and more - and makes for a great way to spend an hour, or three.
Unfortunately for me, there are only five episodes of Everwood, the critically-acclaimed tale of Dr. Andrew Brown and his misinformed parenting and free medical practice in a small mountain town in Colorado, up on the Web site as of now.
I am so excited that more episodes are available online for my viewing pleasure. Because Everwood tops my list of series that were cancelled far too early, but now, thanks to technology, can be watched right anytime, right on my laptop.
Other wonderful Web sites to bookmark: Hulu.com, Sidereel.com (which may or may not direct you to a screen almost entirely filled with yellow Chinese subtitles) and the trusty IMDb.com, which now offers full episodes of some shows.
So, if you're looking for a study break, check out these two shows:
1. Everwood - This is one show my friends in high school always made fun of me for watching. Ephram Brown might be one of the most angst-ridden teenagers to ever grace primetime network television. It's very well acted, and the story lines, though a little off the wall sometimes, are really very heartwarming. It featured the woman who posthumously narrates Desperate Housewives, again playing a dead woman. The show made me love mountains, increase my affection for Ferris wheels and love the name Ephram, which according to babynames.com, isn't really a name at all.
2. Arrested Development - this is probably a give-in, but Arrested Development is the funniest show you never watched on television. iTunes now carries the complete series, which, fortunately, is also available in box set form. Each episode is 20-or so minutes of absurdity, highly quotable and extremely enjoyable. Not to be missed: The Mrs. Featherbottom episodes ("It was the exact same plot as Mrs. Doubtfire..."). The dozens of other Arrested fans out there (dozens!) no doubt have their other favorite moments.
Maybe a later column will describe other great shows you can watch for free online. That all depends on how much actual work I decide to accomplish.
