Before we got a DVR, I’d have told you I didn’t watch TV. I still don’t, really. But if it weren’t for the DVR, I’d never have caught two shows that have proven immensely interesting.

  • Hustle – It’s a collaboration betwen AMC and BBC about a group of con artists and how they pull their scams. This is easily some of the best non-sports TV you can find right now, but the schedule is so irregular I’d never catch it without the DVR. I’d say this is the only show I watch where I’m routinely caught by surprise at the end.
  • Mythbusters – It’s almost like science, but not quite. These guys experiment with urban folklore in a very entertaining way. My favorite test to date: Can foods containing poppy seeds really cause you to fail a drug test? They’ve also tested whether alcohol or cell phones diminish your driving skills more and whether there was really an epidemic of spontaneous combustion in 1930s-era farmers’ trousers.

Neither show comes on at a convenient time for me to watch, and I think I’d be sorry if I missed either. I seldom say that about television unless the Red Sox are involved.