I hate network television for the most part. It was a minor thrill when cable broadcast finally beat its big brother during sweep weeks with the assurance that network television dominance is now a thing of the past.

So I wanted to reach out to the readers and give me the shows you have a hard time missing from week-to-week.

For me it breaks down like this...And this doesn't include the live sporting events I love to watch...

-- It's Take a Thief: Two former houseburgulars (Matt Johnston and Jon Douglas Rainey) try to educate the average family into better securing their property through an interesting experiment.

Basically Matt will ask a family if they will let Jon rob them to test the measures of their security. Of course they give the stuff back, clean the house and help them build a strong security system (since Jon will come back for a second run two weeks later).

Needless to say Jon robs the shit out of these people, he had one family in tears he was so brutal. And Matt adds a really condescending/smartass commentary, generally saying things like: "you don't lock your windows" right after Rainey opens them.

It's a funny show unless you own a house without a security system. It's also got great educational value because you're not as safe as you think. Comes on the Discovery Channel [link]

-- The Amazing Race: I like some reality television, I especially like The Amazing Race because of the "Cannonball Run" aspect and I enjoy the different stratigies each team implements. It's also tough to have a bad season in this sort of format since the show pretty much writes itself.
Comes on CBS [link]

-- Pardon the Interuption: I love sports, I love journalism. I get the best of both worlds as Washington Post columnists Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon discuss the daily sports gossip.

The chemistry the two have is great because you can tell that they aren't best friends but that they have worked together long enough to know what buttons to push. Also neither takes themselves too seriously. Of course PTI comes on ESPN. [link]

-- Ceasars 24/7: I love Las Vegas and I love the stories that come from Sin City. This show follows a couple of storylines from Vegas' most popular hotel/casino (Ceasars Palace) and generally follows around high rollers or business openings or weddings...or whatever. It comes on A&E. [link]

-- Real Time With Bill Maher: It's politics and pop culture with Bill Maher. It's a seasonal show on HBO, but unlike The Sopranos, the seasons aren't two years apart. Obviously the star of the show is Maher and he'll usually have an interview with some newsmaker (i.e. Ward Churchill, Mario Cuomo, etc.) and he'll have a panel that usually includes a conservative, a liberal and an actor of sorts.

It's extremely funny for the most part as Maher seems to be at home on HBO where he can curse freely and doesn't have to worry about the same muzzle he had on the ABC networks. This show is a LOT better than Politically Incorrect. [link]

Anyone out there got a show they can't live without??