Guilty Pleasures: Reruns

Last December when I finally took the plunge and got DirecTV with DVR, I was excited about being able to record shows like Bones and Fringe and Chuck instead of trying to catch them online. Then, of course, there were all the added channels. I had basic cable before. And by basic, I mean BASIC. I had the broadcast netorks, plus WGN and two shopping channels, but no TNT, USA, AMC, HGTV…you get the picture. Being able to watch Psych and Leverage in real time rather than waiting for them to show up online made me giddy. And then, I rediscovered syndication.

Of course I’ve seen every episode of Friends 12 times in syndication. I’ve killed time with Seinfeld and Frasier as well. They’re staples of my local affiliates’ we-need-to-fill-30-minutes scheduling, so I suppose I was ready for something new. A couple of weeks ago, aimlessly flicking through the on-screen guide for something to watch instead of going to bed, The Nanny showed up on Nick at Night. And then I realized that it’s on every night. Two episodes, sometimes four. Bliss! I watched from Fran’s first nasal laugh through the increasingly ridiculous plots and meta moments until the completely over-the-top finale with Fran, Maxwell and the twins. But that was a decade ago. Now I’m reliving the whole series. Well, at least from season 3; I’ll have to catch the earlier episodes when the loop starts again. P.S. Did you know that Madeline Zima, aka Grace, has been tapped for a role in Heroes next season?

Meanwhile, over on Lifetime, Less Than Perfect just began syndicating from the beginning. Another favorite of mine early on, I lost track of it after a couple of seasons. If I recall correctly, the entire final season never aired in the U.S. although it did finish its run overseas. So here’s the chance to watch Zachary Levi play a very different comic role prior to Chuck, Andrea Parker play a completely different character than her Miss Parker from The Pretender (hey, is that in reruns anywhere?), and Sara Rue hold her own in the lead role prior to the debut of her new series, Eastwick, on ABC this fall.

Now that I have hours of The Nanny and Less Than Perfect filling my DVR, along with Barefoot Contessa and What Not to Wear, I may never sleep again.