It's also convenient to have a TV tuner card.

In general, TV is a waste of time. This is both good and bad. Bad in the sense that watching TV is usually less interesting and productive than much of anything else, but good in the sense that every once in a while, wasting time is a good way of relieving stress. Returning to reality, though, there are some shows that I try to watch:

• South Park. If you don't watch it, you should. And if you've missed any, you should find someone (like me) that has them all on tape. Well, all of them from the first 2 years at least.
• The Simpsons is still pretty funny after all these years.
• The X Files is worth watching most of the time, especially if you're interested in weird sci-fi stuff.
• Friends is usually amusing.
• ER - after growing up hearing about emergency room medicine at home, it's only natural that I watch this.
• The Practice is a decent legal drama.