History Main / AppointmentTelevision

** ''HowIMetYourMother'': The gang has to miss the Super Bowl to attend the funeral of a bartender from [=MacLaren's=]. So, they tape it and try to avoid finding out who won before they can watch it. [[spoiler: Only Ted succeeds.]]

* According to an anecdote in Creator/StanFreberg's autobiography, he had heard that one time UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein cut short an important meeting, saying only that it was "''WesternAnimation/BeanyAndCecil Time For Beany''."

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To avoid cluttering the page with TroperTales, please include only examples of this when used in works of media.

* ''Series/TheOprahWinfreyShow'' was so huge that daytime television revolved around it, and there was a seismic shift in local programming schedules when it went off the air. Some stations scheduled programs featuring Oprah's friends, like Dr. Oz, to air at the same time that she used to. Others moved stronger programs into her former time slot, relieved that the ratings juggernaut was out of the way.

* ''TheOprahWinfreyShow'' was so huge that daytime television revolved around it, and there was a seismic shift in local programming schedules when it went off the air.

* In ''{{Futurama}}'', the royalty of a race of aliens a thousand light years from Earth became addicted to ''Single Female Lawyer'', an ''AllyMcBeal'' {{Expy}}. When they learn that the resolution of the series finale was never aired, they angrily travel to Earth with their fleet of warships...

* There was a subplot of ''{{Series/Scrubs}}'' where Dr. Cox is trying all episode to avoid being spoiled on the score of a football game, because he has it recorded to watch later. It's not hard to guess what his sadistic co-workers do.
* ''{{Series/Frasier}}'' had a plot similar to the ''{{Scrubs}}'' one above, where Frasier had recorded an episode of a drama to watch later. IIRC, he spent the entire day avoiding spoilers (even having to run through the hallways at work because of everyone wanting to discuss the show with him), and when he finally gets home he keeps getting distracted by his family and arising obligations. Right when he finally has time to settle down and is about to watch the tape... Daphne spoils it for him.
** This isn't even the first time it's happened to him. Back on ''{{Cheers}}'', he had taped a television movie with the intention of watching it later. Unfortunately, the other guys at the bar spoiled it for him. He retaliated by spoiling the endings to a few movies. (Said endings had all achieved ItWasHisSled status.)
* Averted in the 1970s BBC sitcom ''WhateverHappenedToTheLikelyLads?'': Our heroes spend all day desperately avoiding all news of a soccer score so they can watch recorded highlights of the game on TV. They succeed, but find that [[spoiler: the game was abandoned due to flooding]].
** A similar plot occurred on ''HowIMetYourMother''. The gang has to miss the Super Bowl to attend the funeral of a bartender from [=MacLaren's=]. So, they tape it and try to avoid finding out who won before they can watch it. [[spoiler: Only Ted succeeds.]]

* It's a running joke on many shows that men who are suddenly off work will become addicted to {{Soap Opera}}s. This happened to Chandler in ''{{Friends}}''.
** Also to Niles on ''{{Frasier}}''.

* ''DharmaAndGreg'' took advantage of the fact that everyone in the city would be watching the ''{{Seinfeld}}'' finale to have sex in public without getting caught.
* There was a subplot of ''{{Scrubs}}'' where Dr. Cox is trying all episode to avoid being spoiled on the score of a football game, because he has it recorded to watch later. It's not hard to guess what his sadistic co-workers do.
* ''{{Frasier}}'' had a plot similar to the ''{{Scrubs}}'' one above, where Frasier had recorded an episode of a drama to watch later. IIRC, he spent the entire day avoiding spoilers (even having to run through the hallways at work because of everyone wanting to discuss the show with him), and when he finally gets home he keeps getting distracted by his family and arising obligations. Right when he finally has time to settle down and is about to watch the tape... Daphne spoils it for him.

** Selma does this with ''MacGuyver'' in "Black Widower".

* In ''TheSimpsons''' "Who Shot Mr. Burns" two-parter, this was the reason Smithers was proven to be innocent: He couldn't have been the one to shoot Mr. Burns, since his favorite television show was on at the time of the crime, and he never misses it.

* On ''TheBigBangTheory'', a flashback to Leonard moving into the apartment showed that Sheldon put this into the roommate agreement.
-->'''Sheldon:''' Roommates agree that Friday nights shall be reserved for watching JossWhedon's brilliant new series {{Firefly}}.

* Shows that build experiences around social media like {{Twitter}}, such as ''Scandal'' or ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' where cast and crew members join in the discussion pretty much depend on their viewers being there at the time their shows start because watching on DVR removes the social experience and part of the fun.

* Shows that build experiences around social media like {{Twitter}}, such as ''Series/Scandal'' or ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'' where cast and crew members join in the discussion pretty much depend on their viewers being there at the time their shows start because watching on DVR removes the social experience and part of the fun.

* Averted in the 1970s BBC sitcom ''WhateverHappenedToTheLikelyLads?'': Our heroes spend all day desperately avoiding all news of a soccer score so they can watch recorded highlights of the game on TV. They succeed, but find that [[spoiler: the game was abandoned due to flooding]].

* In ''{{PCU}}'', Pigman inverts this trope when he must watch TV 24 hours a day in order to finish his senior thesis, which is that you can find a Michael Caine or Gene Hackman movie on television at any time, all the time. He eventually proves his thesis when ''ABridgeTooFar'' comes on, starring both Caine and Hackman. Pigman is then freed from inverted Appointment Television.

* ''DharmaAndGreg'' took advantage of the fact that everyone in New York would be watching the ''{{Seinfeld}}'' finale to have sex in public.

[[AC: {{Film}}]]
* In ''{{PCU}}'', Pigman inverts this trope when he must watch TV 24 hours a day in order to finish his senior thesis, which is that you can find a Michael Caine or Gene Hackman movie on television at any time, all the time. He eventually proves his thesis when ''ABridgeTooFar'' comes on, starring both Caine and Hackman. Pigman is then freed from inverted Appointment Television.

* In ''Series/TeenTitans'', there was an episode where Beast Boy inverts this trope by being so addicted to a television show that he couldn't remember the last time he went outside.

** There is another episode using this trope, where the crew must make sure they watch the episode of ''AllMyCircuits'' with Calculon's wedding.

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* In ''TeenTitans'', there was an episode where Beast Boy inverts this trope by being so addicted to a television show that he couldn't remember the last time he went outside.