History Main / AppointmentTelevision

** {{Series/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.

* {{Creator/Netflix}} averts this trope all together by releasing entire seasons of their original programming all at once, encouraging BingeWatching instead of Appointment Television.

-->'''Sheldon:''' Roommates agree that Friday nights shall be reserved for watching Creator/JossWhedon's brilliant new series ''Series/{{Firefly}}''.
-->'''Leonard:''' Does that really need to be in the agreement?
-->'''Sheldon:''' We might as well settle it now. [[ThisIsGoingToBeHuge It's gonna be on for years.]]

** There is another episode using this trope, where the crew must make sure they watch the episode of ''[[SoapWithinAShow All My Circuits]]'' with Calculon's wedding.

* In ''Film/{{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 ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'' comes on, starring both Caine and Hackman. Pigman is then freed from inverted Appointment Television.

--> '''Viking Guy''': I'm dating your mom next weekend!\\

** 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 (especially the Janitor who Cox had just told ItWasHisSled about the years old SixthSense)

* Shows that build experiences around social media like Website/{{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.

* In a case that made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1984, the TV and movie industries sued manufactures of VCRs on the grounds that recording their programming was copyright infringement. Enter [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Fred Rogers]], who testified on behalf of home recording, saying he didn't mind if people recorded his shows and that it was a very good thing for families to be able to watch programs together whenever they wanted to, rather than being controlled by an arbitrary network. The court specifically cited his testimony in their decision. So in other words if you like not being tied down to Appointment Television, you can thank Mr. Rogers.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'', the royalty of a race of aliens a thousand light years from Earth became addicted to ''Single Female Lawyer'', an ''Series/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...

* ''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. WABC in New York City basically conceded that nothing could replace the show by launching a 4 P.M. newscast.

* 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.

* Any reality show with a public vote is automatically this, since you can't vote after the result has been declared.

Video Games can invoke this effect by incorporating mechanics that require gamers to PlayEveryDay, or by having online events at specific times in which players gather together for something special, possibly featuring loot that will [[LostForever never appear again]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/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.
** Selma does this with ''Series/MacGyver'' in "Black Widower".

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]

[[AC: {{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/{{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 ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'' comes on, starring both Caine and Hackman. Pigman is then freed from inverted Appointment Television.

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]
* In ''[[http://www.ufoera.com/articles/whats-alien-you-by-dave-barry_1190310857.html What's Alien You?]]'' Creator/DaveBarry speculates that the reason so many shows are so horrifyingly bad is that aliens have "terrible taste", and are addicted to the worst Earth shows. They may threaten to blow up the planet if they don't get their schlock on time.
-->This is why you and all your friends think television is so awful. It isn't designed to please you: it's designed to please creatures from another galaxy. You know the Wisk commercial, the one with the ring around the collar, the one so spectacularly stupid that it makes you wonder why anybody would dream of buying the product? Well, the aliens ''love'' that commercial. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to the people who make Wisk. They have not sold a single bottle of Wisk in 14 years, but they have saved the Earth.

[[AC: LiveActionTelevision]]
* 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 ''{{Series/Friends}}''.

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'', the royalty of a race of aliens a thousand light years from Earth became addicted to ''Single Female Lawyer'', an ''Series/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 is another episode using this trope, where the crew must make sure they watch the episode of ''[[SoapWithinAShow All My Circuits]]'' with Calculon's wedding.

[[AC:RealLife]]

* In [[http://www.ufoera.com/articles/whats-alien-you-by-dave-barry_1190310857.html ''What's Alien You?'']] DaveBarry speculates that the reason so many shows are so horrifyingly bad is that aliens have "terrible taste", and are addicted to the worst Earth shows. They may threaten to blow up the planet if they don't get their schlock on time.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/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...

* 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.

* In the ''SushiPack'' episode "Taming the Gaming," the villain is defeated because there's an all-day marathon of his favorite show, and he keeps going back to watch it (and uses all his security camera monitors to watch it). In his next appearance, he mentally congratulates himself for thinking to actually tape the show this time.

----

* 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 ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'' comes on, starring both Caine and Hackman. Pigman is then freed from inverted Appointment Television.

* ''ScudTheDisposableAssassin'' once used this to taunt Voo-Doo Ben, urging him to come out and get killed so Scud could make it home in time for ''Oprah''.

** And Julius on ''EverybodyHatesChris''.
** And Red on ''That70sShow''.

*** 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]].

** And both Giles and Spike on ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' experience this

Video Games can invoke this effect by incorporating mechanics that require gamers to PlayEveryDay.

* In [[http://www.ufoera.com/articles/whats-alien-you-by-dave-barry_1190310857.html ''What's Alien You?'']], DaveBarry speculates that the reason so many shows are so horrifyingly bad is that aliens have "terrible taste", and are addicted to the worst Earth shows. They may threaten to blow up the planet if they don't get their schlock on time.

** 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.