I’ve been watching an unusual amount of television lately, and by lately I mean for several months now, and by unusual amount I mean hours and hours per day.

Perhaps you’ll blame the internet, for failing to provide enough compelling content to keep me glued to the computer for days on end. But you’d be wrong. Again. There is nothing wrong with my information superhighway, and certainly nothing to actually drive me out of my seat and “back to the couch”.

In fact, it was my old friend the internet that got me back on the boob tube. Youtube (along with it’s smarter but nerdier little brother Google Video and others) is a fountain of recently deceased television, not to mention highlights from today’s brightest stars.

You see, I’ve been a little removed from the comings and goings in popular culture for the last six years or so, for reasons of sudden and irreversible fatherhood. Basically, if it happened since Clinton left office (and it’s not G-rated), I don’t know about it, or I’m just finding out now - thanks to youtube and its many copyright ignoring users.

That means Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim - Particularly Robot Chicken, and the late great Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. That means Comedy Central’s Reno 911. And speaking of Comedy Central, who knew that there was a Daily Show spinoff - the much more consistently funny Colbert Report? And speaking of Stephen Colbert (who, incidentally, lent his voice to more than one Harvey Birdman character), youtube is the only place you’ll find a trace of his brilliant first show Exit 57… watch enough Comedy Central and you’re bound to get lured in by ads enticing you to experience the Sarah Silverman program… Add in the occasional HBO (hell, sometimes I’ll watch anything without commercials) and I’ve become a full-on part-time television junkie.

And it’s awesome. I’ll stay up all damn night on my computer, working, studying, or just spinning my wheels, reading (or writing) some serious but meaningless something. Now, at least a couple nights a week, I’ll stay up all night catching up with the TiVo. And laughing. Cover your mouth so you don’t wake everybody up laughing. Laughter is good, and good for you - except for the staying up all night part.

Now the last time I checked, even Comedy Central didn’t have any comedy that was central to me; even old SNL reruns get, well, old. And the stuff I’m supposed to like - I can’t tell you how many people were sure that South Park would be right up my alley - didn’t exactly work either. But Reno 911, Sarah Silverman, this is my kind of funny. Push it right to the edge, then… bump it.

Sure a lot of the thrill of watching are those “I can’t believe they just said that” moments, but hey, that’s why I watch House MD, and that wins Emmys.