Ok. If you are a sports watcher then maybe there is a case for having cable, but otherwise, most good shows are available online a day later.

For several years American viewers have had the opportunity to view shows they missed online. But the problem for us here in Canada is the websites screened for your country of origin and only allowed you to view video content if you were physically in the USA. That is actually still true. While there are ways that you can spoof your IP address to trick the system, it often means a slower internet connection AND isn’t something the average person is willing to or knows how to do.

About two (2) years ago the transition began. We started seeing more and more television shows with full episodes showing up on the web. While there has been less than legal ways to download full episodes of almost any tv show or movie, this is a completely legitimate and legal way to stream video online.

We watch the following shows online on a regular basis. (click the links to see the latest episode)

• Big Bang Theory
• Bones
• House MD
• How I Met your Mother
• Modern Family

A couple caveats however:

1. You have to endure the commercials. While not nearly as long as commercials on live TV, they are there and you can not fast forward through them.
2. Only the last show or two is available so this is not a good way to catch up on an entire season at once.

If you can deal with the above limitations, watching shows online may prove much less expensive than paying that extra $50 per month on a cable bill.