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If you are like me, you kick yourself when you miss an episode of your favorite television show. Not only are you in the dark, but you then have to endure the people around you talking about how great it was, and possibly giving away the whole plot. That is why the fact that many networks are putting episodes of their most popular shows on the Internet is so ingenious and convenient. While it is a great way to get back on track, there are both pros and cons to this new online feature.

Pro: Watch it at Any Time

The biggest pro of being able to watch your favorite television episodes on the Internet is that you can watch and catch up on shows at any time. It can be three in the morning on a Wednesday when you can’t sleep and you’re the only person awake in the neighborhood. There’s nothing on television worth watching; just informercials and reruns on TVland. All you have to do is just open up your laptop or boot up your PC and catch up on that episode of your favorite television show that you missed. Now you can go back to sleep knowing that you’re no longer in the dark.

Con: The Episodes Expire Online

Just as there is a limited amount of time during which you can catch up on reruns of a show you missed, there is a limited window of time during which you can view these online versions of the episodes. So be sure you don’t wait months before getting online.

Pro: Watch Some Episodes Virtually Commercial-Free

Another benefit of watching the episodes online, and a possible case for foregoing the actual television option, is the fact that the episodes are virtually commercial-free. You may see one advertiser break up your viewing experience, but it is a lot less than the six of so 30 second commercials you have to put up with when watching on the boob tube.

Con: Don’t Get the Full Experience

A big con of watching television episodes online is that you don’t get the full experience of watching your show on a large screen TV. There is something that is “missed” when you watch television on your computer, rather than the normal way with the rest of the world. It’s almost as if you are losing out on something that everyone else is experiencing.

While I don’t 100% support going online to watch TV shows over watching it the old-fashioned way at this point, I do see the value. For now, I definitely condone using the internet as a back up plan and only in an emergency.