The only time I ever turn on the TV with any form of excitement is on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m.

Tuesday has the best networks have to offer. Of course, you can't get the most out of your night by sticking with one station. The idea is ludicrous — you'd have to suffer through "According to Jim" and two episodes of "Hope & Faith" just to get to the beloved legal comedy/drama "Boston Legal" on ABC.

No, the key to a successful TV evening is variation and a deep understanding of how to best work the remote. To take full advantage of what TV has to offer, you must be able to get from channel to channel quickly, meaning, know the button that jumps you from one channel to the one you last watched. You don't want to waste time by actually pushing in the digits on the remote — what if you accidentally go to 22 instead of 29 because the buttons are sticking? You just don't want to risk the time loss. And don't even consider the archaic method of simply going up and down, channel by channel. A clever GEICO commercial could distract you just long enough to miss the "previously" at the beginning of a show.

Finally, keep track of that remote. It's so easy to just set it down beside you, forget it's there, roll over and bang — you're stuck watching reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" on TBS until you can find the remote.

Now that you know the proper techniques, we can move on to what to watch and when. My Tuesday routine begins at 8 p.m. watching the WB's "Gilmore Girls." I will be the first to admit the show's not what it used to be. Rory and Logan's relationship is rocky and unbelievable, given that while they were "on a break," Logan slept with a bunch of his sister's friends. But that doesn't compare to giving Luke a long-lost daughter just to add another obstacle to Luke and Lorelai's impending nuptials. Still, the show is full of pop-culture references and fast-talking characters that made it endearing.

As soon as you finish watching the previews for next Tuesday's episode, switch to NBC to catch "Scrubs." The show features the lives of medical interns who are now doctors as they deal with each other and life at the hospital. Sound familiar? "Grey's Anatomy" came after and, in my opinion, comes nowhere close to the ingenuity that is "Scrubs." And I don't think I'm the only one who notices — in one episode, J.D. (Zach Braff) comments to Elliott (Sarah Chalke) that he loves "Grey's Anatomy" because it's like they've been watching their lives for years and now putting it on TV.

Unfortunately, "Scrubs" only lasts a half hour and NBC made the mistake of putting a new show, "Teachers," on at 9:30 p.m. instead of another episode of "Scrubs." But after watching "Teachers," I have a sneaking suspicion "Scrubs" might resurface at the time slot as the unfunny and unwatchable "Teachers" slumps lower and lower in the ratings. Until that happy day comes, there's still a half hour to burn before tuning into "Boston Legal." Just don't lose track time — it starts at 10 p.m. on ABC.

"Boston Legal" is a spin-off of "The Practice," starring James Spader, William Shatner and Candice Bergen. The show takes a lighter look at the law, but still handles serious cases and occasionally gets up on a liberal soapbox. The situations the lawyers get themselves into are unbelievable but funny — Denny Crane (Shatner) shoots his client, and another lawyer accidentally chops off the finger of a corrupt priest, which is then carried away by a cat.

After "Boston Legal," I recommend checking out "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," but you need a high TV tolerance to keep watching. As you may have noticed, none of these shows are reality shows. There's something about good acting and writing that trumps "real life" when watching TV. "Gilmore Girls," "Scrubs" and "Boston Legal" are all comedy-dramas in varying degrees, which means they make you laugh and make a point at the same time. Tonight, and for the next couple Tuesdays until summer reruns kick in, take a quick two-hour break from reality and tune into a mother-daughter duo, doctors and lawyers for a night of truly enjoyable television.