Lots of people have asked: how do you watch TV on the road? What do you do in your free time? How are you living without Netflix? All valid questions.

I wish I could tell you that we kicked our TV habit the minute we set sail for the open road. We tried, really. We did cancel our Netflix and Amazon prime memberships. We can’t (or more accurately don’t) stream anything on our phones and computers with our mobile hotspot because it eats a lot of precious data. The first week and a half we simply listened to the radio, tunes on our phones and read. A lot. But adjusting to road life is hard.

So we decided to “break the seal” on TV entertainment. After all, we ARE human. And we’re living in a golden age of television, people. There’s a lot of good stuff out there and we’re not going to apologize for wanting to partake.

So, here’s how we do it: iTunes.

We didn’t really know that purchasing a TV show or renting a movie via iTunes actually downloads it on your computer. But we are sure glad we did. Because we don’t always have internet or cell service at the state parks we stay at, it’s crucial to download things when the internet is free and fast and abundant (aka at a coffee shop or Buffalo Wild Wings). So far, this method has worked pretty great. Here’s a list of what we’ve watched so far.

Homeland, season 5

This was the show that “broke the seal” for us. We’d already started season 5 (we've been watching since the beginning). And one day after consecutive nights of reading and listening to the very limited music library on Carson’s phone, I broke. I said, “Hey, whatcha think is happening on Homeland right now? We’ve got a lot of episodes to catch up on.” And so we downloaded one. Which led to another. Which led to the entire season. PETER QUINN. Dear God, we love him. He’s the only thing that keeps us going with this show. And we think Season 5 is incredible. Great story lines. Great plots. ALISON, right? Right people.

Fargo, season 2

We couldn’t take it anymore. People have been praising season 2 left and right and we were big, big fans of season 1. One evening driving into San Antonio listening to a recap of the best shows of 2015 on Terry Gross’ Fresh Air, we decided: We need to watch this show. We got the season pass on iTunes, rationed ourselves, and stretched this season out for a whole 7-10 days. Pretty good, IMO. It was just as good as the first, if not better. Peggy and Ed have stuck with us for a good long while. Plus, Ted Danson, folks. Is there anything better than Ted Danson with a Minnesotan accent? I think not.

Tangerine

A recommendation from friends / family. We decided to give this movie, which is shot entirely on an iPhone6 (amazing enough alone), a try. Despite all the glowing reviews and hype, we found ourselves lukewarm on this one. I was hoping for more plot / dialogue. But I enjoyed the ride.

The Overnight

We wanted something light and funny to watch on Christmas Day, and we have to be honest: we’re suckers for Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman. It was quirky and bizarre and did what movies about odd sexual encounters make you do: squirm and laugh awkwardly. But we enjoyed it. I nervously laughed more than once. I DO NOT recommend this for parents or watching with your parents or watching with anyone but your significant other / people you feel okay feeling slightly uncomfortable around. But I do recommend it. And you’ll make butthole jokes after you watch it. Trust me: you’ll get it once you see it.

The Leftovers, season 1

Another recommendation from friends/family. We thought about this one for a while, and then after having both independently read good reviews and things about it (it’s also showed up on a lot of people’s “best show” lists of 2015), we decided to pull the trigger. As of right now, we've just binge watched the entire first season in less than a week. It’s incredibly gripping and sad and engrossing. We love it, though we have a lot of questions! We have already pre-ordered season 2, which this image hails from. We will be sufficiently busy the week of 2/9.

What are you all watching? Any recommendations on our next show of choice? And any tips on how to efficiently and affordably get TV let us know. Or, actually, don't let us know. We could probably stand to read a bit more. We keep buying books and still need to read the ones we have. More on that in another post...