Breathe. I know it’s been a long time since your favorite shows have been on, but you’re going to be OK. I’m sure of it. Well, almost sure, but since this post is about thinking positive, go back to that breathing thing.

If you are feeling that emptiness in the pit of your heart, that space that is longing to be filled with quality, scripted programming never before seen, you have at least a week to wait, perhaps a bit more. It doesn’t have to be spent pining away, sitting in front of your television with your remote, going blindly from one station to another, hoping upon hope you’ll click onto something that will give your life meaning. That won’t happen, but you can entertain yourself while waiting for your favorite shows to come back.

Read a book

No, I am not suggesting an intellectual foray into the classics or even the current Oprah’s Book Club Book. Really, quality literature is no substitute for television. Instead, pick up a book or series of books that your favorite TV show may be based on, and compare. A few to start with:

• Darkly Dreaming Dexter — the book which inspired the Showtime series Dexter, arguably one of the best shows on television
  
• Dearly Devoted Dexter — second book in said series
• Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) — If you like HBO’s True Blood, try the Sookie Stackhouse books on for size. I love the books so much that I hate the TV series.
  
• Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2)
• Friday Night Lights Mass Market TV Tie-in — Yes, it was a book before the guy from Early Edition decided to grace your screen again.
• Lipstick Jungle TV Tie-In — Heck, pick up Sex and the City, too. Candace Bushnell’s a spunky read.

Yank out those TV on DVDs and revisit your old favorites, or try something new

My collection of TV on DVD that I love to revisit consists of:

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially season three’s “The Zeppo,” season four’s “A New Man” and “Hush,” season two’s “I Only Have Eyes for You,” season five’s “Buffy vs. Dracula,” season six’s “Once More, with Feeling,” and season seven’s “Conversations with Dead People.”
• Angel, especially season one’s “I Will Remember You” and “Hero.”
• Veronica Mars -- The Complete First Season — Someone once said this show actually ran for three seasons, but I believe they are mistaken. OK, I’ll give them two seasons, but I’m sure there wasn’t a third.
• Quantum Leap — If you just blindly put any episode from any season into your DVD player, you won’t be disappointed.

Better yet, try some new ones to whet your appetite for new programming. I’m currently working my way through Supernatural, which I’m chronicling in my feature, Diary of a Supernatural Virgin. If you’ve never watched a whole series in marathon style, you’re missing out, especially ones with deep characterization and complex story arcs. What show have you always wanted to watch, but could never bear to turn on because you’ve missed the first two seasons? Now’s the time to catch up!

Read about your favorite shows on fan sites

You’re reading CliqueClack because you’re cool, but a visit to hardcore fan sites of your favorite television shows can be an adventure, to say the least. Where else can you find forums discussing who is more kissable: Sam or Dean Winchester, Supernatural ringtones for your phone and, you know, shirtless pictures of all your faves? There might be some actual discussion of the show too.

Visit Hulu and YouTube

If there’s an episode you missed of pretty much anything since TV’s inception, you’ll probably find it on the internet. If not, you’ll get some entertaining clips at least. You know you want to watch Psych’s funniest moments from season two:

And probably you’d be lost without seeing Jan breastfeed in The Office:

Exercise

Don’t you dare go outside to get some fresh air and exercise; if you are going to move, do it in front of the television, for heaven’s sake! Perhaps you’ll work up such a sweat that you won’t realize FOX is airing another repeat of House.

Spend quality time with your child

You know, watching TV. If you’ve got a four-year-old boy, there’s nothing wrong with The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman, and old Super Friends on DVD. You might even enjoy learning about animals and nature on Zoboomafoo, but that might be considered educational, so you’d probably want to avoid it.

Clean your clutter

You know you’ve got to make room on those shelves for more TV on DVD, and since you are always losing that remote, it might be time to recycle all those TV Guides you’ve been collecting on the coffee table.

Remodel your home

It will give you an excuse to sit in front of the TV and watch all those HGTV reruns you didn’t catch the first time. I highly recommend Design on a Dime and Designer’s Challenge.

Cook a gourmet meal

Who cares if you’ve seen the Iron Chef cobia battle seven times this year? If you are going to cook that cobia up right, you’ve got to study, and who better to learn from than Mario Batali and Jamie Oliver.

So fear not — you will survive the lack of quality television. But if one night, in your darkest hour, you find yourself tuning in to Momma’s Boys, please call someone for help. I believe there is a good samaritan hotline being established for just this purpose.

Any other ideas on how you can spend TV’s hiatus, so that you don’t waste away from lack of screen time?

Tags: angel, Buffy, buffy the vampire slayer, dexter, friday night lights, house, hulu, lipstick jungle, Quantum Leap, sex and the city, sookie stackhouse, southern vampire mysteries, supernatural, the office, true blood, veronica mars, X Files, youtube