TV That Follows Through

I’m often irked by TV shows that’ll mention a silly website name just for a cheap laugh but fail to go the extra mile for those that bother to follow up online. Being a work-from-home internet geek, I often have my WIFI laptop on hand, if not in hand, when the TV is on, and I have to say I’m happy to see that some folks in show business seem to be catching on.

While watching a recently recorded episode of Scrubs last night, I was tickled pink to find that not one but two sites mentioned in the show were actually online. RateYourDoc.org is a site that actually let’s you rate your favourite care providers at Sacred Heart Hospital, and it looks like it has a fully functional voting system built into it. Of course, Dr. Jan Itor is currently leading the polls, and may never be overtaken.

The second site mentioned in the show is supposed to be the personal site dedicated to the Toddster, the surgeon with nothing but sex on his mind. Heed this warning if you choose to follow the next link, which I’m telling you up front may offend some and embarrass a good many others (bear this in mind doubly so if you’re in a public space right now!): thetoddtime.com (it’s actually a backdoor to the Scrubs podcast page, but I’m feeling mischivous right now, so I won’t give you the direct link - you’ll have to go through the Toddster.)

Another show that seems to be getting it right is How I Met Your Mother. BarneysBlog.com, mentioned frequently on the show (usually by Barney when he says something like “Don’t any of you read my blog?”), will take you to page full of bonus material in blog form, including samples of the script for TED MOSBY, SEX ARCHITECT and a detailed breakdown of the hot-to-crazy ratio.

Also, if you caught this year’s American Thanksgiving episode, you’ll be happy to know that SlapCountdown.com will forward you to a YouTube page featuring a bonus video of Marshall (played by Jason Segel) singing the instant classic “You Just Got Slapped.”