A DVR is the only way to go these days with all the commercials. I like the old 30 minute “Gunsmoke” episodes from the late 50’s on the Western Channel - without ads they are 25 minutes long.
Back then you had to sprint to the bathroom or kitchen for whatever reason to get back in time for the show. Now you could probably take a nap during the ads. It's like there's a program full of ads with a little entertainment between the ads.