The three main television networks are reducing their coverage of the national political conventions starting next week to three hours, showing instead re-runs of "Hawaii Five-O," an NFL game and other sops to distract the masses.

But if you still think it's worth keeping a close watch on the Mitt and Barack variety shows to see what the political parties have in mind, you have several choices. The networks say they will stream coverage online. CNN and C-SPAN say they will do gavel-to-gavel coverage, just like back in the day when decisions were actually made at these national gatherings. MSNBC, Fox News and PBS will offer nightly coverage.

It all starts Monday with the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, assuming a threatening hurricane doesn't blow it all away. The Democrats follow in Charlotte, N.C., starting on Sept. 3.

So what about you? Will you be watching, listening and reading coverage of the nominations of the two candidates to hold the highest office in the land, the leader of the free world and the commander in chief of the largest military force on the planet?

Or does the new episode of "Grimm" have more relevance in your life?