Like You Can Resist All This Drama

The guiltiest of guilty pleasures will return to our television screens this Monday when ABC’s soapy Mistresses kicks off its sophomore season. The series will leap forward eight months and drop us in the middle of the Savi, April, Karen, and Joss’s messy lives.

We’ll finally find out who was shot in the season finale — Kim, Elizabeth, or Sam. We'll know Savi’s decision about who she wants to raise her child with: her husband Harry or the baby’s father Dominic. And we'll be introduced to the new people set to turn the ladies’ lives upside down like April’s new love interest Daniel (Ricky Whittle).

Executive producer Rina Mimoun told TVLine that the second season of Mistresses will revolve around “testing their boundaries and discovering just how far they are willing to go for love.” And that almost certainly entails watching the series inch ever closer to jumping over the proverbial shark. It’s a delicate dance and one that requires that you watch the show live to share in the shock, awe and disappointment in real-time, so that you don’t have to spend each day afterwards dodging spoilers.

Are you willing to avoid relatives, friends and social media just because you didn’t get to watch Mistresses? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Luckily, we have a few alternatives for you to use. None of them beat watching it live, but they come fairly close.

Go to the Source: ABC.COM

ABC will usually have the episodes uploaded on ABC.com the next morning provided you can verify your cable or satellite subscription. The premiere may not be uploaded in time for you to act informed at the morning water cooler session, but if you have the chance you could watch it from your desk, and be ready to dish by lunch.

If you don’t have cable, you’re looking at an eight-day wait, and I don’t care how good you are at avoiding people — no one makes it this long. Plus, by the time you catch up another episode has aired. Check out your other options below.

Pony Up For Hulu Plus

If you’re currently in the middle of an anti-cable protest, Hulu.com is another viable option. Mistresses is only accessible via Hulu Plus however, so you’ll have to either sign up for that free week trial or come out of pocket for the paid account. At $7.99 per month, it is certainly cheaper than cable.

Just Buy It

Apple, Google and Amazon also offer episodes of the series. However, the details around when the new episodes will be available for purchase are sketchy at best. Episodes cost $2.99 on iTunes, start at $1.99 on Amazon, and cost $1.99 on Google Play. The price is a little steep when you consider that the second season is expected to be about 13 episodes. Of course, you can also order the entire season for about $24.99.

Check Your On Demand Options

This is your best option if you have cable, and know that come Monday at 10 p.m. your priorities will be out of whack. The show should appear via your cable company’s online On Demand website or the On Demand feature available through the set-top box by the next morning. On the downside, this option comes with a ticking clock as most episodes will only be available for a limited time, so don’t wait too long.

Get a Friend With Cable

I’m not suggesting that you befriend someone who has cable for the sole purpose of using their subscriber info to watch Mistresses. I’m suggesting that you befriend some who has cable for the sole purpose of using their subscriber info to watch Mistresses and so many other shows. Seriously. With networks tightening the reins around when they release videos to fight against piracy and a whole bunch of reasons tied to money, unless you are willing to risk visiting seedy sites, its best you find a relative or friend with cable. You can do it. I believe in you.

Images: Bob D’Amico/ABC, TelevisionWithoutPity/Tumblr