Well, tropical storm Ernesto is slowing making it way up the east coast of the U.S. and in its wake many schools will be closing and many large businesses will be operating with a skeleton crew, if not shut down as well. So, it’s safe to say that there’s going to be a lot of bored people out there with nothing to do but watch daytime TV and, um, do what couples do.

What better time than during commercial or rest breaks to take a look at what new free TV shows are being offered over on the iTunes Music Store? As luck would have it, there are several new offerings, two of which should keep you entertained for a little while at least.

SciFi Channel’s Eureka is interesting for two reasons; it never seems to take itself too seriously, which is a good thing, and it has actors Joe Morton and Matt Frewer in it. Both actors have been around for a long time and bring weight to whatever project they are involved in.

Movie buffs will recognize Mr. Morton as The Brother in the science fiction classic flick, The Brother from Another Planet. (Don’t laugh, it’s actually a good, if low budget, movie.) He was also in the always enjoyable Terminator 2; Judgement Day as the scientist, Miles Dyson, who creates the processor that give rise to the renegade robots in the Terminator series of movies.

Mr. Frewer can be found all over the place. He usually plays a quirky, but good natured character in the movies and shows I’ve seen him in, a role he reprises in Eureka.

Speaking of Eureka, the show is about a town somewhere in the U.S. of A that is home to many of the nation’s top minds. These brainiacs work on top secret government projects which tend to get out of hand from time to time. It is up to the ex-Federal Marshal-come-new sheriff (and Average Joe -- played nicely by Colin Furguson) to figure out what’s going on and make things right before people start dying, disappearing, evaporating, spontaneously combusting, or meeting some other strange quasi-scientific demise.

The science is left-field, but who cares, Eureka is fun to watch.

Want more fun? Check out the free international short movie, Covert. It’s very stylish and thoroughly enjoyable. It makes you wish it wasn’t a short flick but a full length movie. I can’t tell you more, it is a short movie, after all.

So, whether you’re in Florida and have the day off because of the storm, or in some other part of the world with a few minutes on your hands, check out the free offering at iTMS and give that video iPod a decent workout.

Other newly available free shows on the iTunes Music Store are:

Visit the iTunes Music Store for a complete listing of free TV shows.

Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.