If you are a fan of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, and are the type of person that is always forgetting to set the DVR, your days of missing episodes and falling behind are over. In today's internet driven market, networks like CBS are offering viewers alternative viewing options online. This means you can catch up on all your favorite soap operas whenever you want online. What is even better is that networks like CBS air the episodes on their official sites for free.

As the World Turns is currently the longest running soap opera on daytime television, having first aired in 1956. On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, the network announced plans to cancel the show in September of 2010. It is the second CBS soap opera to be canceled this year, following Guiding Light. Producers intend to look for another outlet to pick up the show.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/08/as-the-world-turns-cancel_n_384100.html Currently, CBS offers its soaps, including As the World Turns, The Young and the Restless and Bold and the Beautiful, the day after they have aired through their official site, and offers up to two weeks worth of episodes at any given time. Viewers that are away on vacation don't even have to set their DVRs, but instead can sit in front of the computer and catch up free of charge. This guide provides information on how to watch As the World Turns online.

Watching As the World Turns on your computer is quick and easy, as long as your computer meets all the system requirements. There are different requirements for Apple and Windows based computers, but as long as you bought your computer after 2003, you will likely meet the basic requirements. Here are some additional requirements you may need to meet. These are:

• WINDOWS
• Operating system: Windows XP SP2 or later or Vista
• Connection: DSL, cable or satellite
• Browser: Firefox 1.5 or above or Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
• Resolution: 1024x768
• Hard drive: 20 or more GB
• Memory: 512 MB

For MACINTOSH Computers

• Operating system: Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar or higher
• Connection: DSL, Cable or satellite
• Browser: Firefox 1.5 or above or Microsoft
• Resolution: 1024x768
• Hard drive: 20 or more GB
• Memory: 128 to 256 MB

Additional requirements may be needed, depending on the website, but these are usually plug-ins that have a free version available for download. Also, be prepared to enable your cookies and Javascript if necessary.

The best place to watch As the World Turns online is through the official website on CBS. Not only are the most recent episodes available for free the day after they have aired, but you can also get caught up with two weeks of missed episodes at any given time. The official website also offers sneak peaks at the upcoming week's episodes, and allows you access to special features and interview with the actors and actresses. Another benefit to the official website is the As the World Turns community. You can watch episodes alongside other fans, and talk about the episode as it is airing. Each episode is also offered in HD and has a limited number of commercials, which air in 15 second increments throughout the duration of the episode. http://www.cbs.com/daytime/as_the_world_turns/video/?category=editorial

If you decide not to watchAs the World Turns on the official CBS website, there are other options. This includes full episodes featured on websites such as Fancast or Hulu. These websites also offer special features, including scenes from various episodes, actor and actress interviews, and additional video selections. You can also watch selected scenes and interviews on websites like TV.com and TV Guide.

Video websites like YouTube allow you to focus your viewing on more specific scenes and characters, and are usually posted to the website on the day the show airs. These are not always entire episodes, but do allow you to get caught up with some of your favorite, select storylines. In addition, you will be able to catch up on scenes you missed months ago, whereas the other websites only offer the most recent episodes and featured scenes.