SAN FRANCISCO  For the lonely couch potato, help is on the way.

Simple technology, including video chatting services like Skype, is making it possible for far-flung friends to watch shows together, even if they can’t share the same bowl of popcorn.

Emma McCulloch and Jennifer Cheek, for example, used to meet to watch “Dancing With the Stars” together, but that ritual ended when Ms. Cheek moved to Hawaii.

So the women decided that Ms. McCulloch, who lives in San Mateo, Calif., would save the “Dancing With the Stars” finale on her digital video recorder and wait until the show was seen in Hawaii. Then, they would get on Skype to video chat while they watched the show.

“It was brilliant in that we felt like we were experiencing it together,” Ms. McCulloch said. “I feel more, sort of, connected to her because we are sharing the same frustrations and joys.”