Systems and methods described provide ways to order channels surfed such that channels of likely greater interest to the user are presented to the user first, and channels of lesser interest are presented after. For examples, channels showing popular programs may be placed higher in a channel surfing lineup. The systems and methods may also take account of channels that are showing commercials during a time of channel surfing, and may skip over the same while surfing and/or may come back to the channel, or re-place or otherwise include the channel in the surfing lineup, at such time as the commercial has ended and regular programming has continued.