Ties Have Been Severed

Well, we did it. We no longer have cable TV or digital phone. I took what I needed to take back to the Spectrum place in Hanes Mall. The irritating thing, they moved the Spectrum store. So, I ended up hiking upstairs where I had to rest there at the Hanes Mall summit. Once my strength had been replenished, I finished the rest of the hike through the J.C. Penny’s and around the corner where I could see the Red Robin through the glass doors. I was a bit perturbed that the location hadn’t been changed on the Google Maps. Yeah, I checked before heading out.

I managed to have it all and we’ll only be charged for Internet from here on out.

If you know me then you may have an idea that I’m a bit of a TV junkie. We finally went with YouTubeTV for our live TV needs. The indoor antennas just weren’t cutting it and plus, I need some DVR like service. And I just didn’t want to hoist up a pole with an outdoor antenna. I’m sure that all of the adjusting for maximum picture quality would drive the MIL into thinning her already thinning hair out even more. Believe me. If you handed a laptop to an Aborigine child that has never seen one and have him race against the MIL to turn it on, the child would win. Just learning how the Roku remote worked turned out to be a few hair-thinning moments for me.

We ditched Hulu. They have some things that I liked, but the only real use of them would be for watching the OTA (over-the-air) network shows because we don’t have a DVR for that. We definitely kept Netflix and the MIL is watching so much on there that I’m astounded. ASTOUNDED! She’s binge-watching all kinds of things. She really got into ‘Grace & Frankie’. And finished up just before the new season drops in a few days. She’s also found a good stash of murder porn on there too. But I just couldn’t get her on ‘Mindhunter’ or ‘Breaking Bad’. She tends to have problems with series that aren’t linear and have to explain things like ‘Criminal Minds’ does to the audience. While watching ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ she felt confused and clueless. So, I would pause things and ask, “What do you think is going on?”

Most of the time, she was on it. But since the timeline was spread out all over the place, she was having a hard time knowing where she was in the storyline. She’s not dumb. But she has gotten so used to being spoon-fed every tiny detail from the characters of ‘Criminal Minds’ that her ability to think while watching a television show just needed to be dusted off.

Overall, the transition from cable TV has gone over smoothly. When I called to cancel, oh they had a deal for me. I could get all the locals and ten channels of my choosing for a comparable price. I asked, “Where was this deal when I asked about the lowest tier available after losing my job?”

“This offer only recently became available,” he said.

I politely declined because I’d still have to pay the rental fees on the boxes. Plus, I love having six profiles on YouTubeTV with no hardware to pay rent on.

If you’re thinking about ditching the cable company, I cannot recommend getting a Roku along with Netflix and YouTubeTV enough. Now as streaming apps are on the increase with things like DC Universe and the Disney app, content will greatly diminish on Netflix. But Netflix has some really strong original content and I just don’t expect that to change.

I’m so pleased with it what we have now that I don’t miss the cable at all.

Your Television Premiere Dates for the Week of April 18 - 24, 2016

Yeah, I know that I'm a couple of days late with my update. I've got a bunch of excuses... Busy work week, moving, and the impending marriage. So yeah, it has been difficult to find time for this commitment of spreading the knowledge of new television creamy goodness. Please accept my apologies. I plan on getting ahead of next week's premieres.

If you missed any of the shows your interested in from Monday and Tuesday, there's good news. In this day and age you can either find them on the network websites, Hulu, or with network apps. And in some cases, you may have "On Demand" available with cable or satellite TV providers. This is an exciting time for a TV junkie to be alive!


So here goes... What you need to know for the coming week.


PREMIERE DATES

Monday, April 18
- Season two of ’12 Monkeys’ dropped on Syfy at 9pm.

Tuesday, April 1
- ‘Containment’ debuted on the CW at 9pm. Zombies and to a lesser degree, vampires (‘The Strain’), has kind of fueled this type of series. It’s a limited run series so I’m not wasting my time on this type of broadcast network fodder.
- ‘The Night Manager’ debuted on AMC at 10pm. It’s a mini-series and I’m only going by the promos… We ONLY know what it is from the series title. And that, my friends, along with the tight shots of Hugh Laurie’s face isn’t enough to compel me to watch.

Wednesday, April 20
- Season 3 of ‘Deadbeat’ hits Hulu.
- ‘Time Traveling Bong’ debuts at 10:30pm on Comedy Central.

Thursday, April 21
- ‘Inside Amy Schumer’ is back for a fourth season on Comedy Central at 10pm.

Sunday, April 24
- Season 6 of ‘Game Of Thrones’ hits HBO at 9pm.
- Season 3 of ‘Silicon Valley’ drops on HBO at 10pm.
- Season 5 of ‘Veep’ arrives on HBO at 10:30pm.



AMAZON PRIME TV

Monday, April 18
- Season 1 ‘Wubbulous World Of Dr. Seuss: The Cat Adventures’
- Season 1 ‘Home Fires’
- Season 1 ‘The Widower’

Thursday, April 21
- Season 4 ‘Inside Amy Schumer’
- Season 2 ‘Veep’

Revisiting Past Faves

When was the last time you went back and watched a television series that you love?

There are plenty of great new television shows out there these days. I’m not disputing that at all. But have you even thought about revisiting the ones that you either loved or just kind of liked?

During the holidays, I got into a bit of a “show hole”. I had finally cleaned the DVR of current shows that I needed to get caught up on and had nothing left. I had finally finished the current seasons of ‘Narcos’ and ‘House Of Cards’ on Netflix. I devoured ‘Catastrophe’ (meh), the new season of ‘Transparent’, and the new series ‘The Man In The High Castle’.

So I loaded up some old favorites like ‘Futurama’, ‘3rd Rock From The Sun’, ‘Malcolm In The Middle’, and ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’ on Netflix. I also have ‘The X-Files’ and ‘Supernatural’ going because Chigger needs to see them. It seems like I’ve been trying to get her caught up on the latter for 2 years now. She doesn’t have as much “down time” as I do with two kids. And now since there’s a new house in the mix she’s busier than a one-armed man in a glory hole factory.

I had ‘Futurama’ already running because I would watch it whenever Chigger got a phone call or she was getting ready for bed. Her phone calls and nightly regimen usually takes around 20 minutes. The show is perfect for squeezing in an episode. Sometimes the calls would take longer so I’d be able to watch two episodes.

And over on Amazon Prime TV, I’m currently revisiting ‘Star Trek’ (TOS), ‘The Wire’, ‘Justified’ and ‘The Sopranos’. I’m finding things in them that I had forgotten. As much as I loved ‘Justified’ and ‘ The Sopranos’, things are coming back to me.

From here on out, I plan on keeping an old favorite in my rotation. Not just the stuff like ‘Earthworm Jim’ and ‘Newhart’ that I’ve been buying up on DVD. I want to keep at least one oldie running on Netflix and Amazon Prime TV.

So I urge you, the lover of television that you are… Go back and revisit your old friends on your favorite streaming sites. Get to know them again. You may even find that you have outgrown them (I discovered that ‘Invaders’ wasn’t the great sci-fi series that I thought it was when I was growing up).

Feel free to tell us about the favorites that you’ve been revisiting along with the streaming sites that you’re using.

My Revamped/Retooled All-Time Favorite TV Shows - Number 10

It has been difficult to review and retool my personal Top 10 TV Shows of All-Time. I have had a long standing list for at least a decade that didn’t change. But since there has been an explosion of great television within the last decade, I decided to give it a go.

I agonized. I drank too much. I lost some hair. I drew up new lists and threw them away only to make another. But it had to be done.

A few of my standards fell like soldiers on grenades to allow the new recruits to live and fight another battle down the road. Soldiers like ‘The Tick’ (animated series), ‘Lost’, ‘The X-Files’, ‘The Twilight Zone’, and ‘Police Squad’.

Lets recap my personal Top 10 TV Shows of All-Time…

9. ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’
8. ‘Futurama’
7. ‘The Walking Dead’
6. ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’
5. ‘Supernatural’
4. ‘Seinfeld’
3. ‘Malcolm In The Middle’
2. ‘Newhart’
1. ‘Green Acres’

As you may have noticed, I have a thing for half hour comedies. And I have been revisiting ‘Futurama’, ‘Supernatural’, and ‘Malcolm In The Middle’ on Netflix.

I had a holiday “show hole” so I went back. Personally, I feel that it’s important to revisit. I also have ‘Star Trek’ (TOS), ‘The Sopranos’, and ‘The Wire’ going on Amazon Prime.

But lets get to it… My number 10 of my personal favorite shows…

‘Get A Life’ starring Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, and Elinor Donahue.

Chris Peterson is a 30 year old paperboy who lives over the garage of his parent’s home. The show is surreal and hilarious! The series has Chris Peterson dying more than a handful of times like a cartoon character. And he always manages to bounce back.

The series ran for only 2 seasons and when the complete series hit DVD, I jumped on it like dry drunk on a found bottle of bourbon. It was in my hands on the release date thanks to Amazon Prime.

When it hit FOX in the early 90s, my parents would come home from church to find me and my girlfriend “Jones” rolling on the floor with laughter and tears.

Is it for everyone?

No. The series was very unconventional. Some easily dismissed the series as “stupid”. And that’s okay. It’s stupid funny and that’s the bottom line.

One of my favorite lines from the “The Prettiest Week Of My Life” episode goes like this…

“Someone once said that the worst thing about climbing a mountain is that once you reach to top there's nowhere else to go. Well, I don't know what the hell that means. I think it has something to do with camping. But one thing I do know is that for a single fleeting moment I had peaked. I was a winner. I felt like Secretariat the night he won the Indy 500.”

It’s the kinda crap that I say all the time! And the Indy 500 is always ran during daylight and with cars. Secretariat was a horse. That is hilarious!

There are so many things about that show that manage to crack me up to tears to this day.

Another line that “Jones” and I use to this day… “Not even Roy Clark?”

That was in response to his supermodel wife saying “No one in Hollywood can do you what you did last night” after their wedding night.

It’s fun to use. Try it sometime. You’ll get some looks.

Brian Doyle Murray stars in the second season and you’ll find some interesting names in the writing credits.

Rhino Home Video put out some “best ofs” after the series left us. I managed to purchase one before they were gone. But when the whole series hit DVD from Shout! Factory, I was celebrating like a madman. I marked my calendar. I prayed to live long enough to see them all again.

And if you try ‘Get A Life’ and you dig it, try the Chris Elliott film ‘Cabin Boy’. It’s not for everyone just like this series. But it’s damn funny.

And for some reason, stoners really enjoy that movie as well. ;)

My Revamped/Retooled All-Time Favorite TV Shows - Number 9

So now we’re getting back to my retooled and revamped of my all-time favorite televisions shows. We’re up to number 9…

‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’

I didn’t care for the film that the TV series was based on. Hell, I had to soldier through season one of ‘Buffy’. It moved slower than dry paint.

BUT season one is necessary for things to come in the series. It provides the appetizer to what turns out to be one of the best dramedies ever broadcast on television.

The series follows Buffy Summers as she trains to fulfill the role of Vampire Slayer. She comes from a long line of slayers and unlike those before her; she relies on her friends for aid.

She also slays demons and other evil deities.

Sure, the series comes across in a comic book sort of way. But that’s not a bad thing. It keeps things light. The series is filled with pop culture references that you may need to wiki-watch for better understanding.

But then there are serious moments that show the series strengths in writing and acting.

If you need proof, just watch ‘The Body’ episode from season five. The episode has been hailed by many critics as one of the best television episodes ever broadcast.

I don’t want to tell you anymore than that since I’m not into giving away spoilers.

Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t receive an Emmy for that performance and I consider that a travesty. The show was stripped of its usual score and effects. And it drove the reason home as to why ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ was too good to capture the attention of the masses. If the series had of been on CBS, FOX, ABC, or FOX they would have canned it during the first season.

‘Buffy’ is one of the few series that I purposely collected every season on DVD. I have turned a handful of people onto this series and if you haven’t tried it yet, do so. Do it as soon as possible.

The series ran for seven seasons.

And if you’re into musicals, check out the episode “Once More With Feeling”. I despise musicals, but dammit… I hate to admit it… It’s a fine, fine episode when the cast is under a spell of singing.

The series finale… Yes. I loved it. In my opinion, they got it right.

As for the spinoff ‘Angel’, I tried it. I didn’t care for it at all.

Your Television Premiere Date for the week of Jan 18 - 24, 2016

News

In case you missed it… NBC has cancelled ‘Heroes Reborn’. Sure, it was only a “one off”, but I’m sure that if it flourished it would have been given a renewal. The second season of 'Heroes' really shed the viewers and like me, none of them came back for this limited series.

CBS has announced that ‘Mike & Molly’ will not be renewed. The show is in its sixth and final season. I have not watched a full episode, but from what I’ve seen we’re much better off without another show littered with stupid fat jokes. It was a one trick pony. Good riddance. Hopefully this will open a slot for something worthy of our attention. Since it’s CBS we’re talking about, I wouldn’t count on it.



PREMIERE DATES

Monday, January 18
- ‘War & Peace’ kicks off at 9pm on A&E. It’s a limited series.
- ‘Hit The Floor’ is back for a third season over on VH1 at 9pm.

Tuesday, January 19
- ‘Team Ninja Warrior’ is a spinoff from NBC’s ‘American Ninja Warrior’ and debuts at 8pm on Esquire.
- ‘Agent Carter’ is back for a second season on ABC at 9pm.

Thursday, January 21
- The long awaited ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’ debuts at 8pm on the CW.
- The season three premiere of ‘The 100’ drops on the CW at 9pm.
- ‘Baskets’ premieres on FX at 10pm. It is being sold to us as a comedy, but I fail to find anything to laugh at in the promos. And just over the weekend, I found out that the main character is a clown. And since the promos failed to get a chuckle out of me, there’s no reason to waste time on 30 minutes of more.
- ‘London Spy’ debuts at 10pm on BBC America. The series has been described at a gripping, emotional thriller.
- Over on IFC, it’s the sixth season premiere of ‘Portlandia’.
- ‘Dark Net’ debuts on Showtime at 11pm. It’s a documentary series exploring the underside of the Internet.

Friday, January 22
- ‘Mad Dog’ arrives on Amazon. A group gets together for an early retirement and things come to light. Secrets and even murder.
- The seventh season of ‘Children’s Hospital’ gets cranked up over on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim at 11pm.

Saturday, January 23
- ‘Chelsea Does’ is a new documentary series starring comedian Chelsea Handler. In other words, it’s a reality series. Not my cup of tea, but it may be your kinda Tetley. Only on Netflix.
- Season three of ‘Black Sails’ hits the open waters of Starz at 9pm.
- 'Beowulf' debuts on Esquire at 10pm.

Sunday, January 17
- The long awaited return of the limited run of ‘The X-Files’ hits FOX at 7pm (or shortly after the NFC Championship Game).



FINALES

Thursday, January 21
- We say goodbye to ‘Heroes Reborn’ at 8pm. NBC announced its cancellation with this “limited run” series. I’m sure they brought it back thinking of capitalizing on the runs DC and Marvel Comics are having across the board. But like they said in the film ‘Christine’… You can’t polish a turd.



NETFLIX


Thursday, January 21
- ‘When Calls The Heart’ Season 2