Don't Trust the H

I have another bone to pick with Hulu. Just when I had sort of almost come to terms with the fact that the Roku version crashes every other time I launch it--not an ideal attribute for a pay channel--comes its latest stunt. I don't know if Hulu itself is to blame, or ABC, or the Trilateral Commission, but let's direct our anger at Hulu for now.

When ABC dumped it's funny but not so popular sitcom "Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23" earlier this year, an announcement soon followed that the unaired episodes would be available on Hulu. I am not sure if that is better or worse than the traditional move of burning off unaired material on Saturday nights--my money leans toward "worse"--but given that I am a Hulu Plus sucker--uh, customer, I figured, well, no big deal. I had been watching the show exclusively on Hulu, anyway.

Well, life intervened--real life, not the Damian Lewis quirky hourlong USA Network-type show that failed on NBC a few years back and would likely be burned off on Hulu today--and I was without TV for a while, even with the Roku, so I didn't get to those "extra" "Don't Trust the B" episodes when I wanted to. In fact, it wasn't until this past week that I sat down and prepared to run a mini-marathon (note I didn't use the word "binge") of the the antics of Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker, James Van Der Beek...and the rest.

Well, I ran into one of those funny little realities of streaming TV: Odds are pretty good when you expect to see something, it ain't there! Apparently Hulu Plus--this is the paid version, mind you--quietly dropped the episodes 3 weeks earlier. So those unaired ones were available for...weeks. Whoopee.

OK, I had my shot and missed it, but still, what is the benefit in pulling back that material? Is someone trying to stoke interest for a DVD set? Go to the Hulu page for the show, and not surprisingly you will see a bunch of complaints from cranks like me bemoaning the absence of those touted episodes.

This whole affair has really soured me on the whole streaming thing in general. I'd elaborate, but I just remembered it's the time each week I sit down and watch an "I Spy" on Hulu.