Sunday, September 24, 2017

Streaming Video Power Rankings #78

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts this week. The relocation of Cultureshark Tower is imminent and is taking much of my time. I don't dare miss a week of the rankings, though, so here we go...

1) Netflix: It looks like what's leaving in October is a lot more significant than some of the previous months' departures, but maybe we should just enjoy a week in which we got a new Jerry Seinfeld special, more Bojack Horseman, and Beauty and the Beast. Plus my kids enjoyed that new season of Project Mc2.

I *should* penalize Netflix for unleashing another season of Fuller House, but it's probably going to be the most popular thing on there all month. Me, I stuck with the Frasier reruns this week.

2) Acorn TV: The great Doc Martin quietly returned to Acorn this week, with the first episode of the new season debuting a mere day after its UK premiere. Bravo to Acorn, and though I don't have you, I will be signing up after you accumulate a few more episodes.

3) YouTube: Add E! True Hollywood Story to the list of shows that should be available "officially" but that you can find on YT.

4) Warner Archive Instant: Still no new updates, but Eight Is Enough kills it every time I fire it up.

5) Tubi TV: I might just make "Weekly 1980s or 1990s movie I never got around to seeing" Theatre a new thing with the help of TubiTV. This week, it was Glengarry Glen Ross. Yes, that was a big hole in my viewing. Two things stand out: 1) Wow, Alec Baldwin's screen time is much less than I expected 2) Remember what a big deal the profanity was? Well, I am so desensitized that I barely noticed it.

6) Shout! Factory TV: I tell you, this Starcade show is an absolute hoot.

7) Pub-D-Hub: The episode of My Hero I watched wasn't a classic, but it's good to see the lads back with new updates after the Labor Day break and a hurricane-induced week off.

8) Nosey: This lowbrow free service continues to add content. This week, it's a batch of The Joan Rivers Show.

9) CBS All Access: Well, I still wish CBS would just give this up and buy into Hulu, but this is the weekend of Star Trek Discovery's premiere, and that (plus the new fall season if you are a cordcutter) is pretty much All Access' whole reason for being right now.

10) Hulu: OK, I have to be honest. I think the main reason I am doing this post in a hectic time is because I feel the need to rip Hulu. It should be a banner week for the service what woth A Handmaid's Tale big Emmy win and the surprise arrival of season 1 of Atlanta.

Unfortunately, Hulu is the latest streaming video service to change its user interface by zero popular demand and frustrate its users with an inferior navigation experience. This new look on Roku is terrible. It's totally unasked for and unnecessary.

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