1) HBO: After the Veep finale and an acclaimed Muhammad Ali movie comes the TV event of the year, the Game of Thrones finale, and though I don't watch the show, I am kind of pleased it has totally overshadowed the end of The Big Bang Theory.
2) Netflix: I give them credit for trying with the Laugh-In special, and it's been a great resource for those of us getting ready for Endgame. There are some returning series I totally forgot about (White Gold?), but I am glad to see another season of Nailed It, which I hope to watch with my kids if I can drag them away from...
3) Boomerang: Oops. I messed up that transition. I thought I might be able to watch some classic toons with my kids, but I'm the one enjoying goofy stuff like Yogi's Ark Lark on here while they watch...
4) YouTube: Yep, here it is. Kids love, love. love YouTube. I could bemoan them watching so many videos of, say, kids playing Roblox, but can I really talk when I spend so much time watching old network TV promos?
5) Amazon Prime Video: Thanks for giving me one extra episode of Happy Days, Amazon. Now how about adding some more? It did add more Pink Panther Show, so maybe more is on the way. Also, Amazon is getting a lot of critical praise for Fleabag season 2.
6) CBS All Access: I have to admit, the end of The Big Bang Theory is a big deal, and cord cutters who want to see the last episode can go here for it.
7) Hulu: I'm looking forward to George Clooney's adaptation of Catch 22, and I should probably have this higher. but I didn't actually watch anything on here this week.
8) The CW: Here's another of my periodic reminders that if you don't want to wait for Netflix, you can see all the CW shows here for free on the app. I wonder if this will change when CW shops it shows around when that Netflix deal expires. I admit I still do find myself just waiting for ad-free Netflix sometimes.
9) Pub-D-Hub: After several weeks off, it returned with a new look and, more importantly, a new update of content, including a Boston Blackie episode.
10) I Married Joan: I sincerely love that not only did someone create a Roku channel devoted to this old Joan Davis sitcom, but they tout it with the line, "All episodes available!"
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Streaming Video Power Rankings #160
1) Netflix: As someone scrambling to catch up on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I'm glad that most everything is right here in one convenient place. Let's not worry right now about what happens when all this stuff leaves Netflix.
2) Amazon Prime Video: Sneaky Pete is back for all you fans of things happening in 2019, but I am impressed by the addition of the first 5 seasons of Perry Mason, most of a season of Happy Days (apparently the same meager assortment available on CBS All Access), and the first 4 seasons of The Brady Bunch. Yes, the Cousin Oliver episodes are too hot to touch right now.
3) HBO: The Veep season finale and Game of Thrones keep HBO riding high.
4) Boomerang: This channel has added so much of the goofy toons of my youth in recent months, I have to give it another month. Those late Seventies/Eighties Flintstones cartoons--the Shmoo? Fred and Barney as cops? CAPTAIN CAVEMAN? I am gonna relive them even if they are less than stellar.
5) YouTube: Forget the NBA playoffs, I think we need to look into this Houston Gamblers vs. Pittsburgh Maulers game someone uploaded here this weekend.
6) Hulu: I don't know if it's turning it into subscribers yet, but Hulu is riding a real wave of critical acclaim lately, now headlined by the sitcom Ramy.
7) MLB TV: The Pirates once again made the Free Game of the Day spot...and this time, they won!
8) Court TV: I was never a huge watcher of the cable TV version back in the day, but I didn't think it needed to be transformed into...whatever it became. It's cool to see an established channel revived as a totally free entity available in the Roku channel store.
9) Pluto TV: Me when I first saw all the Viacom channels added to Pluto: Oh, this is lame. It's just 'curated' selections of them and nothing resembling live streams of the linear channels." Me a minute later when I noticed Beavis and Butt-head was on: "YES! "[BANGS HEAD UP AND DOWN]
10) NBC: Two things are becoming clear in my gradual Punky Brewster watch: 1) NBC was really, really high on T.K. Carter at one point. 2) I obviously have way too much free time.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Streaming Video Power Rankings #159
1) HBO: I thought The Case Against Adnan Syed was terrific television, and, oh, yeah, Game of Thrones. Plus the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony premieres this weekend and makes for decent background noise.
2) Criterion Channel: We're getting a better idea of what this will be going forward. It looks like there will be a nice but small addition of licensed titles in May (such as a collection of George Cukor movies). Fortunately it appears that the Channel finally fixed the big glitch that was affecting the end of many movies on the Roku version.
3) Netflix: Another week, another chance for Netflix to irritate its customers--this time by canceling The Santa Clarita Diet after 3 seasons. Interesting timing considering a Hollywood Reporter piece this week claims that Netflix's back-end money sharing with talent goes way up once an original series reaches...season 4.
4) YouTube: A lot of what I saw recently, I don't want to mention because it may end up on battle of the Network Shows (available wherever you get your podcasts!), so I will highlight this 1999 ad from Chuck's Classic TV Clubhouse:
5) Hulu: Just moving along, and it is adding a lot of reality-type shows lately. I've mainly been watching Seinfeld.
6) Philo: I am still making my way through American Soul (just saw Don declare war on Dick Clark!) and each week look forward to Viceland's Dark Side of the Ring.
7) MLB TV: Keeps putting the Pirates in that Free Game of the Day slot...and the Pirates keep losing! Is there some kind of connection?
8) Tubi TV: Added Incredible Hulk and Emergency (sadly, only the first seasons for now) plus 1980s Mr. T show T and T.
9) Amazon Prime Video: Slow week for Prime except for adding Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory, but I have been trying to enjoy the season 1 Carol Burnett Show episodes instead of lamenting
10) GITV Classic TV Series: New free channel in the Roku store offering a bunch of classic TV episodes in the public domain and (ahem) some others as well.
2) Criterion Channel: We're getting a better idea of what this will be going forward. It looks like there will be a nice but small addition of licensed titles in May (such as a collection of George Cukor movies). Fortunately it appears that the Channel finally fixed the big glitch that was affecting the end of many movies on the Roku version.
3) Netflix: Another week, another chance for Netflix to irritate its customers--this time by canceling The Santa Clarita Diet after 3 seasons. Interesting timing considering a Hollywood Reporter piece this week claims that Netflix's back-end money sharing with talent goes way up once an original series reaches...season 4.
4) YouTube: A lot of what I saw recently, I don't want to mention because it may end up on battle of the Network Shows (available wherever you get your podcasts!), so I will highlight this 1999 ad from Chuck's Classic TV Clubhouse:
5) Hulu: Just moving along, and it is adding a lot of reality-type shows lately. I've mainly been watching Seinfeld.
6) Philo: I am still making my way through American Soul (just saw Don declare war on Dick Clark!) and each week look forward to Viceland's Dark Side of the Ring.
7) MLB TV: Keeps putting the Pirates in that Free Game of the Day slot...and the Pirates keep losing! Is there some kind of connection?
8) Tubi TV: Added Incredible Hulk and Emergency (sadly, only the first seasons for now) plus 1980s Mr. T show T and T.
9) Amazon Prime Video: Slow week for Prime except for adding Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory, but I have been trying to enjoy the season 1 Carol Burnett Show episodes instead of lamenting
10) GITV Classic TV Series: New free channel in the Roku store offering a bunch of classic TV episodes in the public domain and (ahem) some others as well.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Streaming Video Power Rankings: Week #158
1) HBO: I can't keep throwing shade at Game of Thrones. No, not everyone who has a TV watches it, but everyone who has a TV and writes about TV does.
2) Criterion Channel: I continue watching the heck out of this while it's free. It doesn't look like it will improve the user experience anytime soon, but the movie selection is impressive. This week I enjoyed some Columbia Noir, some Godzilla, and a Maysles brothers documentary. I look forward to seeing what's new in May. Will we see more evidence of the Channel's willingness/ability to license films each month?
3) Hulu: Lowering prices of some of its Live TV service add-ons. Repeat: loooooowering prices.
4) Amazon Prime Video: A slow week for adds except for the new season of Bosch, which I really need to try sometime. Yes, I said that when season 4 dropped.
5) YouTube: LMAO the other day watching the "It's Raining Men Collection" from Late Night with David Letterman thanks to the great Don Giller's channel. "A certain segment of the audience finds it very entertaining. That's all I'll say about it."
6) CW: I may not have accomplished as much in April as I thought I would heading into the month, but I caught up on The Flash and Supergirl.
7) MLB TV: As I write this, I am watching the National League best (record) Pittsburgh Pirates via the Free Game of the Day!
8) Tubi: I watched the last episode of the Martin Lawrence/Kelsey Grammer Partners this week, and I won't say it's good, but...I see what it was going for. I mean, I can't believe it tanked the way it did. I can only assume it was that 10/90 deal, where FX was afraid of committing to 90 more and pulled the plug after 10 rather than gambling. Anyway, you can find this "hidden gem" on Tubi!
9) Pluto TV: It continues adding content and making deals, with stuff from new owner Viacom and its family of cable channels (MTV, Comedy Central, etc.) adding shows soon. It really should bring back the "hide/favorite channels" feature, though, because sooooo many of the live channel options are garbage.
10) Netflix: I got an email saying basically, "You know why we are raising your prices?" And the answer was something dumb like, "To better the service." Thanks for the insight. Meanwhile, a story comes out that Netflix is giving 60 million bucks to Beyoncé. I realize many are excited about her Homcecoming special, but to me, that is a colossal waste of money and an insult at a time when my subscription rate is going up. It seems like for every deal that sounds interesting, Netflix makes 2 or 3 that just sound like it is tossing money at something I will never watch.
2) Criterion Channel: I continue watching the heck out of this while it's free. It doesn't look like it will improve the user experience anytime soon, but the movie selection is impressive. This week I enjoyed some Columbia Noir, some Godzilla, and a Maysles brothers documentary. I look forward to seeing what's new in May. Will we see more evidence of the Channel's willingness/ability to license films each month?
3) Hulu: Lowering prices of some of its Live TV service add-ons. Repeat: loooooowering prices.
4) Amazon Prime Video: A slow week for adds except for the new season of Bosch, which I really need to try sometime. Yes, I said that when season 4 dropped.
5) YouTube: LMAO the other day watching the "It's Raining Men Collection" from Late Night with David Letterman thanks to the great Don Giller's channel. "A certain segment of the audience finds it very entertaining. That's all I'll say about it."
6) CW: I may not have accomplished as much in April as I thought I would heading into the month, but I caught up on The Flash and Supergirl.
7) MLB TV: As I write this, I am watching the National League best (record) Pittsburgh Pirates via the Free Game of the Day!
8) Tubi: I watched the last episode of the Martin Lawrence/Kelsey Grammer Partners this week, and I won't say it's good, but...I see what it was going for. I mean, I can't believe it tanked the way it did. I can only assume it was that 10/90 deal, where FX was afraid of committing to 90 more and pulled the plug after 10 rather than gambling. Anyway, you can find this "hidden gem" on Tubi!
9) Pluto TV: It continues adding content and making deals, with stuff from new owner Viacom and its family of cable channels (MTV, Comedy Central, etc.) adding shows soon. It really should bring back the "hide/favorite channels" feature, though, because sooooo many of the live channel options are garbage.
10) Netflix: I got an email saying basically, "You know why we are raising your prices?" And the answer was something dumb like, "To better the service." Thanks for the insight. Meanwhile, a story comes out that Netflix is giving 60 million bucks to Beyoncé. I realize many are excited about her Homcecoming special, but to me, that is a colossal waste of money and an insult at a time when my subscription rate is going up. It seems like for every deal that sounds interesting, Netflix makes 2 or 3 that just sound like it is tossing money at something I will never watch.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Streaming Video Power Rankings #157
1) Disney+: It doesn't even exist yet, but a lot of potential customers can't wait till it does. Disney won the week with a spectacular presentation that had people salivating, all topped with the announcement of a $7/month price point. Even if the content disappoints (and unlike DC Universe, it isn't going to roll out one measly episode each week), that price makes this a no-brainer for millions of families who can afford another streaming service. It also serves as a first strike against companies like Direct TV and Comcast, who you just know are hoping to dive in with their own streamers with half the content at twice the price.
2) Criterion Channel: It was almost overshadowed by Disney, but this new outfit, after a shaky first day, had a successful launch and already captured the hearts of many film lovers. It's too expensive and has a ways to go with its user interface, but it is accomplishing what it wants to do creatively.
3) HBO: If I were a Game of Thrones nut, this would be higher, but I'm one of the folks who aren't. Yes, despite media coverage, there are lots of people who haven't been watching the show.
4) Amazon Prime: Donald Glover's Guava Island premiered, but I was fascinated by the addition of Hollywood Backstage, a 1960s syndicated magazine-style show that aired on American Movie Classics years ago.
5) Netflix: Disney's price point sure makes you want to take another look at how much you're getting out of your Netflix sub, especially on a week like this where the debuting originals don't look all that appealing.
6) WWE: Coasting off another big WrestleMania weekend and will likely drop out next week, but news that it is going to add more 1980s Mid-South TV is encouraging.
7) Philo/Sling (tie): This week's announcement by YouTube TV that it was adding the less-desirable channels Philo carries and jacking up its price 25%, coupled with Sling running a big sale, will have a lot of people taking a look at combining these two services for their live TV needs.
8) Pub-D-Hub: Makes its return to the list with a convenient selection of Easter-themed material, plus a fun episode of Love That Bob I saw this week.
9) Hoopla: It announced a new deal with the BBC to bring more television shows free to users who can participate through their libraries.
10) CBS All Access: Sneaks into the list again due to continued buzz for The Twilight Zone, plus Star Trek Discovery and The Good Fight continuing and the NCAA hoops final on Monday. And, oh, yeah, I want to punish YouTube for raising YTTV's price 10 bucks a month.
2) Criterion Channel: It was almost overshadowed by Disney, but this new outfit, after a shaky first day, had a successful launch and already captured the hearts of many film lovers. It's too expensive and has a ways to go with its user interface, but it is accomplishing what it wants to do creatively.
3) HBO: If I were a Game of Thrones nut, this would be higher, but I'm one of the folks who aren't. Yes, despite media coverage, there are lots of people who haven't been watching the show.
4) Amazon Prime: Donald Glover's Guava Island premiered, but I was fascinated by the addition of Hollywood Backstage, a 1960s syndicated magazine-style show that aired on American Movie Classics years ago.
5) Netflix: Disney's price point sure makes you want to take another look at how much you're getting out of your Netflix sub, especially on a week like this where the debuting originals don't look all that appealing.
6) WWE: Coasting off another big WrestleMania weekend and will likely drop out next week, but news that it is going to add more 1980s Mid-South TV is encouraging.
7) Philo/Sling (tie): This week's announcement by YouTube TV that it was adding the less-desirable channels Philo carries and jacking up its price 25%, coupled with Sling running a big sale, will have a lot of people taking a look at combining these two services for their live TV needs.
8) Pub-D-Hub: Makes its return to the list with a convenient selection of Easter-themed material, plus a fun episode of Love That Bob I saw this week.
9) Hoopla: It announced a new deal with the BBC to bring more television shows free to users who can participate through their libraries.
10) CBS All Access: Sneaks into the list again due to continued buzz for The Twilight Zone, plus Star Trek Discovery and The Good Fight continuing and the NCAA hoops final on Monday. And, oh, yeah, I want to punish YouTube for raising YTTV's price 10 bucks a month.
Monday, April 8, 2019
'Mooners Monday: Remember when TBS got the Lost Episodes?
I never thought of The Honeymooners as a TBS show, and I still don't, but it was a big deal when they got basic cable rights (Showtime had the initial rights for premium cable) to the Lost Episodes. I think for those of us who grew up watching the Classic 39 on WPIX, it was weird to see any version of the series on any other outlet!
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