I watch very little network television other than old Law & Order reruns, but dag, I do love the streaming options available today. I figured with all this great content, actors and writers would be making money out the wazoo. Apparently, that is not the case, as evidenced by the SAG-AFTRA strike. I hope they find a solution, because I can ignore a lot of bad craziness in the world if there’s something good to watch on TV. Seriously, it’s a quality-of-life issue.
Currently I subscribe to Netflix and Apple TV+. By the way, if you like crime stories, the six-episode series Black Bird on Apple TV+ is excellent. It’s based on a true story and was developed by the writer Dennis Lehane.
Anyway, two services should be enough, but it really isn’t. The problem is when I like a show, I eventually run out of episodes, and then I start shopping around for a new show until another season drops. I get done with a Netflix series and can’t find anything else that interests me, so I shop around over at Apple. When I’m done there, I hop back over to Netflix and hope for the best.
It seems to me if you had four or five streaming services, you’d have a ready supply of content, so when one series ends, another one begins. Theoretically, you’d always have a favorite in the queue. I’m not sure it would really work that way, but it sounds good on paper.
All that to say I’m thinking of adding STARZ and Hulu. That would seem to round it all out nicely, but I’m kind of a tight wad and feel so many subscriptions is perhaps a bit indulgent. The money is actually not a big percentage of my budget, so I’m thinking, why the hell not? It’s not like I’m stuck with some high-ticket item that never gets used. If my finances change, I cancel.
The last movie I saw in a theater was Wild with Reese Witherspoon. That was pre-pandemic, so I can’t blame Covid. There have been some that tempted me, but I always wait for it to come out on a streaming service, and I’m absolutely fine with that. The best movies seem to hit Amazon first, where you pay by the drink, and that’s OK with me. I always search for free content, but if it’s something I really want to see, I’ll cough up the money.
Oppenheimer would definitely make the cut when it lands somewhere after the initial run. This sounds crazy, but I suspect Barbie will be in that mix eventually. It just sounds like a fun movie, and I’m not at all bitter I never had a Barbie. My sister, who is two years older, got the Barbie, and I got a Tammy. She wasn’t quite as glamorous as Barbie, but neither was I.
As for reading, I settled on the Easy Rawlins series by Walter Mosley. The first four weren’t in the library, so I had to pay for those. The Kindle version was $14.99, which I thought was spendy, but I did it anyway. I’m about to start book five, which I got from the library, so it should be smooth sailing from here.
Easy is a black World War II veteran who leaves Houston after the war and moves to Los Angeles. I love the historical California connection, and I like Easy’s hard-boiled detective persona. In the novels I’ve read so far, there is a lot of tension between black culture and white society, and the author brings it all to life with larger-than-life characters and complex mystery.
When I sit down to read one of the Easy Rawlins stories, I feel like I’m slipping into that world … complete escapism, and that works for me.
If you have Amazon Prime, you can add Acorn and MHz Choice for very little $. That gives us access to a ton of mystery and crime content thru MHz…Italian and French police procedurals…loads of good mystery, thriller and drama series. Like years worth! The Art of Crime, Cherif, Murder In, Montalbano, Donna Leon’s Brunetti series….and lots more.
I had never heard of MHz, and it looks great. I went through the Amazon Prime channels, and it’s actually amazing. Thanks!
If you like Dennis LaHane, recommend Small Mercies..set during 70s Boston busing crisis. Also, highly recommend PBS Passport streaming app – it’s only $60 for a year (tax deductible). You can watch all episodes of all PBS shows, documentaries and series. I’m thinking it may be time to sell my Barbie stuff 😀
Loved loved loved Small Mercies. I’ll definitely check out the PBS app. So many choices!!
I started to write about the Barbie clothes my mother made but edited it out because I don’t like to go on and on. But they were pretty cool. My sister still has them. A raincoat from a scrap of shower curtain, a nightgown from an old slip.
Do you have a library card? My library in Portland Ore. gives regular card holders a free subscription to something called Kanopy. You get 10 free movies a month. But the thing is they are all kinds of “old” movies I always wanted to watch but missed when they were circulating just a few years (or a few decades) ago. Things you can`t get on any of the other services, I guess because they aged out, plus great dance movies, obscure documentaries and educational lectures and all kinds of oddball stuff. Scott free. No calories.
Yet another one to check out. I really do hope the actors and writers get a fair deal. We certainly benefit from all these options, and they should, too.
Consider Britbox or Acorn for some excellent programs!!
I have looked at those before but will revisit now that I’ve decided to go all in.
We just canceled our Dish service in favor of all streaming. It’s been three weeks and all good. We use Hulu+ for live TV and it has lots of other content. We also have Netflix, Apple+, Discovery+, and Prime. Disney+ and ESPN+ came with Hulu. Sounds like a lot but all cheaper than having Dish. And we don’t lose TV when it rains!! I loved having ESPN+ during Wimbledon because I could watch any match I wanted.
I don’t think my husband would go along with canceling Dish, but I’m going to explore the possibilities. It sounds like you ended up with a great selection of channels.
I second PBS Passport. If you get it, check out the Walter’s Choice content. We discovered it by accident, but have been enjoying all of Walter’s (whoever he is) choices. I believe you can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime so you can check out what’s on it. We piggyback off our oldest daughter’s account, and just watched Daisy Jones and The Six, which we enjoyed immensely. Sex, drugs and rock and roll plus a little pathos thrown in. What’s not to like?
Thanks for another excellent recommendation! You had me at sex, drugs and rock and roll.
It’s Acorn and Britbox for me. I also have MHz.
Donna, I think you would love “Happy Valley” if you haven’t seen it.
Of the two, I’m thinking Acorn. Happy Valley looks quite good.
Although we haven’t given up our satellite service yet – not sure why since we really never watch “regular” tv – we are currently happy with Prime, Apple, and Netflix. We might try some of the others once we run out of worthwhile things to see.
Btw, I was at Costco yesterday and picked up some “uncooked” flour tortillas – only wheat flour, canola oil, salt, and sugar. 20-30 seconds in a hot pan and they are ready to eat. No trans fat at all. Yay!
Wow, fantastic news on the uncooked flour tortillas. I will be heading to Costco soonest. Thanks so much for the update.
Janis, the flour tortillas at Costco sound good. Do you have a brand name?
Yes! They are called Tortilla Fresca and I found them in the area with the refrigerated cases.
I bought some yesterday, and they’re excellent! Thanks so much for the tip.
Netflix and Hulu are my top two, but my husband likes Prime, Tubi and Pluto. 😀
I had never heard of Tubi. I love the choices on Pluto, but the interface and ads drove me nuts. Thanks for sharing your preferences!
I’m in the same place as you and the rest of the world. We watch a beloved series until it is over, sigh, then search for a new one. We adore Brit Box but have totally worn it out. We keep trying recommended series, only to get bored when we hit a patch that is cliched and we move on. Being Americans, we want immediate gratification. We’re also late to all of the trendy stuff. We just recently tried out Ted lasso and are winding up the last season. Then the hunt starts again.
We adore the old Law and Order, but the only place we could find the earliest episodes was someplace prohibitively expensive for them. What the fluff? They are 30 year old reruns. Where are you watching them?
We like the original Law & Order (with Lennie). Our DISH network subscription has lots of channels, and the old ones show up on several, depending on which night. Channels include BBC America, WE and Sundance. We can find them on a channel most nights!
We absolutely adore Lennie, but no longer have cable to see him. We still quote him.
I ran across an hours-long interview with Walter Mosley on C-Span one day a couple of years ago and fell in love with him. I ignored the things I needed to do and watched it all. I have been meaning to read all of his books but haven’t started yet.
I have Netflix and a trial of Apple TV. Unless Netflix begins to charge a lot more, I will keep it. I plan to sign up for PBS Passport and will try a couple of other free trials for awhile. I signed up for Criterion Channel last year and loved having access to tons of foreign and classic films but didn’t renew after a year. I used to have Kanopy when I worked at a university and loved it, but our local library system does not offer it.
I’m enjoying the Easy Rawlins books. I want to finish those before I get to the newers ones featuring King Oliver.
I go back and forth on Netflix. As soon as I think I’m done, something pops up in the queue that I want to see, so I keep it. Our library doesn’t have Kanopy, either.