Too many streams

[TheOtherTed]

I cancelled my Netflix sub recently.  The Big Boys took back their licenses for shows that I could happily watch when I didn't know what to watch, and the rest of its offerings are just a hair below "meh" as far as I'm concerned.  I'll likely pick up HBO - been meaning to check out at least one movie (Joker) and two series (GoT and the dragon thing), not to mention the Tim Burton Batman movies.

 

Note:  Amazon Prime and Disney are off the table.  Neither one is getting a wooden nickel from me if I can help it.

 

So where could I get the following movies and/or series?

• Star Trek from TOS (pref. non-remastered) to ENT.  STD (excuse me - DSC) and later shows have no appeal for me.  I'm guessing Paramount has all the original cast movies.
• Babylon 5 - might be a stretch; lets' put that in the "nice-to-have" category.
• Firefly - the series; I have no desire to see the not-quite-a-movie.
• Battlestar Galactica - both the original and the version where Cylons aren't Cylons but really are.
• The original un-remastered Star Wars trilogy, but I'm guessing Disney has that locked down.

 

I'd also welcome recommendations that start with "If you like this, you might like blabbity-blah which can be found on whose-a-what-now."

[twozerofoxtrot]

45 minutes ago, TheOtherTed said:

The original un-remastered Star Wars trilogy, but I'm guessing Disney has that locked down.

 

Lucas before that, even. The last time I saw the OG films was on my VHS set that was released when they were spruced up with THX.

 

Which was probably over 20 years ago.

[Techwright]

I suspect Paramount+ has all of Star Trek tied up.  The old stuff used to be on CBS's internet channel, but it looks like they've migrated a lot over to Paramount+, and Star Trek always did have this split personality between CBS and Paramount after the Desilu breakup.

 

Babylon 5 is apparently viewable for free on TubiTv.com.  That said, I know nothing about that service, nor if it is available wherever you are.  Have you viewed the show before?  I always tell friends venturing into it for the first time to consider two things:  1) The pilot movie was more or less of a proof-of-concept, though it did lay foundation for what was to come.  As a result, there's a very different look to some of the aliens as they didn't settle on the design yet.  2) Stick with it into the second season.  Some don't care for the first season (I liked it) but it lays important foundations for what follows.  Things heat up until they reach boiling point in the fourth season.  I'll also point out that I personally liked the sequel Crusade, though it wasn't given a real chance and ended its run as short as that of Firefly.  At least Firefly got an ending in the movie Serenity.  Poor Crusade wasn't given that.

 

The problem with making recommendations, other than that we know so little of your interests, is that a lot of sci-fi starts off great, but the show developers don't have a plan for the end of it.  As a result, the endings are weak and have a cobbled-together feel, or they just end abruptly, often on a cliffhanger.  One show that did do okay (and I can't believe I'm recommending anything by J.J. Abrams, so that's saying I was impressed) was Fringe which is on HBO Max, YouTube TV, and Sling TV.    A similar theme played out in Continuum, which likewise had a legit ending.  Neither of these are space sci-fi, though.  They're earthbound. 

 

 

 

 

[TheOtherTed]

5 hours ago, Techwright said:

Have you viewed the show [Babylon 5] before?

Yep, was a huge fan since its debut on cable TV, and I get the itch to watch it every 2-5 years or so.  Will have to check out TubiTV.

 

As for recommendations, I'll take anything at this point.  My older sister recommended Fringe last time I talked with her, and she's often unnervingly right about what I would enjoy.  Just haven't gotten around to seeing it yet.  Still very much into the original Twilight Zone and the few semi-derivatives that are done well (e.g. Black Mirror).  Much as I hate Amazon, I thought their version of Man in the High Castle was good, even though it went 90 degrees off from the book (or maybe because of that - I'm usually not clever enough to fully understand PKD's books until someone else makes a show or movie about them).

 

Long story short (or TLDR for those without the patience to read the phrase "long story short"), I'll check out anything that follows a classic storytelling model instead of the onslaught of "special babies" shows we've seen recently, in which the main characters are practically perfect in every way (especially when they're not), well-written dialogue is merely a "nice-to-have," and plots are generated by throwing darts at clippings of other media offerings.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

4 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

Yep, was a huge fan since its debut on cable TV, and I get the itch to watch it every 2-5 years or so.  Will have to check out TubiTV.

Also, just FYI, Straczynski is bringing out a new, animated B5 movie via WB, which should be on MAX. 

(For those of you who've been following WB's travails lately, the B5 movie is completed, edited and ready to go.

And hasn't, as far as anyone knows, had a temporary or permanent death for tax reasons.)

 

They're doing timey-wimey-malarkey [mutter mutter massive handwaves mutter], so pretty much all the cast who are still alive are in it, with new voices for Delenn, G'Kar, Doc Franklin and even Sinclair's back.

 

4 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

in which the main characters are practically perfect in every way

Fringe might just be the one you want, then. Especially with the core performance by the mighty John Noble as Walter (but even more so as... wait, wait, no spoilers. Wait for that one. It's worth it.) Takes the phrase "brilliant, but completely mad" to new heights, depths, and levels of emotion.

 

As with many of these kinda shows, S1 can be a little bit of a grind. But stick with it, as it completely pays off in S2 and beyond. The weirdo-of-the-week format might be an old, tried and true beast, but if you're into your esoterica, conspiracy theories, and history there's plenty of rabbitholes to go down. And even some of the characters that should be pretty much stock stuff get life from the casting: even a standard Hardass Boss, when inhabited by the late lamented Lance Reddick (Oz, John Wick, The Wire) gives Phil Broyles a combination of world-weariness, exasperation and sometimes genuine curiosity about just what the actual hellmahay his crew are up to.

 

So, yes, a good choice...

 

...or am I just trying to influence you that way?

Edited May 22, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

13 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

Long story short (or TLDR for those without the patience to read the phrase "long story short"), I'll check out anything that follows a classic storytelling model instead of the onslaught of "special babies" shows we've seen recently, in which the main characters are practically perfect in every way (especially when they're not), well-written dialogue is merely a "nice-to-have," and plots are generated by throwing darts at clippings of other media offerings.

In that case, I again recommend Continuum, and add the following:

 

Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles - early CGI animation, and surprisingly well-done for a "kids" show.  While it lacks the extreme violence and adult stuff of the movie, it does a pretty good job of story.

 

The Pretender - okay, this one is about a practically perfect guy, but there's a catch:  he's incredibly brainy, but has never experienced the real world of the 1990s.  So he's not perfect, actually.  He doesn't lord his abilities over others (if they're good) and he approaches the outside world he's never known with wide-eyed wonder and more than a few misunderstandings.  Earthbound but with a secret organization that falls somewhere between super science and mystic cult.  I should also point out this is a man-on-the-run type series, like the 1980s The Incredible Hulk, though unlike that series, this has more of an overarching story with bits of it being fed to the viewer each week.  It concluded, of sorts with a made-for-TV movie, which still managed to leave an opening for sequel movies that never developed.

 

Heroes - Just watch season 1.  Really, that's all you need to watch.  Season 1.  It's a complete arc to itself, but left a tag that introduced a string of successively poorer seasons.  To be fair the problem was a conflict between the creator, Tim Kring, and the network.  Tim wanted something like an anthology series, but rather than a different set of players each episode, he wanted a different set of characters each season.  The network overrode him and told him the characters were so popular, they wanted him to keep writing for those characters.  They should have let Kring do his thing.  Season 1 is awesome, though.

 

1980s Mission Impossible - before Tom Cruise created an alternate universe where Jim Phelps was...not what he was on TV (and I refuse to believe it is anything other than an alternate universe), the lead of the 1960s-1970s series was brought back with a new team, new tech, and a cool new 1980s vibe.  Bonus:  John DeLancie (Star Trek's Q) is the first villain they must impossibly overcome.  This show was more episodic than overarching storyline.

 

Are you into some sci-fi comedy?  Then check out both Eureka and Warehouse-13.  One's super science the other is mystic-science.  They even had a few overlap episodes.  Each had an overarching story, though they didn't let that get in the way of a good episode.

 

I've not seen you mention Star Gate: SG-1 or Star Gate: Atlantis.  Both had conclusions, with the former ending after several made for TV movies.  I'm reasonably certain our Portal Corp and probably the Oranbaga portals were influenced by these series.

 

Person of Interest - This show rocked, until it didn't.  Fortunately that started changing at a key moment in the show when an important character left the show.  I won't say whom, how, or when, but it could serve as an ending point.  Everything beyond it could be considered "book 2", if you will, and has a different vibe.  You'll know it when you get to it.  With all the talk of creepy AI these days, this show foresaw all of that.

 

Max Headroom - From the 1980s, this is a quirky choice, and it only lasted one season, but I put it out there, not only because its a lot of fun and had one of the most popular characters from the 1980s, but because it is so bizarre how many things depicted were not in existence at the time that they predicted.  These  included the internet, hacking and pirate systems, video manipulation, and scary A.I. .  But then its also fun to laugh at what they got wrong, such as gigantic floppy disks and a dystopia ruled by television.  (Wait...is that actually a successful prediction?)

 

12 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Also, just FYI, Straczynski is bringing out a new, animated B5 movie via WB, which should be on MAX. 

(For those of you who've been following WB's travails lately, the B5 movie is completed, edited and ready to go.

And hasn't, as far as anyone knows, had a temporary or permanent death for tax reasons.)

😲🤩 What? What?  It's not Christmas or my birthday.  What?!

They're doing timey-wimey-malarkey [mutter mutter massive handwaves mutter], so pretty much all the cast who are still alive are in it, with new voices for Delenn, G'Kar, Doc Franklin and even Sinclair's back.

That voice list is probably much longer.  We also lost the actors for Zach, Vir, and Zathros (all ten of him).  I'm guessing Sinclair is in flashbacks, 'cause where he went, it's unlikely he's returning.  Wait...Sinclair?  Don't you mean...arrrgh! *gets jumped by the Spoiler Goons*

 

Fringe might just be the one you want, then. Especially with the core performance by the mighty John Noble as Walter (but even more so as... wait, wait, no spoilers. Wait for that one. It's worth it.) Takes the phrase "brilliant, but completely mad" to new heights, depths, and levels of emotion.

 

As with many of these kinda shows, S1 can be a little bit of a grind. But stick with it, as it completely pays off in S2 and beyond. The weirdo-of-the-week format might be an old, tried and true beast, but if you're into your esoterica, conspiracy theories, and history there's plenty of rabbitholes to go down. And even some of the characters that should be pretty much stock stuff get life from the casting: even a standard Hardass Boss, when inhabited by the late lamented Lance Reddick (Oz, John Wick, The Wire) gives Phil Broyles a combination of world-weariness, exasperation and sometimes genuine curiosity about just what the actual hellmahay his crew are up to.

We lost a great one with Lance Reddick.  😞 Loved his work in this one.Loved his work in this one.

So, yes, a good choice...

 

...or am I just trying to influence you that way?

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Techwright
Grammar correction

[TheOtherTed]

3 hours ago, Techwright said:

Person of Interest

I watched it from the start, and I'm not ashamed to say that Finch is still the voice of my inner monologue.

 

Anyway, good recommendations all.  I've seen about half, but could stand to see them again.  Will definitely need to chase down Max Headroom for starters.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

4 hours ago, Techwright said:

Don't you mean...arrrgh!

CALL OFF THE SPOILER GOONS.

 

Because at the point in time where the timey-wimey events will happen grr hackneyed writing device grr, Sinclair will be still very much his urbane, charming silver-foxy daddy self. Probably.

Anyway.

Here's the Hollywood Reporter anno story and a pic of the shiny shiny tooned 'up B5:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/babylon-5-the-road-home-voice-cast-unveiled-1235483312/

 

Never seen the Max Headroom series, but the original movie is... quite something.

And if you liked Warehouse 13, but thought it needed more saucy Canadian models and werewolf sex in it, might I offer you Lost Girl?

(Very similar vibe, if somewhat different plotting...)

 

Or possibly Grimm, which is, let's face it, pretty silly but draws you in with a charming, effortlessly 'shippable core cast and the assorted Wesen lore.

Edited May 22, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

Well, the B5 movie has Peter Jurrasik which is half the reason I'd "toon" in.  The other half is...sadly no longer with us...but I have hopes for the new voice of G'Kar.  They've got Phil LaMarr as the doctor, and he's exactly whom I'd pick for doing an animated version.

 

I'd very much like this to have a strong enough showing that they either do a core-stories-only animated Crusade, or a reboot of the series.  Really need to find out if Daniel Dae Kim dies, Max Eilerson ever gets his massive ego sucked out an airlock, and if Technomage Galen ever reveals all the KFC secret herbs and spices to Captain Gideon.  Because technomages are good for secrets like that.  Oh, and does the Earth survive, yadda, yadda.

 

2 hours ago, TheOtherTed said:

 Will definitely need to chase down Max Headroom for starters.

 

Sadly, as I look, it appears to be only two options at the moment: Amazon Prime or Vudu, so it sounds like the latter might be your choice.  Looks like I was partially wrong about 2 seasons.  It was actually a mid-season replacement, leading to a first season of 6 episodes, and a second season of 14, so 20 total, plus the movie.  I can't recall if the TV show was a direct tie in to the movie or a soft reboot.  Oh, and it also has the great Morgan Shepherd as a punk channel pirate in 11 of the episodes, a role I never expected from him, which made it all the more fun.

[TheOtherTed]

12 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

Never seen the Max Headroom series

To be fair, the commercials, interviews, music videos, and the short-lived talk show were more memorable than the series (IMO).  I'd just like to see it as a nostalgia kick.  It came out while I was in college, and was one of three things that kept my roommate and I from killing each other - the other two naturally being Zippy the Pinhead and playing mind games with the stoners on the floor while they earned their reputation.

 

But, yeah, as Techwright mentions, the main thing that stands out is the character Blank Reg.  One scene in particular stands out as being highly relevant in our day (ends at 0:50):

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by TheOtherTed

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

22 minutes ago, TheOtherTed said:

To be fair, the commercials, interviews, music videos, and the short-lived talk show were more memorable than the series (IMO).

"Y'know, people can be really nasty. They say... he's just a robot. Covered in makeup. Talks a lot of nonsense.

That's no way to talk about the President..."

 

Why am I [redacted] years old and can't remember my keys, my phone or what I'm supposed to be doing half the time, yet recall being fairly small and laughing my backside off at the Sting interview and Max's somewhat unhealthy shoe obsession? 

 

Oh, and whatever the hellmahay THIS was... 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[TheOtherTed]

20 hours ago, Techwright said:

Sadly, as I look, it [the Max Headroom series] appears to be only two options at the moment: Amazon Prime or Vudu

Apparently it can also be "bought" on Youtube.  Unfortunately, that presents another dilemma.  I mean, sure, Youtube is the devil I know, but... hrm... echoes of the Google+ scam...

 

Of course, now I want to watch the Max Headroom Show instead.  I think I saw one episode on an obscure affiliate channel that gave me so much hope - then - nothing.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

BTW - not sure whether you know if you're a Disney+ subscriber - and somewhat unsportingly, the D+ interface doesn't tell you.

But the new Mouse management are killing off quite a lot of third-party content from D+ in the next few days to save money.

Max will also be continuing to clean house. I'm a mite annoyed, since the breadth of demand for content has caused all these odd little niche movies that wouldn't normally get distro to be picked up. (And it seems like there were a lot around the time of my short and laughably unprofitable adventure in Whollyodd. Though some never made the grade for very good reasons... like this one.)

 

Reason being: licence fees and residuals turn every piece of content into an ongoing revenue stream. And in the rush to acquire content, many of these platforms didn't quite do the maths. This also causes stuff like the current WGA strike, where writers and even showrunners getting shafted on distro and streaming revenue is a major issue.

 

Anyhow. One of them is Fox's The Princess - think Brave meets a medieval Die Hard, and you're not going to be all that far off.

You lose this on Friday 26th, so get to it while you can.

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

BTW - not sure whether you know if you're a Disney+ subscriber - and somewhat unsportingly, the D+ interface doesn't tell you.

But the new Mouse management are killing off quite a lot of third-party content from D+ in the next few days to save money.

 

 

 

I'm good.  I actually did some early Disney cost-cutting, eliminating D+ from the budget after viewing The Mandalorian.  It's my standard tactic:.  I'll likely re-sub for Ahsoka.  I've only really focused on Lucasfilms and Marvel stuff (cannot imagine why...) and towards the end was getting back into classic live-action Disney of the 50s and 60s.

 

BTW, wouldn't it be the "re-newed" Mouse management?  It's the return of the old management that retired, yes?

[TheOtherTed]

So there I am, slowly binge-watching the original Twilight Zone on Paramount Plus, when out of nowhere I see a surprisingly good review of Picard S3 from, of all people, TheCriticalDrinker.  Got my attention in the way that only happens when your best frenemy turns a complete about-face on some issue, something you came to grudgingly accept because, when he's right, he's right.

 

Will likely start watching it after the first season of Twilight Zone, but wouldn't mind hearing some spoiler-free reactions of you fine folk.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

Picard S3 felt a little more disjointed plotwise than S1 or S2, but by the Great Bird Of The Galaxy, does it deliver on fanservice and pure joy moments...

Spoiler

...like Riker pulling the Galaxy Quest maneuver, grumpy boi Worf, Beverly's hidden talents, and the crew clearly enjoying the hell out of that One Last Ride, with fun character development all round. Though I wish they'd given Deanna more to do.

 

As a sendoff for Picard - and just maybe the start of a Legacy franchise - maybe not perfect, but damn if it's not entertaining.

 

That said, I still haven't felt the need for Paramount beyond the end of my discounted trial. What else have they got that's worth it?

I still also strongly feel, given the current market conditions, that there will come a shakeout of all the streaming platforms with at least one or two biting the dust. Paramount+ and Discovery+ seem the most vulnerable. Disney+ has a great content lineup but also very grumpy shareholders (and dopey, and sleepy, and...)

Edited October 1, 2023 by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[TheOtherTed]

1 hour ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

I still haven't felt the need for Paramount beyond the end of my discounted trial. What else have they got that's worth it?

Honestly, I just signed up for the older Star Trek series (mainly TOS, TNG, and DS9, plus the even-numbered OG cast movies). 

 

Twilight Zone was a happy little accident.  My Dad I I watched it back when it was still in syndication on UHF channels, so there's nostalgia there, but I'm finding it to be a surprisingly decent lesson in story-telling as well.  With only half an hour per episode and a presentation that's more firmly based in the writing than in the cinematics, the sorts of things writers talk about (e.g. plot beats, characterization, story structure, scene design, etc.) are very present and very tangible (IMO).  And since the episodes are basically written like radio plays, I find I can often listen to an episode while keeping visual attention elsewhere without missing much.

 

That said, it's an old, old series now, and Serling's brand of progressivism may not be at all apparent to younger viewers.  I'm wondering if his mode of progressivism could even find an audience today.

 

Anyway, to answer the question of whether P+ is worth it, I'll likely drop it once I've had my fill of TZ and given Picard S3 a look-see.  Got hot dates lined up with Game of Thrones, Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, and maybe, just maybe, the Penguin miniseries.  Some day, Star Trek will call for my attention again, and I'll hop back to P+ for a quickie.

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, ThaOGDreamWeaver said:

I still also strongly feel, given the current market conditions, that there will come a shakeout of all the streaming platforms with at least one or two biting the dust. Paramount+ and Discovery+ seem the most vulnerable. Disney+ has a great content lineup but also very grumpy shareholders (and dopey, and sleepy, and...)

 

I've felt for some time that this has got to be the course of action.  What streaming viewing needs is a one-cost, one-stop shop: a cable-like setup with streaming platforms becoming channels and an overarching organization managing them and the costs.  Chances are they'll reduce the fluff in their offerings to remain in the top few streaming "channels" people watch, perhaps they'll even go to certain bundles.  ("Here's a bundle without children's programming.  Here's an add-on bundle of Bollywood options.", etc.) Actually having two or more of the overarching services will keep things competitive and prices lower, but this current setup of every streaming service being an island unto itself is unsustainable in the long run.  Average people simply do not have the resources to maintain every subscription, and will eventually tire of having to swap services every month or two to fit within their budget.

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

This sorta exists in the UK, though from a thoroughly evil source. Sky's bundling integrates P+ and Netflix free on certain packages, and while D+ and Amazon need separate subscriptions, all their content becomes searchable from the same single menu structure.

 

So I get the feeling the cable carriage fees that are slowly dying out for major US channels (apart from the Not-News-because-nobody-sane-would-believe-us-honest-guv Channel, unfortunately) might be replaced with content access fees for the streaming apps.