Sadness.  It appears Community might get the axe. NBC has put the show on hiatus due to poor ratings. But everyone I’ve talked to who has seen it, loves it. It’s just that geeks aren’t who advertisers want to sell too, and we’re also the ones who know how to work a DVR or watch TV on the internet. This is one of those shows I would happily pay for to keep on the air. TV needs a new revenue system. Offer a set of six episodes free, maybe with advertising, and have later stuff available for sale, by season or episode.

The paintball episode from the first season was one of the best episodes of television I can recall seeing. The one at the end of the second season wasn’t as good. And I will admit this current season felt like it was slipping somewhat. Until the episode with the multiple outcomes from the die role. That proved the show was still generating awesome.

Since I’m on the subject of TV, and it’s not worth a separate blog post, here’s an update on the new TV shows we’ve tried:

1. Grimm- I’m not feeling this one. It’s not that it’s terrible or anything. It’s just ‘meh’. We’ve only watched 2 episodes, and the rest are residing on the DVR. If we do cut the cord on satellite at the new year, this isn’t one I’d pay for. If it gets better, would be willing to Netflix it.
2. Once Upon a Time- I am enjoying this one. Jennifer Morrison is a good lead and Robert Carlyle is an excellent Rumplestiltskin. It’s got a bit of mystery and a feeling of Lost with the flashbacks. And the flashbacks are into a fairy tale which is fun.
3. Person of Interest- This is another one that’s kind of in limbo. We’ve watched more of it than Grimm, but it hasn’t grabbed me.
4. Burn Notice- This isn’t a new show, but based on a recommendation we tried it recently. It’s telling when I immediately found myself enjoying it and wanting to watch it more than Grimm or Person of Interest. Only one episode in though but liked that one.
5. Freaks and Geeks- It’s an old show, and with a name like that I should like it. It wasn’t bad, enjoyed the first episode, but the next two really didn’t make me want to watch the rest of it. We still have the disks, been sitting there unwatched for about a month now.

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Well, it seems Netflix will not be divorcing itself. Last month, Netflix announced that it’s Streaming and DVD-by-mail service would be separating, and that the DVD’s would change it’s name to Qwikster. But it seems the two have found a way to work out their differences and stay together. For the sake of the kids.

This is good news for anyone whose a subscriber, myself for example. I really like the service, and was not looking forward to needing to visit two websites and two queues. Now nothing will change.

There are a few other tidbits in that news article of note. For one, Netflix is apparently in negotiations to produce original programming, noteably new episodes of Arrested Development. Now, I never could get into the show, but many people clearly love it.

If this ends up being successful, this could mark the (final) start of a new way of developing and delivering television shows. Or saving good shows that the major networks discard without giving a chance. No more repeats of the tragic demise of Firefly.

One business model I’ve thought might work well for something like Netflix, is that it produces limited run series, say 3-6 episodes. Make these episodes available to every subscriber. The decide which shows get a second season based on people who actually watch all of the episodes. Make all original subsequent full season (10-22 episodes) of original shows available for an additional $2-5/month for subscribers.  The price is low enough that if you find shows from the free samples that you like, its worth paying for.

If shows are good, people will watch all of the episodes, especially if there are only a handful. Then you get actual data about what shows people like, instead of the distorted nielson ratings networks use.

I have no idea if that could ever work financially, as I have no idea how much money it takes to produce a quality show and how much that would actually bring in. It might have to be a pay per show option. Say, $5/month gives you access to 4 original shows of your choice, and you can switch which shows every 6 months.  All of the original shows appear on regular Netflix, but a year after they finish their original run.

I’m just rambling now. What was the main point? Oh yeah, Netflix not becoming Qwikster = good.

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I made a post last week about shows we are currently watching or about to try. We also watch a lot of old shows on DVD/Streaming in the interim periods between the new ones. Here’s some shows we’re considering trying out. Anyone have any other recommendations or wish to put a vote on any of these?

Shows We’re Considering

1. Breaking Bad
2. Deadwood
3. Parks and Recreation
4. Big Bang Theory
5. Freaks and Geeks
6. Dexter
7. Carnivale
8. Modern Family
9. The Wire
10. Six Feet Under
11. Doctor Who
12. Monk

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As you all know, I am a big geek who wastes a lot of his time in front of the computer or a TV screen. Since I’m not someone who doesn’t need facts to back things up, it’s necessary to present the evidence of just how lazy and wasted much of my week is. So without further ado, here’s a look at recent and upcoming TV’s shows that I have an interest in (starting from summer and carrying through to next spring, since new seasons are pretty spread out):

Returning Shows

1. Eureka
2. Warehouse 13
3. House- I hope this is the last season. I’ll give them a chance with this whole prison thing, but it could end up being a season to far.
4. Chuck- This show is fun, silly, and not very serious. But giving Morgan the intersect might be a step to far. Or it could be hilarious. We’ll find out at the end of Oct.
5. Castle
6. Being Human- Great new show last spring, to bad it doesn’t return until Jan.
7. Parenthood- sappy, family drama but it makes me wish my family lived that close to each other.
8. Glee- First season was great, second and this one so far don’t have that chemistry. They look like they will actually allow most of their cast to move on since their characters need to graduate, so next year might give it a fresh feel, or it might kill it completely.
9. Mythbusters- Blowing shit up all in the name of a very, very loose association with science.
10. Community- I loved this show the first season though the second was more hit and miss. We’ll see how they do with this one.
11. The Office- I said I wouldn’t watch after Steve Carrel left, but I did. Surprisingly, it’s not to bad. As great as he was, Michael Scott was quite annoying much of the time and it might be better without him.
12. 30 Rock- Another show that has signs of slipping. Last season wasn’t as great as earlier ones.
13. Fringe- First season was very all over the place, but the story arc really picked up in 2 and 3. The dual universe thing was very well done. I’m skeptical with this altered timeline without Peter thing, but we’ll see where it goes. I have faith they’ll pull it off.
14. Mad Men- Don’t get AMC, so we’ll have to buy this to watch it as they come out, but it’s good enough to be worth doing.
15. Futurama- Can’t believe I forgot this one.

Returning Shows I don’t actually watch on schedule

1. How I Met Your Mother- This is a show I started watching after catching a repeat once. It is always on at the same time as shows I watch with my wife. So I’m a season behind.
2. In Plain Sight- Based on a recommendation from my parents, we checked this one out on Netflix. They only had 3 seasons streaming, so we’re one behind. Probably watch 4 after 5 comes out next spring.
3. Psych-  I watched all of this last spring and summer and am now caught up. Could watch the current season when it airs, but might prefer to just wait for DVD.
4. Walking Dead- Similar to Mad Men, we can’t watch it on release. It was good, but I can wait for DVD.

New Shows

1. Alpha’s- I was very skeptical of this one, we recorded half the season before giving it a try. And while it’s not super wonderful or anything, it is enjoyable.
2. Grimm- It’s an interesting enough concept to give it a try.
3. Once Upon a Time- Similar to Grimm in concept, but with some actors we recognize. One article I read mentioned Robert Carlyle playing a Rumpelstiltskin type character. That’s worth checking it out right there.
4. Person of Interest- Don’t know much about it and haven’t watched an episode yet, but Michael Emerson is in it, so worth checking out.
5. Whitney- Some of the commercial clips were humorous, so when I caught the first 5min on over recording from the Office, I gave it a try. I was glad the recording ended after 5min. There might have been some humor there, but the laughter and the acting was terrible. This is why I wait for people to tell me shows are good before trying new ones.

So there you have it, 23 shows I watch, or plan to watch at some point in the next year. Granted, they are not all on at the same time of year. But still. I’ve proven my point about my slackerness.

Edit: Added Futurama

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Saw some news about a new thing coming to Xbox, Xbox TV. The new article announces a list of partners that will be working with Microsoft for this. What is still unclear, is what exactly Xbox TV will be.

There is a lot of speculation ranging from another way of viewing tv, to ala carte ordering of channels/shows, to who knows. If some of the speculation is correct, it might help me finally cut the satellite cord (though I’m likely doing that once football season is over, regardless).

Even if it is something similar to Netflix and Hulu that are already available on Xbox, allowing you to watch streaming things on the xbox but requiring separate subscriptions, it might still be valuable. Depending on the pricing, you might be able to sign up for specific services for less than regular cable.

Or, you might get access to streaming content if you are already a Comcast/AT&T/HBO subscriber. Lots of speculation and very few answers.

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Well, apparently SyFy (unholy child of a good television station called Sci-Fi) decided to cancel Eureka.  First they ended Atlantis early, in favor of Stargate Universe. Then, just as SG:U was getting good, they canceled it. Now they are cutting Eureka. The only thing left will be Warehouse 13, assuming they don’t cancel that as well. Though if they do, it will probably be time to cut the cable cord completely.

Now, Eureka isn’t a top-notch show of the highest caliber, but it is quirky, fun and silly. The characters are great and the science is intentionally over the top ridiculous. I enjoyed the panel at DragonCon last year with the Eureka cast. Even though they had been doing it for a few years already, they still clearly were enjoying themselves.  It was the same way with the Warehouse 13 cast. They all genuinely seemed to enjoy what they did and hadn’t yet burned out on it (the Star Trek panels were disappointing, those actors definitely need to retire from stuff like that).

My wife caught part of one episode part way through the first season, decided it was dumb, and refused to watch it. A few years later, not sure if it was because of the DragonCon panel or just around that same time, she started watching it from the beginning and now loves it. It’s one of those where you have to know it’s silly and get to know the characters shows.

This may end up being a good thing for Eureka. It will be the “fifth” season they have a really funky way of determining seasons. By any rational persons way of counting, 2012 would be their 7th season (episodes every summer 2006).  That’s a pretty good run for a quirky sci-fi show. Even though they had apparently renewed it for a “sixth” (eighth) season, they reversed the decision and next year will be the final one. But that gives the writers/producers time to wrap next season up satisfactorily.

But even if it is good for Eureka, SyFy won’t really hold much interest for me after that.

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For years I’ve thought about cutting off cable television. I never channel surf and only watch shows on a handful of channels. More and more of the stuff I watch comes from Netflix now anyways. Now, I could cut TV out entirely and devote my time to other things. The problem is, I like TV and I like seeing shows when they are new. When I considered this option before, a few years ago, I decided against it. I had just recently gotten an HD tv and didn’t want to watch new tv on the internet. Plus it would be impossible to get Gator football games. Things have changed and I’m considering it again.

Current Set Up- ~$150/ month

Comcast Cable Internet

• ~$80/month
• $24 of that is for basic cable I don’t use. Dropping that would make my internet $15 more expensive. Haven’t bothered because it wouldn’t really save much money
• 15mb/s download speeds, usually gets HD picture from Netflix, still hate Comcast because it sometimes is really slow

DISH Satelite

• ~$50/month
• Better HD selection and DVR service than the deal Comcast was offering at the time

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