Stargate Atlantis

Last year I posted a blog entry mentioning the journey from beginning to end of Stargate SG-1 for me. I thought I might finish the remaining live-action shows by year-end.

I didn't make it.

I did finish Stargate Atlantis a few months ago, but still have the bulk of Stargate Universe to go. The last few episodes of Atlantis were pleasing, but the finale seemed rushed.

I've been watching Person of Interest and Law & Order, as those recordings on my DVR are bigger and I wanted to reclaim space.

Person of Interest

Nearly five years ago I began a journey. You might not think of watching a television show as a journey, but if a show has a compelling story, you might.

Such was with Person of Interest, created by Jonathan Nolan, noted for screenwriting on The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, and for the short story "Memento Mori" which was turned into the movie Memento.

Person of Interest starts fairly episodic, then dives into lengthy story arcs around the Machine, a government surveillance system that has also been turned to good purpose by our protagonists.

There's really not much more to say except that it worked, despite the technical overreach typical of TV crime shows, and I recommend it.

Cutting the cord, one month later

It's been a month since we ditched cable. Some channels are spotty, but that's okay. Not having the frustration of abysmal customer service and ever-rising prices make their own reward.

Cutting the cord part 5

Most of the time, recordings are completing successfully. It's better than it was with cable, though, because I control it, end to end.

I'll still be watching that cable company, to see how they manage to survive, alienating customers like that.

Cutting the cord part 4

I have an antenna and I've canceled cable TV. Reception isn't perfect and we're still working on that, but the deed is done. Cable TV rejected me by trying to force me down a path I didn't want to follow.

Cutting the cord part 3

Found an installer. Hoping for the best.

Cutting the cord part 2

I've tested with my old, tree-damaged antenna and have discovered that I can indeed receive all the channels I want to receive. But. There's always a but.

I'm having a devil of a time finding an installer to do what I want.

Pretty soon I'm going to have to start making phone calls. I don't like making phone calls to people I don't know.

Unbreakable

I've become drawn into Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I really like Tina Fey's writing.

Cutting the cord

It's time to leave cable television behind, for my cable company is now in a headlong rush to drop all analog service and to encrypt all digital channels, even those on the tier that every customer pays to receive. In my opinion, this is a bait-and-switch to make equipment rental mandatory when it need not be.

Perhaps, eventually, I'll watch less television.

In the meantime, I'm on the search for a reputable antenna installer so we can receive at least all the PBS stations.

Southland

I started watching Southland in 2009, when it premiered on NBC. It was canceled soon after and found a new home on TNT, where it ran for four more seasons. I didn't have TNT for that full run, however, and my ability to watch it from season three onward has been through Netflix, where I just started receiving the fifth and final season. I'm about halfway through watching it.

As I near the end of the show, I find myself feeling some reluctance to finish it, as I don't really want it to end. To me it seems to be a logical next generation of what Adam-12 was, a portrayal of at least some of the gritty reality of police work, along with showing both the good and bad of Los Angeles. I'll finish it anyway, as I want to see it through.

I'm glad that Me-TV is running most of the Jack Webb shows. I wish they had the rights to the original TV Dragnet, though. I'd like to see the black-and-white episodes that haven't been released on disc.