say goodbye to saved shows

I cut the cord to cable tv a little over a year ago. And when I did so I knew I still had some other options available. Was it cheaper just to stream each of the channels, maybe? But I couldn’t deal with the math or the letting go so I made the bridge decision to get Hulu Live. Hulu Live lets you not only get Hulu but basically watch or save any of the broadcast shows including most cable channels.

So I figured summer was the right time to play around with giving up some stuff to see if it really worked. I will say dropping down from $83/month to $10/month seems to make sense. I am still getting regular Hulu (I dropped the Disney+ add-on). I’m also still paying for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and HBO Max (which is what it’s called as of this writing).

Fortunately, some stuff is easy. I’m now picking up It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Fx) and Bob’s Burgers (Fox) through Hulu. The CW seems to stream their stuff via their own app but it’s free so catching Children Ruin Everything and the upcoming Family Law. PBS doesn’t stream all their stuff but I am able to pick up the NewsHour and Washington Week.

And I am definitely missing a couple things. I was watching Resident Alien and Revival on Syfy. Resident Alien seems to eventually make its way to Netflix, but looks like I can grab some Peacock to finish out the season if I don’t want to wait. I can also pick up the last couple of Transplant episodes that were on NBC. Peacock did just announce it was jacking its pricing from $7.99 to $10.99.

I had started watching Librarians: The Next Generation on TNT, and that looks a little trickier to find, but fortunately, I wasn’t that into the show and can ignore it. I can revisit later if desired. But good to make note of things not really as available. I am also still missing Dark Winds without AMC, it eventually makes its way to Netflix, but season 3 isn’t there yet.

Once fall tv rolls out, I’ll need to decide if I want to watch things in real-time and get maybe a Peacock and Paramount+ subscriptions or just batch them up for a month at a time for some savings. I can of course, buy pretty much anything on Amazon but I prefer to get via a month of something when possible. It’s usually cheaper and I can watch other stuff.

There is also technically a way to watch live TV from various programs, but tracking the time and literally watching something live is like returning to the ’70s, and I’m not sure it can be done.

The biggest challenge? Keeping track of everything. I long for the days when I had one TiVo with almost everything saved. Now I need to keep track of what’s where and when. When it was saved stuff and just a couple of apps, it was just easier. So again, come fall, I may start to lose it. But until then, I think things work.

Is there a solution I’m missing?

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/14-7/27

Knowing the outcome of Welcome to Wrexham (Fx) didn’t dull the enjoyment. HBO’s Duster was fun and sadly won’t be back for another season, while I am excited to see where next season of The Pitt gets us. I had Peacock for the latest season of Poker Face, while the episodes are always great it was missing a little of the tension of previous seasons, but set up with even more for the next. While I was in Peacock mode, I also finished out Mr. Throwback and Rutherford Falls, both mid shows I’d started in previous iterations. And a quick season of Ironheart on Dis+, which was an entertaining enough, somewhat standalone Marvel (which I always appreciate). I recently dropped my Hulu Live, which I will update you on, but I’m going to need to poke around a bit to see where I can watch shows.

  • Stags (PSN) Series Premiere, Monday 7/14 – Am I the only one who can’t keep up? This is a British series premiering on PlayStation?! The stag party takes a very dark turn.
  • Entitled (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 7/15 – An offbeat comedy where a man buries his wife, and her eccentric family creates some problems.
  • Untamed (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 7/17 – Eric Bana as a federal agent investigating a woman’s death in Yosemite in this dark mystery.
  • Transplant (NBC) Series finale, Thursday 7/17 – This show was always a solid medical drama in my Canadian comfort genre.
  • The Amateur (Hulu) Streaming Movie, Thursday 7/17 – Rami Malek takes matters into his own hands when his wife is killed.
  • The Hunting Wives (Net) Series Premiere, Monday 7/21 – Brittany Snow plays a new wife falling in with some socialites in East Texas.
  • Washington Black (Hulu) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/23 – Based on the novel, a young boy with a scientific mind flees a Barbados plantation and ends up on a globe-spanning adventure.
  • Family Law (CW) Season Premiere, Wednesday 7/23, 8pm – This show is part of my Canadian repertoire with a fun family legal drama.
  • Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (Roku) Series Premiere, Friday 7/25 – Reality spotlight, I follow TER on IG and love her fighting the stigma of solo outings and her fashion, this could be fun.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/30-7/13

I generally like a Sherlock and the varied adaptations, and while I stuck with Sherlock & Daughter on CW, it didn’t ever quite pull me in. I enjoyed and appreciated the Pee-Wee, As Himself documentary (I was a big Pee-Wee fan in the day). And based on a couple of best TV of 2025 lists so far, I binged through North of North on Netflix, which was mostly cute but for me not revolutionary. Also, Wimbledon starts on Monday and Tour de France on the 5th.

  • The Old Guard 2 (Net) Movie Premiere, Wednesday 7/2 – I found the first one a lot of fun and am hoping this one follows suit, though I feel like they could have been more clever with the title.
  • On Becoming a Guinea Fowl/Sinners (Max) Streaming Premieres, Friday 7/4 – These were both on at least one Best of 2025 so far movie lists.
  • Ballard (Am) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/9 – We first met Maggie Q’s Ballard in the latest Bosch and are now joining her (and at least a little of him) as she picks up cold cases continuing the Connelly universe.
  • Building the Band (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday 7/9 – So this is basically Making the Band meets the Voice, which I found pretty fun back when these shows were fresh, group dynamics on top of the search for stars.
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX) Season Premiere, Wednesday 7/9, 9pm – We’ve been waiting to see the less family-friendly version of the Abbott Elementary crossover for a bit.
  • Dexter: Resurrection (Para+/Show) Series Premiere, Friday 7/11/Sunday 7/13 – I have lost track of the Dexter universe.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/16-6/29

With less ‘broadcast’ tv to deal with I’ve been able to do some streaming. Adults (Fx) was very bingeable but a little on the annoying side. Daredevil: Born Again (Dis+) was enjoyable, but which was an odd plotline and felt more like a reboot for the future. Leverage: Redemption (Prime) great light fun. Ginny & Georgia (Net) not my favorite season plotwise, but understand why they did it and enjoy these characters with lots of set up for future action. And I managed to do some catch-up on Ridley (PBS), which is very Northern English detective/mystery.

  • Hell Motel (Shud) Series Premiere, Tuesday 6/17 – True crime-obsessed guests are invited to the reopening of an unsolved Satanic murder hotel, and it doesn’t go well for them.
  • We Were Liars (Prime) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/18 – A fancy clique of people dubbed ‘liars’ in their youth have more mysteries unfold, adapted from a YA novel.
  • Outrageous (Brit) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/18 – Based on the true story of the six Mitford sisters set in the ’30s.
  • Children Ruin Everything (CW) Season Premiere, Wednesday 6/18, 9pm – This is a cute Canadian series about a couple who mostly enjoy life with their 3 kids and extended family and friends.
  • The Waterfront (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/19 – A North Carolina fishing family gets in deep trying to save their biz, by Kevin Williamson and inspired by actual events.
  • Ironheart (Dis+) Series Premiere, Tuesday 6/24 – Continuing the Marvel tale, we follow Dominique Thorne from Black Panther through building her own Iron Man-esque suit.
  • Countdown (Prime) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/25 – A secret task force, starring Jensen Ackles, looking for the murderer of a Homeland Security Office,r and finds more.
  • The Bear (Fx/Hulu) Season Premiere, Wednesday 6/25 – These all release and I will parse them out no more than two a night, last season wasn’t my favorite but still fantastic tv.
  • Smoke (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 6/27 – Created by Dennis Lehane, a detective (Jurnee Smollett) and an arson investigator (Taron Egerton) pursue serial arsonists
  • Squid Game (Net) Season Premiere, Friday 6/27 – I was so frustrated by the second season, I am tempted to bail on this,s but will likely tune in for the conclusion.
  • Nautilus (AMC) Series Premiere, Sunday 6/29 – Inspired by 20k Leagues Under the Sea, an Indian prince sets out on a submarine.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/2-6/15

A couple more network shows complete, neither of which I’m watching because they’re very good, Found (NBC) cancelled, and Alert: Missing Persons Unit (Fox), which has yet to be renewed. HBO finished up with the funny Hacks and the not as great second season of The Last of Us, both of which are coming back for at least one more season. I grabbed another month of Para+ to do Yellow Jackets, and those girls are a mess, still entertaining, though not where it was at the start. And I dropped into Sirens, a miniseries on Netflix that was fun and campy, though for me, they didn’t stick the landing.

  • Stick (App+) Series Premiere, Wednesday 6/4 – Own Wilson stars in this feel-good comedy about a has-been golfer who focuses on a troubled 17-year-old golf phenom.
  • Ginny & Georgia (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 6/5 – I have found this family drama to be fun so let’s see what trouble they get into and out of this season.
  • The Survivors (Net) Series Premiere, Friday 6/6 – A mysterious death brings up a tragedy from 15 years prior in this Australian drama.
  • Resident Alien (USA/Syfy) Season Premiere, Friday 6/6, 11pm – Alan Tudyk makes this series as an alien who takes human form and gets human feelings for the planet he was supposed to destroy, but also a great supporting cast.
  • Divorced Sistas (BET+) Series Premiere, Monday 6/9 – A spinoff in Tyler Perry’s Sistas universe.
  • The Kollective (Hulu) Series Premiere, Tuesday 6/10 – Young journalists dig into corruption and rogue activities, and whatnot.
  • Revival (Syfy/USA) Series Premiere, Thursday 6/12, 10pm – The undead rise, but not like in zombie form, they’re just back, and I guess you can still die because there’s a murder.
  • Patience (PBS) Series Premiere, Sunday 6/15, 8pm – A detective takes an autistic woman working in records to help solve crimes.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 5/19-6/1

Well it’s been a big wrap-up season of network tv. Series finales for cancelled The Equalizer (CBS) and Night Court (NBC) both entertaining enough but The Equalizer definitely felt like it had run its course with their personal lives. It turns out I watch a slate of CBS stuff: Ghosts which I find funny, Elsbeth where she and the cast are all really fun to watch unravel the case, and then meh Tracker , and Watson. Along with enjoyable Will Trent (ABC) and Wild Cards (CW). And in non-network The Four Seasons (Net) which I thought was just ok.

  • The Kouncil, Older Hotter Wiser, People Like Me, The Warehouse Phase (Pea) Series Premieres, Monday 5/19 – Four new series from emerging artists.
  • Motorheads (Am) Series Premiere, Tuesday 5/20 – A group of outsiders bond over street racing in this coming-of-age show.
  • She the People (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/22 – Another entry in the Tyler Perry portfolio, this political comedy brings Mississippi’s first Black lieutenant governor.
  • Sirens (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/22 – A woman shows up to find her sister a little too enamored with her billionaire boss (Julianne Moore) at a lavish seaside estate.
  • Transplant (NBC) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/22 – This show isn’t amazing but I’ve grown to enjoy my Canadian tv, this centers around a Syrian immigrant Dr.
  • Pee-Wee, As Himself (HBO) Series Premiere, Friday 5/23 – Reality spotlight in this look into the man behind Pee-Wee, Paul Reubens.
  • French Open (TNT) – Let the play begin.
  • The Librarians: The Next Chapter (TNT) Series Premiere, Sunday 5/25, 10pm – A new take on the previously entertaining enough show about guardians trying to contain magics.
  • Adults (Fx) Series Premiere, Wednesday 5/28 – Five twenty-somethings share a home and the complexities of life in this comedy.
  • The Better Sister (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/29 – Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks in a crime drama reuniting sisters when one’s husband is murdered.
  • Dept Q (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/29 – A new team opens up Edinburgh’s cold cases.
  • And Just Like That… (HBO) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/29 – I find this show pretty annoying, but it’s enough of a callback to what it was that I keep watching.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 5/5-5/18

I finally caught Adolescence (Net), which was much talked about, and while the format was really impressive in its skill in front of and behind the camera, I’m not sure it really added much to the story; the third episode probably worked best for me. As a palate cleanser, I went through With Love, Meghan (Net) and while she does come across as a little stiff, it was a perfectly lovely look at lifestyle things. The Conners (ABC) and Poppa’s House (CBS) both had their series finales, the second never quite got funny. St Denis Medical (NBC) had a lot of good ingredients in the first season, so I’ll tune back in. And I am also making my way through You (Net) and Wear Whatever the F You Want (Am), neither of which is pulling me that strongly.

  • Poker Face (Pea) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/8 – This is a very fun protagonist who solves murders at least partly because she can tell when people are lying, led by Natasha Lyonne.
  • Forever (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/8 – Two childhood friends reunite as teens and get their romance on.
  • Bad Thoughts (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday 5/13 – This is described as a dark and twisted comedy, and after watching the preview I have no idea what this show is about.
  • Bet (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/15 – At a private school where gambling determines everything, a new student shows up seeking revenge.
  • Overcompensating (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/15 – Can college students create the versions of themselves they want?
  • Welcome to Wrexham (Fx) Season Premiere, Thursday 5/15, 9pm – While the end result for the team is known ahead of time, this series does a great job of telling stories of the team, the business, the community, and more.
  • Duster (Max) Series Premiere, Thursday 5/15 – A gutsy getaway driver in the ’70s Southwest by JJ Abrams and his Lost star Josh Holloway.
  • Murderbot (App) Series Premiere, Friday 5/16 – A self-hacking bot played by Alexander Skarsgard balances his mission with his ‘real desires.’

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 4/21-5/4

A busy finale season with the enjoyable The White Lotus (HBO), the very middling The Hunting Party (NBC), the kind of charming Good Cop/Bad Cop (CW), always amusing Abbott Elementary (ABC), the series finale of the very Bosch Bosch: Legacy (Prime), and the weirdly premised but still interesting Matlock (CBS). I also finished up the touching but tough watch Dying for Sex (Hulu) and decent sci-fi The Ark, which I had recorded a while ago off of Syfy.

The site that I normally reference for this list thefutoncritic.com was down when I went to do this. So looking at other sites in different formats my have some missed but decided to add some streaming movies since I keep my eye on those as well.

  • You (Net) Season Premiere, Thursday 4/24 – We’re all dying to see the latest obsession and see how the whole thing raps up, odds that Dan makes it?
  • Etoile (Prime) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/24 – This new dramedy from the Palladinos (GGirls, Mrs. Maisel+) is set in the world of ballet at NY and Paris ballet companies.
  • I, Jack Wright (Brit) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/24 – A crime thriller focusing on the aftermath of a suicide and the following discoveries.
  • Babygirl (Max) Movie Spotlight, Friday 4/25 – Nicole Kidman stars in this erotic drama, decent reviews.
  • Havoc (Net) Movie Spotlight, Friday 4/25 – A detective fights through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s son, with Tom Hardy and Timothy Olyphant among others.
  • Wear Whatever the F You Want (Prime) Series Premiere, Tuesday 4/29 – Reality spotlight, the stars of What Not to Wear, Clinton and Stacy bring an updated sensibility to their latest makeovers, the original was a mainstay.
  • The Four Seasons (Net) Miniseries Premiere, Thursday 5/1 – A remake of the ’81 movie of three couples vacationing together and drama follows, with Tina Fey and Steve Carell among others.
  • Another Simple Favor (Prime) Movie Spotlight, Thursday 5/1 – I don’t remember where Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s characters left off but definitely intrigued to see them again in Italy.
  • Miss Austen (PBS) Miniseries Premiere, Sunday 5/4 – A fictional telling of Jane Austen and her sister.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 4/7-4/20

I’ve been busy watching ‘quality’ tv and movies to finish up my end-of-year lists (yes my best movie lists usually don’t get done until March). So kind of nice to just watch tv. Though I am a little behind in things. I’m so glad I don’t follow March Madness.

I burned through Mid-Century Modern (Hulu) not because it was great but because it was light, except for the loss of Linda Lavin mid-season, which was heartbreaking. I also went back and finished Squid Games (Net), which, lame, way less engaging to repeat some of these events even with the new perspective, and super lame to end mid events to set up the third and final season. Reacher (Am) is also losing a bit of its luster, the first season definitely the funnest. Over on network tv, The Irrational (NBC) finished the second season, and it’s not amazing, but he’s a likable protagonist, and his insights into the way people work are somewhat interesting in context.

  • Hacks (HBO) Season Premiere, Thursday 4/10, 9pm – Excited to see what Deborah and Ava get into as they launch the late-night show, they’re best when they’re on the same side, but they are good as foes.
  • Your Friends and Neighbors (App+) Series Premiere, Friday 4/11 – Jon Hamm stars as a failed money guy who starts stealing from his neighbors, and you know there’s secrets.
  • The Last of Us (HBO) Season Premiere, Sunday 4/13 – Joel and Ellie won my heart, so I’m excited to see them again, but not sure where the show is going next.
  • Sherlock & Daughter (CW) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/16, 9pm – The American daughter joins to solve her mother’s murder, and I’m assuming other cases.
  • The Stolen Girl (Free) Series Premiere, Wednesday 4/16, 10pm – A sleepover brings the worst fears.
  • #1 Happy Family USA (Am) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/17 – Ramy Youssef leads the adult animated cast following an ‘upbeat’ Muslim family in America in the early 2000s.
  • Leverage (Am) Season Premiere, Thursday 4/17 – This show might not be great television, but I love to watch the latest heisty revenge they get on the bad guys.
  • Ransom Canyon (Net) Series Premiere, Thursday 4/17 – Capitalizing on Yellowstone vibes, three ranching dynasties fight for land and whatnot.

The procrastinator lists mostly scripted items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST, please check your local listings.

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must-see movies of 2024

This might be the latest in the year I’ve done my top movies list, but it’s still March (for a tiny bit longer)! I’ve all but stopped going to the theater and there were just a few of the touted films that took a bit to hit streaming. I like to do my movie list based on the calendar year (mostly), but those December limited release ones are always a tough get. I of course do not see everything though I do see more than most, and I almost always see all of the Academy-nominated best pictures. You will see they did not all make my cut.

  1. Civil War – This was hard to watch this version of dystopian future (and getting harder most days) but very good, Dunst was compelling, and the journalist perspective worked.
  2. Nickel Boys – I found the first-person camera POV on this very disconcerting at first, but it grew on me (though I probably appreciated the book more), another tough watch around a brutal reformatory in the Jim Crow South but very moving.
  3. September 5 – A tight thriller on the hostage crisis from the perspective of the 1972 ABC Olympic Sports broadcast coverage, it limited the POV and scope of the story but kept me engaged and on edge.
  4. Wicked – This Maguire book is an absolute favorite, and I thought the original musical did a great job of capturing the spirit and finding its own groove. I thought the cast of this was great (thought Grande moreso felt like she was channeling Chenoweth). I do remember liking the musical itself better (thought the visuals on this were fun) and personally hate a ‘to be continued.’ I think they could have done it in one go (though this endpoint actually felt like it had some completion).
  5. A Real Pain – Anxiety-filled and poignant moments as these two cousins join a Poland tour to find their heritage, a little too anxious for me to love but Culkin earns it.
  6. Conclave – I was expecting to hate this, religion bleh, electing a new religious official double bleh. But although there were some stretches in the story, I was completely engaged in this Pope-fest. And actually more interested in a possible upcoming turnover (not that I’ll get the behind the scenes).
  7. All of Us Strangers – This might have technically been last year, but Andrew Scott is just so good (in anything). This look at his character’s relationship with a neighbor and his look back at his past was really weird (I had to look at the movie description part way through) but good.
  8. My Old Ass – I love a good coming of age flick and this version has a character meets an older version of herself, while tripping of course. The dynamics on lessons of plans for our lives, love, and loss were sweet and funny (yes a few quibbles), and yes Aubrey Plaza can also do no wrong.
  9. Thelma – Some lessons here about how we deal with aging, but this tale of truth and aspirational revenge hit a lot of great notes to be funny, sweet, and satisfying.
  10. The Idea of You – I don’t know why it’s hard to deliver a good rom-com but this trite-sounding ‘older woman connects with younger famous musician’ hit the right notes and Anne Hathaway brought it.

I would love to know in the comments what your faves of the year were.

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