Saturday, October 7th
This is my 200th blog post! Woo hoo! Thanks to any
readers.

I've been a fan of "Star
Trek" as long as I can remember. I have three older geek
brothers and a geek mom, so we watched it when it was first
on the air in the 60's. I watched it later on in the 70's in
re-runs. I just loved it. I recorded it on audio tape and
played it over and over. I collected the books and anything
else I could get my hands on. Later on, I recorded all of
the newer Star Trek episodes on VHS, and then I bought the
DVD's. I have two Star Trek uniforms. "Star Trek" was one of
the first shows I started here on my TV website.
I
read a lot of message boards, forums, and groups (especially
on Facebook), many about Star Trek. I'm getting really tired
of all of the people complaining about paying for
CBS All Access
(to watch "Star
Trek: Discovery"). This reminds me of all of the people
who complained about "All
My Children" and "One
Life to Live" moving to the internet (after they were
canceled on ABC). Wait, wasn't it better than being
canceled? (It was!) Then they had people complaining because
there were some bad words in it. GMAFB. It seems to be
mostly older people complaining, in both cases.
There
were even complaints about the newer "Star Trek" shows when
they started, too, but they were drowned out by the rest
of us fans. Now with the new "Star Trek" series, there are
even some young people complaining. OK, sure. There are
always complainers, or "haters" as they're called. I get
that. It just gets to be too much for me.

Listen up. TV is
not faring well financially, which has been the case for the
past 20 years. There are a lot of great shows on TV that
either no one is watching, or they're watching for free
somewhere. The broadcast networks - particularly
ABC,
CBS,
NBC,
FOX and
The CW - are scrambling
to figure out how to make more money and still be able to
put on great shows for us. They're not just entertainment.
They're businesses. They will die if they don't figure it
out. We all hate commercials, and we fast-forward through
them if we can, but they pay the bills for these networks
(and for many cable networks as well).
FOX has invested in
HULU for their shows, so
they can make money that way.
NBC tried a new online network called
Seeso, but it died.
ABC is owned by
Disney, so it will
probably be okay, for a while. They're all facing
competition, not just from HBO
and Showtime, and gaming,
and the internet in general, but also from online streaming
services like Netflix,
HULU,
Amazon, Crackle,
YouTube et al. You
used to be able to watch ABC shows for free online, but now
you have to first prove that you have a cable or satellite
account. Otherwise, you have to pay for them separately. CBS
has done it differently. They require you to pay $6 a month
for CBS All Access. I believe it used to be free (you just
had to login), but that
hasn't been true for a long time. You can watch NBC, ABC and
FOX shows On Demand with your cable company or DISH Network,
but you can't get any of the CBS or CW shows there. You can
only watch those online with CBS All Access, or with ROKU on
your TV. It's really no different than having to watch a
show on iTunes or HULU.

Those people who are balking
at paying for "Star Trek: Discovery" are being unrealistic.
They're stuck in the early part of the century.
This show is only available on CBS All Access, just like
"Orange Is the New Black" or "House of Cards" or "Daredevil"
are only available on Netflix. Some people are complaining
that they're paying for one show. Well, that's just not
true. CBS All Access has tons of older and current shows
from CBS, Showtime and The CW. They also have an online
version of "Big Brother" and a great drama called "The Good
Fight" (which is technically a sequel to "The Good Wife",
but you don't have to have watched that show to enjoy it).
"Star Trek: Discovery" is their second original show.
They're hoping that it will be a big success, so they can
then put out more original shows. This is exactly where
Netflix was in 2013 when they first debuted "House of
Cards," their first original series (can you believe that it
was only 4 years ago?). There were probably people
complaining then, too. "I don't watch to pay to watch TV
shows on my computer!" Well, they were wrong, too, and
Netflix and Amazon are raking in the big bucks.
CBS was smart
to do this. Most scifi fans have money. I'm basing this
entirely on people I know.
This article seems to confirm it, though. Scifi
fans tend to have jobs as computer programmers, engineers,
etc. They spend tons of money on collectibles, DVD's,
costuming, and going to conventions. Asking them to pay $6 a
month to watch new episodes of "Star Trek" is not a bad
idea. It's cheaper than Netflix, HULU, or Amazon, too. So
far, CBS's gamble has paid off. The first episode, which
aired on CBS TV,
got them 10 million viewers. Subsequent episodes
air only on CBS All Access,
which has already doubled the number of subscribers.
They had 1 million subscribers in 2016, so that means they
have at least 2 million now (probably more). Apparently, that
doesn't even include the people who signed up on the CBS
website (just those who use their app, I guess).
I
enjoyed the episodes so far, and I'm glad they're
successful. I hope they continue to be successful and that
CBS All Access comes out with more great shows. Without
being ruled by the FCC regulations (like broadcast networks
are), they can make more high quality programs that match up
with what cable and Netflix has to offer. They can attract
better writers and actors, too.
The only thing I don't like about the show is the name.
Really, no one realized until it was too late that the
abbreviation is STD? SMH!
For those who
complain about other things having to do with the show, suck
it up. Watch it or don't watch it. Quit your complaining! No
one wants to hear it. That's my two cents, anyway...

I enjoyed the return of "Once
Upon a Time", but I don't like the new
Henry, and I
didn't like that they got completely different actresses to
play Cinderella and Alice,
too. I read that the writers said
that no one watched "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland," so
they figured it was ok to change Alice. Hey, I watched it!!!
I was very glad to see Hook and Rumple, and at least there
was a photo of Emma (and she showed up in the previews,
too). It was a little slow, though, so I hope it gets
better.

I barely recognize Gabrielle Anwar from "Burn Notice" as the new wicked stepmother! Wow!
I'm very glad to have "Gotham"
back, too. The only thing I don't like is that Bruce
is about 15, I think? I find it hard to take him seriously. The
actor is 16, but we're used to seeing
actors in their 20's playing teens, so
he looks even younger.
I love Alexander Siddig, so I'm glad to see him as Ra's al
Ghul, but I'm kicking myself. How did I not recognize him at
all last season? Wow!
So far I'm also enjoying "Marvel's Inhumans" on ABC and
"The Gifted" on FOX. They're the only new Fall shows I'm
watching besides "Star Trek: Discovery," "Liars" on
Sundance, and "Will & Grace."
Make sure you read our
reviews of all of
the new TV shows!
Chronicles
- My personal blog, which is not about TV.
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Page updated 10/8/17