Fifty Seven Channels and Nothin On
I've been noticing a trend among my contemporaries, the move to "cut the cord" as it were and get rid of broadcast television. I've resisted it myself until now and to be perfectly honest, I can't really give a solid reason why I have waited so long.
I suspect it's probably due to Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). As soon as I get rid of my cable provider there will be some great new TV show or event. Truth is, that great new TV show or event is probably going to come from one of the growing number of streaming services or one of the premium providers like HBO. Some of my favorite shows out today are from one or the other of those streamers and the only broadcast shows I enjoy now seem to take months if not years between seasons and yet I'm still paying for a service I rarely even engage.
The last thing I was getting out of broadcast TV was news. Not necessarily local news, I can get that from the newspaper and talking to people around me. I was addicted to cable news, specifically MSNBC. I admit that I have a sort of morbid curiosity about the horror show unfolding to the south of us and the talking heads on that particular network resonate with me. I could find a measure of peace in knowing that someone is clearly aware of how dire the situation is, and for a time I thought the anger it provoked in me was cathartic.
I understand that that catharsis was more like a cigarette. There was a brief pulse of energy in knowing you're not alone in your response, but that pulse faded every time and started to leave only the anger and hopelessness. I stopped consuming that news upon the realization and now only really pay attention when that news invades my other media and even then I'd rather walk away than engage.
So a couple days ago I started watching one of the new, original series on Netflix, Love, Death, and Robots. I wasn't sure what to expect because I'd heard from others that it was just another anime show that Netflix has been bringing in and I was also reluctant because, I don't know really.
That show has been great. It's something science fiction fans have been waiting for since... well since Science Fiction began as a genre. Back in the 40s and 50s, science fiction fans got their fix from pulp novels and anthologies. There are a lot of great science fiction stories out in the wild that are either not long enough to warrant their own book, or TV show, or movie. Some of them have eventually become one of those things. The Shawshank Redemption, while not science fiction, is one of those short stories that turned into a full length movie, and a damn good one at that.
And horror is one of the genres that has never suffered from a lack of representation. There are quite a few anthology shows for horror and suspense for all ages. Twilight Zone, Outer Limits (there was a bit of sci-fi there, but not quite the same), even Goosebumps for children.
In the 40s and 50s Science Fiction was represented by trade paperback publishers like Del, Penguin, etc. But the closest we got to an anthology series for short story sci-fi was probably Outer Limits. The problem is that science fiction either needs a big budget for effects and screenwriting or needs a way to reduce that cost. LDR (Love, Death, Robots) solved the effects issue by making the stories in CG rather than live action. If you're already doing everything in CG anyway, the effects are all part of the package. You also don't need any big name actors because it's all voice acting anyway, the actors don't even have to get into makeup or costume.
So now the majority of the budget can go into writing and producing and since there are so many short form sci-fi stories out there this series actually faces an embarrassment of riches in that respect.
I've watched a couple stories so far and everyone was at the very least interesting and most of them have left me eager for the next. It's probably not for everyone, some of the stories are decidedly not family friendly with graphic nudity and sex scenes and the ubiquitous violence. But the adult viewer who misses the old days of reading short stories from the likes of Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, etc will probably love this show as much as I.
And we really need to encourage this sort of science fiction television or all we'll be left with are whatever the juggernauts of Star Trek and Star Wars feed us.
Do yourself a favour and check it out, you might find one or more stories you like.
I suspect it's probably due to Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO). As soon as I get rid of my cable provider there will be some great new TV show or event. Truth is, that great new TV show or event is probably going to come from one of the growing number of streaming services or one of the premium providers like HBO. Some of my favorite shows out today are from one or the other of those streamers and the only broadcast shows I enjoy now seem to take months if not years between seasons and yet I'm still paying for a service I rarely even engage.
The last thing I was getting out of broadcast TV was news. Not necessarily local news, I can get that from the newspaper and talking to people around me. I was addicted to cable news, specifically MSNBC. I admit that I have a sort of morbid curiosity about the horror show unfolding to the south of us and the talking heads on that particular network resonate with me. I could find a measure of peace in knowing that someone is clearly aware of how dire the situation is, and for a time I thought the anger it provoked in me was cathartic.
I understand that that catharsis was more like a cigarette. There was a brief pulse of energy in knowing you're not alone in your response, but that pulse faded every time and started to leave only the anger and hopelessness. I stopped consuming that news upon the realization and now only really pay attention when that news invades my other media and even then I'd rather walk away than engage.
So a couple days ago I started watching one of the new, original series on Netflix, Love, Death, and Robots. I wasn't sure what to expect because I'd heard from others that it was just another anime show that Netflix has been bringing in and I was also reluctant because, I don't know really.
That show has been great. It's something science fiction fans have been waiting for since... well since Science Fiction began as a genre. Back in the 40s and 50s, science fiction fans got their fix from pulp novels and anthologies. There are a lot of great science fiction stories out in the wild that are either not long enough to warrant their own book, or TV show, or movie. Some of them have eventually become one of those things. The Shawshank Redemption, while not science fiction, is one of those short stories that turned into a full length movie, and a damn good one at that.
And horror is one of the genres that has never suffered from a lack of representation. There are quite a few anthology shows for horror and suspense for all ages. Twilight Zone, Outer Limits (there was a bit of sci-fi there, but not quite the same), even Goosebumps for children.
In the 40s and 50s Science Fiction was represented by trade paperback publishers like Del, Penguin, etc. But the closest we got to an anthology series for short story sci-fi was probably Outer Limits. The problem is that science fiction either needs a big budget for effects and screenwriting or needs a way to reduce that cost. LDR (Love, Death, Robots) solved the effects issue by making the stories in CG rather than live action. If you're already doing everything in CG anyway, the effects are all part of the package. You also don't need any big name actors because it's all voice acting anyway, the actors don't even have to get into makeup or costume.
So now the majority of the budget can go into writing and producing and since there are so many short form sci-fi stories out there this series actually faces an embarrassment of riches in that respect.
I've watched a couple stories so far and everyone was at the very least interesting and most of them have left me eager for the next. It's probably not for everyone, some of the stories are decidedly not family friendly with graphic nudity and sex scenes and the ubiquitous violence. But the adult viewer who misses the old days of reading short stories from the likes of Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, etc will probably love this show as much as I.
And we really need to encourage this sort of science fiction television or all we'll be left with are whatever the juggernauts of Star Trek and Star Wars feed us.
Do yourself a favour and check it out, you might find one or more stories you like.
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