"24" and "Mission: Impossible": 2 peas in a pod?

Mission: Impossible cast, season 5

One of the unexpected benefits of getting rid of cable TV was the discovery of MeTV, which we get over the air as part of the ABC affiliate's split digital signal. And perhaps the best thing about MeTV is that it reruns the classic TV series Mission: Impossible. Not just the theme song, which may be the best ever TV theme, but the show itself.

TNT's "The Last Ship": pilot episode review

I am a sucker for "end of the world" TV series, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm squarely in the target audience for TNT's "The Last Ship." As you can see, it's produced by Michael Bay and predictably has all of the strengths and flaws that he brings to his movie productions. But first, the big problem for me was that having cut cable, I don't get TNT any more.Fortunately for me, TNT is streaming the show on its website - sans commercials!

On to the show . . . .

Just discovered MeTV!

Thanks to cutting the cord, I just discovered MeTV, which is a syndicated channel that airs a bunch of old shows from the 60s and 70s mostly. It airs on the secondary HD feed on one of our local network affiliates, but I don't think it was part of the Comcast basic package that I had been getting.

Anyway, I first noticed it because at 11:30 pm, MeTV has been airing the old "Mission: Impossible" series. I'm a sucker for memorable TV theme songs/openings (which probably partly explains why I like "CSI: Miami"!), and "Mission: Impossible" definitely has that going for it. (Unfortunately, right now, MeTV is airing episodes from season 6, which was when the writers and producers got tired of sending the IMF team to vaguely eastern European locations and had them fighting organized crime domestically. Thus, the opening mission brief on the self-destructing tape no longer includes the catchphrase, "As usual, if you or any member of your IM team are captured or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.")



Still, energized by my discovery of "Mission: Impossible," I looked into what else MeTV has to offer, and it was like striking the gold mine! What Gen Xer wouldn't smile at the memory of reruns of the campy "Batman" with Adam West?

But wait, there's more! How about "Get Smart," "Gilligan's Island," "Lost in Space," "M*A*S*H," "Remington Steele," "Star Trek," and "Wonder Woman," among others?

Getting rid of cable is turning out better and better!

Preview trailer of FX's vampire miniseries "The Strain"

I commented before about how FX's upcoming vampire miniseries "The Strain" looks like it's going to be really scary. The preview trailer that FX released is certainly consistent with that prediction:

Having gotten rid of cable, though, I guess I'll have to wait for this to stream on Amazon Prime.

Had cable for the weekend; didn't see anything I missed

It's been five days since I cut the cord on cable, but I got something of a reprieve when we spent the weekend on a quick Memorial Day Weekend to the coast, and our rental unit had a basic cable package. Now, it's not like I was parked in front of the TV the entire time; we were at the Northwest coast, after all. Moreover, I'd spent too much time sitting that first day, so I had to get out in the evening for a run along the beach.

Anyway, while flipping through the channels after a post-run shower, I found . . . nothing. I ended up watching the last 20 minutes of the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, which was on MTV of all channels. (Yes, as a Gen Xer, I actually remember when MTV debuted, and when it showed music videos 24/7!)

The second night, while I was in the gym, it was kind of the same: flip, flip, flip, flip. I settled on X-Men: First Class on FX, which was entertaining enough that I finished it back in the room. (I did see it in the theater when it came out, so even this bit of advocacy for cable is limited.)

So, all in all, I'm not really missing cable.

"Orphan Black" has a science consultant named . . . Cosima!

BBC America's "Orphan Black," which is one of the few TV shows that I'm not going to be able watch live (or near live) after having cut the cord to cable TV, has a science consultant to help with questions about life sciences and cloning and the like.

And her name is Cosima!

I guess we know where the writers/producers got the idea for graduate student clone Cosima in the show.

Hmm, I wonder if Shonda Rhimes needs a TV loving law prof to be a law school consultant for the upcoming TV series "How to Get Away With Murder" ....

Good-bye, Comcast (cable): cutting the cord!

After 25 minutes on the phone with Comcast/Xfinity this afternoon, I went ahead and "cut the cable." (I'm not free of Comcast, since it's apparently the only Internet provider in my neighborhood.) This should shave $70/month off the bill.

It took some amount of effort to overcome the inertia involved, but the amount that cable TV was costing was becoming fairly ridiculous -- $50+ for the cable feed, $20 for equipment rentals, and some taxes on top of that.

I had the following concerns about ditching cable:

(1) Would I be able to find all of the TV shows I watch via some kind of cheap streaming service?

(2) Would I have to abandon my beloved TiVo?

(3) What would I do to get local TV news?

(4) What about live sports?

BBC America's "Orphan Black": a reverse-show that I'm going to have to say bye-bye to (for now)

The premise of BBC America's "Orphan Black" is something I couldn't resist: clones and conspiracies. Tatiana Maslany stars as Sarah, a scammer and once single mom who had to give up her daughter; and as Beth, a police detective who commits suicide in the first 2 minutes of the series; and as Cosima, a bio grad student; and as Alison, a soccer mom; and as Helena, a psychopath; and ... well, the list goes on and on.

Maslany is pretty incredible in all of these roles, because it's easy to get drawn in by her performances and forget that it's the same actress portraying these various characters. Different hairstyles and make-up help her keep track of who she's playing, and so too does keeping a different playlist of music for each clone.

In addition to the acting tour de force, the technical production side has been eyepopping. One actor playing twins who share a scene? That's been done lots of times. Having one actress playing three characters who physically interact with one another (handing coffee mugs, etc.)? That's a "how the heck did they manage to film that???" moment.

And yet, the storyline has been getting slower and slower, and I find myself paying less and less attention to the plot midway through season 2. In an odd way, this makes "Orphan Black" a reverse-show for me: the acting is of a far better caliber than the plotline.

With "goodbye to cable" day coming up later this week, "Orphan Black" is one of the few things I watch regularly that can't be found via over-the-air HD signal or Hulu+, so I'll have to wait for it to hit Amazon Prime to finish out season 2. Sad to say, but I won't have a hard time waiting.