Why Are We Paying for All These Streaming Services Just to Say There’s Nothing to Watch?

Last night I wanted to watch something.

That's it.

Nothing complicated.

I wasn't looking for an Oscar-winning masterpiece. I wasn't trying to discover the next greatest television series of all time.

I just wanted to sit down, get comfortable and watch something good.

So I turned on the TV.

Netflix.

Scroll.

Scroll.

Scroll.

Nothing.

Okay.

Hulu.

Scroll.

Seen it.

Scroll.

Don't want to watch that.

Scroll.

Why is THAT recommended for me? 😂

Fine.

Prime Video.

Scroll.

Wait—is this included with Prime or do I have to rent it?

Never mind.

Next app.

And somewhere around 20 minutes into this ridiculous journey, I realized something:

I had spent more time looking for something to watch than I probably would've spent watching an actual episode.

That's when I had a question.

How am I paying for all these streaming services and still saying, “Ain't nothing on TV”?

Because somehow we managed to recreate cable.

Except now cable has been broken into 47 different apps, everybody wants their own monthly payment, and I need a private investigator to figure out where one particular movie is streaming.

Remember When Cutting the Cord Was Supposed to Save Us Money?

That was the whole pitch.

Get rid of cable!

Stop paying that ridiculous cable bill!

Streaming is the future!

And honestly, it was exciting in the beginning.

You could pay for one or two services and suddenly have thousands of movies and television shows available whenever you wanted them.

No commercials.

No waiting until Thursday at 8.

No recording anything.

No calling somebody and saying:

“DON'T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED! I HAVEN'T WATCHED IT YET!”

It felt like freedom.

Then everybody realized there was money in streaming.

And here we are.

One service has the show you want.

Another has the movie.

Another has that one series everybody is talking about.

Then somebody tells you about something amazing and you ask:

“Where is it streaming?”

They name an app you've never heard of.

Of course.

Another subscription. 😂

And Why Do I Need a Spreadsheet?

I shouldn't need accounting software to watch television.

But start adding it up.

One streaming service here.

Another one there.

Add the premium version because apparently commercials have followed us into the streaming era.

Then there's the one you subscribed to because you wanted to watch one specific show.

You finished the show six months ago.

You're still paying for the subscription.

Don't act like I'm the only one. 😂

Then somebody in the house wants another service.

Sports might require something else.

Premium channels have their own streaming platforms.

Before you know it, that cable bill we were all running away from is standing across the street looking at us like:

“Miss me yet?”

The Worst Part Is There Is TOO MUCH to Watch

This is what makes absolutely no sense.

There's more content available to us than probably any generation before us.

Thousands upon thousands of movies.

Television shows from decades ago.

Documentaries.

Reality shows.

International series.

Independent films.

Original streaming movies.

Entire seasons available instantly.

And somehow I still end up watching the same five shows I've already seen.

Maybe the problem isn't that there's nothing to watch.

Maybe there's too much to watch.

Give me three choices and I'll pick one.

Give me 3,000 choices and suddenly I'm scrolling through thumbnails like I'm making a major life decision.

Do I want funny?

Do I want serious?

Do I have the emotional capacity for a two-hour movie?

Is this going to require me to actually pay attention?

Because sometimes I don't want to watch-watch something.

I want something playing while I look at my phone.

There's a difference. 😂

Streaming Changed How We Watch Everything

As someone who writes and makes films, this part really interests me.

Streaming didn't just change where we watch.

It changed how we watch.

We used to wait an entire week for the next episode.

Now a whole season drops and somebody finishes eight episodes before lunch.

Then they're online talking about the ending while the rest of us haven't even made it through Episode 2.

And I'm sitting there thinking:

Did you sleep??

There's also something I miss about everybody watching the same thing around the same time.

A big episode would air and the next day everybody was talking about it.

At work.

At school.

On the phone.

Now I can ask five people if they've watched a show and get:

"I'm on Episode 3."

"I finished it."

"Don't tell me anything."

"I'm waiting until all the episodes come out."

And:

"What show?"

We're all watching television on completely different schedules.

And Shows Disappear So Fast Now

This might be the filmmaker in me talking, but sometimes I wonder if we even give shows enough time to become good anymore.

A series comes out.

People start discovering it.

You get invested.

You learn everybody's name.

You finally convince your friend to watch it.

And then:

CANCELED.

Excuse me?

I just committed six hours of my life to these people.

I have questions.

Where is Season 2??

Apparently nowhere. 😂

Some older television shows had time to find their audience.

Characters had time to develop.

Writers had time to figure out what worked.

Now it sometimes feels like something has to become a phenomenon immediately or everybody starts wondering whether it's going to survive.

That's a lot of pressure on a story.

I Also Miss Longer Seasons

Can we discuss this?

Because somewhere along the way, a television “season” became eight episodes.

Sometimes six!

Then you finish it in one weekend and hear:

Season 2 coming in 2028.

Ma'am.

What am I supposed to do until then?

I might not even remember these characters by 2028. 😂

I know longer seasons aren't right for every type of show, and production has changed tremendously.

But I do miss when you could actually live with characters for a while.

There were filler episodes.

Holiday episodes.

Random episodes that had absolutely nothing to do with the main storyline.

And you know what?

Sometimes those were the episodes that made you love the characters.

Not every episode had to feel like a six-hour movie chopped into pieces.

But I'm Still Not Giving Up My Streaming

After everything I just said, here's the embarrassing part.

Am I canceling all my streaming services?

Probably not. 😂

Because the second I cancel one, somebody will release something everybody is talking about exclusively on that platform.

Then I'll be right back.

"Okay, I'll just subscribe for one month."

Sure.

And nine months later, I'll notice the charge and say:

“WAIT. I'M STILL PAYING FOR THIS?”

It's a cycle.

Maybe “Nothing to Watch” Isn't Really the Problem

I think entertainment has become incredibly convenient.

Maybe too convenient.

We can watch almost anything, almost anywhere, whenever we want.

And somehow having unlimited options hasn't necessarily made choosing easier.

Sometimes I actually miss turning on the television and just watching whatever happened to be on.

No algorithm.

No 20-minute search.

No switching between six apps.

No checking my phone to figure out which service has the movie.

Just:

This is what's on.

And you either watched it...

or you went and did something else.

Imagine that. 😂

Anyway, I'm going to go find something to watch.

I'll let you know in about 45 minutes when I'm still scrolling.