The NFL is officially back, which means your friend who still has cable television can feel a little bit better about themself. Cable is hanging on by a thread as streaming continues to poach its last hope in sports. But if you ask me, cable can stick around. After all, just like streaming services, I’m not paying for it — just mooching off someone who is. Still, this raises the question: Is cable television worth it when sports aren’t on?
Unlike streaming services, where you waste hours trying to pick something, you’re going to watch what cable television has picked out for you, and you’re going to like it. And you’re going to thank cable by paying $120 a month for it. Luckily for you, most of cable television consists of old show reruns you probably like, from “Friends” on Nickelodeon to “Friends” on TBS to “Friends” on Comedy Central. I watched a random episode of “The King of Queens” for three minutes, and saw Kevin James fall over four times and a Tucker Carlson cameo. You don’t get THAT on streaming.
Everybody who watches Netflix has probably experienced this at some point: you really love a show for the first two seasons, and then the streaming overlords rip it away like you’re a dog chewing on some weird plastic thing you found under the couch. But you know, Netflix, sometimes I just want to go ham on some weird plastic thing.
However, cable television has the opposite problem. “The Big Bang Theory” had 12 seasons, followed by seven more seasons of “Young Sheldon.” “Ridiculousness” premiered in 2011 and already has 42 seasons. Even “The Masked Singer,” only five years old, is in its 12th season. Why? How? Does Robin Thicke really need money that badly?
The state of cable television is so terrible that not even “Jeopardy!” resurrecting Alex Trebek for another season could save it. However, as it goes out with a whimper, we can appreciate it for what it once was: soulless entertainment full of prescription drug commercials with side effects that will definitely kill you.
