Around the dial

Lately, I’ve been considering cutting the cable and going with a streaming service. It seems to make sense, since probably 90% of what we watch (outside of sports and news) comes from DVDs or Amazon Prime. Because I have this foolhardy idea that I can educate myself on the pros and cons of each service out there in hopes of making a well-thought out decision—itself somewhat foolhardy—I’ve been going to various websites, gathering information on everything from channel lineups to costs to antenna placement.

It should come as a surprise to exactly nobody, then, that the result of this has been a dramatic increase in popup ads for—you guessed it—streaming services. I’m flattered to know that Sling, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, and Philo (among others) are so eager to have our business; it’s nice, after all, to be wanted. I’d be even more flattered if I were convinced, beyond what they say in their ads, that any one of them could give me the kind of service they want. They say they can, but will I find myself casting off a perfectly functional but very expensive cable plan for a cheaper service that is worth exactly how much less I pay for it? Stay tuned; I’m as eager to find out the answer as you are. In the meantime. . .

I know that professional darts doesn’t exactly fall under the category of classic television, but for an aging coot like me, the evolution of darts from pub activity to big-time television spectacle is reminiscent of watching pro football evolve from an athletic contest all about winning to a pop culture/party/concert mishmash in which the game is secondary. Besides, how can you pass up a quote like this, found in Bryan Curtis’s excellent Ringer article?

Last year, at a tournament in the city of Wolverhampton, someone let out some horrific farts on stage during a match. To the delight of the British press, the players blamed each other. Asked for comment, [promoter Barry] Hearn deadpanned, “We’ve got to get to the bottom of this.”

The answer: you can’t. Read it for yourself.

At Comfort TV, David returns with the latest installment of the 100 most memorable songs introduced on TV. Some real classics here, coming from shows like The Addams Family, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Greatest American Hero and The Carol Burnett Show.

We think we live a pretty dull life, all in all, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (although with all the streaming video ads, it promises to get more interesting by the day). Our friends, on the other hand, might (?) consider us a bit goofy. But Dave Garroway had the courage to admit he led a goofy life, as Jodie recounts in this week's Garroway at Large. 

It's hard now to remember how big a deal War and Remembrance was when it aired 25 years ago, partly because of the sheer scope of it. It's one of the things that's "bustin' out all over" the month of May, and you can read about it at TV Obscurities in this week's A Year in TV Guide feature.

Ah, it's back to F Troop at The Horn Section, and Hal's focus this week is on 1965's "Dirge for the Scourge," with Sam Urp—the "Scourge of the West"—played by Jack Elam in a wonderful bit of casting. Hal makes a comparison between F Troop and Bilko, which I'd never considered before. I have to think about that. TV