I grew up in an age where
TVs were black & white with a 19" screen & if you were really cool
you had a huge antenna on top of your house for better reception. There were
about 5 or 6 stations. You had to walk up to the set & turn the knob to
change the channel. Now with 65" flat screens, surround sound & around
200 channels in the average package - not to mention all the streaming options
- it is a whole new world.
But I digress. Initially I
decided to subscribe to Netflix for two reasons. A couple years ago, a friend
had told me about Grace & Frankie.
It stars Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin as two women whose husbands are law
partners. The first episode explains that the husbands, played by Martin Sheen
& Sam Waterston, are gay & madly in love. Their wives are forced to
deal with their impending divorces & end up living together in the beach
house the couples shared.
Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin
were on lots of talk shows promoting their show & I had to watch it. I
purchased the first season of Grace
& Frankie on DVD but it was pretty expensive. However, I loved the
premise, laughed like crazy & the show was amazingly entertaining. When I
found out that I could get Netflix on my iPad for only $8.99 a month, I decided
to give it a try. I watched the remaining seasons in a bit of a marathon over
several evenings. I am anxiously awaiting the next season due to be released
this week!
The second reason I
subscribed was so that my Charley could watch all of her shows when I visited
her in New Mexico
As I mentioned being a child
of the 50s & 60s, TV shows were on at a set day & time each week for
that season. We couldn't choose when to watch, record it, pause it or back it
up if we missed something. All of these choices are now at my fingertips. I can
watch what I want, when I want.
Once I was finished with Grace & Frankie, I moved on to The Kominsky Method starring Michael Douglas
& Alan Arkin as an acting teacher & agent, respectively. Both of these
series feature complex story lines & irresistible characters that you will
fall in love with. At the same time I watched a few of Dolly Parton's Heartstrings movies, but be warned you will need
lots of Kleenex, they are real tearjerkers.
After finishing two seasons
of The Kominsky Method, I decided to
start watching Dead To Me. It stars
Christina Applegate as a woman whose husband is killed by a hit & run
driver. I won't give away any more of the plot in case you plan to watch it.
These ten episodes gripped me like none of the other shows so far. Each show
ended with another twist that I didn't see coming. The other night I couldn't
help myself & watched the remaining five episodes of season one. It was
compelling, intense & a little unnerving at times, but well worth my time.
There are numerous other
shows, movies, specials & series to watch. I learned that Netflix shows
garnered the most Golden Globe nominations of any network or streaming service
this year. I am really impressed with the quality of programming compared to
network TV. And being someone who speaks French fluently (if you get my drift),
it is refreshing to hear people talk like me without being bleeped constantly.
If you are tired of all the
cop & hospital shows on network television, I highly recommend Netflix
& its original programming. It took me awhile to accept that streaming is
the future of entertainment but I'm a convert for sure. It's good to know that
at almost 70 years of age, I can still embrace the next best thing in the world
of technology. Better late than never!
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