Has Showtime become the new "King" of Premium-Cable Original Programming?

[Heath]

I've had cable for more than 20 years and I've never paid for a dime for No-Time, Home Box Optional, and Skinemax.

Now, I don't like movies all that much, so I'm not the person to be asking about it.

[vaticanplum]

I got Showtime free with my cable last month, and I have to say I am nuts about Californication. I thought I would hate it, but it's very sharp and surprisingly touching at times. Fantastic acting all around, Duchovny is great but so is the woman who plays his ex. I think my Showtime only lasts six months, and god help me if they drag me into paying for it because of 23 minutes a week.

Of course, the other shows I've been watching since I got cable include, but are not limited to, What Not to Wear and America's Next Top Model, so my taste must be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak.

[WMR]

Actually, VP, it is much closer to 30 minutes a week. One of the beauties of tv shows on Premium Cable, no commercial breaks. Most "half-hour" shows average between 27-29 mins.

[vaticanplum]

Actually, VP, it is much closer to 30 minutes a week. One of the beauties of tv shows on Premium Cable, no commercial breaks. Most "half-hour" shows average between 27-29 mins.

Validation!

[George Foster]

I like FX. Nip Tuck and The Shild is the bomb. Rescue me ain't bad either.

[jmcclain19]

I canceled my Showtime once Tudors ended its season. That was really the only reason I kept it as long as I did. I'll re-up again when it starts up then cancel when it's over.

Weeds & Californication just didn't do it for me - and Showtime always seemed to have subpar movies compared to HBO. I don't really miss it. Take the 12 bucks a month and get a Netflix subscription.

[MrsHammer]

- and Showtime always seemed to have subpar movies compared to HBO. I don't really miss it. Take the 12 bucks a month and get a Netflix subscription.

I totally agree with your quote about Showtime having subpar movies vs the other movie channels. That is exactly why we cancelled our subscription. It was costing us $12 a month and we never watched it. I find that HBO and Starz have the bigger name movies. We dropped The Movie Channel and Cinemax for the same reason. Plus, we have a 16mnth old daughter and I think those of you with small children know how hard it is to watch an entire movie without having to pause it 500 times...haha. I swear it took us 4 hours to watch a 90 minute movie one Saturday afternoon.

I must add, too, that we very rarely watch a movie (or regular TV show for that matter) that is actually being broadcast at that moment. We utilize the 'On Demand' feature or DVR most of the things that we watch.

Now, I just wish Insight would expand their HD lineup.

[Redsfaithful]

HBO is pretty terrible now. I canceled it, will pick it back up when The Wire starts up again. Really still annoyed that they let Deadwood go for John From Cincinnati. The only thing HBO even has in the pipeline that I'm interested in is this:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...=1236&cs=1&p=0

And knowing them they'll probably cancel it after book two or three instead of carrying it through to the end. I am still in shock that they actually gave The Wire a fifth season, but I'm pretty thankful that they did since I really believe it's the best show in the history of television.

[westofyou]

Really still annoyed that they let Deadwood go for John From Cincinnati.

Actually they had no choice, the writer was the same guy and he was threatening to take his projects elsewhere and IIRC he didn't want to continue with DW.

At the time he had "Hand"

Now he doesn't, that's for sure.

[Roy Tucker]

Of course, the other shows I've been watching since I got cable include, but are not limited to, What Not to Wear and America's Next Top Model, so my taste must be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak.

Come over to my house and you can watch those shows with my daughters. Along with "The Hills".

[vaticanplum]

Come over to my house and you can watch those shows with my daughters. Along with "The Hills".

Ok. Let me say one thing: America's Next Top Model is brilliantly edited. I really do think that editing is the most interesting and toughest part of reality TV. If you think of how much true crap the editors of that show have to sort through, and how well they end up putting across the personalities and the moments that they need to, it's really incredibly well-done. So well-done that it draws me into something that I find inherently uninteresting. Wife Swap is another one, it's fantastically edited, to the point where sometimes this ridiculous concept is borderline emotional. It's got a really cheeky element to it. (yeah, forgot to mention, I watch Wife Swap too. As recently as six months ago I didn't watch any TV at all, and Wife Swap started it all.)

What Not to Wear is not particularly well edited. It's just funny.

Now, all of this is still rationalization for watching American's Next Freaking Top Model, but it doesn't make the actual rationalization any less valid.

So your daughters are being drawn in for a reason, probably a reason of which they're not even totally aware. i can't speak for the Hills though, I have no idea what it is (although the way I'm going, whatever it is I'd probably love it).

Please do not let any of what I have just said dissuade any of you from watching Californication. It's well edited too, but it also has some other tricky stuff, like plot and character and wit.

[Roy Tucker]

Ok. Let me say one thing: America's Next Top Model is brilliantly edited. I really do think that editing is the most interesting and toughest part of reality TV. If you think of how much true crap the editors of that show have to sort through, and how well they end up putting across the personalities and the moments that they need to, it's really incredibly well-done. So well-done that it draws me into something that I find inherently uninteresting. Wife Swap is another one, it's fantastically edited, to the point where sometimes this ridiculous concept is borderline emotional. It's got a really cheeky element to it. (yeah, forgot to mention, I watch Wife Swap too. As recently as six months ago I didn't watch any TV at all, and Wife Swap started it all.)

What Not to Wear is not particularly well edited. It's just funny.

Now, all of this is still rationalization for watching American's Next Freaking Top Model, but it doesn't make the actual rationalization any less valid.

So your daughters are being drawn in for a reason, probably a reason of which they're not even totally aware. i can't speak for the Hills though, I have no idea what it is (although the way I'm going, whatever it is I'd probably love it).

Please do not let any of what I have just said dissuade any of you from watching Californication. It's well edited too, but it also has some other tricky stuff, like plot and character and wit.

Why yes, that's what I watch those shows for, the editing.

I watch Wife Swap too. It's gotten a little over the top though.

My girls went to the Kenwood Mall to hear Clinton whatshisface talk. They love him.

As far as I can tell, "The Hills" is about mindless Hollywood angst, ennui, and drama experienced by beautiful and hot but vacant apparently rich but who knows how club goers and drivers of hot cars having little hissy fits about boyfriends and girlfriends.

But then, I can't complain much. I watched a replay of a Pacers-Knicks playoff game from 1995 the other night. Talk about vacant.

[vaticanplum]

Why yes, that's what I watch those shows for, the editing.

Well, and the shoes. Duh.

[Razor Shines]

I'd read this thread before and hadn't really thought much about it until I was watching some episodes of Flight of the Concords (New Zealand's 4th most popular digi-folk paradists) and while it's not a dramatic series it's well worth the price of HBO it's self. Is anyone else as big of a fan of I am?

[WMR]

I'd read this thread before and hadn't really thought much about it until I was watching some episodes of Flight of the Concords (New Zealand's 4th most popular digi-folk paradists) and while it's not a dramatic series it's well worth the price of HBO it's self. Is anyone else as big of a fan of I am?

Yes. That show is awesome, Razor. Incredibly funny. And the videos are never boring; always entertaining.