With each Netflix and Amazon Prime review I read online, I have a passing thought that I am probably one of the last few millions holding out on subscribing to streaming services. It’s not because of an outdated belief in The Boss’ proclamation that there are 57 channels and nothing on – in fact, I need more passive entertainment – I just cannot convince myself clicking Subscribe is a more cost-effective stimulant for oxytocin production. I probably will try a couple of streaming services once before I’m too old to not care about any of their shows, but for now, I’ll take my chances on a Snickers bar and cable TV all while doing nothing and granting my 60,000 thoughts their freedom to meander aimlessly. Besides, cable TV still keeps in check my mental claustrophobia and sustains my belief in stories’ power to enchant and create and destroy illusion. Personally, I’m grateful TV mysteries/crime dramas have always been a staple of network/cable TV. The choices are not limitless, but there are three that have kicked into medium gear my pituitary gland’s endorphin production.

WATCHMEN (HBO)

When a TV show is the sequel to the bestselling graphic novel of all time and then proclaims itself ground-breaking it is worth watching season one.

Six episodes in and I’m invested despite the show’s mash up of mystery, science fiction, thriller, and a tinge of horror. I’m still trying to figure out the squid rain relevance. I know it’s there for a reason, but how does the phenomena affect the story? Is Adrian Veidt perpetuating a ruse to instill paranoia among the populace of another transdimensional creature invading Earth? Maybe. For now, I’ll just keep the main plot separate from the details of the world-building. It’s going to take me a couple of re-watchings to completely follow the story, then I can probably weave the mythos with the universe in which it is unfolding.

When the story takes a turn from too layered to downright complicated, there is a fictional reference guide at hbo.com/watchmen. At the section Stay Up To Date, click on the link Introducing Peteypedia.

My plan is just to focus on Detective Angela Abar (Sister Night), Detective Wade Tillman (Looking Glass), and FBI Agent Laurie Blake. Not being able to follow all the threads may be caused by my lack of sleep, but that’s okay. I’ll crack this nut in time because that is part of the fun.

Showing on HBO at 10:00 AM on Mondays.

THE WALKING DEAD (Fox)

November 25th marked Season 10’s midseason finale. The cliff-hanger was reminiscent of the zombie horde that almost killed Glenn. Not to belittle his escape, which was ingenuous, but he was aboveground. Daryl, Carol, and a handful of Alexandria residents were last seen trapped in an underground cavern infested with Walkers. That’s not the only bad news. The episode was Danai Gurira’s last appearance as Michonne Hawthorne.

Here’s the catch: Michonne will remain a major character, according to showrunner Angela Kang. She was last seen in a boat headed to an island naval base with Virgil (a new character) to collect weapons for their fight against The Whisperers suggesting the same.

The show has lost quite a few followers as the seasons progressed, but to their credit, the creative team has sustained the intrigue. It also helps that the antagonists of the Alexandria colonists escalate every other season. The Whisperers are worthy successors of The Governor and the now anti-hero Negan, but undoubtedly, one of the most intriguing questions fans will be asking is who will portray Michonne?

Showing on Fox at 10:00 am on Mondays with an immediate replay at 11:00.

NANCY DREW (Fox)

Every author who has used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene will only recognize the name and her detection skills. This is the 21st century Nancy Drew utilizing 21st century tech and having the age-appropriate sensibilities of a 20 something, and where the novels only hinted at the supernatural, the show features hauntings in each episode, and I have to admit they are creepy.

For all its differences, readers/fans of the original Grosset & Dunlap novels will still recognize the small town setting, and just like any number of small towns around the world, Horseshoe Bay has its local urban legend. They have Dead Lucy. The show’s first curveball is that Nancy and her group have not only heard the tales Dead Lucy haunts them, and it seems there are more “ghosts” hidden in this seemingly sleepy town.

COLD CASE FILES (Crime + Investigation)

Nothing can mitigate the death of someone held dear especially when the circumstances are unnatural; the pain is just too unbearable for it to completely go away. But when the crime remains unsolved the depth of sorrow is just unimaginable.

When I watch the true stories of all the relentless detectives and families solve a once thought unsolvable case, I feel glad that the anxiety and grief of those left behind have been alleviated.

SPORTS AND ACTION CHANNEL

Much thanks to my flatmate, Cleo, for the intro to this channel.

This, more than any channel, has taught me that:

1. The Philippines has an ice hockey team.

2. The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is must-watch TV. This year saw Orlando Duque retiring and Rhiannan Iffland and Gary Hunt proved why they will dominate the sport for years. Contending for that place atop the hill are Jessica Macaulay, Lysanne Richard, Constantin Popovici, Jonathan Paredes, Andy Jones, Catalin Preda, and the surprise of this season, Aidan Heslop (this guy cannot legally drink alcohol but already has a podium finish). For me, the podium finishers and overall winners are secondary. Their leaps and the dives are some of the most graceful movements a human being can execute.

3. Jayjay Helterbrand and Gerald Anderson are teammates on the Imus Bandera basketball team of the MPBL.

4. UAAP games are also must-watch TV, but it doesn’t compare to watching the games live.

SARI SARI CHANNEL

I do not have actual numbers but I surmise this is one of the underrated Filipino channels. The channel’s management did not misrepresent themselves when they said they would produce edgy content across all genres.

Once the Mac & Chiz and Hapi House re-runs stopped airing months back, I became a sporadic viewer, only staying when I could catch Tabi Po. Even then, I would miss episodes in between the episode I would be currently watching hence I’d have to fill in details. It is a linear show, no doubt, but when I find out that one of the elementals is having an existential crisis I have to re-watch the episode where his character arc begins and validate what I believe must have happened, which turns out to be inaccurate. One day, I will have the good fortune of catching its re-run at the series’ onset.

It’s too late for this primer, but Mac & Chiz is the episodic adventures of twin brothers, both having only known each other’s existence in adulthood. Hapi House is what it is, a home for half Filipinos who come to the RP to find their roots. With numerous shared experiences, a bond is built that by the series’ end, as they say their final goodbyes, I believe the housemates’ heartfelt messages held true beyond the screen. Tabi Po dared to go beyond what Philippine TV deems safe. The show did not shy away from presenting, blood, guts, gore,  nudity (still good for PG-13) and aswangs feasting on human flesh because their lives depended on it.

MAGNUM P.I. (Fox Channel)

Set in the 50th state, T.C., Rick Wright, and Thomas, sans the moustache, are back in the 2018 reboot of the hit ’80s show that starred Tom Selleck. The brain and beauty of the show is a disavowed MI6 agent, and for real Juliet Higgins kicks ass. Rounding up the good guys is Thomas’ reluctant ally, Detective Gordon Katsumoto.

Mysteries solved in a day or two and condensed into an hour-long TV show still works for the series, so the formula was kept. Spice the drama with Magnum’s and Higgins’ will they or won’t day episodic cliff-hanger, the result is an hour of escapism via flatscreen.

ANCIENT ALIENS (History Channel)

There’s a reason for their new season. The millions who believe in extraterrestrials cannot now be swayed from the certainty of life on other planets and universes and that Homo sapiens evolved with the help of ancient astronauts. Now, more than ever, believers are convinced a lot of recorded history is missing important details and that each of us need and have the right to know the truth.

We do need our monsters to explain mysteries still unsolved, i.e. most supernatural phenomenas, but we also need to have that belief that there are more intelligent and benevolent civilizations beyond the Milky Way and that we can aspire to a more evolved consciousness. For those who still cling to the notion that Homo sapiens are the only intelligent life in the known and as yet unknown universe and that we evolved without extraterrestrial assistance, all the evidence presented must now, at least, give them pause and consider that ancient astronaut theorists may have a point because as Fox Mulder said all those years ago “all the evidence to the contrary is not entirely dissuasive.”

Patrick is a 40 something spirit aware of his duality (still clashing, much less now). Sans the embellishment of his grand delusions, Patrick is a left-handed ghost-in-the-machine chronicler of disembodied voices still trying to write better sentences.