newsonaut

Turning inner space into outer space

March 4, 2025

Goodbye Netflix, hello Gem

Netflix finally pushed me too far with yet another price increase that supposedly pays for a pipeline of hot, new shows.

They must be going for quantity over quality because I can’t remember the last time Netflix had something I really wanted to watch. In fact, after 10 years, I was subscribing more out of habit than anything else. With tax, I would be paying $20 a month for a service I seldom use. OK, I did try the second season of Squid Game, and it was terrible.

So I cancelled. Ahh, such a relief.

At the same time, I was getting kind of annoyed by the ads on CBC Gem. So with my new-found disposable income, I decided to pay $6 a month to get rid of them.

Not that I was watching Gem a whole lot, but now that I’m a paying customer, I’ve been taking a closer look at what’s available. Here’s what I’ve been liking so far:

Son of a Critch: Home-spun coming-of-age humour about growing up in the 1980s in Newfoundland. Kinda corny but I like the characters.

North of North: A single Inuit mom navigates life with the help of a slightly crazy community in northern Canada. Down-to-earth humour, compelling characters.

The Great British Baking Show: An hour of British bakers competing every week — it’s the ultimate comfort show.

Canada’s Ultimate Challenge: Five teams turn the country into a giant obstacle course. The challenges are actually quite daunting, and they are interspersed with personal drama.

Small Achievable Goals: A couple of middle-aged women, who don’t understand the meaning of TMI, team up to succeed in the podcast industry.

Canada Reads: Limited series where five champions pitch the book “every Canadian” should read. One book is voted off each episode.

Halifax Comedy Festival: A half-hour mix of stand-up comics that always gets a few chuckles out of me.

Coming up on March 21 is a new show called Ghosting that looks good. “Catch a new season full of screams and laughter as Luke and Matthew venture across the country, along with celebrity guests, to investigate some of the most famous hauntings in Canada.”

The newsonaut is Mark Rogers, a writer, designer and web coder living in beautiful British Columbia. Contact me.

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