The best TV is definitely not free

THE best things in life are free, right? Not when it comes to good TV. So here’s what you should be paying to watch.

You will never find talk of RAM and motherboards more exciting.

OPINION

I LOVE television. Anyone who’s talked to me for more than 20 minutes will know this.

And there’s never been a better time to be someone who loves TV than right now. But only if you’re willing to pay for it — both with your wallet and your time.

Watching the Emmys yesterday, I was struck by how torn I was on the nominees. In several categories, I didn’t really care who won — they were all brilliant shows or amazing performances.

From Veep to Game of Thrones to Transparent to The Daily Show to Mad Men to Portlandia to Last Week Tonight to Daredevil, it was an amazing year in TV.

But there’s something all those shows have in common: They’re all on paid-for platforms.

Out of the 26 main categories at the Emmys, the US free-to-air networks only managed to win four awards.

Everything else was cleaned up by HBO, Comedy Central, Amazon, AMC and Netflix — all subscriber based.

You won’t have much luck watching these programs on free-to-air in Australia either.

HBO has long-reigned the Emmys — that’s not new — but the poor showing by the free-to-air networks in not just the winners’ box but also on the nominee list should tell you everything you need to know about TV today.

The best TV — the shows winning the most accolades, critical acclaim and a cultish obsession from its fans — aren’t on commercial free-to-air.

Yes, the Emmys are specifically about American television but, arguably, the situation is even worse on Australian TV. At least the American free-to-airs are still heavily investing in scripted TV.

Pay TV is the new TV.

Commercial free-to-air TV has become the domain of reality programming and sport. As someone uninterested in sport, that leaves me reality TV. And frankly, I would rather watch sport than an episode of My Bachelor Rules the Block. Seriously, get me out of here.

It’s not necessarily channels Seven, Nine or Ten’s fault. They have an under-pressure business model and an audience that’s watching scripted TV elsewhere. So what else are they to do other than to pander to the only audiences who’s still switching on to their networks — give them all-reality, all the time. Cheaper to produce, less risky and advertisers can sponsor the crap out of it.

There are exceptions to this, although I struggle to think of one. And the public broadcasters, ABC and SBS, still have a diverse programming slate.

But if you’re willing to part with some cash for any or all of Netflix, Presto, Stan, Foxtel, Fetch TV, Dendy Direct or iTunes, there is a world of amazing content out there.

In our house, we’re completely hooked up with various set-top boxes and subscription services so we can watch pretty much anything we want (and legally).

Television as a medium is an incredibly powerful platform for storytelling. Movies are limited to 120 minutes (don’t get me wrong, I love films) but TV is the best visual form to really delve into characters — often over many, many years. You fall in love with them and you’re completely invested in their journeys. I have shed many tears over series finales.

Now with cable and streaming giants leading the charge on TV, most of these shows also only run 10 to 13 episodes a season. This results in more disciplined storytelling and less fodder episodes. It also helps when there’s so much good TV and only so many hours in a day.

With that in mind, here are a handful of shows that haven’t gotten as much attention as the likes of Game of Thrones or Orange is the New Black. You need to catch up on them.

HALT AND CATCH FIRE (iTunes, Foxtel)

You will never find talk of RAM and motherboards more exciting.

Set in the ‘Silicon Prairie’ (Texas) of the 1980s, this gripping show is centred on a group of ambitious but flawed underdogs in the personal computer race. You don’t need to be a techhead to love this — most of the jargon goes over my head. It’s the compelling characters, including sleek salesman Joe McMillan (the always excellent Lee Pace), that will have you hooked.

BLOODLINE (Netflix)

Don’t you just feel that brotherly love?

If there’s one word to describe Bloodline, it’s “intense”. Family drama doesn’t begin to illuminate the many layers of this beautifully shot Netflix show. From the same creators as Damages, Bloodline follows the prominent Rayburn family in a sleepy Florida town. When the black sheep brother (Australian Ben Mendelsohn was Emmy-nominated for his performance) blows back into their lives, he turns everything upside down and dredges up a dark family secret.

TRANSPARENT (Stan)

Pulls on the heartstrings, but not in a cloying way.

Jeffrey Tambor rightly won the Emmy for his role as Morton/Maura Pfefferman, a man transitioning to be a woman and the challenges of opening up to his family. Transparent is both understated and powerful at the same time.

THE HONORABLE WOMAN (iTunes, Foxtel)

Maggie Gyllenhaal at her best.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is incandescent as Nessa Stein, a powerful English-Israeli businesswoman who’s been honoured for her contributions to the Middle East peace process. While she seems strong to the outside world, she also sleeps in a panic room at night. When the son of her close friend is kidnapped, this spy-political-thriller is set in motion.

VEEP (iTunes, Foxtel)

If you’re not watching this, you’re mad.

It’s just wrapped its fourth season but Veep remains one of the sharpest satires around. Better than the UK original, TheThick Of It (yes, I said it), Veep throws open the doors to the sheer incompetence and absurdity of political office. Veep is much more the anti-West Wing than House of Cards. And it just won the Emmy for Best Comedy. Because it is.