The World Beyond Max Streaming

Ah yes… December’s almost here with its colder temperatures, busier shopping hours, and of course… your monthly notice of what’s leaving the Max streaming app…

Internally, we’ve promised ourselves we’re not going to be the doom and gloom of the internet… besides, this one is actually official(ish) – WBD can/will likely change things as they see fit – and you can check out the entire list(also ish – it may update a time or five) right here.

Suffice to say, streaming was not what it was advertised as. You really thought you were going to get EVERY SINGLE PROGRAM FROM EVERY SINGLE NETWORK AT THE TOUCH OF YOUR FINGERTIPS… for $9.99 $12.99 $15.99 (with or perhaps without ads)? Sorry to burst your bubbles, but there’s a reason the entertainment industry had two major strikes for the better part of this year. Not to mention the fact that the United States Congress wants to look into WBD’s potentially shady handlings of films that have been made and then axed before they hit theaters/streaming just to get a tax write off.

As usual, it’s all about the almighty dollar. WBD is going to stream what makes them the most money – from the Game of Thrones’ to the 90 Day Fiancé’s and any other show that gobbles up the biggest pieces of the streaming pie, enough to generate Max’s own revenue and feed the WBD corpo machine. And what about the shows that don’t get as much love? That’s right… it’s off to either another streaming service, FAST or worse, not available on the internet at all (OMGZ LOST MEDIA!!!!)

The good news, however, is that all hope is not lost. We’re here to tell you (at least in the United States – and if you aren’t… well, isn’t that what VPNs are for?) there are plenty of other avenues to pursue outside of Max and other streamers willing to hot potato the crap out of your favorite AS programs. Consider this a Guide to Viewing AS Elsewhere:

Step 1: Make Peace with your Streaming Apps – Love it or Leave it

As previously mentioned, the streaming apps like Max (and also Hulu, which still carries a smattering of AS programs) are going to provide you with programming that they WANT/CAN (if they money’s right). Still, if they feel inclined to, they could always add random shows back to the apps or even sell rights off to other apps or FASTs (free, ad-supported television). In a previous article, I break down how WBD’s planned FAST could be one of many apps to benefit from some of the lesser (or more well-)known AS shows. Existing FASTs such as PlutoTV could also carry a channel or two with AS content much like they do with many other shows/programs like Comedy Central and MTV.

Step 2: Purchase Shows Digitally – You Bought Them, You Own Them (mostly)

While streaming is definitely more affordable, if you’re really that serious about having access to a program or programs, why not purchase them digitally? There’s still (and continue to be) episodes of classic and new AS shows on a number of digital platforms… the newer DVD/BluRay sets even give you a digital component. Vudu has a number of AS shows, as do Microsoft/X-Box, Apple/iTunes, Prime Video and more! While there’s no guarantees they’ll last forever (what IS forever, anyway?) at least you’ll know your money is going towards the actual show and not a barren wasteland of Bobby Flay specials. Plus, a lot of these that we’ve mentioned have download features (and you guys are pretty smart when it comes to files).

Step 3: Do You Have Cable? Perfect…

If you’re fortunate enough to be one of those who haven’t “cut the cord” and still have TV/Cable there’s two more avenues for you to pursue. First, the wonderful world of OnDemand… another streaming component, similar to Max and the like. You can view whatever shows the service has available… for instance, Verizon Fios’s OnDemand has a number of classic shows plus pilots and specials that only aired once. Speaking of cable… if you have internet along with it, you also have access to adultswim.com‘s full library, and the multitude of “Full Season” shows they’ve been slowly adding to the catalogue.

Step 4: Physical Media – The Lost Art of Entertainment

Digital and Cable just plain turn you off? Why not seek out physical media? Sure, there’s a number of shows that either a) Were not available on DVD or BluRay or b) Are out of print and sold at ridiculous prices. But there are still plenty of ways to seek them out. Check out your local malls and see if FYE has anything used available. Check Amazon or eBay to see if there are deals. DeepDiscount.com is a good site to find good deals. If you have a Region Free DVD player, why not seek out the classic Madman Entertainment DVD sets made in Australia? There are even people such as CrummieMedia who downgrade series to VHS format… to quote Classic Mystery Science Theater 3000: Keep Circulating the Tapes!

Step 5: If All Else Fails… Arr?

BACK IN MY DAY… (always hated that phrase, but I’m afraid it works in certain instances like this) We didn’t have DVD sets at all. We had VHS tapes and capture cards and occasionally stuff that aired on adultswim.com. We recorded, encoded, and shared them amongst ourselves… occasionally burning files to CDs and DVDs to play on PCs and DVD players… what a time to be alive. Again, (and without really encouraging anything…) you’re smart so if you know how, then you know. Enough said.

To Sum Things Up… as HBO max, WarnerMedia promised us the world with entire archives of shows and movies at our fingertips. However, in typical corpo fashion, Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the rug out from under us and the now Max app is just another streaming app where we can (occasionally) see whatever programing they decide to show us, whenever they feel something (maybe) is profitable. To that point, there’s an entire universe of alternatives to catch programming elsewhere, so if need be just save your $15+ a month for any/all of the above.

About Author