Picard – why I gave in and subscribed to CBS All-Access

I did it. I finally gave in and subscribed to the CBS all-access service. Why? What made me lay out an additional $9.99 a month for a streaming service in addition to Netflix and Amazon Prime?  One word:  Picard.  Or maybe three words: Star Trek: Picard.

All Access is also the home of Star Trek: Discovery. That show I was willing to wait for. My husband waited until it had aired and became available on DVD. I’m a lifelong Star Trek fan and I thought Discovery was pretty good but not enough to inspire me to add another streaming subscription. Picard had me at hello.  And I found the show to be great, well worth the subscription.

So what else does All-Access have to offer? Unlike Netflix which offers a huge line up of original shows, All-Access has just a few. Most noteably two Star Trek Shows, the newest version of The Twilight Zone, and The Good Wife spinoff The Good Fight.

The strength of CBS All-Access lies in its back catalog of classic shows like all of Star Trek, Hawaii 5-0, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Happy Days, Taxi, The Brady Bunch, and Mission Impossible. It also allows you to stream on-demand current CBS programs like NCIS, Survivor, and Young Sheldon.

Plus, you can also stream your loal CBS station which gives you access to local news and weather. Additionally, you can stream CBS NFL games, giving you a lot of viewing options.  As with most streaming services, you can view on your smart TV or with a streaming stick or box, as well as you your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

All Access costs $5.99 month with commercials or $9.99 for commercial-free viewing. You will need to have a high-speed Internet connection. to view.  You can get a week’s free trial of the service.

Click here to check it out: https://www.cbs.com/all-access/

If you aren’t a Trek fan you can skip the incoming review of the show.

Picard opens with our hero who is now 90 and retired to his family vineyard with his Romulan butler and housekeeper. He’s had a bitter break with Star Trek over what to do with a billion or so Romulan refugees. If you’re a fan, I’ll feed you a line from the episode that tells you all you need to know. “Early Grey, decaf!”

This is serialized drama as opposed to an adventure of the week. There are plenty of callbacks to keep fans happy with references to the beloved “Measure of a Man” and “The Offspring” episodes of Next Generation, Star Trek Nemesis, the first of the Star Trek reboot movies and more. The theme even plays with the flute music of “The Inner Light.” If none of that means anything to you, you’ll still enjoy this well-paced drama featuring one of the great actors of his or any other generation.

I’m also a big fan of the Short Treks series of mini-films about various eras of Trek. Some of them are just brilliant. Pro Tip:  you can wait until Picard finishes its run, take your free one-week trial and binge-watch all of Picard.