Your TV remote isn’t just for flipping channels anymore. Chances are you cut the cord long ago. As it stands, only about 36% of Americans still have cable or satellite TV, per Pew Research, while 83% subscribe to at least one streaming service—with Netflix and Prime Video topping the list.
Flashing back, streaming started in 2007 with Netflix as the cool, convenient alt to archaic cable: on-demand shows and flicks, zero ads and the ability to binge an entire season in one sitting. But fast-forward to today, and the landscape is… crowded.
One show here, another there—suddenly you’re juggling 10+ subscriptions, price hikes, ad tiers, premium content and password rules. Hulu’s basic plan just jumped to $11.99/month—and Netflix set a Fort Knox-level precedent with its password-sharing crackdown, charging for extra users outside the household. Not to mention, your fave series can vanish overnight.
In short, streaming has changed the way we watch TV—whether we like it or not. What started as a cheaper, more convenient alternative to cable now comes with its own costs and compromises. To make sense of the juggling act, we break down each of the most popular platforms so you know what’s worth your time, your cash and those hard-earned binge hours.
Sir Purr: Carolina Panthers; remaining: courtesy of streaming platforms
“Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” So goes one of eponymous lead character Ted Lasso’s beloved pearls of wisdom from the hit show Ted Lasso and one of Leesville Road High School JV men’s and women’s soccer coach/math teacher Michael Tetreault’s favorite Lasso-isms. A huge fan of the hit Apple TV show and a seasoned coach of 20-plus years (!), “Coach T”—as he’s called by his kids—kicked it with us to chat soccer, strategy and his thoughts on the series ahead of its season 3 release March 15. (Fun fact: He’s even baked those boss shortbread biscuits!) Here, our very own “local Lasso” soccer sensei schools us on his goal of seeing his students/players succeed both in the classroom and on the soccer pitch.
What got you in the coaching game? The teaching part of it. I played soccer in college and high school, and I really loved being part of the game, the competition and the idea of sharing what I’ve learned with other generations. … And it’s just a lot of fun.
Kick us back to a few of your favorite experiences being coached. I had a really good coach in high school. It felt like he knew how to talk to us—we could understand what he wanted us to do, but we also knew he believed we could do it. And I had another coach that didn’t allow us to consider the possibility that we couldn’t do something. He would give us a bunch of different ways to succeed, be positive and contribute.
School us on your strategies on and off the pitch. One of the things I’ve been hitting on lately is from the Navy SEALs. The mantra goes: ‘The only easy day was yesterday.’ I encourage embracing the challenge and reminding my players their results don’t define them—it’s the process that defines them.
How has Ted Lasso impacted the way you coach your kids? One of Ted Lasso’s ideas that’s so important is belief. You have to believe in what you’re doing, in your teammates, in people around you, in your goal… and in yourself. Ted Lasso didn’t know soccer at all when he started, but he knew how to build teams—and that’s what he leaned on.
Any favorite Lasso-isms from the show? ‘You know what the happiest animal in the world is? It’s a goldfish. It’s got a 10-second memory.’ … And my favorite guy, Roy Kent, shared this gem: ‘Don’t you dare settle for fine.’
Any pearls of wisdom of your own? I like to pull different things—whether it’s from sports movies or the Yoda poster hanging in my classroom—whatever the kids might connect with. One that my kids have been saying recently is Yoda’s quote from Star Wars: ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’ I always like to have something in my pocket that might work when I need it so I’m able to best meet the students where they’re at.
Stand-up comic, writer and director Ellyn Daniels stars in new series filmed in Raleigh.
“I’ve found Raleigh to be a really rejuvenating place—somewhere I could be creative, where I could write or perform stand-up at Goodnights. I just loved being there.” So says Ellyn Daniels, who is neither a native nor current resident of Raleigh… she’s just a big fan (!).
Calling the City of Oaks home for about 18 months during the pandemic, Daniels penned, directed and now stars in a production titled This Little Show of Mine, which originally dropped episode 1 on YouTube before catapulting to Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Filmed in Raleigh, the series follows a “kinda famous but not really” former sitcom star, Hayley Harris, who returns to her hometown in the wake of her mom’s death to attempt to find the artistic inspiration to create a one-woman show.
You’ll be able to recognize local gems and landmarks throughout the series as Daniels’ character strolls down Hillsborough Street past Jubala Coffee, visits the Carolina Ballet (fun fact: Daniels is close friends with Carolina Ballet’s Zalman Raffael), overlooks Boylan Bridge or roams around her house nestled in Cameron Park. … And while Daniels would’ve loved to see Hayley hitting up the DTR nightlife scene and taking the stage at Goodnights or Duke Energy Center, filming during 2020 meant working with a more limited selection of settings (but maybe we can contend to see those spots in a second season?!).
To boot, a handful of the actors featured in the series aren’t TV actors at all. From stand-up comics to local business owners, the show includes myriad cast members who “were available and wanted to do it,” laughs Daniels—and most of the faces you’ll find on camera are locals.
“I hope people find it funny, entertaining and potentially moving—depending on their life experience,” she says. “It’s a funny, small and interesting show.”
After her stint in Raleigh, Daniels moved to London and now resides there with her husband. The duo’s production company, Burn These Words, will be debuting a film titled Reality starring Sydney Sweeney at the Berlin International Film Festival this year. Daniels is also currently working on another series, The Mentor, and expecting her third baby in May.
While her stay in our city was short, Daniels liked Raleigh life so much that she’d planned to make it her home base before meeting her other half and moving across the pond.
“Raleigh life is very digestible—it’s just the right size,” says Daniels. “Time expands there, and there’s an appetite for cool things.”… And speaking of cool things, you’re gonna wanna peep Daniels’ perspective of the City of Oaks by streaming This Little Show of Mine—or just for a good laugh. thislittleshowofmine.com
