As someone who still values over-the-air network TV, there has been a disturbing but noticeable change happening over the past several years. And it comes as streaming replaces traditional television.
 
There’s nothing wrong with the Craves, the Disney & Paramount Pluses and Peacocks of the world, but they’ve led to a new trend I’m not especially happy with – taking a hit network free over-the-air show and shoving it exclusively onto a pay only site. It’s not really a surprise, but it’s certainly a disservice to the people who originally supported the show in the first place.
 
There’s no end to recent examples. “The Orville,” the Seth McFarlane sci-fi rip-off of Star Trek had been on Fox. COVID-related production delays have kept it off the air for almost two years but its new season is finally done – and if you’re in the States, you can only see it on Hulu. (City TV owns the rights in Canada, but there’s no word on whether it will be back on that station or when.)
 
“Evil” was a highly praised CBS show, which ran for one season on the network. But you’ll have to be on Paramount+ to see the second series of new episodes, which wrapped on the weekend.
 
“Seal Team” isn’t a show I watch, but four episodes of the new season are being shown on CBS this year. If you want to see the rest, you’ll have to fork over money to the same Paramount+. Same goes for "Clarice," the Silence of the Lambs spin off, that aired for one season on the Eye Network but is now out of sight behind a paywall. 
 
“The Good Wife” was another CBS show that ran its course. The sequel, the critically acclaimed “The Good Fight” wound up on that service in the U.S., as well. (I believe the W Network has it in Canada.) It will also be of "Paramount" importance that you subscribe to see the coming “Frasier” reboot.
 
NBC cancelled a comedy called “AP Bio” only to resurrect it – but only for those who pay for its Peacock streaming service. Fox’s “The Mindy Project” found a new home on Netflix. So did the final seasons of Kiefer Sutherland’s ABC show “Designated Survivor” and Fox's "Lucifer." 

Want to see how NBC's "Manifest" manifested itself? You'll need a subscription to Netflix next year. 
 
Even cable isn’t safe. Property Brothers: Forever Home, Ghost Adventures, and Paranormal: Caught On Camera were all shows on the Discovery networks in the U.S. But you’ll need to subscribe to Discovery+ if you want to see any new episodes. Longmire once aired on A&E. Now it can only be seen on Netflix.
 
And on and on it goes. And who knows how many shows that once would have ended up on network TV will now be streaming only?
 
This seems to be on its way to becoming the new normal – launch a show on your over-the-air network, and if it’s a hit, transfer it as soon as possible to your streaming service to make what was once free now an additional expense. I’m not surprised by any of this. It makes good business sense and I wouldn’t expect them to do anything else.
 
But if this continues, I’m honestly wondering if the old network ad-supported industry will survive and whether all we’ll eventually see is old recycled game shows and cheap reality programming if it does, while the good stuff forces you to reach for your wallet. But how may services can one household reasonably afford, especially since there are so many out for your money? (And some, like Peacock and Hulu, aren’t even available in Canada.)

And what will happen to Canadian networks like CTV and Global, which traditionally depend on U.S. network shows for their own primetime line-ups?
 
Not sure how many here will miss the ad supported TV system we all grew up with. But I’m already lamenting its possible demise. And it’s happening right before our eyes. Well, at least the part you don’t have to pay to see.