I start each month poring thru the Channel Guide. It’s the ghetto version of the TV Guide. On the subscription card insert, there’s a spot to put your inmate number and facility name.
Finding something good to watch among the constant stream of inane bullshit requires diligence. Cable TV is 30% reruns, 30% movies, 25% news, 15% sports, and 5% new content. (I know no one watches cable anymore, so this is more to remind you how shitty it is.)
Usually, the same movies are played over and over. FX recycles two dozen movies every 3 months. AMC plays about half that many in the same span, and TCM is mostly unwatchable during the day.
However, at night, TCM plays classic films from the 60s, 70s, to the present in unedited and commercial-free form. In the last couple months, I’ve seen The Sting, Space Odyssey, Harper, A Fistful of Dollars, Forbidden Planet, Tin Cup, Rosemary’s Baby, Out of Africa, Dr. Strangelove, Lolita, The Last of Sheila, and more, nearly all on TCM.
Catching a great movie I’ve never seen or finding new shows is one of the lesser joys of prison. The Channel Guide–that bastardized, low-quality imitation of a formerly famous publication– is the best way to find them.
Easy Trouble 