To coin a soppy phrase from Tony “Ironman” Stark – “Part of the Journey is the end” – 2019 is the year where we celebrate (or grieve) the ending of so many different franchises.  The two most prominent are the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Phase One ends with The Avengers End Game and the Star Wars franchise finally wraps up the Skywalker Saga in December this year. Streaming services will also have its share of big blockbuster TV Shows such as Game of Thrones which also wraps up after 8 seasons this year. What will this mean for popular culture? There will be HUGE gaps to fill, and I’m not entirely sure they can be filled. Disney will be rolling out its first-ever Live Action TV Show with The Mandalorian, and while I’ve only seen a snippet of a very short trailer, I think I can safely say it won’t be as grand or as epic as Game of Thrones. It’s Star Wars, I know but there is something about Game of Thrones that puts it safely in what I call the “Upper Echelon” of TV Shows alongside Breaking Bad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica (not the original but the remake) and Cobra Kai. I guess we’ll just have to save judgment until it releases later this year.

 

 

What will the fans be rooting for now? Marvel Phase Two? Maybe – Captain Marvel did well at the box office, but I’m willing to bet she’s not as popular as Ironman or Captain America. In terms of streaming services, I’ll be watching the Disney channel once it launches and possibly the Apple streaming service as well. I’m open to just about anything if it has quality content. It’s the home user experience that is paramount now, going to the movies in theatres may still be a thing but for how long? I am still trying to get over the fact that in my country, you still have to queue to get tickets at some theatres and you STILL can’t print online tickets. Yup, we are pretty backwards in some things, and I’m guessing all of these negative experiences are only going to draw more and more people into the streaming service community. Why queue when you can watch an entire TV series in one day?

 

 

A lot of things are ending, and a few things are beginning but will there ever be anything more significant than Marvel Phase One or the Skywalker Saga? While you’re thinking about that, I’m watching Cobra Kai on Youtube Premium. Catch ya on the re-watch, fam.