Latest / The Lineup by CableTV.com. Stop Overpaying. Start Watching. / Elden Ring Movie, Endgame Returns, Best TV Deals & NFL Draft

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Elden Ring Movie, Endgame Returns, Best TV Deals & NFL Draft · The Lineup by CableTV.com. Stop Overpaying. Start Watching.

• 0:00
  Welcome to the cable TV com podcast where we
• 0:03
  give you the lowdown on all things television
• 0:05
  streaming and internet Thanks for stopping by
• 0:09
  a 24 just announced the Elden Ring movie directed
• 0:12
  by Alex Garland the guy who made Ex Machina and
• 0:15
  Annihilation George RR Martin built the world
• 0:18
  the cast is stacked with serious talent across
• 0:20
  the board. It hits theaters March 3rd 2028 meanwhile
• 0:25
  Avengers Endgame is coming back to theaters with
• 0:28
  brand -new never -before -seen scenes this September
• 0:31
  to set up Avengers Doomsday in December. And
• 0:34
  the NFL Draft starts Thursday night from Pittsburgh,
• 0:38
  three days, seven rounds, all of it live on ABC,
• 0:41
  ESPN, and NFL Network. It's one of those weeks
• 0:44
  where there is almost too much to talk about.
• 0:46
  Almost. I'm Craig, Nathan's here, and this is
• 0:50
  The Lineup by CableTV .com. Let's get into it.
• 0:54
  Welcome back to The Line Up, the show where we
• 0:56
  cut through the noise and tell you exactly what's
• 0:58
  worth watching, what's worth paying for, and
• 1:01
  where the real deals are. I'm Craig. And I'm
• 1:04
  Nathan. And Craig, this is one of the better
• 1:08
  weeks we've had for material since we started
• 1:11
  this thing. It really is. Here's what we're covering.
• 1:14
  Lead story, the Elden Ring movie. A 24 and Alex
• 1:18
  Garland drop the release date and full cast this
• 1:21
  morning. We're breaking down why this could be
• 1:23
  the most exciting video game adaptation in development
• 1:26
  and what the Avengers Endgame re -release tells
• 1:28
  us about where Marvel is heading. The Endgame
• 1:30
  news alone would be a normal week's lead story,
• 1:34
  but it's not even the lead today. Then we're
• 1:36
  at the deal desk. Students, this one's for you.
• 1:39
  Can you get a student discount on cable? CableTV
• 1:42
  .com has the honest answer and it might not be
• 1:45
  what you expect. We've got the best budget friendly
• 1:48
  packages if you do want cable and the smarter
• 1:50
  alternatives if you don't. After that, what's
• 1:53
  worth watching for the week of April 20th through
• 1:55
  the 26th? Seven picks. Genuinely strong week
• 1:59
  across HBO, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and Tubi.
• 2:03
  We'll get you sorted. And we close with the NFL
• 2:06
  Draft Watch Guide. Pittsburgh is hosting it this
• 2:09
  year. It starts Thursday and we've got the full
• 2:11
  schedule, every channel you need. And yes, a
• 2:14
  completely free way to watch all three days without
• 2:16
  a subscription. Everything's in the show notes.
• 2:22
  Let's talk about the biggest entertainment story
• 2:24
  of the week. A 24 officially announced the Elden
• 2:28
  Ring feature film this morning. It is coming
• 2:30
  to theaters regular in IMAX on March 3rd, 2028,
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  directed by Alex Garland. Exactly who you want
• 2:48
  for this. Here's the context for listeners who
• 2:50
  don't know the game. Elden Ring is an action
• 2:52
  RPG from From Software The Dark Souls Studio,
• 2:55
  and it launched in 2022 to massive critical and
• 2:59
  commercial success. The world building was done
• 3:01
  by George R .R. Martin. Yes, the Game of Thrones
• 3:04
  George R .R. Martin. Which tells you everything
• 3:06
  about what kind of world we're talking about.
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  Morally complicated characters, ancient lore,
• 3:11
  a story that doesn't hold your hand. This is
• 3:13
  not a game with a simple good guys versus bad
• 3:16
  guys set up. And... Adapting that is a genuine
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  creative challenge because Elden Ring doesn't
• 3:22
  have a traditional linear narrative. The story
• 3:24
  is delivered through item descriptions, environmental
• 3:27
  detail, cryptic NPC dialogue. It's intentionally
• 3:30
  fragmented. Garland is going to have to build
• 3:33
  a coherent film from that raw material. Which
• 3:36
  is actually where his strengths line up perfectly.
• 3:39
  He works well with ambiguous, elliptical storytelling.
• 3:42
  Ex Machina withholds information deliberately.
• 3:45
  Annihilation gives you imagery before it gives
• 3:48
  you explanation. That's the exact sensibility
• 3:50
  this project needs. Kaylee Spaney, Sonoya Mizuno,
• 4:19
  Nick Offerman, have all worked with Garland before.
• 4:22
  When a director calls in that many of his own
• 4:24
  collaborators for a project, that tells you he
• 4:27
  cares about this one specifically. He's not just
• 4:29
  for hire, he's building something he wants to
• 4:32
  build. My honest take, this has the highest ceiling
• 4:34
  of any video game adaptation currently in development.
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  Higher than the Zelda movie, higher than Street
• 4:39
  Fighter later this year. The combination of George
• 4:41
  RR, Martin's World, Garland's directorial sensibility
• 4:45
  and a 24's institutional willingness to let filmmakers
• 4:49
  make unusual, specific choices that is rare.
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  The floor is still a video game movie, but the
• 4:55
  ceiling is something genuinely great. And a 24
• 4:59
  committing to IMAX is a statement. They don't
• 5:02
  do that casually. They're saying this competes
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  at the top level. That is the posture of a studio
• 5:08
  that thinks it has something special. We are
• 5:11
  genuinely in a video game adaptation era right
• 5:15
  now. The Last of Us on HBO was a cultural benchmark,
• 5:21
  Arkane on Netflix, the Mario movie crossed a
• 5:24
  billion dollars. Hollywood has figured out that
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  if you put a real filmmaker on the material and
• 5:30
  actually respect what made the source special,
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  audiences show up. Elden Ring has all of the
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  ingredients to be the definitive example of that.
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  I'm calling it now. I'll stand by it in 2028.
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  The From Software fanbase is also famously protective.
• 5:46
  If this feels like a cash grab, they will know
• 5:48
  immediately. Garland being attached is the signal
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  that it isn't. The industry has figured out that
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  if you take the source material seriously and
• 6:09
  hire real filmmakers, the audience is there.
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  Elden Ring is the next test of that. A very high
• 6:15
  profile, very expensive test. Character assignments
• 6:18
  haven't been revealed yet, which means we don't
• 6:20
  know who anyone is playing. But I'll be honest,
• 6:24
  seeing Kaylee Spaney and Ben Wishon in the same
• 6:26
  cast for something this ambitious is genuinely
• 6:29
  exciting. She's been on an incredible run. Priscilla.
• 6:32
  Civil War she's one of the most interesting actors
• 6:35
  working right now March 3rd 2028 full cast is
• 6:40
  listed directed by Alex Garland produced by a
• 6:44
  24 full breakdown linked in the show notes at
• 6:47
  Cable TV comm slash podcast Now the endgame news
• 6:51
  because this is also a big deal Marvel is rereleasing
• 6:55
  Avengers endgame in theaters on September 25th
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  2026 not a standard rerelease This version includes
• 7:02
  brand new exclusive scenes that have never been
• 7:05
  seen publicly. And it's specifically timed to
• 7:09
  build excitement for Avengers Doomsday which
• 7:12
  hits December 18th, 2026. Smart marketing. Brutally
• 7:17
  smart. Get fans emotionally re -engaged with
• 7:20
  the Avengers saga, remind them what made Endgame
• 7:23
  an event, then send them straight into Doomsday.
• 7:27
  And here's the thing it works. Endgame came out
• 7:30
  in 2019, which is seven years ago now. For anyone
• 7:34
  who was in a theater opening weekend, this is
• 7:36
  Marvel asking, do you remember how that felt?
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  Because we want you to feel it one more time
• 7:42
  before the next chapter. That emotional reentry
• 7:46
  point is exactly what Doomsday needs to land
• 7:50
  with maximum impact. There's also a new format
• 7:53
  called Infinity Vision, Disney's certification
• 7:55
  for premium large format theaters. The catch.
• 7:58
  Only 75 screens in the entire US get it. Most
• 8:02
  people are watching this in a standard theater.
• 8:05
  But the new scenes are in all cuts. And whether
• 8:08
  those scenes will eventually land on Disney Plus?
• 8:10
  As of now, not confirmed. CableTV .com notes
• 8:14
  that's still an open question. I saw Endgame
• 8:16
  twice in 2019. I will be back in September. That
• 8:20
  is not even a debate. Same. September 25th, mark
• 8:24
  it. We'll link the full CableTV .com story in
• 8:27
  the show notes. Deal Desk. This week, we're answering
• 8:30
  a question CableTV .com gets constantly. Can
• 8:34
  I get a student discount on cable? The short
• 8:36
  answer is no. There are no nationwide student
• 8:40
  discount programs on cable TV right now, not
• 8:42
  from Xfinity, not from Spectrum, not from DirecTV.
• 8:46
  You can ask your provider directly and CableTV
• 8:48
  .com says it's always worth asking because unadvertised
• 8:51
  promos exist. But there is no formal program,
• 8:55
  which is frustrating. Students have Spotify discounts,
• 9:00
  Amazon Prime student rates. The assumption is
• 9:02
  cable should be the same. It's not. Not yet.
• 9:06
  But there are still solid cable options on a
• 9:08
  student budget. Three worth knowing. First, Xfinity
• 9:11
  TV Plus. One, two, five plus channels. Ninety
• 9:16
  five dollars a month for the first 12 months.
• 9:18
  No contract required. Includes ESPN, ESPN2, and
• 9:23
  the PAC12 network if you're a sports fan. No
• 9:27
  contract is the critical variable for students.
• 9:29
  You don't want a two -year commitment when your
• 9:31
  living situation changes every year. Second Spectrum
• 9:34
  TV selects signature. One, five, zero, plus channels,
• 9:40
  $115 a month for 12 months. Also no contract.
• 9:45
  The channel lineup is solid, but nothing that
• 9:48
  jumps out as exceptional. It's more expensive
• 9:50
  than Xfinity for this tier, so you'd want to
• 9:52
  verify that Spectrum is actually your best local
• 9:54
  option before committing. Cable availability
• 9:56
  is always local. Your address determines who
• 9:59
  can serve you and at what price. Which is exactly
• 10:02
  why cabletv .com's zip code lookup exists. And
• 10:06
  option three? Direct TV, entertainment all included.
• 10:12
  175 plus channels at $89 .99 a month for 24 months.
• 10:19
  Best channel count and best promo price of the
• 10:22
  three. comes with a Genie DVR included, plus
• 10:25
  three months of HBO, Stars, Paramount +, with
• 10:29
  Showtime and Cinemax at no extra cost. The downside
• 10:32
  is a two -year contract, which is why CableTV
• 10:34
  .com flags it as not ideal for most students
• 10:37
  unless you know you're settled. So what's the
• 10:40
  actual recommendation for students? Streaming.
• 10:43
  CableTV .com's top recommendation for college
• 10:46
  students is live TV streaming packages, more
• 10:49
  flexible, no contracts, cancel whenever you move,
• 10:52
  Sling TV starts at $19 .99 a month and gets you
• 10:57
  ESPN. That's the lowest entry point for live
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  TV that still covers sports. YouTube TV at $82
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  .99 a month is the premium play every major network,
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  NFL network, multi -view, no contract, and services
• 11:12
  like Disney Plus and Hulu with live TV are worth
• 11:14
  knowing about if you want a one bill option that
• 11:17
  combines on demand and live TV. That is a completely
• 11:48
  legitimate strategy. Three days of NFL draft,
• 11:51
  zero dollars. Plan the trial around the draft
• 11:54
  schedule, set a calendar reminder to cancel,
• 11:57
  done. CableTV .com actually walks through exactly
• 12:00
  how to do that in the NFL draft guide. We'll
• 12:02
  link in the show notes. Right, and bundling helps
• 12:05
  wherever you can. If you're already paying for
• 12:08
  internet, check whether your provider offers
• 12:10
  a TV bundle. The discount for combining them
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  on one bill is often more than people expect.
• 12:15
  Cable TV comm zip code tool makes it easy to
• 12:19
  compare what's actually available at your address
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  because the options genuinely vary by location
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  and the truly free option digital antenna one
• 12:28
  -time purchase of $20 to $60 and you get ABC
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  CBS Fox and NBC for free indefinitely The NFL
• 12:35
  draft airs on ABC all three days all seven rounds
• 12:39
  completely free with an antenna cable TV comm
• 12:42
  recommends the mohu leaf $50 at around $47, 4K
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  capable, 6 -0 mile range. That's the single best
• 12:52
  value in TV right now, and most people don't
• 12:54
  think about it. Solid advice for anyone, not
• 13:16
  just students. Full guide linked in the show
• 13:19
  notes at cablittv .com slash podcast. What's
• 13:22
  worth watching? The week of April 20th through
• 13:25
  the 26th has seven picks from cablittv .com.
• 13:28
  Let's run them. Number one half man on HBO and
• 13:31
  Max. Limited series premiere Thursday, April
• 13:33
  23rd at 9 p .m. Eastern. Created by and starring
• 13:36
  Richard Gad, the baby reindeer guy. He and Jamie
• 13:39
  Bell play two unrelated brothers who, after a
• 13:42
  violent incident at a wedding, have to confront
• 13:44
  30 years of shared history. Same dramatic intensity
• 13:47
  as Baby Reindeer, less of the dark comedy. New
• 13:49
  episodes weekly, this is the one I'm clearing
• 13:52
  my Thursday night for. Baby Reindeer was one
• 13:55
  of the most gripping shows in recent memory.
• 13:58
  If Gad is bringing that same raw energy to this
• 14:01
  I'm In on episode one, no questions. This is
• 14:05
  the must watch of the week. Number two, Stranger
• 14:07
  Things, Tales from 85 on Netflix. Thursday, April
• 14:11
  23rd. Animated spin -off, executive produced
• 14:14
  by the Duffer Brothers, set between seasons two
• 14:16
  and three of the original. Going for a genuine
• 14:19
  1980s Saturday morning cartoon vibe. New voice
• 14:22
  cast, same Hawkins likenesses. My first instinct
• 14:25
  was skeptical. But if they fully commit to that
• 14:29
  Saturday morning cartoon energy, I'm curious
• 14:31
  enough to give it an episode. Low commitment,
• 14:35
  real upside. and the animated format is genuinely
• 14:39
  smart for Stranger Things. At this stage, the
• 14:42
  original cast has aged out of the younger roles,
• 14:45
  but converting to animation means you can keep
• 14:47
  the story going without that problem. Number
• 14:49
  three, this is a gardening show on Netflix, Wednesday,
• 14:53
  April 22nd. All six episodes dropped the same
• 14:55
  day. Zach Galifianakis hosting a serious... Well,
• 15:00
  as serious as Galifianakis gets reality show
• 15:02
  about gardening, food systems, and where our
• 15:05
  food actually comes from. If you've ever wondered
• 15:07
  what Between Two Ferns would look like if it
• 15:09
  got genuinely interested in horticulture, this
• 15:11
  is your answer. I watched the trailer. He's essentially
• 15:14
  roasting the audience for watching Netflix while
• 15:17
  complaining people don't know how food is grown
• 15:20
  on a Netflix show. That level of self -awareness
• 15:23
  is completely his brand. Sleeper Hit of the Week,
• 15:26
  number 4 Kevin on Prime Video. all eight episodes
• 15:29
  available right now. When a couple breaks up,
• 15:32
  they tell their anthropomorphic tuxedo cat Kevin,
• 15:35
  voiced by Jason Schwartzman, that he has to find
• 15:37
  somewhere else to live. He ends up at a pet rescue.
• 15:41
  Co -created by Aubrey Plaza. Also starring John
• 15:45
  Waters, Whoopi Goldberg, Amy Sedaris. Aubrey
• 15:49
  Plaza, John Waters, and Jason Schwartzman as
• 15:52
  a heartbroken tuxedo cat. There is not a single
• 15:55
  thing wrong with that sentence. 5. Nikki Glaser
• 15:58
  Good Girl on Hulu, Friday, April 25th. One hour
• 16:02
  stand -up special. She's covering aging, fame,
• 16:05
  beauty, and relevance, and what it means to stay
• 16:07
  relevant in an industry that has a very specific
• 16:10
  relationship with women getting older. Brutally
• 16:12
  honest, which is exactly what she does best.
• 16:15
  Friday night. Hulu. Mandatory. Nikki Glaser is
• 16:18
  in the best stretch of her career right now.
• 16:21
  Everything she does is getting attention. This
• 16:23
  special is going to be talked about all weekend.
• 16:26
  The best stand -up is when someone is willing
• 16:29
  to be completely honest about something uncomfortable
• 16:32
  and make it genuinely funny. That's her whole
• 16:34
  thing. And she's better at it right now than
• 16:37
  she's ever been. Pete Davidson as 1960s stoners
• 16:49
  who woke up 50 years in the future. It's been
• 16:52
  three years between seasons. The show basically
• 16:54
  acknowledges that, but it's absurdist, it's unhinged,
• 16:58
  and it costs nothing. Tubi is one of the most
• 17:00
  underrated streaming services running right now,
• 17:02
  and most people still underestimate what's available
• 17:05
  there. Seven weekend at the end of the world
• 17:08
  on VOD today. Horror comedy, best friends, meet
• 17:12
  the apocalypse set up. Cabletv .com compares
• 17:15
  the vibe to Tucker and Dale vs Evil, which is
• 17:18
  genuinely high praise in the horror -comedy space.
• 17:21
  Available to rent from Apple TV, Fandango at
• 17:24
  Home, Google Movies, and Prime Video. Grab someone,
• 17:28
  split the rental cost, make it a night. Quick
• 17:32
  late night callout too, Colbert has Jon Stewart
• 17:34
  Tuesday, Fallon has Nikki Glaser Tuesday, Seth
• 17:38
  Meyers has Aubrey Plaza Tuesday, and SNL UK has
• 17:41
  Nicola Coughlin and Foo Fighters. this Saturday
• 17:44
  on Peacock. Strong week across the board. Full
• 17:48
  late night lineup is in the show notes. 7 rounds,
• 18:15
  257 picks. Top prospects to watch Fernando Mendoza
• 18:41
  Ruben Bain Jr. and Spencer Fano are the names
• 18:44
  CableTV .com highlights. But round one is always
• 18:47
  where the trades and surprises upend the whole
• 18:49
  board. The first 18 picks were set after the
• 18:53
  2025 regular season. The final 14 draft positions
• 18:57
  were locked in following Super Bowl LX. And then
• 19:01
  trades shake everything up, which is half the
• 19:02
  entertainment of watching. The draft is basically
• 19:05
  its own sport at this point. The analysis, the
• 19:08
  speculation. The live reactions when a pick comes
• 19:11
  out of nowhere. Three days of genuinely compelling
• 19:14
  television. Best streaming option for the draft
• 19:30
  per CableTV .com's full guide is YouTube TV at
• 19:34
  $82 .99 a month. It carries all three draft channels,
• 19:39
  ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. And it has multi
• 19:44
  -view, which means you can run multiple feeds
• 19:46
  simultaneously during the draft. No contract,
• 19:50
  so you can cancel after Saturday if you want.
• 19:53
  Second option is ESPN and limited which covers
• 19:55
  ABC ESPN and ESPN to port a solid if you don't
• 19:58
  specifically need NFL Network budget streaming
• 20:00
  play is NFL plus at $6 and 99 cents to $14 and
• 20:05
  99 cents a month which gets you NFL Network 24
• 20:08
  hours a day cable TV comm compared 13 different
• 20:13
  TV providers and streaming services side -by
• 20:16
  -side in their guide all of that is in the show
• 20:18
  notes and If you already have Disney Plus or
• 20:22
  Hulu, you're already set. Both are streaming
• 20:24
  it live. Open the app Thursday at 8 p .m. Free
• 20:28
  option digital antenna. ABC airs all three days,
• 20:32
  all seven rounds, completely free over the air.
• 20:35
  One time purchase. Cable TV dot com recommends
• 20:37
  the mohuli 50 at around forty seven dollars.
• 20:40
  That is the cheapest way to watch the entire
• 20:43
  two thousand and twenty six NFL draft full stop.
• 20:46
  Full provider comparison tables in the show notes
• 20:48
  at cabletv .com slash podcast the closer five
• 20:52
  takeaways fast one Elden ring a 24 Alex Garland
• 20:58
  March 3rd 2028 IMAX full cast includes Kit Conner
• 21:05
  Kaylee Spainy Nick Offerman Ben Wishaw Tom Burke
• 21:09
  Jonathan price and more George RR Martin built
• 21:14
  the world This is the combination of talent and
• 21:17
  studio ambition that can make this the best video
• 21:20
  game movie ever made. Highest ceiling of any
• 21:22
  adaptation and development. Put it on your radar
• 21:25
  now and check the full CableTV .com story in
• 21:28
  the show notes. Two Avengers Endgame returns
• 21:30
  September 25th with exclusive new scenes. Avengers
• 21:33
  Doomsday follows December 18th. Only 75 US screens
• 21:37
  get Infinity Vision. Check if your city qualifies.
• 21:41
  Tickets coming soon. Three no formal student
• 21:44
  cable discounts exist. Best cable options. Xfinity
• 21:47
  TV Plus at $95 no contract. DirecTV Entertainment
• 21:51
  at $89 .99 for 24 months. For most students,
• 21:56
  go streaming. Sling TV at $19 .99 is the budget
• 22:02
  floor. Digital Antenna is free forever after
• 22:05
  a one -time purchase. Four must watch this week.
• 22:09
  Half Man on HBO Thursday is the priority. Kevin
• 22:12
  on Prime Video is all 8 episodes right now. Nikki
• 22:15
  Glaser on Hulu Friday. This is a gardening show
• 22:19
  on Netflix Wednesday if you want the conversation
• 22:21
  piece. 5 NFL Draft Thursday through Saturday
• 22:25
  from Pittsburgh. Round 1 Thursday 8pm Eastern
• 22:28
  on ABC ESPN and NFL Network. Best Streaming YouTube
• 22:32
  TV. Already have Disney Plus or Hulu you're covered.
• 22:36
  Free Digital Antenna on ABC. Everything we mentioned
• 22:39
  today, every link, every deal, every show is
• 22:43
  in the show notes. One action item this week,
• 22:46
  Cabelletv .com slash podcast show notes every
• 22:49
  episode, every guide we referenced. See you next
• 22:52
  week.