I've never considered myself to be a couch potato. But now ... hmm ... I have changed that opinion of myself. One of the best ways to distract from the scary circumstances all around us it to get lost in T.V. and movies. 

I watch on a variety of platforms, from Hulu to Xfinity, Tubi and more. There are too many choices -- along with an excessive number of programs to view. But when the year ends, we will have to revamp our programming picks. Insider has a list of 64 shows that will be axed by the end of 2020.

Even though "Harlots," about an 18th century London brothel run by madam Margaret Wells (played by Samantha Morton), was one of the most popular shows on Hulu, it will not return for a fourth season. The concept was original and viewers loved the series. I liked it. "Harlots" got a rating of 97 percent with critics and 92 percent with viewers on the Rotten Tomatoes site. This proves that "sex sells," even if the action occurred hundreds of years ago.

Alternately, Netflix's "Insatiable" was cut after only one season, suffering from a miserable 11 percent viewers' rating. Bullying of the character "Fatty Patty" played by actress Debby Ryan, did not fare positively with its theme of fat-shaming. The widely-popular "Ray Donovan" on Showtime also took a hit after seven seasons. Liev Schreiber plays a "fixer" for the rich and famous in Hollywood who makes their problems go away. Even with a critics' 8.3 ratings and 73 percent approval from audiences, the show could not survive the chopping block. As Schreiber said, "It's in the network's hands."

Although the demand for broadcast television is declining, advertising spot rates are higher for T.V. due to supply and demand. It is a reverse formula; fewer available spots translate to a higher price point. In addition, streaming services like Hulu do not offer traditional viewer data like Nielsen does and cannot command the same ad revenue. Streaming might eventually be the death of traditional television, but not in the immediate future. For now, we will have to see how new shows fare and which current shows get the knife next year. 

There are many reasons why good or even great shows fail. Sometimes, they simply run their course. Take "Criminal Minds," ending a fifteen-year run. It's a brilliant show that pits FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit profilers against the worst-of-the-worst serial killers. I love a good detective story but I was noticing that more and more, recent episodes seemed similar to ones I'd seen before. That's when it's time to move on. At that point, it's better to just call it quits and end up on top.