Bro
I hear you, but some new stuff is actually way better. Streaming via the internet is 1000X better than Cable TV, where you were forced to buy a bunch of shit you didn't want.
Old people are not old dogs; we can learn new tricks.
And actually, there's nothing to learn. It's as easy as clicking on Vimeo or YouTube to watch the movies you recommended. You navigate to the AppleTV website and click on the 1 week free trial. Enter the info, watch all the shows, and cancel before the end of the week. It costs you nothing but a minute of your time and you get to watch outstanding Sci Fi shows.
Stop being a scared grumpy old curmudgeon! You of all people with your very high intellect should have no fear of clicking a couple links.