I have long ago stopped basic cable. While there is always questionable subject matter, the main reason I stopped was the ads. I don't think we realize the large negative effect these have on us. Buy, buy, buy, and then buy some more is the goal of advertising. It used to be only eight minutes per hour in the sixties, now it is sixteen minutes.
There is plenty to watch with minimal commercials. Even with the recent increase, Netflix still seems a bargain. I watch Hulu more. Pay the extra four dollars and get the commercial lite version of Hulu.
While YouTube is cracking down on copyright violations, there is still a lot available. Paramount has a new channel on YouTube with lots of movies from its past. I would not call them the greatest movies in Paramount's history, but many of them are OK, especially if you are watching them the first time.
Like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.