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Big names, big budgets and big events are on tap for March\u2019s streaming calendar.<\/p>\n
However you look at it \u2014 from Kate Winslet\u2019s steely glare to Jake Gyllenhaal\u2019s ripped abs; from Netflix\u2019s $160 million series \u201c3 Body Problem\u201d to Apple\u2019s $200 million movie \u201cNapoleon\u201d; or from \u201cTaylor Swift: The Eras Tour\u201d to March Madness \u2014 it\u2019s a blockbuster month.<\/p>\n
But streaming price have soared of late, making things a bit more challenging for consumers who don\u2019t want to miss out on the best stuff. That\u2019s where a strategy of churning \u2014 that is, adding and dropping services month to month \u2014 comes in. It takes some planning, but pays off in monthly savings. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month.<\/p>\n
Also read:\u00a0<\/strong>Amid \u2018streamflation,\u2019 consumers are spending more on TV streaming than ever<\/a><\/p>\n Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget \u2014 rating the major services as \u201cplay,\u201d \u201cpause\u201d or \u201cstop,\u201d similar to investment analysts\u2019 traditional ratings of buy, hold or sell \u2014 and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at what\u2019s coming to the various streaming services in March 2024, and what\u2019s really worth the monthly subscription fee:<\/strong><\/p>\n A hugely expensive, sprawling and fantastical story spanning continents and generations, based on a beloved book series and helmed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss \u2014 what could go wrong? <\/p>\n Fans of \u201c3 Body Problem\u201d<\/strong> (March 21), based on Liu Cixin\u2019s acclaimed sci-fi trilogy, surely will hope for a better ending, at least, than Benioff & Weiss\u2019s last big hit \u2014 \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d The good news: These books are already written, so there\u2019s a clear end to the story (which turned out to be the downfall of \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d). The bad news: The books span galaxies and centuries \u2014 there\u2019s A LOT to cover. Summarizing the expansive plot is pointless, but suffice to say Earth makes contact with aliens and things don\u2019t go well. While offering thought-provoking and chilling examinations of existential crisis, the books are light on character development (there\u2019s much room for Benioff & Weiss to work their magic there), and the first one \u2014 which this season is based upon \u2014 is the densest and arguably the weakest of the three. It\u2019s wildly ambitious storytelling on an epic scale \u2014 each of its eight episodes reportedly cost about $20 million<\/a>, making it one of Netflix\u2019s most expensive series ever. I have no idea how they\u2019re going to pull it off. But the same was said about \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d<\/p>\n Netflix On the movie side, there\u2019s \u201cSpaceman\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 1), a sci-fi drama starring Adam Sandler as an astronaut struggling with his marriage back on Earth who makes a new best friend in a space spider named Hanus (voice of Paul Dano); Lindsay Lohan has the Ireland-set rom-com \u201cIrish Wish\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 15); Regina King stars as trailblazing Rep. Shirley Chisholm in the biopic \u201cShirley\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 21); and there\u2019s a French-language remake of \u201cThe Wages of Fear\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 29), the classic 1953 suspense film about a group of men transporting an explosive cargo across dangerous terrain.<\/p>\n Sports-wise, there\u2019s a new season of the golf docuseries \u201cFull Swing\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 6), which includes last year\u2019s Ryder Cup and the shocking merger of the PGA and LIV Golf, and the live exhibition \u201cThe Tennis Slam\u201d<\/strong> (March 3), pitting the legendary Rafael Nadal against Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked No. 2 in the world.<\/p>\n Netflix is also adding the first five seasons of ABC\u2019s \u201cRoseanne\u201d sequel \u201cThe Conners\u201d<\/strong> (March 27), and all six seasons of the History Channel\u2019s bloody historical drama \u201cVikings\u201d <\/strong>(March 30)<\/p>\n And heads up: The \u201cJohn Wick\u201d<\/strong> movies are leaving at the end of the month, along with all six seasons of \u201cCommunity\u201d<\/strong> and a bunch of DC movies, including \u201cWonder Woman,\u201d \u201cThe Suicide Squad\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cJustice League.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Catch up:<\/strong> After languishing on Peacock for two seasons, the musical comedy \u201cGirls5Eva\u201d <\/strong>is moving to Netflix on March 14, along with a new, six-episode third season. A nonstop joke machine in the vein of \u201c30 Rock\u201d (Tina Fey produced it), the show\u2019s about a one-hit-wonder girl group from the \u201990s who reunite for one last chance at stardom, starring Sara Bareilles, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Busy Phillips and Paula Pell. It\u2019s very funny, an easy binge and deserves a wider audience.<\/p>\n Red card:<\/strong> Sadly, last month\u2019s sight-unseen endorsement of Season 3 of the soccer docuseries \u201cSunderland \u2019Til I Die\u201d<\/strong> is hereby revoked. The three-episode season is shallow, disjointed and lacks a narrative, a disappointing and jarring departure from the excellent first two seasons. It felt like the producers saw the success of FX\u2019s very similar-themed \u201cWelcome to Wrexham\u201d and haphazardly slapped together an epilogue. They would have been better off leaving well enough alone. <\/p>\n Who\u2019s Netflix for?<\/strong>\u00a0Fans of buzzworthy original shows and movies.<\/p>\n Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Play. When you get Netflix, you\u2019re paying for bulk, and once again, there\u2019s something here for everyone.<\/p>\n Max\u2019s big splash for the month is the new HBO limited series \u201cThe Regime\u201d<\/strong> (March 3), a six-episode political satire starring Kate Winslet as the dictator of a fictional, authoritarian European nation as she and her regime start to unravel. Hopes are high, especially as the show\u2019s showrunner is Will Tracy, whose writing credits include \u201cSuccession,\u201d the culinary satire \u201cThe Menu\u201d and \u201cLast Week Tonight with John Oliver.\u201d However, early reviews say that while Winslet is as great as usual, the show falls short of its potential.<\/p>\n Max also has the drama series \u201cThe Girls on the Bus\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 14), about four female journalists following the presidential campaign trail; the new standup comedy special \u201cRamy Yousef: More Feelings\u201d<\/strong> (March 16); the comedy docuseries \u201cJerrod Carmichael Reality Show\u201d<\/strong> (March 29); and the streaming premiere of \u201cWonka\u201d<\/strong> (March 8), starring Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet. That\u2019s along with new weekly episodes of \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm,\u201d \u201cTokyo Vice\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cLast Week Tonight.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n On the sports side, Max has March Madness<\/strong> \u2014 aka the NCAA men\u2019s basketball tournament \u2014 or at least the games also airing on TBS, TNT and truTV, starting March 19 (Paramount+ will stream the CBS games), as well as a full slate of NBA and NHL games.<\/p>\n Also of note, more than 130 classic Looney Tunes<\/strong> episodes (including \u201cDuck Amuk\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s Opera, Doc?) will be rejoining the service after getting yanked in 2022; however, 130 currently streaming Looney Tunes episodes will leave at the same time, because apparently we just can\u2019t have very many nice things. Does that make sense? Only to Warner Bros. Discovery Confession time:<\/strong> It\u2019s time to admit what I\u2019ve really been doing with my Max subscription for the past six months: slow-bingeing the early 2000s teen drama \u201cThe O.C.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s not even a guilty pleasure at this point, just pleasure, plain and simple. So far I\u2019ve gotten through the first two seasons (27(!) and 24 episodes, respectively), skipped the terrible third season and am now diving into the fourth and final one. You know what? It\u2019s still fun, featuring an amazing soundtrack with needle-drops that still bring goosebumps all these years later (sorry, \u201cTrue Detective: Night Country,\u201d<\/a> you may not use Mazzy Star\u2019s \u201cInto Dust,\u201d it\u2019s already been taken<\/a>). It\u2019s an excellent brain sorbet for stressful times, and for anyone following my footsteps, pair a binge with Alan Sepinwall\u2019s new-ish book \u201cWelcome to the O.C.: The Oral History,\u201d<\/a> which is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at how the show was made.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Max for?<\/strong>\u00a0HBO fans and movie lovers. And now, unscripted-TV fans too, with its slew of Discovery shows.<\/p>\n Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Play. \u201cCurb,\u201d \u201dTokyo Vice\u201d and \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d are all top-notch, and \u201cThe Regime\u201d looks worth a try at least. There\u2019s also the recently concluded \u201cTrue Detective: Night Country,\u201d <\/strong>which proved to be surprisingly divisive, but it\u2019s worth a binge (for the record, I very much liked it, despite some flaws). <\/p>\n Hulu is pretty light on new shows in March. The best of the bunch seem to be a trio of documentaries: \u201cFreaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told\u201d<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(March 21), about the legacy of the legendary Atlanta street parties in the \u201980s and \u201990s; \u201cSpermworld\u201d<\/strong><\/a> (March 30), about sperm donors and prospective parents; and \u201cThe Stones and Brian Jones\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 14), about the Rolling Stones\u2019 founding member, along with the miniseries \u201cWe Were The Lucky Ones\u201d<\/a> <\/strong>(March 28), an adaptation of Georgia Hunter\u2019s bestselling novel, inspired by a true story about a Jewish family separated at the start of World War II and their struggle to survive and reunite.<\/p>\n There are also a handful of new Fox and ABC shows, like \u201cThe Cleaning Lady\u201d<\/strong> (March 6), \u201cThe Masked Singer\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cAnimal Control\u201d<\/strong> (both March 7), and \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d<\/strong> and \u201c9-1-1\u201d<\/strong> (both March 15).<\/p>\n Get current:<\/strong> The best reason to watch Hulu this month is for FX\u2019s epic miniseries \u201cSh\u014dgun,\u201d<\/strong> which dropped its first episodes at the end of February and concludes in April. It\u2019s a sumptuous adaptation of the 1975 James Clavell novel, with gorgeous cinematography and a more well-rounded approach than the 1980 TV miniseries, especially when it comes to the perspective of its Japanese characters. Hiroyuki Sanada oozes gravitas as a powerful warlord surrounded by enemies, Anna Sawai is striking as a Catholic convert and translator, toeing a fine line between two cultures, while Cosmo Jarvis plays an boorish shipwrecked English sailor whose idea of civilization becomes turned upside down by the new world he encounters. It\u2019s a gripping tale, reminiscent of early \u201cGame of Thrones\u201d at its scheming, dialogue-heavy best. I\u2019ll mention my favorite show of this year (so far) a little further down, but \u201cSh\u014dgun\u201c could easily claim that title by the time all is said and done. It\u2019s very, very good.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Hulu for?<\/strong>\u00a0TV lovers. There\u2019s a deep library for those who want older TV series and next-day streaming of many current network and cable shows.<\/p>\n Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Pause and think it over. There\u2019s a case to be made that \u201cSh\u014dgun\u201d and \u201cAbbott Elementary\u201d are worth a subscription by themselves, but there aren\u2019t many new shows that are worth paying for. Still, if you do, the cheaper, ad-supported plan is the way to go. Hulu has a lot of good stuff, but not $18-a-month worth of goodness.<\/p>\n It seems a rarity when Apple \u201cManhunt\u201d<\/strong> (March 15), tells the surprisingly little-known true story about the desperate search for Abraham Lincoln\u2019s assassin, John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle). Based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson, the long-simmering adaptation stars Tobias Menzies as Edwin Stanton, Lincoln\u2019s secretary of war, who led the manhunt. Apple has another throwback series with \u201cPalm Royale\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 20), a dramedy starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern and Ricky Martin about a woman trying to break into Palm Beach high society in 1969.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a new season of the off-the-beaten-path travel show \u201cThe Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 8); the new historical comedy series \u201cThe Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin\u201d<\/strong><\/a> (March 1), starring Noel Fielding (\u201cThe Great British Baking Show\u201d) as a bumbling 18th-century highwayman; and the second season of the rebooted kids show \u201cFraggle Rock: Back to the Rock\u201d <\/strong>(March 29).<\/p>\n And there are new episodes every week of the WWII drama \u201cMasters of the Air\u201d<\/strong> (finale March 15), the sci-fi thriller \u201cConstellation\u201d<\/strong> (finale March 27) and the historical fashion drama \u201cThe New Look\u201d<\/strong> (finale April 3).<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Apple TV+ for?\u00a0<\/strong>It offers a little something for everyone, but not necessarily enough for anyone \u2014 although it\u2019s getting there.<\/p>\n Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Pause. While good but not great, \u201dMasters of the Air\u201d is still worth a watch, \u201cConstellation\u201d has gotten mostly good reviews, and \u201cManhunt,\u201d \u201dPalm Royale\u201d and \u201dDick Turpin\u201d have potential \u2014 but is that enough to justify a subscription?<\/p>\n Disney\u2019s Disney+ also has \u201cX-Men \u201997\u201d<\/strong> (March 20), an animated revival featuring the iconic band of mutants and picking up where the much-loved 1990s \u201cX-Men: The Animated Series\u201d left off; new episodes of the animated \u201cStar Wars\u201d spinoff \u201cThe Bad Batch\u201d<\/strong>; \u201cNHL Big City Greens Classic\u201d<\/strong> (March 9), a Nickelodeon alt-broadcast of the hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins; the historical adventure series \u201cRenegade Nell\u201d<\/strong><\/a> (March 29); and the documentary \u201cMadu\u201d<\/strong><\/a> (March 29), about a Nigerian teen dancer.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Disney+ for?<\/strong>\u00a0Families with kids, hardcore \u201cStar Wars\u201d and Marvel fans. For people not in those groups, Disney\u2019s\u00a0library can be lacking.<\/p>\n Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Pause, and it completely depends on your household\u2019s level of love for Taylor Swift. Sure, it\u2019s absolutely worth a subscription for that, especially if you kid will watch it like 47 times. But for those not on the Tay-Tay Train, there\u2019s not much there.<\/p>\n Peacock has an intriguing new miniseries, \u201cApples Never Fall\u201d<\/strong> (March 14), based on the best-selling mystery novel by Lianne Moriarty (\u201cBig Little Lies\u201d). Annette Benning stars as the newly retired matriarch of a family who suddenly goes missing, leaving her children to re-examine what they thought was her perfect life. There\u2019s an impressive lineup behind the show, including co-stars Sam Neill, Jake Lacy and Alison Brie, and showrunner Melanie Marnich (who produced and wrote a number of episodes of \u201cA Murder at the End of the World\u201d and \u201cThe Affair,\u201d among others).<\/p>\n \u201cTop Chef\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 21) returns for its 21st season, with episodes streaming a day after they first air on Bravo. Former winner Kristen Kish is the new host, replacing Padma Lakshmi, and Wisconsin is the setting for the most elite kitchen competition on TV. While largely maintaining its longtime format, the series has really reinvigorated itself in recent years, focusing less on classic cooking techniques and cutthroat rivalries and more on diversity of cuisines and feel-good, \u201dfood is love\u201d vibes. It\u2019s nice<\/em>, in the best possible way, and remains a must-watch.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also \u201cStormy\u201d<\/strong> (March 18), a documentary about the life and times of porn star Stormy Daniels, the docuseries \u201cThe McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys\u201d<\/strong> (March 28) and the streaming premiere of the hit kids musical movie \u201cTrolls Band Together\u201d<\/strong> (March 15).<\/p>\n Peacock is also regaining temporary custody of the \u201cHarry Potter\u201d<\/strong> movies (they bounce between Peacock and Max for complicated reasons), and has new episodes of network and cable favorites like \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d<\/strong> \u201cBelow Deck\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cNight Court\u201d<\/strong> a day after they air, and the conclusion of the buzzy reality competition \u201cThe Traitors\u201d<\/strong> (season finale March 14).<\/p>\n On the sports side, there\u2019s plenty of golf, English Premier League soccer, Big Ten college basketball, winter sports and auto racing to keep fans happy.<\/p>\n Maybe don\u2019t go deeper:<\/strong> Peacock beat its rival to the punch and quietly added \u201cThree-Body\u201d<\/a><\/strong> a month ahead of Netflix\u2019s premiere of \u201c3 Body Problem.\u201d This is the Chinese adaptation that aired overseas last year and was created by Tencent, and it\u2019s a whopping 30 episodes, so as one might imagine, it goes into much more detail and closely follows the first book in the series, \u201cThe Three Body Problem.\u201d Unfortunately, it\u2019s dense and dry, with cheesy-looking special effects and poor subtitling. It\u2019s skippable for all but the most die-hard fans.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Peacock for?<\/strong>\u00a0Live sports and next-day shows from Comcast\u2019s Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Pause. Peacock is one of those streamers you really only need to bother watching a handful times a year, to binge through a few things. Thanks largely to \u201cTop Chef,\u201d this may one of those times (along with the Summer Olympics from Paris this summer). That said, it may be more economical to wait a month or two and binge \u201dTop Chef\u201d when it has more episodes already banked. <\/p>\n Amazon BTW, if you feel like comparing the two, the original \u201cRoad House\u201d will start streaming on Prime Video on March 1.<\/p>\n Amazon\u2019s streaming service also has the second half of Season 2 of \u201cInvincible\u201d <\/a><\/strong>(March 14), after weirdly dropping the first four episodes way back in November. The super-violent, animated superhero story, starring the voices of Steven Yeun and J.K. Simmons, will drop new eps once a week through April 4. It\u2019s worth watching, but maybe wait until later and watch all eight eps at once.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a new season of the small-town drama \u201cAmerican Rust\u201d<\/strong> (March 28), starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney; Peter Farrelly\u2019s imaginary-friend comedy \u201cRicky Stanicky\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 7), starring Zac Efron and Jon Cena; recent movies including \u201cFive Nights at Freddy\u2019s\u201d<\/strong> (March 5), Neil Jordan\u2019s private-eye drama \u201cMarlowe\u201d<\/strong> (March 7), the rom-com sequel \u201cMy Big Fat Greek Wedding 3\u201d<\/strong> (March 12) and and the illustrated documentary \u201cFrida\u201d <\/strong>(March 14), about artist Frida Kahlo. Prime also now has NWSL soccer<\/strong>, with a schedule of 27 total matches starting March 15.<\/p>\n Catch up:<\/strong> The reboot of \u201cMr. and Mrs. Smith,\u201d<\/a><\/strong> which dropped in February and shares little in common with the 2005 Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie movie other than its name, is the best series of year (so far), with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine giving electric performances as spies\/assassins thrown together in a marriage that starts out as a cover but evolves into something much deeper. The first few episodes are wildly fun, with spectacular action scenes (the Lake Como episode is\u2026wow), while the latter eps turn much more uncomfortable and darker, before a jaw-dropping finale. Highly recommended.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Prime Video for?<\/strong>\u00a0Movie lovers, TV-series fans who value quality over quantity.<\/p>\n Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Stop, for now at least. \u201cMr. & Mrs. Smith\u201d is worth a watch at some point, \u201cRoad House\u201d will likely be dumb fun but not necessarily essential viewing, while \u201cInvincible\u201d can wait another month until all its eps drop.<\/p>\n Sports are the big draw for Paramount+ this month.<\/p>\n Following a jam-packed slate of regular-season and conference tournament games, the NCAA men\u2019s basketball tournament \u2014 aka March Madness \u2014 tips off on March 21. Paramount+ with Showtime won\u2019t have all the games, just the ones broadcast on CBS (while Max will stream games that are shown on TBS, TNT and truTV). <\/p>\n And for soccer fans, the UEFA Champions League kicks off its round of 16, starting March 5, along with women\u2019s Concacaf Gold Cup matches (final March 10) and men\u2019s Concacaf Nations League matches (final March 24).<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there\u2019s the Showtime series \u201cA Gentleman in Moscow\u201d<\/strong> (March 29), based on the best-selling novel by Amor Towles. Ewan McGregor stars as a Russian aristocrat in post-revolution Russia who\u2019s sentenced to house arrest in a fancy Moscow hotel. <\/p>\n There\u2019s also \u201cLittle Wing\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 13), a movie about a teen (Brooklynn Prince) who turns to pigeon racing in hopes of solving her family\u2019s financial woes; CBS shows such as \u201dThe Good Wife\u201d spinoff \u201cElsbeth\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (Feb. 29) and a new season of \u201cThe Amazing Race\u201d<\/strong> (March 13); and the addition of all nine seasons of \u201cThe King of Queens\u201d<\/strong> (March 25).<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Paramount+ for?<\/strong>\u00a0Gen X cord-cutters who miss live sports and familiar Paramount Global\u00a0 Play, pause or stop?<\/strong>\u00a0Stop. There\u2019s nothing essential that you can\u2019t also watch in a sports bar.<\/p>\n Need more? Catch up on previous months\u2019 picks at\u00a0What\u2019s Worth Streaming.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNetflix ($6.99 a month for basic with ads, $15.49 standard with no ads, $22.99 premium with no ads)<\/h2>\n
\n NFLX,
\n
\n also has Season 7 of the delightful food\/travel show \u201cSomebody Feed Phil\u201d<\/a> <\/strong>(March 1), with stops in Kyoto, Iceland, Dubai and more; more real-estate drama with Season 2 of \u201cBuying Beverly Hills\u201d<\/strong> (March 22); and director Guy Ritchie\u2019s \u201cThe Gentlemen\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 7), a series sequel to his movie of the same name tells the story of a man (Theo James) who inherits an estate in the English countryside, only to discover it\u2019s part of a huge cannabis empire as he gets sucked into the world of gangsters.<\/p>\nMax ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads, or $19.99 \u2018Ultimate\u2019 with no ads)<\/h2>\n
\n WBD,
\n
\n CEO David Zaslav\u2019s bottom line, apparently.<\/p>\nHulu ($7.99 a month with ads, or $17.99 with no ads)<\/h2>\n
Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month)<\/h2>\n
\n AAPL,
\n
\n doesn\u2019t have a new sci-fi series, but March is all about the past, starting with the streaming premiere of Ridley Scott\u2019s action spectacle \u201cNapoleon\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 1), starring Joaquin Phoenix, which hit theaters last November to mixed reviews.<\/p>\nDisney+ ($7.99 a month with ads, $13.99 with no ads)<\/h2>\n
\n DIS,
\n
\n hands-down highlight of the month is the streaming premiere of the blockbuster concert movie \u201cTaylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor\u2019s Version)\u201d<\/a><\/strong> (March 15), with five songs not included in the original theatrical release. If you have a Swiftie in your house, then yeah, you\u2019ll be watching this a few times.<\/p>\nPeacock ($5.99 a month with ads, or $11.99 with no ads)<\/h2>\n
\n CMCSA,
\n
\n NBCUniversal are the main draw, but there\u2019s a good library of shows and movies. Also, if you\u2019re a Comcast cable subscriber, look into its Xfinity Rewards program \u2014 you may qualify for a free Peacock subscription.<\/p>\nAmazon\u2019s Prime Video ($14.99 a month with ads, $8.99 without Prime membership, both +$2.99 to avoid ads)<\/h2>\n
\n AMZN,
\n
\n has found itself at the center of a Hollywood donnybrook, thanks to its treatment of \u201cRoad House\u201d<\/strong> (March 21), the remake of Patrick Swayze\u2019s so-bad-it\u2019s-great 1989 cult classic. A super-jacked Jake Gyllenhaal stars this time around as a UFC fighter\/bouncer in the Florida Keys who gets into a brawl or two, yadda yadda yadda. But director Doug Liman (\u201cThe Bourne Identity,\u201d \u201cMr. & Mrs. Smith\u201d) is angrily boycotting the movie\u2019s premiere at SXSW, due to Amazon\u2019s decision to make it a streaming exclusive rather than give it a theatrical release, and wrote a scathing open letter<\/a> published by Deadline. \u201cI signed up to make a theatrical motion picture for MGM.\u00a0Amazon bought MGM. Amazon said make a great film and we will see what happens. I made a great film,\u201d Liman said. \u201cThey turned around and are using\u00a0\u2018Road House\u2019\u00a0to sell plumbing fixtures.\u201d (Pain don\u2019t hurt, but that line should.) Liman has a good point, and it\u2019s a curious decision by Amazon, especially with a fairly light schedule of theatrical releases through the spring, aside from \u201cDune: Part Two.\u201d In the vein of \u201cBarbenheimer,\u201d why not \u201cDuneHouse\u201d?<\/p>\nParamount+ ($5.99 a month with ads, $11.99 a month with Showtime and no ads)<\/h2>\n
\n PARA,
\n
\n \u00a0broadcast and cable shows.<\/p>\n