There are quite a number of streaming services out there trying to convince us to shell out the money for a subscription, and I tend to cycle through those depending on what sci fi/fantasy shows they currently have available. In this column, I will focus on a different service each with each post and let you know what I am finding that might convince sci fi TV fans it is worth the money.
Disney+ got its start two and half years ago, launching in November 2019, and I have been a subscriber since the beginning. It kicked off with the first season of The Mandalorian which drove quite a number of subscriptions to the service, but original content was rather sparse after that for about a year largely due to the pandemic-related production delays. But once WandaVision arrived in January 2021, the streamer has been putting out original content of interest to genre fans on a regular basis.
Among the additional MCU shows so far there has been The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If?, Hawkeye, and Moon Knight (which is releasing new episodes now). Upcoming from that franchise are Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Echo, Secret Invasion, and more. The Mandalorian launched the Star Wars spin-offs on the service and was followed by The Book of Boba Fett. Also on the way are Rangers of the New Republic, Ahsoka, Andor, Lando, and more. Also, the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was one of the early originals available on Disney+, and the spin-off series The Bad Batch came out of that. Beyond the MCU and Star Wars, the streamer is currently working on a Willow spin-off series, Nautilus (based on Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), Percy Jackson & the Olympians, and more. (You can see a list of upcoming originals at this link.)
Among prior series available for streaming, the Netflix MCU shows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher have all jumped over to Disney+ (including the team-up miniseries The Defenders). And there is talk that Daredevil and maybe some of those other shows will be revived there. Also available for streaming are Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (including the Genndy Tartakovsky series), Once Upon a Time, Gargoyles (the animated series), many of the Marvel animated shows, and more. Beyond that, there’s are not a whole lot of prior sci fi and fantasy shows streaming on the service, but enough to keep you busy. And as far as movies, Disney+ has all the MCU films, all the Star Wars films, and a large selection from Disney’s back catalog (but why none of the original Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck cartoons?). And if you have little ones, there are plenty of kids and family movies to keep them entertained. This service is probably a must-have for families.
One of the things that this service has done which is quite smart is price itself on the lower end of the scale (a large part of the reason I have remained an active subscriber). For eight bucks a month, you get everything it has available ad-free (though some movies might have an extra charge upon initial release like Black Widow). They also offer a bundle for $14 which includes Hulu and ESPN+ (I upgraded to that option). That gives you quite a lot of streaming and it’s cheaper than Netflix. For me, this service has been worth keeping as an ongoing subscription, and I find myself tuning into it on a regular basis. If you are going to put it on the churn, though, give yourself a couple months each year in order to binge all the original content (and don’t be surprised if you end up as a regular subscriber).
See all the plans and pricing for Disney+
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Sci Fi TV Update posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
