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 with each post and let you know what I am finding that might convince sci fi TV fans it is worth the money.
NBC’s Peacock streaming service kicked off two years ago but has not made much of a splash in original programming yet. It did have the high-profile adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World which starred Game of Thrones alum Harry Loyd, but . . . the less said about that misfire the better. It also has a reboot/revival/sequel of Battlestar: Galactica series in the works, but there have been no updates on that in a while (more about that one at this link). Other originals that might interest genre fans include The Lost Symbol, Girl in the Woods, and Wolf Like Me along with the upcoming The Undeclared War and Vampire Academy.
Peacock’s strength is its back catalog as it has many past productions put out by the NBCUniversal owned and acquired studios. It has shows like Battlestar: Galactica (2003), Heroes, Eureka, Quantum Leap, The Greatest American Hero, Sliders, Charmed (1998), Dark Shadows (1966), and even the animated gem Exo-Squad (more on that one at this link). But several of these are available on other free streaming services out there (Quantum Leap and Sliders are on The Roku Channel, Dark Shadows is on FreeVee), so check around before you sign up for Peacock for one or more past shows. At some point, I am guessing the shows available to stream for free on NBC.com (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Amazing Stories, The Six Million Dollar Man, etc.) will be absorbed by Peacock, so that could increase the value of the service.
Peacock offers a free streaming option with ads, though the content is limited. Some shows are not available and some only have a sampling of episodes. The Premium plan costs five bucks a month and that includes ads (though they are not too intrusive). The Premium Plus plan costs ten bucks a month and there are no ads with that. I have kept Peacock on my regular rotation because I do the annual plan for $55. But that is mostly for the back catalog including non-genre entries like Cheers. If there are not enough older shows to interest you, then you may want to sign up for a month or two if there is an original of interest. It is a pretty affordable service, but your mileage will vary depending on how much of their content you find worthwhile. You can see what they have available at JustWatch.com.
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 Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
