With a few notable exceptions (cough cough “Hamilton”), most streaming services are taking a summer programming vacation in July, making it a perfect time for budget-minded subscribers to cut back a bit on expenses without worrying about missing out on buzz-worthy new shows.
As this column has previously mentioned, consumers can take full advantage of cord-cutting by capitalizing on the ability to add and drop streaming services each month, and all it takes is good planning and timing. Remember, a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of each month.
Consumers can also take advantage of deals for free streaming trials, as Disney and Apple in particular focus on building subscriber bases rather than growing revenue (for the time being, at least). You’re never going to get a better deal than free, and the offers won’t last forever.
Free possibilities aside, when it’s time to decide where your subscription dollars should go, What’s Worth Streaming is here to help. We rate each major streaming service every month as a “play,” “pause” or “stop,” similar to investment analysts’ ratings of buy, hold and sell, and pick the best content to help you make your monthly decisions.
Here’s a look at what’s coming to the various streaming services in July 2020, and what’s really worth the monthly subscription fee.
Netflix ($ 8.99 or $ 12.99 a month)
Netflix Inc. NFLX,
For the grown-ups, there’s Charlize Theron in the supernatural action movie “The Old Guard” (July 10), about a team of unkillable mercenaries protecting the mortal world. While it sounds dumb, it could fill that summer need for mindless entertainment quite nicely. There’s also “Fatal Affair” (July 15), a domestic thriller starring Nia Long and Omar Epps; Season 2 of “Deadwind” (July 1), a satisfying if clichéd Finnish cop drama that should appeal to Nordic Noir fans; and “Stateless” (July 8), an Australian drama series about four strangers whose paths cross at an immigrant detention facility, starring Cate Blanchett and Yvonne Strahovski. And we can’t forget “Unsolved Mysteries” (July 1), a reboot of the goosebump-inducing ’80s docuseries that examines everything from murders to missing people to UFOs. Before you ask, since nobody could replace Robert Stack or his gravelly voice, the show will not have a host.
There’s a little something for starved sports fans too, with the streaming debut of the excellent ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance” (July 19), about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ championship run in 1997-’98; and the final season of the junior college football docuseries“Last Chance U” (July 28), which will focus on the struggles and successes of Oakland’s Laney College. The series will shift its focus to junior college basketball next season.
Read more: Here’s everything coming to Netflix in July 2020 — and what’s leaving
Who’s Netflix for? Fans of buzz-worthy original shows and movies.
Play, pause or stop? Play. Netflix is still the gold standard in streaming, with a deep library and a seemingly constant supply of new programming.
Disney+ ($ 6.99 a month)
Baby Yoda, meet Alexander Hamilton. For the first time since its launch late last year, Disney+ has the most talked-about streaming offering out there, thanks to “Hamilton,” (July 3), the filmed version of the Broadway smash hit, which is dropping just in time for Fourth of July weekend. It was originally scheduled to be released in theaters in October 2021, but due to the pandemic forcing movie releases to reschedule, we’ll get it now instead. No complaints here. Filmed in 2016 and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda and the rest of the original cast, “Hamilton” is the must-see streaming event of the summer, and is likely to lure a ton of new subscribers to Walt Disney Co.’s DIS,
Speaking of new subscribers, Disney+ just ended its seven-day free trial. Such a coincidence! But paying $ 6.99 for a month’s subscription to see a show that theatergoers paid hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to see is still a bargain.
Disney+ is also adding “Muppets Now” (July 31), a brand new, unscripted series featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang doing celebrity interviews and sketch comedy. The service will also bolster its “Star Wars” lineup by adding “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (July 10), which, honestly, wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be when it was released in 2018.
Read more: Here’s everything coming to Disney+ in July
Who’s Disney+ for? Families with kids, and hardcore “Star Wars” and Marvel fans. For those not in that group, its library is lacking, but the addition of “Hamilton” makes July the perfect time to sample it for a month and see what’s there.
Play, pause or stop? Play. “Hamilton” for $ 6.99. Who can say no to that?
HBO Max ($ 14.99 a month)
Yes, it’s still the most expensive streaming service. But for the same cost as a traditional HBO cable subscription, HBO Max offers much more. It’s fast gaining a reputation as the go-to service for older movies (“Jaws,” “Casablanca,” “Citizen Kane” for starters), and will bolster its selection in July with dozens more, including “The Exorcist,” “Blazing Saddles” and “The Right Stuff.”
There are only a handful of original series launching on Max in July, most notably the Amy Schumer docuseries “Expecting Amy” (July 9), chronicling the comedian’s stand-up tour during her difficult pregnancy. But there are also fresh episodes of HBO’s new “Perry Mason,” the dark, noirish private-eye series starring Matthew Rhys; the disturbing true-crime docuseries“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark”; and access to HBO’s vast and excellent library. One older show worth watching that you probably missed: “Betty,” a dreamlike and gorgeously-shot hangout comedy about a diverse crew of skateboarding girls.
Read more: Here’s everything coming to HBO Max in July 2020, and what’s leaving
Who’s HBO Max for? HBO fans and classic movie lovers. Though oddly enough, it’s still NOT for Roku or Amazon Fire users, since AT&T Inc.’s T,
Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. July is a rare slow period for fresh HBO content, though there are still a ton of older shows and movies worth bingeing.
Hulu ($ 5.99 a month or $ 11.99 with no ads)
Hulu is taking a month off. Almost. The only notable addition in July is “Palm Springs” (July 10), a “Groundhog Day”-esque existential romantic comedy starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti that got rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, where it sold for a festival-record price of $ 17,500,000.69. (It was the 69 cents that put it over the top.)
Aside from a handful of decent older movies and previously aired TV shows, there’s not a lot else coming in July. But that’s where Hulu’s impressive library comes in, offering an opportunity to check out binge-worthy new-ish shows like the existential sci-fi mystery “Devs,” the steamy Irish romantic drama “Normal People,” the Catherine the Great satire“The Great” and Season 2 of the Peabody Award-winning Muslim-American slacker comedy “Ramy,” along with older gems such as the Australian hit-man dramedy“Mr. Inbetween,” the anti-rom-com “You’re the Worst” and Donald Glover’s brilliant and genre-defying “Atlanta.”
Read more: Here’s what’s coming to Hulu in July 2020, and what’s leaving
Who’s Hulu for? TV lovers. There’s a deep library for those who want older TV series, and next-day streaming for many current network and cable shows.
Play, pause or stop? Pause. While Hulu is still the best value in streaming, there’s not much coming in July, so if you’re looking to cut expenses, now might be a good time. On the other hand, there’s plenty in the vault to justify the cost.
Amazon Prime Video ($ 12.99 a month)
One thing Amazon Prime Video does well is making action series that are better than they need to be. “Hanna” (July 3) is a prime example, taking a familiar premise and upping the ante with fantastic fight scenes, sharp writing and emotionally deep characters. Largely filmed in Europe, the conspiracy thriller/coming-of-age drama about a teenage super-soldier hunted by the CIA was a surprise treat last year, and Season 2, which drops July 3, looks to deliver more of the same.
Otherwise it’s a sparse month for Amazon, whose other major new releases — the Marie Curie biopic “Radioactive” (July 24), starring Rosamund Pike; and the Jim Gaffigan stand-up comedy special “Pale Tourist” (July 24) — look fine, but uninspiring. Subscribers may be better off catching up with shows they’ve missed, like the mind-bending and visually stunning animated dramedy“Undone,” the cringe-inducing relationship comedy“Catastrophe” and the afterlife comedy “Upload.”
There are also fewer new movies than usual coming to Amazon.com Inc.’s AMZN,
Read more:Here’s what’s coming to Amazon Prime Video in July 2020
Who’s Prime Video for? Movie lovers, TV-series fans who value quality over quantity.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. “Hanna” will be waiting for you later, and you won’t miss out on much by dropping Prime Video during its summer slumber.
Peacock (free basic level, $ 4.99 a month with ads, or $ 9.99 a month with no ads)
Do we really need another streaming service? The good news for most folks is that, if we’re talking about Peacock, you do not. Peacock launched in April for some Comcast cable customers, and will be available to the general public starting July 15. There will be three tiers: A free one with ads and 7,500 hours of content, a Premium tier with 15,000 hours of content (which will be free for some Comcast and Cox cable subscribers, $ 4.99 a month for everyone else), and an ad-free Premium version for $ 9.99 a month.
It’s not that the long-awaited service from Comcast Corp.’s CMCSA,
That’s in addition to a large library of older content, including “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Friday Night Lights,” as well as classic shows such as “Murder, She Wrote,” “Saved By the Bell” and “Cheers,” and a selection of around 600 movies. Users will also get early access to late-night shows and live sports.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit Peacock hard. Its centerpiece attraction for launch was supposed to be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed, and the bulk of its original programming has been delayed until 2021 due to production shutdowns.
Who’s Peacock for? If you’re a cord-cutter who misses network TV, the free version of Peacock is great. If you’re eligible for Premium through a Comcast or Cox subscription, it’s also a perfectly fine free addition.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. The free version is nice, but the paid tier will be unnecessary for most people.
CBS All Access ($ 5.99 a month or $ 9.99 with no ads)
CBS All Access appears to be on vacation in July, with no new series scheduled, though the second season of Jordan Peele’s “Twilight Zone” dropped in late June and is getting decent reviews. But the planned relaunch, incorporating news, live sports and more shows from the ViacomCBS Inc. VIAC,
Who’s it for? Cord-cutters who miss network TV.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. The revamped version could be interesting, but until then, it’s far too pricey for what it offers.
Apple TV+ ($ 4.99 a month)
While Apple Inc. AAPL,
Who’s Apple TV+ for? That’s the big question — it offers a little something for everyone, but not enough for anyone, really. There are hidden gems, like the immigrant-story anthology “Little America,” the animated musical “Central Park” and the workplace comedy “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet,” but just not enough of them.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. With the shallowest library of any other streaming service and only one or two originals a month, it’s still not worth the admittedly low price.
