OPINION: The addition of a cheaper, ad-supported tier on Netflix -- and soon Disney+ -- may ease the price pain for consumers. Meanwhile, a new season of 'The Crown' and a 'Willow' sequel highlight November's new releases, writes mmmmurf.
First, the bad-bad: Streaming prices are increasing almost across the board , putting even more of a crunch on budget-conscious consumers.
Consumers can take full advantage of cord-cutting by churning and returning — adding and dropping streaming services each month. All it takes is good planning. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month, and keep an eye out for lower-priced tiers, limited-time discounts, free trials and cost-saving bundles. There are a lot of offers out there, but the deals don’t last forever.
On the movie front, there’s “Enola Holmes 2” , a sequel to the hit 2020 movie about Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, played by Millie Bobby Brown , as young detective Enola sets out to investigate her first case; “Slumberland” , a comedy adventure about a young girl exploring the dreamworld, starring Mallow Barkley and Jason Mamoa; and Lindsay Lohan is back with a Christmas rom-com, “Falling for Christmas” .Play, pause or stop? Play.
And heads up: Prices for the ad-free tier will jump to $10.99 a month in December, after Disney+ launches its ad-supported tier for $7.99 a month. Then there’s “A Christmas Story Christmas” , a nostalgic sequel to the 1983 classic, starring Peter Billingsley as a grown-up Ralphie who returns to his hometown to try to give his kids a perfect Christmas. It’s risky reviving such a beloved movie, and this could either be wonderful or terrible, there’s really no middle ground.
Paramount+ also has the spinoff series “Criminal Minds: Evolution” , about an elite team of FBI profilers unraveling a network of serial killers; the family movie “Fantasy Football” , about a girl who can magically control how her NFL-player dad performs on the field; and the series finale of “The Good Fight” , which its creators promise will be “cataclysmic.”
Hulu Hulu has a couple of interesting offerings in November, but nothing that screams must-see. Yet, at least. Who’s Hulu for? TV lovers. There’s a deep library for those who want older TV series and next-day streaming of many current network and cable shows. Meanwhile, Season 2 of “The Mosquito Coast” finds the fugitive Fox family finally hiding out in Central America, after a tedious premise-pilot of a first season that wasted good actors and beautiful cinematography with nonsensical plot twists, while the action series “Echo 3” stars Luke Evans and Michiel Huisman as former soldiers trying to rescue a kidnapped scientist in the jungles of South America.
And that “it’ll-do-but-it’s-not-exactly-what-I’m-looking-for” description is the running theme for Peacock. November will bring a handful of originals that are unlikely to move the needle, subscriber-wise: There’s the musical-comedy spinoff series “Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” , starring Adam Devine; “The Calling” , a crime drama about a religious cop, from David E.