Here's what's worth streaming in August 2025 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ and more

MW Here's what's worth streaming in August 2025 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ and more

By Mike Murphy

'Wednesday' and 'Peacemaker' return, while 'Alien: Earth' lands and 'King of the Hill' gets revived

The lazy days of summer are in full swing, but streaming services are beginning to emerge from their doldrums.

That's good news for viewers, who, after a very slow July, will get to see some of the year's most highly anticipated releases, including new seasons of Netflix's "Wednesday" and HBO Max's "Peacemaker," and Hulu's "Alien: Earth" prequel and "King of the Hill" revival.

And there's more good news for the budget-conscious: Most services are still in summer mode, so you really only need two or three subscriptions to get the good stuff.

All it takes is a bit of strategic churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - and it's possible to watch the best of the best while keeping your monthly streaming budget around $50. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month. It's always worth watching out for deals and money-saving bundles, too.

Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.

Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in August 2025, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:

Netflix ($7.99 a month for standard with ads, $17.99 standard with no ads, $24.99 premium with no ads)

Netflix's (NFLX) smash hit goth comedy "Wednesday" (Aug. 6) is back for its second season - the first half of it, at least (Part 2 will come Sept. 3). Jenna Ortega earned an Emmy nomination for her title role, and after saving Nevermore Academy in Season 1, she'll be trying to stop a troubling vision from coming true this time around in Tim Burton's "Addams Family" spinoff. The stellar cast (including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman and Fred Armisen) will add Steve Buscemi and a guest appearance by Lady Gaga. Season 1 of "Wednesday" is still Netflix's most-watched English-language series ever - by a lot. Not surprisingly, Season 3 has already been green-lit.

There's also "Hostage" (Aug. 21), a thriller series about two world leaders facing impossible choices, starring Suranne Jones as a British prime minister whose husband is kidnapped and Julie Delpy as the French president who's also receiving threats amid a crucial summit; "Long Story Short" (Aug. 22), a new animated comedy from "Bojack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg about a dysfunctional family told in various timelines, from childhood to adulthood; and Season 2 of the teen romantic drama "My Life With the Water Boys" (Aug. 27).

The popular mystery novel "The Thursday Murder Club" (Aug. 27) is getting a movie adaptation, with a fantastic cast that includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley as a group of senior cold-case sleuths who stumble upon a very active murder case. There's also the crime thriller movie "Night Always Comes" (Aug. 15), starring Vanessa Kirby as a desperate woman who's given one night to acquire $25,000.

On the documentary side, there's Season 3 of "Perfect Match" (Aug. 1), a dating competition featuring alumni from Netflix reality shows; "SEC Football: Any Given Saturday" (Aug. 1); "Fit for TV: The Reality of 'The Biggest Loser'" (Aug. 15); and "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" (Aug. 19), about Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.

Netflix is also adding the HBO rom-com anthology series "Love Life" (Aug. 5), starring Anna Kendrick in Season 1 and William Jackson Harper in the superior Season 2; the second half of Season 7 of Starz's historical fantasy "Outlander" (Aug. 11); the third installment of the live cooking event "Dinner Time Live with David Chang" and, as we approach the hurricane's 20th anniversary, the docuseries "Katrina: Come Hell and High Water," with the premiere dates for both TBA.

Binge-worthy: Looking for the equivalent of a trashy summer beach read? Try the soapy, exceptionally steamy drama "The Hunting Wives," which features Malin Akerman absolutely devouring every scene she's in. Or something a bit more chill? How about "Too Much," the surprisingly charming London-set rom-com from Lena Dunham. Something darker and deeper? Watch "The Eternaut," an Argentinian drama whose gripping story of human resilience withstands a whiplash of plot twists (and don't worry, Season 2 is already in the works).

Play, pause or stop? Play. Half the family will want to see "Wednesday," while the other half will want to see "The Thursday Murder Club." Both should actually be great for any audience. But the sleeper hit may be "Hostage," which looks like a delicious blend of "The Diplomat" and "Bodyguard."

Hulu ($9.99 a month with ads, or $18.99 with no ads)

Nostalgia-driven series revivals have been all the rage in recent years, but few sound as appealing as a brand-new season of the Mike Judge-Greg Daniels animated sitcom "King of the Hill" (Aug. 4). The warm-hearted comedy about a family in small-town Texas, and their oddball neighbors, has been off the air since 2010, but it returning for its 14th season, as Hank and Peggy Hill (voiced by Judge and Peggy Najimy), now retired, return to Arlen after a decade-plus living abroad in Saudi Arabia, with their son Bobby (Pamela Adlon) now a hotshot Dallas chef. It's not just the times that have changed, but a good amount of the voice cast is new too, to better reflect its characters of color. "The world has changed a little bit since Hank and Peggy have been gone," showrunner Saladin K. Patterson recently told a Comic-Con panel. "Casting has changed a little bit too ... as far as actors fitting the characters that they're portraying." In its original 13-year run, "King of the Hill" always had a reliably funny, optimistic and tolerant take on (lowercase-c) conservative American life, and early reviews for the new season suggest that hasn't changed a bit. This should be a nice bit of comfort-viewing.

After terrorizing movie audiences for decades, the "Alien" universe lands on TV for the first time with the long-awaited sci-fi/horror prequel miniseries "Alien: Earth" (Aug. 12), from creator Noah Hawley, who has already aced two tricky adaptations in "Fargo" and "Legion." Things start with the infamous xenomorph crash-landing on Earth along with a shipload of other captured alien species, and things just get worse for humans from there. Expect thoughtful androids, jump-scares and gore aplenty, along with heady themes like the nature of human existence. This is poised to be one of the must-see shows of the summer.

"Welcome to Wrexham" has a new sister series in FX's "Necaxa" (Aug. 8), a soccer docuseries about a small Mexican team hoping for a revival after being bought by actress Eva Longoria, with the help of actors/Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac. There's also the heist thriller movie "Eenie Meanie" (Aug. 22), starring Samara Weaving, and a slew of true-crime docuseries, including "Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge" (Aug. 4), "Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil" (Aug 7), "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" (Aug 20) and "Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America's Most Famous Pair of Shoes" (Aug 26).

Also look for weekly episodes of FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (season finale Aug. 20), ABC's "Bachelor in Paradise" (season finale Sept. 1) and Freeform's "Project Runway." Don't forget Season 2 of the pitch-black dysfunctional-family comedy "Such Brave Girls," which dropped in July. It's so mean.

Play, pause or stop? Play. Hopes are very high for "Alien: Earth," and "King of the Hill" should be reliably watchable. Add a deep library, and a subscription makes sense.

Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month)

Apple's $(AAPL)$ got an intriguing historical drama series with "Chief of War" (Aug. 1). Based on true events, it's a passion project from Jason Momoa, who co-created and stars in the story of a native Hawaiian warrior who tries to unify the islands in the face of Western colonizers around the turn of the 19th century. Told from a native perspective and with a mostly Polynesian cast, the sweeping, bloody saga should offer an eye-opening bit of history that most of us never learned in the classroom.

On the lighter side, the buddy comedy "Platonic" (Aug. 6) returns for its second season. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne star as - as the title suggests - platonic friends navigating middle age. It's funny and breezy, and really succeeds because of the natural chemistry between the two stars.

Apple's also got the animated "Peanuts" special "Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical" (Aug. 15); and Season 3 of "Invasion" (Aug. 22), the sci-fi drama chronicling Earth's resistance to an alien invasion. (Honestly, I had forgotten there had been a second season.)

There are also weekly episodes of the densely complicated sci-fi epic "Foundation"; the final season of the resort comedy "Acapulco"; the historical romantic drama "The Buccaneers" (season finale Aug. 6); and the twisty but uneven crime drama "Smoke" (season finale Aug. 15).

And while "F1: The Movie" is still tearing it up at the box office, Apple has another big theatrical release with "Highest 2 Lowest," Spike Lee's remake of the Kurosawa crime classic "High and Low," starring Denzel Washington as a music mogul whose son is kidnapped. That'll hit theaters Aug. 15, and start streaming Sept. 5. The streaming debut of "F1" will likely take a bit longer.

Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. "Chief of War" looks good, as does the new season of "Platonic," but they'll both still be here for a binge another month.

HBO Max ($9.99 a month with ads, $16.99 with no ads, or $20.99 'Ultimate' with no ads)

(Oh yeah, it's back to HBO Max now.)

MW Here's what's worth streaming in August 2025 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ and more

By Mike Murphy

'Wednesday' and 'Peacemaker' return, while 'Alien: Earth' lands and 'King of the Hill' gets revived

The lazy days of summer are in full swing, but streaming services are beginning to emerge from their doldrums.

That's good news for viewers, who, after a very slow July, will get to see some of the year's most highly anticipated releases, including new seasons of Netflix's "Wednesday" and HBO Max's "Peacemaker," and Hulu's "Alien: Earth" prequel and "King of the Hill" revival.

And there's more good news for the budget-conscious: Most services are still in summer mode, so you really only need two or three subscriptions to get the good stuff.

All it takes is a bit of strategic churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - and it's possible to watch the best of the best while keeping your monthly streaming budget around $50. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month. It's always worth watching out for deals and money-saving bundles, too.

Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.

Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in August 2025, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:

Netflix ($7.99 a month for standard with ads, $17.99 standard with no ads, $24.99 premium with no ads)

Netflix's (NFLX) smash hit goth comedy "Wednesday" (Aug. 6) is back for its second season - the first half of it, at least (Part 2 will come Sept. 3). Jenna Ortega earned an Emmy nomination for her title role, and after saving Nevermore Academy in Season 1, she'll be trying to stop a troubling vision from coming true this time around in Tim Burton's "Addams Family" spinoff. The stellar cast (including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman and Fred Armisen) will add Steve Buscemi and a guest appearance by Lady Gaga. Season 1 of "Wednesday" is still Netflix's most-watched English-language series ever - by a lot. Not surprisingly, Season 3 has already been green-lit.

There's also "Hostage" (Aug. 21), a thriller series about two world leaders facing impossible choices, starring Suranne Jones as a British prime minister whose husband is kidnapped and Julie Delpy as the French president who's also receiving threats amid a crucial summit; "Long Story Short" (Aug. 22), a new animated comedy from "Bojack Horseman" creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg about a dysfunctional family told in various timelines, from childhood to adulthood; and Season 2 of the teen romantic drama "My Life With the Water Boys" (Aug. 27).

The popular mystery novel "The Thursday Murder Club" (Aug. 27) is getting a movie adaptation, with a fantastic cast that includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley as a group of senior cold-case sleuths who stumble upon a very active murder case. There's also the crime thriller movie "Night Always Comes" (Aug. 15), starring Vanessa Kirby as a desperate woman who's given one night to acquire $25,000.

On the documentary side, there's Season 3 of "Perfect Match" (Aug. 1), a dating competition featuring alumni from Netflix reality shows; "SEC Football: Any Given Saturday" (Aug. 1); "Fit for TV: The Reality of 'The Biggest Loser'" (Aug. 15); and "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" (Aug. 19), about Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.

Netflix is also adding the HBO rom-com anthology series "Love Life" (Aug. 5), starring Anna Kendrick in Season 1 and William Jackson Harper in the superior Season 2; the second half of Season 7 of Starz's historical fantasy "Outlander" (Aug. 11); the third installment of the live cooking event "Dinner Time Live with David Chang" and, as we approach the hurricane's 20th anniversary, the docuseries "Katrina: Come Hell and High Water," with the premiere dates for both TBA.

Binge-worthy: Looking for the equivalent of a trashy summer beach read? Try the soapy, exceptionally steamy drama "The Hunting Wives," which features Malin Akerman absolutely devouring every scene she's in. Or something a bit more chill? How about "Too Much," the surprisingly charming London-set rom-com from Lena Dunham. Something darker and deeper? Watch "The Eternaut," an Argentinian drama whose gripping story of human resilience withstands a whiplash of plot twists (and don't worry, Season 2 is already in the works).

Play, pause or stop? Play. Half the family will want to see "Wednesday," while the other half will want to see "The Thursday Murder Club." Both should actually be great for any audience. But the sleeper hit may be "Hostage," which looks like a delicious blend of "The Diplomat" and "Bodyguard."

Hulu ($9.99 a month with ads, or $18.99 with no ads)

Nostalgia-driven series revivals have been all the rage in recent years, but few sound as appealing as a brand-new season of the Mike Judge-Greg Daniels animated sitcom "King of the Hill" (Aug. 4). The warm-hearted comedy about a family in small-town Texas, and their oddball neighbors, has been off the air since 2010, but it returning for its 14th season, as Hank and Peggy Hill (voiced by Judge and Peggy Najimy), now retired, return to Arlen after a decade-plus living abroad in Saudi Arabia, with their son Bobby (Pamela Adlon) now a hotshot Dallas chef. It's not just the times that have changed, but a good amount of the voice cast is new too, to better reflect its characters of color. "The world has changed a little bit since Hank and Peggy have been gone," showrunner Saladin K. Patterson recently told a Comic-Con panel. "Casting has changed a little bit too ... as far as actors fitting the characters that they're portraying." In its original 13-year run, "King of the Hill" always had a reliably funny, optimistic and tolerant take on (lowercase-c) conservative American life, and early reviews for the new season suggest that hasn't changed a bit. This should be a nice bit of comfort-viewing.

After terrorizing movie audiences for decades, the "Alien" universe lands on TV for the first time with the long-awaited sci-fi/horror prequel miniseries "Alien: Earth" (Aug. 12), from creator Noah Hawley, who has already aced two tricky adaptations in "Fargo" and "Legion." Things start with the infamous xenomorph crash-landing on Earth along with a shipload of other captured alien species, and things just get worse for humans from there. Expect thoughtful androids, jump-scares and gore aplenty, along with heady themes like the nature of human existence. This is poised to be one of the must-see shows of the summer.

"Welcome to Wrexham" has a new sister series in FX's "Necaxa" (Aug. 8), a soccer docuseries about a small Mexican team hoping for a revival after being bought by actress Eva Longoria, with the help of actors/Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac. There's also the heist thriller movie "Eenie Meanie" (Aug. 22), starring Samara Weaving, and a slew of true-crime docuseries, including "Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge" (Aug. 4), "Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil" (Aug 7), "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" (Aug 20) and "Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America's Most Famous Pair of Shoes" (Aug 26).

Also look for weekly episodes of FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (season finale Aug. 20), ABC's "Bachelor in Paradise" (season finale Sept. 1) and Freeform's "Project Runway." Don't forget Season 2 of the pitch-black dysfunctional-family comedy "Such Brave Girls," which dropped in July. It's so mean.

Play, pause or stop? Play. Hopes are very high for "Alien: Earth," and "King of the Hill" should be reliably watchable. Add a deep library, and a subscription makes sense.

Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month)

Apple's (AAPL) got an intriguing historical drama series with "Chief of War" (Aug. 1). Based on true events, it's a passion project from Jason Momoa, who co-created and stars in the story of a native Hawaiian warrior who tries to unify the islands in the face of Western colonizers around the turn of the 19th century. Told from a native perspective and with a mostly Polynesian cast, the sweeping, bloody saga should offer an eye-opening bit of history that most of us never learned in the classroom.

On the lighter side, the buddy comedy "Platonic" (Aug. 6) returns for its second season. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne star as - as the title suggests - platonic friends navigating middle age. It's funny and breezy, and really succeeds because of the natural chemistry between the two stars.

Apple's also got the animated "Peanuts" special "Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical" (Aug. 15); and Season 3 of "Invasion" (Aug. 22), the sci-fi drama chronicling Earth's resistance to an alien invasion. (Honestly, I had forgotten there had been a second season.)

There are also weekly episodes of the densely complicated sci-fi epic "Foundation"; the final season of the resort comedy "Acapulco"; the historical romantic drama "The Buccaneers" (season finale Aug. 6); and the twisty but uneven crime drama "Smoke" (season finale Aug. 15).

And while "F1: The Movie" is still tearing it up at the box office, Apple has another big theatrical release with "Highest 2 Lowest," Spike Lee's remake of the Kurosawa crime classic "High and Low," starring Denzel Washington as a music mogul whose son is kidnapped. That'll hit theaters Aug. 15, and start streaming Sept. 5. The streaming debut of "F1" will likely take a bit longer.

Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. "Chief of War" looks good, as does the new season of "Platonic," but they'll both still be here for a binge another month.

HBO Max ($9.99 a month with ads, $16.99 with no ads, or $20.99 'Ultimate' with no ads)

(Oh yeah, it's back to HBO Max now.)

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires

August 03, 2025 17:21 ET (21:21 GMT)

MW Here's what's worth streaming in August 2025 -2-

Moving on, more than three years after its premiere, DC's ultra-violent and darkly comic superhero series "Peacemaker" (Aug. 21) returns for its second season. Picking up right after the action of this summer's blockbuster "Superman" movie, John Cena's troubled Peacemaker travels to an alternate dimension where he finds comfort, but also big, bad complications. Season 1 was a terrific surprise, a campy, bloody delight, and its opening credits song-and-dance routine was among the most ridiculously awesome 80 seconds on TV. If Season 2 can deliver the same it'll be well worth watching. (Spoiler: The new opening credits have a new song and a new dance. Sorry, Wig Wam.)

Meanwhile, Marc Maron, whose seminal podcast, "WTF," is ending later this year, has a new standup special, "Panicked" (Aug. 1), and the venerable NFL docuseries is back with "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills" (Aug. 5). There's also "Freaky Tales" (Aug. 8), a "mixtape"-like action-anthology movie set in 1987 Oakland, starring Pedro Pascal, which got some good reviews in limited theatrical release; the family fantasy movie "The Legend of Ochi" (Aug. 15); the true-crime docuseries "The Yogurt Shop Murders" (Aug. 3); and the addition of Season 4 of ABC's "Abbott Elementary."

HBO Max also has Major League Baseball every Tuesday night, NASCAR races every Sunday and college football starting Aug. 30.

There are also weekly episodes of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"; "The Gilded Age" (season finale Aug. 10), which was just renewed for a fourth season; and "And Just Like That..." (series finale Aug. 14), the show that everyone loves to hate-watch but not for much longer, after news that the series will end after this season.

Late-breaking news: HBO Max will also add 15 shows from BritBox, from Aug. 1-Sept. 29, Variety reported Thursday. That includes the original "The Office," with Ricky Gervais, the Idris Elba cop drama "Luther" and the crime drama "Sherwood." Also, the entire "South Park" library will be leaving Aug. 5, and moving to Paramount+.

Catch it while you can: The breezy throwback crime drama "Duster" was canceled shortly after its first season concluded in July. That's a shame, but it ended on a satisfying-enough note, and it's still a fun binge. But with the way Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has been pruning its canceled shows, you might want to watch it soon, before it's unceremoniously yanked from the HBO Max library.

Play, pause or stop? Pause. "Peacemaker" is a lot of fun, though it's very much not for everyone (how's your tolerance for heads exploding?). The rest... meh, you won't miss much by not subscribing for a month.

Amazon's Prime Video ($14.99 a month with ads, $8.99 without Prime membership, both +$2.99 to avoid ads)

Amazon $(AMZN.UK)$ kicks off the month with "The Pickup" (Aug. 6), an action-comedy movie starring Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson as mismatched armored-car drivers whose day turns wild when they're ambushed by a criminal mastermind (Keke Palmer). It doesn't look great.

There's also "The Terminal List: Dark Wolf" (Aug. 27), a "Terminal List" prequel thriller series starring Taylor Kitsch as a Navy SEAL who becomes a clandestine CIA operative. Dads everywhere should love it. The sci-fi comedy "Upload" (Aug. 25), about essentially a digital heaven, also returns for its fourth and final season, along with the sports docuseries "Taurasi" (Aug. 7), about women's basketball legend Diana Taurasi, the Korean spy thriller series "Butterfly" (Aug. 13), Season 2 of the adult animated comedy "Sausage Party: Foodtopia" (Aug. 13) and the romantic drama movie "The Map That Leads to You" (Aug. 20). Prime Video has also added "Good Cop/Bad Cop," a quirky, Australian-made police dramedy starring Leighton Meister that aired earlier this year on The CW and got some good reviews.

Binge-worthy: The "Bosch" spinoff "Ballard" shares some structural DNA with Netflix's excellent "Dept. Q," but manages to tell a very different story while respecting the same tropes. More dad-core than "prestige TV," it's a propulsive procedural about an LAPD cold-case unit run by a detective on the outs that's smart and satisfying, while very pointedly avoiding the copaganda route. It's a solid choice for a weekend binge.

Play, pause or stop? Stop. "Ballard" is worth catching up with - sometime - but this month's lineup isn't particularly compelling.

Paramount+ ($7.99 a month with ads, $12.99 a month Premium with no ads)

There's not a lot new coming to Paramount in August, except for a pair of movies: "The Infernal Machine" (Aug. 1), starring Guy Pearce as an author stalked by an obsessive fan, and "The Friend" (Aug. 25), a tearjerker starring Naomi Watts as a woman who becomes the reluctant caregiver of a Great Dane owned by her friend (Bill Murray).

There are also weekly episodes of the surprisingly good sequel "Dexter: Resurrection" as well as "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," "Big Brother" and "The Chi" (season finale Aug. 3).

Sports-wise, there's a full slate of WNBA, NWSL and the Women's Rugby World Cup (starting Aug. 22), along with the return of men's European soccer, including the UEFA Supercup (Aug. 13), the start of Serie A (Aug. 23) and the Championship debut of Wrexham (Aug. 9 vs. Southampton).

Meanwhile, "South Park" is back with a new season, after creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker signed a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount $(PARA)$. The deal will bring 50 new episodes over the next five years exclusive to Paramount+, along with the show's 26-season library.

Play, pause or stop? Stop. You could do a lot worse than watching "Dexter: Resurrection" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," but if you're not onboard already, there's not really a good reason to start right now.

Disney+ ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads)

Disney $(DIS)$ has just a smattering of new stuff, including Season 3 of the animated comedy "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder" (Aug. 6); NatGeo's health-challenge docuseries "Limitless: Live Better Now" (Aug. 15), starring Chris Hemsworth; the "Stand Up 2 Cancer" live event (Aug. 15); and the Marvel animated action series "Eyes of Wakanda" (Aug. 27), which expands on the world established by the "Black Panther" movies.

There are also weekly episodes of Freeform's "Project Runway," and Hulu/ESPN+ shows including "Solar Opposites," "My Name Is Earl," "Say Nothing," Savannah Bananas baseball and the Little League World Series baseball and softball championships.

Play, pause or stop? Stop, if your kids will let you. There's not much new here; wait for another month to get more value for your buck.

Peacock ($10.99 a month with ads, or $16.99 with no ads)

In July, Peacock became the latest streaming service to raise prices, jacking them up by $3 a month for both its ad-supported and ad-free tiers (blame NBC's $2.5 billion rights deal for NBA games, among other things). Continuing customers will see the price hike take effect Aug. 22.

There's really not much to justify that price, though. August is especially desolate, with only "Borderline" (Aug. 1), a stalker thriller movie starring Samara Weaving, and weekly episodes of shows like "Twisted Metal" (season finale Aug. 28), USA's new legal drama "The Rainmaker" (Aug. 16) and the series finale of the Syfy comedy-drama "Resident Alien" (Aug. 15), along with "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" (finale Aug. 28) and the "Love Island USA" Season 7 reunion (Aug. 25).

On the sports front, there's plenty of golf, motorsports, gymnastics and swimming, along with the start of English Premier League soccer (Aug. 16) and Big Ten college football (Aug. 29).

Play, pause or stop? Stop. It's insulting for Comcast (CMCSA) to jack up prices so much and put out that weak of a schedule.

Need more? Catch up on previous months' picks at What's Worth Streaming.

-Mike Murphy

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 03, 2025 17:21 ET (21:21 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.