Itâll be worth splurging a little â or a lot â on streaming subscriptions in September.
From the well-rounded offerings of Disney+ â including âShe-Hulk,â âAndorâ and âMighty Ducks: Game Changersâ â to Amazonâs blockbuster âLord of the Ringsâ prequel series âThe Rings of Power,â to Huluâs stockpile of quality comedies, to HBOâs compelling âHouse of the Dragon,â there is no shortage of must-see fall TV on the way. And the best of it can be had for less than $50 in total.
Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming â along with your budget â rating the major services as a âplay,â âpauseâ or âstop,â similar to investment analystsâ traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell, and picks the best content to help you make your monthly decisions.
As weâve previously mentioned, consumers can take full advantage of cord-cutting though a churn-and-return strategy â thatâs adding and dropping streaming services each month â and all it takes is good planning. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of a month. Also keep an eye out for lower-priced tiers, limited-time discounts (HBO Max has a 40% off deal right now), free trials and cost-saving bundles. There are a lot of offers out there, but the deals donât last forever.
Hereâs a look at whatâs coming to the various streaming services in September 2022, and whatâs really worth the monthly subscription fee.
Disney+ ($7.99 a month)
Disney+ recently announced a price hike thatâll take effect before the end of the year, but if its programming lineup remains as strong as it is right now, itâs a good bet that most subscribers will be willing to pay more.
This monthâs big addition is the long-anticipated (and delayed by a month) âRogue Oneâ prequel âAndorâ (Sept. 21), starring Diego Luna as the spy Cassian Andor in the early days of the rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire. Itâs a longer season â 12 episodes â than previous âStar Warsâ spinoffs, and a second season is already in the works. One hugely encouraging sign: Itâs helmed by Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote âRogue One,â along with four âBourneâ movies and âMichael Clayton.â Could this finally be a âStar Warsâ show for grown-ups, darker and grittier, that expands the story well beyond worn-out Tatooine and the all-too-familiar Skywalker clan? Fingers crossed, but hopes are high.
âThe Mighty Ducks: Game Changersâ (Sept. 28), the surprisingly fun sequel series to the â90s movie franchise, is back for a second season of youth hockey hijinks. The always delightful Lauren Graham returns, but the face of the franchise â Emilio Estevezâs hotshot player-turned- grumpy coach Gordon Bombay â is out, and will be replaced by Josh Duhamel, whoâll play a former NHL player running a summer hockey camp.
Thereâs also a live-action reboot of âPinocchioâ (Sept. 8), directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Tom Hanks as Geppetto opposite a slightly creepy-looking computer-generated Pinocchio; âHocus Pocus 2â (Sept. 30), a sequel to the beloved 1993 supernatural comedy, with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler reprising their roles as a trio of villainous witch sisters; and the streaming debut of this summerâs Marvel blockbuster âThor: Love and Thunderâ (Sept. 18), starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portmanâs biceps.
Disney is also adding a slate of ESPNâs â30 for 30â sports documentaries (Sept. 2), and in a game-changing move, âDancing With the Starsâ (Sept. 19) will become the streamerâs first live weekly series, as the hit celebrity dancing competition moves over from ABC.
And donât forget new episodes every week of Marvelâs breezy superhero comedy âShe-Hulk: Attorney at Law.â Â
Whoâs Disney+ for? Families with kids, and hardcore âStar Warsâ and Marvel fans. For those not in those groups, Disneyâs library can be lacking.
Play, pause or stop? Play. Thereâs a lot to offer, and something for everyone.
Hulu ($6.99 a month, or $12.99 with no ads)
For years, this column has dubbed Hulu the best value in streaming â but itâll lose a big chunk of that value in September, as next-day streaming of NBC and Bravo shows ends.
Itâs part of the gradual unraveling of Hulu, as a longtime content-sharing deal between majority owner Disney
DIS,
and minority stakeholder Comcast
CMCSA,
expires, and Comcast migrates its most valuable NBCUniversal programming to its own streaming service, Peacock.
While older seasons of many NBCUniversal series will remain on Hulu â at least for a while, thanks to long-term licensing contracts â next-day streaming of current NBCU shows like âSaturday Night Liveâ will stop, and will stream exclusively on Peacock instead. But some library shows are leaving right away â such as all seasons of âBrooklyn Nine-Nine,â âTop Chefâ and the âReal Housewivesâ franchises (all leaving Sept. 18).
But onto the good news: Hulu still has a ton of new series on the way.
âThe Handmaidâs Taleâ (Sept. 14) returns for its fifth season, and the grim, dystopian drama has never been quite as timely, coming after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The new season finds June (Elisabeth Moss) still fighting Gilead after escaping to Canada, while grieving widow Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) finds a new fan in a certain Mrs. Wheeler (Genevieve Angelson), a villain who poses a major new threat.
After a two-year layoff, the thoughtful clash-of-cultures comedy âRamyâ (Sept. 30) returns for its third season. Ramy Youssef stars as an Egyptian-American slacker navigating life in New Jersey, who, this season, will abandon his rather disastrous spiritual journey and focus instead on working at his uncleâs diamond business. Donald Gloverâs âAtlantaâ (Sept. 16) is also back for its fourth and final season, just a few months after the finale of an uneven Season 3. The new season finds Earn (Glover), Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), Darius (LeKeith Stanfield) and Van (Zazie Beetz) back in Atlanta after their European travels, and promises to be a ânostalgicâ goodbye. New episodes will stream a day after they first air on FX.
Thereâs also âRebootâ (Sept. 20), a very meta sitcom about a rebooted sitcom and its reunited, dysfunctional cast, starring Keegan-Michael Key, Rachel Bloom and Judy Greer; âTell Me Liesâ (Sept. 7), a twisty, toxic-relationship drama starring Grace Van Patten and Jackson White; a new season of âThe Kardashiansâ (Sept. 22); and a slew of fall-premiere ABC and Fox shows, such as the excellent âAbbott Elementary,â âThe Goldbergsâ and âThe Masked Singerâ (all Sept 22); âBobâs Burgersâ and âThe Simpsonsâ (both Sept. 26); and âBachelor in Paradiseâ (Sept. 28).
More: Hereâs everything new to Hulu in September 2022 â and whatâs leaving
And look for new episodes every week of âArcher,â âThe Patient,â âWhat We Do in the Shadowsâ (season finale Sept. 4), âWelcome to Wrexhamâ (season finale Sept. 14) and âReservation Dogsâ (season finale Sept. 28), as well as all 10 eps of Augustâs under-the-radar but very funny gang member-rehabilitation comedy âThis Fool.â
Whoâs Hulu for? TV lovers. Thereâs 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? Play. Though âThe Handmaidâs Taleâ can be misery porn, itâs offset by Huluâs unrivaled lineup of outstanding comedies. But be advised: Prices are going up in October.
Amazonâs Prime Video ($14.99 a month)
September is arguably the biggest month ever for Amazonâs Prime Video, which will premiere the long-awaited and massively expensive âThe Lord of the Ringsâ prequel series âThe Rings of Powerâ and kick off exclusive coverage of NFL Thursday Night Football.
Coming two decades after Peter Jacksonâs âLord of the Ringsâ trilogy reaped nearly $3 billion at the global box office, the first season alone of âThe Rings of Powerâ (Sept. 1) reportedly cost roughly $715 million, including licensing rights â the most expensive TV show ever â and Amazon is planning an ambitious five-season run.
Based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, the series takes place in the Second Age of Middle Earth, thousands of years before the events of âThe Lord of the Rings,â and will reveal how the kingdoms and alliances of men, elves, dwarves and Harfoots (think pre-hobbits) were forged â along with the magical rings â and chronicle the rise of an evil that their world has never before seen. The sprawling cast includes Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Sophia Nomvete, Ismael Cruz Cordova and Nazanin Boniandi.
The first two episodes will drop at once, starting Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern, with new episodes coming every Friday. The trailers look spectacular, and it should be interesting to see how âRingsâ fares in a nearly head-to-head battle with another fantasy blockbuster, HBOâs âGame of Thronesâ prequel series âHouse of the Dragon.â
AmazonÂ
AMZN,
has committed even more money ($13.2 billion over 10 years) for exclusive rights to the most lucrative programming in the U.S. â NFL football. While Prime Video has streamed 11 Thursday-night games every season since 2017, this is the first time the games wonât air anywhere else. Prime Video will stream 15 exclusive regular-season games Thursday Night Football games starting Sept. 15, with the Chiefs hosting the Chargers.
See: Hereâs everything coming to Amazonâs Prime Video in September 2022
Thereâs also the Boeing 737 Max documentary  âFlight/Riskâ (Sept. 9); Season 2 of the trans family drama âSeptember Morningsâ (Sept. 23); and the addition of all five seasons of the beloved high-school football drama âFriday Night Lightsâ (Sept. 1). You can also catch up with the uneven but likeable âA League of Their Ownâ reboot and new episodes every week of Tim Gunn and Heidi Klumâs fashion competition âMaking the Cut.â
Whoâs Amazon Prime Video for? Movie lovers, TV-series fans who value quality over quantity.
Play, pause or stop? Play. âThe Rings of Powerâ looks fantastic, and exclusive NFL games are an added bonus. And if you get bored, a âFriday Night Lightsâ rewatch is never a bad idea (though maybe skip most of Season 2).
HBO Max ($14.99 a month without ads, or $9.99 with ads)
HBO Max is offering 40% off a 12-month subscription through Oct. 30, which is a great deal, but it comes a very odd time, amid a slashing of original content and jobs from new corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery
WBD,
and an unusually slow month of programming.
The cuts at HBO Max have been disturbing, with not-yet-completed movies (such as the $90 million âBatgirlâ) getting yanked along with a swath of series cancellations and the removal of hundreds of episodes of original content â particularly in animation â all in an apparent effort to save money through tax write-offs and eliminating residual payments to creators. And while itâs one thing to cancel a project, itâs quite another to entirely remove it from the archives, especially when it may have little or no availability on other platforms. The content slashing has sparked a backlash among subscribers and serves as a bitter reminder that the entertainment business is, first and foremost, a business, and often that comes at the expense of the creative side. What makes it even more of a shame is that HBO Max has quickly built itself into the premiere streaming service, and the cuts threaten to severely tarnish its reputation among subscribers and Hollywood creatives alike, who are left to wonder if fan-favorite but less-popular titles will simply vanish.
Meanwhile, HBO is resting on its laurels in September â and why wouldnât it, with new episodes every week of the blockbuster âGame of Thronesâ prequel series âHouse of the Dragonâ? Thereâs not a lot else, though.
The bilingual horror comedy âLos Espookysâ (Sept. 16) is one highlight, returning for its second season, and Baz Luhrmannâs recent musical biopic hit âElvisâ (Sept. 2), starring Austin Butler, will make its streaming debut. Max is also adding a selection of Magnolia Network programming (Sept. 30), with a slew of home and lifestyle shows from Chip and Joanna Gaines, while âThe Vampire Diariesâ (Sept. 4) and âGothamâ (Sept. 30) will migrate over from Netflix. There are also new eps of the addictive investment-bank drama âIndustryâ (season finale Sept. 19) and the brilliantly filthy animated supervillain series âHarley Quinnâ (season finale Sept. 15).
Whoâs HBO Max for? HBO fans and movie lovers.
Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. âHouse of the Dragonâ is great, but thereâs not much else there right now. If youâre not a Westeros fan, save your money for another month (for example: Season 2 of âThe White Lotusâ is coming in October).
Paramount+ ($4.99 a month with ads but not live CBS, $5.99 a month with ads, $9.99 without ads)
September features the sixth and final season of arguably the best series on Paramount+, the legal drama âThe Good Fightâ (Sept. 8), which will see Diane (Christine Baranski) despondent over the political state of the country and her life. Andre Braugher and John Slattery join the cast this year, and Alan Cumming will reprise his âGood Wifeâ role as Eli Gold. Itâs a solidly entertaining and addictive show, and makes a Paramount+ subscription at least worth thinking about.
Meanwhile, the David Boreanaz military drama âSEAL Teamâ (Sept. 18) has a new exclusive home, moving over from CBS, and âInk Masterâ (Sept. 7) has a new host, Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden. Fall brings new seasons of plenty of other CBS shows, such as âNCISâ and âNCIS: Hawaiiâ (Sept. 19); all three âFBIâ shows (Sept. 20); and âSurvivorâ and âThe Amazing Raceâ (Sept. 21).
There are also new episodes every week of âBlood & Treasure,â âStar Trek: Lower Decksâ and âMike Judgeâs Beavis and Butt-Head,â the return of college football on Saturdays starting Sept. 3, NFL football on Sundays starting Sept. 11, and plenty of soccer. Also of note: A live Taylor Hawkins tribute concert (Sept. 3) for the late Foo Fighters drummer, featuring an all-star lineup of musicians.
UPDATE: Paramount+ is finally offering a Showtime bundle that features the premium cable channel within the Paramount+ app. Itâs largely seamless and it does cost extra, but itâs better than two entirely separate apps. To mark the new feature, Paramount+ is offering a special bundle price of $7.99 a month (with ads for Paramount+ but not Showtime) or $12.99 a month (no ads at all) through Oct. 2. But after that the price rises to$11.99 and $14.99 a month, respectively.
Whoâs Paramount+ for? Gen X cord-cutters who miss live sports and familiar Paramount Global
PARA,
 broadcast and cable shows.
Play, pause or stop? Pause. If youâre a fan of âThe Good Fight,â CBS shows or live sports, it may be worth signing up. But the budget play may be to wait until âThe Good Fightâ ends, subscribe for a month and binge then.
Peacock (free basic level, Premium for $4.99 a month with ads, or $9.99 a month with no ads)
As mentioned previously, Peacock is benefiting from the gradual split between Disney and Comcast over at Hulu, and will become the exclusive next-day streaming home of current NBC and Bravo shows starting Sept. 18. And as further enticement, Peacock is offering Premium subscriptions at a discount of $1.99 a month, or $19.99 for a year, through September.
The new season of âSaturday Night Liveâ wonât debut until October, but September will feature next-day streaming of Bravo hits such as the various âReal Housewivesâ and âBelow Deckâ iterations, and NBC shows like the rebooted and intriguing âQuantum Leapâ (Sept. 20), starring Raymond Lee, Ernie Hudson and Caitlin Bassett; Dick Wolfâs âChicagoâ trio â âFire,â âMedâ and âP.D.â â (Sept. 22) and the âLaw & Orderâ trifecta (Sept. 23).
Peacock also has âLast Lightâ (Sept. 9), a five-episode apocalyptic thriller starring Matthew Fox in his first big role since âLostâ; âVampire Academyâ (Sept. 15), a YA fantasy series based on the books by Richelle Mead about two young women, played by Sisi Stringer and Daniela Nieves, as they prepare to enter vampire society; âMeet Cuteâ (Sept. 21), an original rom-com starring Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco involving the use of time travel to recreate a perfect first date; and the streaming premiere of the objectively terrible summer hit âJurassic World: Dominionâ (Sept. 2).
Peacock will also be the only place to watch the long-running soap âDays of Our Livesâ (Sept. 12), which moves over from NBC after 57 years, and all seasons of the classic Fox sitcom âThat â70s Showâ arrives Sept. 1.
A loaded live-sports lineup includes the return of NFL football on Thursday, Sept. 8, with the Bills vs. Rams; Sunday Night Football starting Sept. 11; Sunday morning MLB games; Notre Dame football starting Sept. 10; and a strong weekly lineup of English Premier League soccer, golf and IndyCar racing.
Whoâs Peacock for? If you like network and basic-cable TV, a good movie lineup and donât mind ads, the free version of Peacock is great. And if you have a Comcast or Cox cable subscription, you likely have free access to the Premium tier (with ads). But the addition of next-day streaming of current broadcast and cable shows is a big deal and really bolsters the case for paying for Peacock â especially at the current discount rate.
Play, pause or stop? Pause. If youâre a cord-cutter who likes NBCUniversal shows and/or live sports, thereâs a strong case to be made.
Netflix ($9.99 a month for basic, $15.49 standard or $19.99 premium)
Itâs a surprisingly slow month for Netflix
NFLX,
The fan-favorite âKarate Kidâ spinoff series âCobra Kaiâ (Sept. 9), starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, returns for its fifth season, and the ever-comforting âGreat British Baking Showâ (date TBA) is back for another season. And MarketWatch readers should appreciate âEat the Rich: The GameStop Sagaâ (Sept. 28), a documentary about the meme-stock phenomenon.
Then thereâs the buzzy and NC-17 Marilyn Monroe biopic âBlondeâ (Sept. 28), starting Ana de Armas, which director Andrew Dominik promises will be a nightmarish peek into a life spinning out of control that will âoffend everyone.â SoâŠOK then!
More: Hereâs everything new to Netflix in September 2022 â and whatâs leaving
But aside from that, Netflix doesnât have a whole lot. âDo Revengeâ (Sept. 16), a dark comedy about high school girls wreaking revenge on their enemies, starring Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke, could be decent, as could âLouâ (Sept. 23), a âTakenâ-like action thriller starring Allison Janney. But the vast majority of Netflixâs new additions are uninspiring throwaways like âFloor Is Lavaâ (Sept. 30), âLove Is Blind: After the Altarâ (Sept. 16) and Rob Zombieâs reboot of âThe Munstersâ (Sept. 27).
Whoâs Netflix for? Fans of buzz-worthy original shows and movies.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. Not much to see here, try another month.
Apple TV+ ($4.99 a month)
Itâs an unusually slow month for Apple
AAPL,
as well, with only a handful of notable premieres: the third season of the animated musical âCentral Parkâ (Sept. 9); âGutsyâ (Sept. 9), a docuseries from Hillary and Chelsea Clinton celebrating inspirational women; âSidneyâ (Sept. 23), a terrific-looking documentary film about screen legend Sidney Poitier; and âThe Greatest Beer Run Everâ (Sept. 30), an action-comedy movie based on the true story of a Marine veteran (Zac Efron) who decides to sneak into Vietnam and deliver beer and messages from home to his friends serving overseas.
There are also new episodes every week of âSee,â the delightfully nasty âBad Sistersâ and âFive Days at Memorial.â
Whoâs Apple TV+ for? It offers a little something for everyone, but not necessarily enough for anyone â though itâs getting there.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. Thereâs just not enough to justify a subscription this month.
Discovery+ ($4.99 a month, $6.99 ad-free)
You know exactly what youâre getting every month with Discovery+, and this time around the relationship/lifestyle/true crime/paranormal highlights include: â90 Day: The Single Lifeâ (Sept. 12), a new season with now-single â90 Dayâ fan favorites back in the dating scene; âDeadliest Catch: The Viking Returnsâ (Sept. 13), as crabber (and often crabby) Sig Hansen brings his family to his ancestral home of Norway to start a new family fishing empire; Food Networkâs âHalloween Baking Championshipâ (Sept. 12), with judges Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall and Zac Young; âBobbyâs Triple Threatâ (Sept. 27), with Iron Chef Bobby Flay taking on multiple challengers in the kitchen at one time; HGTV mainstay âLove It Or List Itâ (Sept. 12); a new season of âGhost Adventuresâ (Sept. 15); and a new season of IDâs long-running true-crime newsmagazine âOn the Case with Paula Zahnâ (Sept. 15).
Whoâs Discovery+ for? Cord cutters who miss their unscripted TV or who are really, really into â90 Day FiancĂ©.â
Play, pause or stop?  Stop. Sorry. Discovery+ is still fantastic for background TV, but itâs not worth the cost. Still, it should add value when the reconfigured Warner Bros. Discovery combines it with HBO Max next summer.