NBC Displays Peacock’s Plumage: Price, Release Date, Library
Only a few more months until we’re so drowned in streaming services that we can’t take it. As you know, every major studio is getting one, and NBC Universal finally revealed all the details for their effort, Peacock, today. They are the last to do so, and they’ll be the last to launch, with a public access date of July 15, 2020.
With a launch that late, they better be competitive, right? Well, that depends on how you look at it. The complete service costs $9.99 a month, which is higher than Disney+ but lower than HBO Max. Those who already have Comcast or Cox cable services will only have to pay $5, but then you’d have the problem of being shackled to the most overpriced and anti-consumer cable business in all of creation, so it’s kind of a wash.
But here’s something Peacock is doing that no other service offers: free access to some of its shows. They’ll come with ads, of course, and what you can view will differ depending on the month, but it’s a way to try out Peacock without giving them your credit card number, something no other service can say.
Peacock has so far announced twenty originals in development, from the intriguing (a new Battlestar Galactica from Mr. Robot’s Sam Esmail) to the bizarre (a Punky Brewster revival with a grown-up Moon-Frye in the situation George Gaines was in) to the “who asked for this anyway” (a half-satirical Saved By The Bell follow-up with Zack as a corrupt governor). We should also mention Peacock is the only reason we’re getting a third season of AP Bio, and that alone justifies its existence.
With no trailers or clips to go on, we’re not sure what to think of any of the new stuff. Where Peacock has the edge is in its back catalog. NBC Universal owns all of the following shows, they’ll only be streamable on the service from July onward, and chances are one of your favorites is in here: 30 Rock, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cheers, Chrisley Knows Best, Covert Affairs, Downton Abbey, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, House, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The King of Queens, Married… With Children, Monk, The Office, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Psych, Royal Pains, Saturday Night Live, Superstore, The Real Housewives, Top Chef, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, Yellowstone, Two and a Half Men, The George Lopez Show and Will & Grace.
In our honest opinion, we don’t feel as jazzed about Peacock as we do about its competitors (we’ll only watch Punky Brewster if it has Glomer), but time will tell if it succeeds or not. Peacock spreads its feathers July 15.