Confession time: I'm not a fan of horror movies. Not because I don't see their artistic merit—but because I, Josh Rosenberg, can (sometimes) be a little bit of a wuss. It's my job at Esquire to watch as many films and TV shows as I can, but jump scares and creepy children singing nursery rhymes have always been my kryptonite. This week, I faced my biggest fear. I finally pressed play on It—the 2017 horror film based on Stephen King's famous killer clown novel. HBO plans to spin off the movie for a TV series in October titled It: Welcome to Derry, so it was high time that I… watched It at 9 a.m. with every single light on in my apartment.
I may have woken up in a cold sweat because Pennywise yanked me down a storm drain in my dreams, but HBO Max saved me one nightmare by having the film available on streaming. It isn't always so easy to find exactly what you're looking for, right? Well, actually—it's downright impossible. And while I'm on the subject of nightmares, how about the one we're all living in: the streaming era.
The Walt Disney Company announced this week that it planned to merge Hulu into Disney+—which will reportedly save the company billions of dollars, per Variety. Disney is also launching a standalone ESPN streaming service, which is for people who want to pay $29.99/month for a cable package that's basically just sports. Did your eyes just glaze over? Exactly.
For the consumer, it's yet another headache—and an expensive one at that. Once again, we're stuck comparing subscription plans, pinching our wallets, and relearning which company owns what. It's exhausting. So, in today's streaming wars, we need to seriously consider which streaming services we'll fly our banners for. The days of blindly subscribing to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video may be over. To help gear you up for fall TV season—and maybe even save a couple of bucks before holiday season—this is how you can show streamers who's boss.
Is Bundling Losing You Money?
After the news dropped that Hulu would eventually shut down after moving to Disney+, I took a long and painful gander at the current subscription options. How should someone pick from a Hulu/Disney+/HBO Max bundle, a Hulu+Live TV/Disney+/ESPN+ bundle, a Hulu/Showtime/Acorn TV/Britbox+ bundle (I made the last one up), and several tiers of options before you even think about adding on anything else? It's like I'm reading another language. My first suggestion? Look at what you're paying for right now and make sure that you're not accidentally shelling out for something twice. Then, check to see if you actually use the services that you are paying for. Final step? Make some hard decisions. You can live without the Mormon Wives. I promise.
Screw the Algorithm and Make Your Own Watchlist
This is what I do every few months. Check out the fall 2025 TV calendar and write down every show that you consider must-watch TV. In last week's Cliff-Hanger, for example, I highlighted a few fall shows that I consider appointment viewing: Alien: Earth (Hulu), The Paper (Peacock), Task (HBO Max), Black Rabbit (Netflix), and Pluribus (Apple TV+). If you look at your list and find that one of your subscriptions won't see any action for the rest of the year, then stop paying for it now. You can always renew later.
The One-Month Method
Here's a lesson you learn quickly in my industry: you can't watch everything, even when it's your job. It's okay to hold off, wait until a season is finished, and then tear through it later. This is what I used to tell my parents to do about TV shows that I really enjoyed, but were weekly drops on streaming services that didn't have much else to offer that would warrant a full subscription. You can think of it like paying $9.99 for the season. Then just cancel until that show returns. Sometimes when you threaten to leave, a streamer will even offer you discounted rates to stay—though don't say you heard that idea from me!
Friends! Use Them!
Maybe your buddy is a big cinephile. They pay for a niche service like The Criterion Channel, which houses hundreds of old movies and foreign films. Why not save yourself the money, have a movie night, and watch that one Italian Neorealist flick with good company? Password-sharing crackdowns have made it tougher to pass around subscriptions, but watch parties are a great way to keep up with your friends and pool your subscriptions together. Hell, a good group will even make bad TV more enjoyable.
There's Always Cable
Just sayin'. Maybe things were better that way.
Got any tips to share? Write to me at josh.rosenberg@hearst.com and I'll make sure to pass it on to readers next week.
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