NBC’s Peacock service has free, paid options

Peacock is joining the streaming world with a few feathers plucked from its intended array of original programs.

Amid a stubborn, industrywide production halt forced by the coronavirus, Peacock subscribers have to wait for a reimagined “Battlestar Galactica,” the podcast-based “Dr. Death” with Jamie Dornan and Alec Baldwin, and reboots of “Saved by the Bell” and “Punky Brewster.”

Nine new programs were released on Peacock’s launch day, Wednesday, bolstered by some 20,000 hours of library fare from its parent company, NBCUniversal, along with outside acquisitions. Besides TV shows and movies that viewers already know and love, including “The Office,” “Cheers” and “The Matrix,” sports and news are an uncommon part of the mix.

“We always saw the value proposition of Peacock being significantly broader than just the originals,” said Matt Strauss, its chairman. For the budgetconscious, that includes a no-fee option.

Peacock joins a streaming field that has dramatically expanded with recent additions Disney+, Apple+ and HBO Max joining the old guard that includes Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. With the number of choices — and sheer confusion — facing viewers, here’s highlights of what the newcomer is offering. enduring 1932 novel of the same name, a cautionary tale of a modernistic social order in which people are genetically engineered to fit a caste system and serenity is found in a drug. mer has staked out his own turf in the comedy “Intelligence.” Leaving Ross the romantic behind, Schwimmer plays Jerry, a blustering U.S. agent deployed to work alongside his British counterparts.

Jerry starts off as he intends to continue, heaping demands on peeved Chris (Sylvestra Le Touzel), amid the pandemic is proving a boon for Peacock and young (or older) fans of the genre. There’s a trio of animated series debuting Wednesday, including one with a beloved furry friend.

“Curious George” picks up the adventures of the ever-young monkey and the Man with the Yellow Hat, introduced in 1941 by authors Margret and H.A.

Rey. The characters have a long TV history as well, including the PBS series aimed at giving preschoolers early exposure to math and other sciences. Peacock said its series follows that educational approach and retains George’s antics and “gentle humor.”

For tweens, there’s “Cleopatra in Space,” a Dreamworks studio comedy-adventure based on Mike Maihack’s graphic novel series. The ancient world’s teenage Cleopatra of Egypt is transported to a planet 30,000 years in the future, where she learns that she has a role to play as a global protector.

“Where’s Waldo,” also from Dreamworks, follows Waldo and best friend Wenda on their journey to celebrate cultures and solve problems with their observational skills. The Worldwide Wanderer Society members lean on Wizard Whitebeard for guidance.

PEACOCK PHOTOS Nick Mohammed, left, and David Schwimmer in the series “Intelligence,” on the new streaming service Peacock.

Alden Ehrenreich plays John the Savage in “Brave New World,” a Peacock series based on Aldous Huxley’s novel.