Dipping an oar into a new streaming pool
Unless you’ve been living off the grid in the jungles of Peru, there’s a good chance you’re a Netflix subscriber — or you’re leeching off someone who is — and you’ve watched shows such as Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards and Stranger Things.
But as the television landscape seismically shifts and more and more people turn to online alternatives, it’s easy to forget that there’s more to streaming TV than just Netflix. Sure, Netflix has by far the largest catalogue of original content — some might even argue they’re producing too much of it too quickly, and dragging down their own quality bar — but there a surprising number of other streaming services that are worth a look, some of which you’ve probably never even heard of. If you’re suffering from Netflix fatigue, or just looking for something else here are a half-dozen online streaming services and the best reasons to subscribe to each:
AMAZON PRIME VIDEO (AMAZON.CA/PRIME)
Cost: $79 annually
Why you should try it: Having an Amazon Prime membership gets you sweet perks like fast, free shipping on all kinds of stuff sold on Amazon.ca, but one of the sometimes-overlooked side benefits is access to Amazon Prime Video. The catalogue isn’t quite as robust as what Netflix offers, but it does offer worthwhile original series such as American Gods, The Man in the High Castle, Mozart in the Jungle and lots more, including the new reboot of The Tick.
ACORN TV (ACORN.TV)
Cost: $4.99 per month Why you should try it: If you prefer streaming TV with a spot of Earl Grey and a toasted crumpet, Acorn might be your thing. Most of the shows originate from Britain, although it’s not the lineup of popular BBC hits you might expect. In fact, other than fare like The Midsomer Murders and QI, we’ve never heard of most of these shows, though we see familiar faces such as Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne and Hugo Weaving among the cast of these mysterious across-the-pond offerings.
CRAVETV (CRAVETV.CA)
Cost: $7.99 per month
Why you should try it: Bell Media’s Netflix competitor includes older HBO shows such as The Wire, The Sopranos and Sex and the City, as well as Showtime series like Episodes, Californication and the new Twin Peaks. Everything from South Park to the Canadian comedy Letterkenny rounds out its diverse catalogue, a good chunk of which is exclusive to Crave.
SHUDDER (SHUDDER.COM)
Cost: $4.99 per month
Why you should try it: If you’re a horror aficionado, you owe it to yourself to give Shudder’s catalogue of fright flicks a look. While there are a few familiar movies in there, including the creepy Insidious, Japan’s Ju-On franchise and the infamous Faces of Death, we have to admit that we’ve never heard of 90 per cent of their movies. Which could be half the fun — how can you miss with titles such as Black Devil Doll from Hell or He Took His Skin Off for Me?
CRACKLE (CRACKLE.COM)
Cost: Free
Why you should try it: Because it’s free. Sony Pictures-owned Crackle might not have the best or deepest catalogue, but if you can’t afford to shell out for multiple streaming subscriptions, it should be on your list. Highlights of their offerings include the likes of Seinfeld, Happy Endings, Shaun of the Dead, Point Break and lots more. It’s worth a look because, again, it’s free.
TUBI TV (TUBI.TV) Cost: Free
Why you should try it: We’re not sure where Tubi came from or why it exists, but as with Crackle there’s no sense in ignoring a service that gives you movies and TV shows for free.
There’s some pretty odd and obscure stuff on Tubi, but some of the shows we’ve streamed include the indie drama Secretary, the animated Planet Hulk (good background for this fall’s Thor: Ragnarok), the hilariously bad Leprechaun movies and the badly hilarious Death Race 2000.