Did You Just Cancel Disney+ and Hulu? Here Are Your Best Alternatives

In the wake of Disney’s decision to cave to its Nexstar and Sinclair affiliates by pulling Jimmy Kimmel off the air, many subscribers to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited chose to quit those services. If you’re one of them, we’ll do our best to help you fill the gaps in your entertainment menu.

If You Have Preschoolers: PBS Kids or Netflix

I cannot say enough great things about PBS Kids. It’s free. It’s entertaining. It’s educational. It’s made specifically for your child’s growing brain. Studies show the lessons learned by viewers of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” still shape positive behavior years later.

There are even free games for your tablet or phone that feature the same characters. It’s really an incredible service, and everyone who voted to kill the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has done a disservice to future generations. Maybe donate the money you would have given to Disney!

If your kids need a little more razzle-dazzle, Netflix has a killer lineup of animated shows and a kid-friendly user interface. As a dad, I appreciate the ability to blacklist any shows I don’t want my kids watching. (After one too many “Power Rangers” weekends, I put the show on ice. The show simply vanishes from my kids’ profile and they don’t know why.)

I will say Netflix isn’t terribly educational. Netflix will get “Sesame Street” on Nov. 10, and “Octonauts” has marginal value, but there is a lot of junk your kids may need to wade through. It can be hard to put the genie back in the bottle when your kids get hooked on a not-great show.

If You Loved Marvel’s Superheroes: HBO Max

There’s no replacing the MCU, but the DC universe on HBO Max has a lot of great films. You have your choice of 3 different Batmen and 4 different Supermen. Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam enter the mix as well. Former “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn is building a whole new DC universe on the back of the 2025 “Superman” reboot, so hopefully good things are ahead.

HBO Max also has standouts in other superhero-adjacent genres like fantasy (“The Lord of the Rings” and the Harry Potter seires) and sci-fi action (“The Matrix” and “Dune”)

HBO Max is probably best for teenagers and adults. You may need to monitor your kids’ viewing – HBO Max has some stuff that definitely skews mature.

If You Loved Hulu’s TV Dramas: HBO Max

Hulu has been on a hot streak with its dramas lately, especially those from the FX brand. But no streaming service has a more impressive lineup of adult dramas than HBO Max. It’s a groundbreaking library with shows every TV fan should see at least once.

Check out “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Deadwood,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Pitt,” “The Last of Us,” “ER,” “Band of Brothers,” “Succession,” “The Leftovers,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Station Eleven,” “True Detective,” “The West Wing,” “Chernobyl,” “Barry,” “The White Lotus,” and so much more.

If You Loved Hulu’s Classic TV Library: Paramount+

Although Paramount canceled Stephen Colbert’s show to grease the tracks for its acquisition by Skydance, it’s the best parallel to Hulu’s deep lineup of old TV shows. (We don’t know whether Paramount’s new owners will carry water for the Trump administration, but the Colbert decision doesn’t directly fall on them.)

With Paramount+, you can watch “The Twilight Zone,” “Cheers,” “I Love Lucy,” “Star Trek,” “Frasier,” “Taxi,” “CSI,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “The Brady Bunch,” “MacGyver,” “The Love Boat,” “Perry Mason,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Matlock,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Chappelle’s Show,” “The Real World,” “Family Ties,” “Double Dare,” and “Melrose Place.”

If You Gave Up ESPN: Peacock, NBA League Pass, NFL+, or MLB.TV

ESPN’s sports lineup is nearly impossible to replace, but here are some options to come close.

Peacock gives you the NFL on Sunday nights, a big NBA package, Big Ten and Notre Dame football, English Premier League soccer, Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball, Big East basketball, golf, SuperMotocross, figure skating, IndyCar, Notre Dame Hockey, track & field, IMSA, and snow sports.

NBA League Pass gives you hundreds of NBA games, including every out-of-market game for your local team. You may miss out on some nationally televised games on ESPN, but if you cut ties with them, this is the way to go.

NFL+ gives you NFL RedZone and NFL Network on the Premium level. You can watch Monday Night Football, but only on mobile devices and tablets. I love their condensed game replays and the All-22 Coaches’ Film for tracking my fantasy football team.

MLB.TV gives you a huge variety of baseball games and every out-of-market game for your local team. If you love baseball, you’ll find plenty to love here.

Bonus Suggestion: Kanopy

If your library partners with Kanopy, all you need is your library card to stream tons of great movies ad-free at no cost! It’s a truly great service.

Right now, you can stream awesome movies like “Anora,” “Love & Basketball,” “Closer,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Raging Bull,” “Seabiscuit,” “Robocop,” “Taxi Driver,” “The PIanist,” “A Simple Plan,” “Oldboy,” “The Fighter,” “I, Tonya,” “The Dawn Wall,” “Best in Show,” “Touching the Void,” “No Country for Old Men,” “The Graduate,” “Meru,” “Waiting for Guffman,” “Warrior,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Adaptation,” “Chinatown,” “Fargo,” “Moonstruck,” and “There Will Be Blood.”

Just another brilliant perk from your tax dollars and your library.

What About Tubi?

Tubi is owned by Fox, a company responsible for fueling the backslides of democracies around the world. The Streaming Smarter team really enjoys Tubi, but if you’re trying to take a moral stand, choose another free service like Kanopy, Plex, or Xumo Play.

Dumping Hulu + Live TV?

If you threw Hulu + Live TV overboard, the best substitutions would be YouTube TV or DIRECTV. For simplicity, choose YouTube TV. For better value, more channel packages, and more channel availability, DIRECTV should be your choice.