Peacock Review: Still Struggling After All These Years

Streaming Smarter says: Peacock launched in 2020 and it’s shocking how little has changed. We still don’t have a mega-hit original series. Most Peacock originals get canceled after just one season. It has a nice library of classic shows and movies. The sports lineup is pretty nice. But I think Peacock falls short of its potential.

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What Does Peacock Cost?

Peacock has two main plans. If you choose the ad-free version, you can stream your live, local NBC affiliate.

Can You Watch Peacock for Free?

Peacock occasionally offers free promos, but there is not normally a free trial.

You can get Peacock free as a promotion with another service like Instacart+ or Xfinity’s NOW TV.

Are There Any Deals or Discounts for Peacock?

Choosing any Peacock annual plan gives you 12 months for the price of 10.

If you try to cancel Peacock after your first month, you may get a discount offered. When I went to cancel, they offered 6 months for $1.99/month.

College students can get 12 months of Peacock Premium at $2.99/mo.

Does Peacock Have Originals?

Peacock has had limited success with its original series. Its most popular shows are “The Traitors,” “Bel-Air,” “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip,” “Hart to Heart,” and “Love Island.” As with most streamers, Peacock’s original shows tend to get canceled after the first season.

Peacock produces 3-7 original feature films every year.

What Movies Does Peacock Have?

The Peacock movie library changes over time, but it usually carries films from Universal. At the time of this review, the movies include the Harry Potter series, “Memento,” “The Pianist,” “Shrek,” “Kill Bill – Vol. 1 & 2,” “The Wild Robot,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Conclave,” “Nosferatu,” “Twilight,” “The Big Lebowski,” and “Jurassic World: Dominion.”

What TV Shows Does Peacock Have?

Peacock brings you favorite shows from NBC, Bravo, Hallmark Channel, and MSNBC.

Popular titles include “Yellowstone,” “Suits,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Psych,” “The Voice,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “St. Denis Medical,” “Community,” “Modern Family,” Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” series, “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “House,” “30 Rock,” and “Downton Abbey.”

Peacock has virtual channels dedicated to shows like “Murder, She Wrote,” “Gunsmoke,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Top Chef,” “Below Deck,” and “Saturday Night Live.”

The channel section also gives access to Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, and Hallmark Family. Peacock also has REELZ, so you can watch “On Patrol: Live” and “Cops.”

What Kids Content Does Peacock Have?

Peacock has a hit-or-miss kids library with TV titles like “Bubble’s Hotel,” “Look Kool,” “Dino Pops,” “Bob the Builder,” “Ninjago,” “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” “Too Loud,” “The Magic Schoolbus,” and “Garfield and Friends.”

The movie section is more promising with animation favorites like “Despicable Me,” “The Lego Movie,” “The Bad Guys,” “The Croods,” and “Trolls.”

Overall, Peacock isn’t a great service for kids. There’s some nice stuff, but your children will likely grow tired of it quickly.

What Sports Does Peacock Have?

Peacock really shines during the Olympics when you can access the whiparound coverage of Gold Zone.

Peacock is home to English Premier League soccer, Sunday Night Football, and WWE events including WrestleMania. There’s also Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball, golf, SuperMotocross, figure skating, IndyCar, Notre Dame Hockey, track & field, IMSA, and snow sports

Can You Download Peacock Content?

If you have the ad-free plan, you can download movies and TV shows.

What Devices Work with Peacock?

Can You Add Peacock as a Prime Video Channel?

No, Peacock is not available as a Prime Video Channel.

Is Peacock Worth It?

I’ve tried Peacock several times since it launched and I never stick with it. There’s just nothing truly great about it.

If you love WWE or English Premier League, it may be worth the cost. Fans of sitcoms like “The Office” may enjoy having an endless resource for reruns. During the Olympics, it’s worth subscribing.

But the movie library is just average. And Peacock’s inability to create a true breakthrough original series is frustrating.

If you can get Peacock on a deal, you’ll be able to zip through most of the library within a month. But I don’t see this as a year-round subscription.

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JJ Piazza

JJ Piazza is Streaming Smarter’s sports expert. Born and raised in LA, he cheers for the Dodgers, Lakers, and USC Trojans. He cut the cord in 2015 and still misses PlayStation Vue. His favorite streaming service is DIRECTV STREAM.