Should you sign up for Peacock?

With so many streaming platforms to choose from, the decision can be overwhelming. Subscribing to each one gets costly. And with films and TV shows bouncing from one platform to another and back again, it can be confusing to figure out which streaming services are greatest for you. Allow us to do the heavy lifting, as Mashable’s Entertainment Team uses them all.

Beyond our watch guides breaking down the greatest of streaming across Peacock, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Shudder, Netflix, and more, we are running down the pros and cons of each of these apps. So picking what’s a must and a miss will be easier than ever before.

Though Peacock doesn’t get as much hype as its competitors, it’s a streaming service that offers a remarkably varied library of titles for an impressively low price.

What is Peacock?

Credit: Screenshot: Peacock

Peacock is the streaming service from NBCUniversal, named after the iconic NBC logo. But it’s more than just NBC for cord-cutters. Boasting offerings both from the long-running and storied broadcast channel and its corporate sibling, Universal Pictures, Peacock’s library includes popular TV shows like The Office and hit theatrical releases like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy‘s. But that’s not all.

Also included in Peacock’s platform: NBC Sports, the Hallmark Channel, Bravo, and WWE. Sports coverage encompasses American football, rugby, NASCAR, and college ball (and much, much more). Hallmark presents a slew of feel-good TV films for every season. Bravo has a myriad of reality TV, like The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Vanderpump Rules, and Below Deck, while World Wrestling Entertainment has “All Things WWE” from Raw to Smackdown, NXT to Superstars.

Credit: Screenshot: Peacock

What are Peacock’s pricing tiers?

Peacock has two price tiers: Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus.

The base subscription, Peacock Premium costs $5.99 a month (+tax). Or you can subscribe annually for $59.99 per year (+tax), a 17% discount. On top of a catalog from NBC, Universal Pictures, NBC Sports, Hallmark, Bravo, and WWE, this subscription also includes access to over 50 “always-on” TV channels, which can be browsed through an easy-to-find pulldown menu on the Peacock website.

But hey, what if you’re not into sports, but relish all things Real Housewives? Peacock Premium allows for up to six user profiles with customizable avatars. So you can tailor your experience to which shows and films speak to you. And if you’ve got kiddos sharing your account, you can use parental controls to adjust their access accordingly.

The maturity rating setting on Peacock
Credit: Screenshot: Peacock

Can I password share on Peacock?

Netflix may have cracked down on password sharing, but Peacock allows for it. With Peacock Premium, you can stream on up to three devices at a time. This means you can be kicking back to some reruns of New Girl while your roommate is indulging in their true-crime obsession and your greatestie across the country is catching up on Yellowstone. If you’ve got a valid login and password, you can log in from your computer or the app anywhere in the U.S.

But what if your password gets shared too much? (Exes aren’t owed access to infinity!) The account holder gets an email to note that a new device has logged on, giving a general idea to the location. The account holder can also change passwords, delete profiles, and add a pin lock to any account, which gives an added layer of protection against unhad wanted users.

Can I opt out of ads on Peacock?

Yes. Opting out of commercials may be the biggest benefit of upgrading to Peacock Premium Plus, which is an additional $6.00 a month (+tax) or an additional $60.00 per year (+tax). So, that’s $11.99 a month (or $119.99 a year if you subscribe annually).

Slight disclaimer: Even Peacock Premium Plus isn’t entirely ad-free. Per the site’s breakdown, *”Due to streaming rights, a small amount of programming will still contain ads (Peacock channels, events, and a few shows and films).” For what it’s worth, I use this level and the only ads I recall are promos ahead of my chosen title playing.

This tier also offers access to your local NBC Channel live and the ability to download some titles from the mobile app.

Can I download films and shows from Peacock?

Credit: Screenshot: Peacock

If you upgrade to Peacock Premium Plus, you can download select titles to watch offline anytime.

The good news is there are excellent options to download to your phone or tablet, including buzzed-about films like Asteroid City.

The bad news is the Peacock app doesn’t offer a button or clear option to sort titles by what is downloadable. Instead, you have to select a title, go to its page, and see if there’s a download button there.

My recommendation would be to build your queue on +My Stuff first, then click through the titles to see which of your selects are downloadable. From there, it’s just the click of a button. Once it begins downloading, that title will pop up in your downloads section, easy to find when you’re ready to watch.

What’s worth watching on Peacock right now?

Our Mashable team has curated a selection of watch guides detailing Peacock’s greatest binge-worthy shows and must-see films. Whether you want something outrageously funny, absurdly action-packed, whimsically wonderful, or willfully bonkers, we’ve got a pick for you. Here are some of our current favorites now streaming on Peacock.

Asteroid City

Bryan Cranston plays the narrator of “Asteroid City.”
Credit: Focus Features

2023 was already reveling in Wes Anderson’s vibes on TikTok, so we were all primed for the king of twee to return to cinemas with his latest. And Asteroid City delivers, exploring this adored auteur’s favorite themes of self-doubt, soul-searching, awkward romances, and deeply flawed parents with all the wit and whimsy we’ve come to expect.

Anderson has assembled his recurring coterie, including Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, and Willem Dafoe. This time around, he also brings into his fold Steve Carell, Hong Chau, Margot Robbie, Maya Hawke, and Tom Hanks. All together in one fantastic ensemble, they unfurl the story of the titular town where a Junior Stargazer convention becomes a life-changing, world-rattling event when an alien drops by. That’s right — Wes Anderson has gone sci-fi, but in a way that is uniquely his own, where a charming color palette compliments a cerebral framing device and loads of comically depicted existentialism. What’s not to love?* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: Asteroid City is now streaming on Peacock.

Fast X

The family of ‘Fast X’ has a cookout.
Credit: Peter Mountain / Universal Pictures

If loving Fast & Furious is wrong, we don’t want to be right. Across 11 bonkers films that scoffed at physics and grunted about the importance of family, this franchise hasn’t slowed down. Not only has it raised the bar on out-of-this-world action, but also it’s grown the Fast family by leaps, bounds, and long-lost siblings. So what could Fast X possibly do to keep this momentum going strong? It went hard in every way fans demand.

In the tradition of its predecessors, Fast X retcons to bring a new ferocious foe into the fray. Jason Momoa stars as the flamboyant, fashion-forward, and gleefully anarchistic Dante, who’s seeking revenge against Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and all of his extensive family. Momoa is wild fun as a villain who is Dom’s polar opposite in attitude and outfit choices. That alone is enough to enjoy this ride. But Fast X also includes gonzo fight scenes with the likes of Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, and many, many more. There are even jaw-dropping cameos and a climax that had fans shocked and cheering. The only thing not to like about this one is how it left us hanging, waiting for whatever Fast and Furious 11 might bring. — K.P.

How to watch: Fast X is now streaming on Peacock.

SEE ALSO: How to watch every ‘Fast and Furious’ movie online

We Are Lady Parts

Sarah Kameela Impey, Anjana Vasan, Juliette Motamed, and Lucie Shorthouse as an all-female Muslim punk band in “We Are Lady Parts.”
Credit: Saima Khalid / Peacock

The only problem with We Are Lady Parts, Nida Manzoor’s exceptional comedy about an all-female Muslim punk band, is that it’s too short — but the good news is, we’re getting Season 2. Anjana Vasan stars as Amina, a spectacularly awkward and endearing guitar player who joins the band Lady Parts. She’s one of five rock-solid performances in a show that explores and embraces complex Muslim women, with an irreverent pop-punk soundtrack and riotous laughs to boot. Watch it now and put that banger on repeat.* —Proma Khosla, Senior Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: We Are Lady Parts is streaming on Peacock.

The Office

Dwight and Michael take a call.
Credit: Justin Lubin / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

The show that made the mockumentary a treasured American institution, The Office will never go out of style. In 2020, seven years after its last episode aired, it was the most-streamed TV show across all platforms by far. For those of us who love The Office, this comes as no surprise. 

This grounded and charismatic character-based comedy about a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, still hits just as hard on the second rewatch… and third… and fourth. The jokes don’t get stale and the characters don’t get old — we only fall more and more in love with them. Though Steve Carrell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, and the entire Office cast may have moved on to bigger and better things, they’ll always be Michael Scott, Jim, Pam, and Dwight in our hearts.* — Kristina Grosspietsch, Contributing Writer

How to watch: The Office is streaming on Peacock.

Poker Face

Natasha Lyonne plays a human lie detector in “Poker Face.”
Credit: Karolina Wojtasik / Peacock

With its tribute to 1970s classic Columbo‘s reverse whodunnit (aka “howcatchem”) formula, Poker Face feels like the greatest possible combination of new and old TV. The structure may be familiar, but creator Rian Johnson and star Natasha Lyonne keep this wonderful mystery of the week show feeling fresh.

SEE ALSO: How a line in the ‘Poker Face’ finale solves one of the show’s very first mysteries

While Peter Falk’s Detective Columbo is a man of the law, Lyonne’s new case-cracker Charlie Cale is a scrappy outsider on the run… with a special skill. She has the uncanny ability to tell when anyone is lying, something that comes in very handy when it comes to solving the murders she keeps encountering across the U.S., whether she’s at a Texas barbecue, a retirement home, or even a hilarious dinner theater performance. With each of these murders, Poker Face crafts an exceptionally satisfying puzzle box for Charlie to piece together, along with the help (or hindrance) of Poker Face‘s myriad guest stars. Greatest of all, in an age of TV trying to be “10-hour films,” Poker Face‘s episodic structure is refreshing beyond belief. And that’s no lie.* — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Poker Face is now streaming on Peacock.

Is Peacock worth the price?

Picking a Peacock Avatar.
Credit: Kristy Puchko / Mashable

At $5.99, Peacock Premium is a great deal. Whether you relish old TV shows, crave new films, revel in reality TV binge-watching, or rally every game day, there are plenty of options to make this subscription worth your while. It’s even better for a household (or network of friends sharing a password), as the six user profiles allow for catering to preferences, and parenting controls prohibit more mature content from a kid’s profile.

At $11.99, the no-ad tier may seem like a steep price hike, essentially doubling the cost. But this does allow for local news watching, which can be a boon for cord-cutters, and the ability to download shows to your mobile device. Who needs WiFi on a plane when you’ve got a queue of entertainment on your phone? Yet the biggest perk is just being spared the intrusions of commercial interruptions. Plus, paying to cut commercials might also cut down on the temptation to splurge on spending elsewhere.

*Asterisks indicate this blurb appeared on a previous Mashable article.