Why You Can Trust CNET Streaming Guide April 2023: You Can Skip These Services This Month
But you should definitely hold on to HBO Max.
- Though Kourtnee hasn't won any journalism awards yet, she's been a Netflix streaming subscriber since 2012 and knows the magic of its hidden codes.
Elizabeth Olsen is the star of the new HBO Max series Love & Death.
Figuring out which streaming services to keep can feel overwhelming, especially when you factor in the added cost of live sports now that Major League Baseball is back. Plus, the costs add up quickly when you want to keep mainstays like Netflix or Disney Plus. But in April there are a few TV shows and movies worth streaming this month, even if that means holding on to a subscription longer than you want to.
Several popular series -- like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel -- are debuting their final seasons in April, while others like Bel-Air and The Mandalorian are wrapping up until the next installment.
Each month, I give advice on which streaming services to cancel or keep based on cost and current content lineup. If you're thinking about canceling a few streaming service subscriptions, I'd like to offer my strategy: churn like ice cream.
That means you'll rotate your services. Subscribe for a period, cancel, stream on a different platform, then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. Feel free to pick one or two must-haves for the year and treat additional streamers like seasonal add-ons. This helps save money on Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and others when they don't have the content you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off autorenewal for your monthly subscriptions. This may not work if you're sharing accounts with anyone outside your household, but if you can work out an agreement with your streaming partners, try it.
Here are my recommendations for which streamers to keep or cancel for April, based on new TV shows and movies (I didn't consider live TV streaming services) arriving on each platform. In addition to listing the new releases, I'm going to highlight when finales air so you can choose whether to cancel a subscription mid-month or wait to binge a show. Note that Netflix does not have to be a keeper this month. Hear me out: Beef and Chupa drop early, so you may cancel after watching those titles or wait until next month to watch April's releases (unless you love Power Rangers).
Your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of rotating for savings. It's easier than you may think.
April streaming service rotation
| Keep | Cancel | |
|---|---|---|
| HBO Max | X | |
| Hulu | X | |
| Netflix | X | |
| Apple TV Plus | X | |
| Disney Plus | X | |
| Starz | X | |
| Paramount Plus | X | |
| Prime Video | X | |
| Peacock | X |
Why you should keep these streaming services in April
HBO Max: You can watch Succession unless you want to binge it all in May or June. Titans drops its midseason premiere on April 13, but the series finale hits May 11. Barry -- the fourth and final season -- debuts April 16. Max Original limited series Love & Death, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons, arrives with three episodes on April 27. The show wraps on May 25.
Hulu: Network shows like Snowfall and The Simpsons continue to air. But there's a standout: Kathryn Hahn fans can watch Tiny Beautiful Things, a new limited series that drops April 7. Other releases include The Good Mothers and Dave season 3 (both on now), Dear Mama (April 22) and Saint X premieres on April 26.
Peacock: New episodes of NBC shows likes The Voice are still streaming, but Peacock original Mrs. Davis, an AI-themed dramedy, premieres on April 20. Bel-Air season 2 runs until April 27, so you can binge the entire season this month or in May.
Apple TV Plus: Ted Lasso continues to air through April, and Tetris dropped on March 31 so you can check it out this month. Schmigadoon! returned on April 7 and Jennifer Garner's new series, The Last Thing He Told Me, premieres April 14. If you're not interested in any of these, skip Apple TV Plus. Know that it costs $7 a month and comes with a free seven-day trial.
Starz: If you haven't already, start watching the new season of Power Book II: Ghost and binge all of BMF season 2. Mid-month, stream the premiere of Blindspotting season 2 on April 14. Starz offers a free seven-day trial and usually runs special promos throughout the year.
Prime Video: Most of us are already paying for this service, but if you're a fan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 5 premieres on April 14. There will be seven episodes in this final installment. If you have a standalone Prime Video subscription and aren't a fan or prefer to skip the service's new series, The Power, then cancel this month.
You can watch the final run of The Marvel Mrs. Maisel weekly on Prime Video.
Cancel these after watching what you want
Netflix: While you may find good reasons to keep Netflix right now -- like watching older titles -- you can save money if nothing here interests you or after you watch new releases at the top of the month. Here's what's coming:
- Mo'Nique: My Name is Mo'Nique comedy special (on now)
- Beef (on now) -- Comedy-drama series from A24 with Ali Wong and Steven Yuen
- Chupa movie (on now)
- Hunger -- Thai thriller film about a street food cook who winds up working for a cutthroat chef (on now)
- Cocomelon season 8 (April 10)
- Florida Man TV series (April 13)
- The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (April 14)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (April 19)
- The Diplomat (April 20)
- Sweet Tooth season 2 (April 27)
- Firefly Lane season 2, part 2 (April 27)
Paramount Plus: You can keep streaming Rabbit Hole after its March debut or wait to binge it. April additions include Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (on now) and a Fatal Attraction TV series (April 30). Some of you may want to cancel this service now that March Madness is over, or if you're not digging Rabbit Hole.
Disney Plus: The Mandalorian's season 3 finale streams on April 19, but if you only have Disney Plus for this show, then cancel it after it ends. Other releases include The Crossover (on now), a TV series based on a book. The Owl House series is ending with season 3, so watch the first of three episodes on April 9. Rennervations from Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner debuts on April 12, and Disney's new original film, Peter Pan & Wendy, lands on April 28.
Pack it up after Baby Yoda's tour is over in April.
Save more money by waiting it out
If you're not someone who routinely gets FOMO, then a smart method is to wait until the bulk or all episodes of your favorite series land on a platform. That way, rather than pay for a service for two or three months to cover the six- to 12-week run of a show, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for one month. And then repeat the cycle again.
For example, there will be 10 weekly episodes of Succession season 4 on HBO Max. The finale drops around late May, so all episodes of the Roy family's dysfunction will be available to stream at that time. Though it premiered on March 26 and runs through May, why pay for three months when you can wait to stream it in full anytime in June? The same practice can apply to Rabbit Hole's eight-episode run and 12 episodes in season 3 of Ted Lasso.
Kiefer Sutherland as John Weir in Rabbit Hole.
Note how much you're paying per month for each streaming service, and do the math. Apple TV Plus is $7. Netflix is $7 to $20 (until account-sharing fees kick in), Disney Plus is anywhere from $3 to $11 depending on bundles, HBO Max costs $10 or $16, Hulu starts at $8 and Starz runs $9. The others have a base rate of $5 per month. To avoid paying the most, you can check out deals for streaming services here: Best Streaming Service Deals From Verizon, T-Mobile and More and Best Streaming Service Deals on Hulu, Peacock, Disney Plus and More.
Should you decide to churn, set yourself a calendar reminder to alert you when it's time to resubscribe or cancel. We'll see you in May for another streaming rundown.