You'll Soon Be Able to Watch Over 400 NBC TV Shows for Free

From Oprah Magazine

• On January 16, NBC revealed new details about Peacock, its upcoming streaming service.

• Peacock will launch on April 15 for select Comcast customers, and July 15 nationally.

• Here's what you need to know about Peacock, from its tiered pricing, huge library of old shows, and new slate of exclusive original series.

You thought Star Wars was intense? Welcome to the "streaming wars," the nickname given for the sweeping trend that's changing the very definition of TV. With its new streaming service Peacock, media giant NBC is finally entering the fray.

Competition among streaming services has intensified within the past year thanks to the addition of Apple TV+ and Disney+ in the fall of 2019. Peacock is joining an already crowded landscape, which also includes Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, CBS All Access, and the forthcoming HBO Max.

However, Peacock will be differentiated from the other services with its unique blend of live TV and on-demand shows. So, subscribers can stream live news from NBC and MSNBC, then wind down with an episode of The Office.

That's right: The beloved workplace sitcom is officially leaving Netflix in 2021 to stream exclusively on Peacock. In addition to old favorites like The Office and Saturday Night Live, NBC will also host a slate of exciting originals and a library of Universal movies.

But is it worth adding yet another service to your plate? Here's everything you need to know about Peacock's launch date, pricing, and offerings, so you can decide for yourself. On the bright side, the first level is free—so you can always try it out.

When will Peacock launch?

Peacock will roll out over the course of a few months. NBC will launch Peacock for Comcast X1 and Flex customers on April 15, and July 15 for everyone else.

How much will Peacock cost?

Here's where things get complicated. Peacock will have a three-tiered pricing system. Peacock Free, which is free (naturally!), offers some 7,500 hours of NBC programs with commercials. This tier has access to on-air NBC shows, select Peacock originals, Spanish-language content from Telemundo, sports (including the 2020 Olympics), and news.

Peacock Premium opens up the full library of content for $4.99 a month with advertisements, or $10 a month without advertisements. Paid subscribers can watch exclusive shows. Further, they will have early access to The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon as early as 8 p.m. ET; Late Night With Seth Meyers will be available at 9 p.m. ET.

For comparison, Apple TV+ is $4.99 a month, and Disney+ clocks in at $7.99 a month.

What TV shows are available to stream?

This is the most exiting part of Peacock Premium: So. Much. TV.

Peacock has all your old faves, including beloved sitcoms like 30 Rock and Parks and Rec, the complete archive of Saturday Night Live, and every single episode of The Real Housewives franchise.

Scripted Series Library

• 30 Rock

• A-Team

• Bates Motel

• Battlestar Galactica

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine

• Chicago Fire

• Chicago Med

• Chicago P.D.

• Cheers

• Covert Affairs

• Crossing Jordan

• Downton Abbey

• Everybody Loves Raymond

• Frasier

• Friday Night Lights

• Heroes

• House

• Jeff Foxworthy Show

• King of Queens

• Knight Rider

• Law and Order

• Law and Order: Criminal Intent

• Law and Order: SVU

• Leave it to Beaver

• Magnum P.I. (1980)

• Married... With Children

• Miami Vice (1984)

• Monk

• Murder She Wrote

• New Amsterdam

• Parenthood

• Parks & Recreation

• Psych

• Roseanne

• Royal Pains

• Saturday Night Live

• Saved by the Bell

• Suits

• Superstore

• The George Lopez Show

• The Mindy Project

• The Office

• The Purge

• Two and a Half Men

• Will & Grace

• Yellowstone

Unscripted Series Library

• American Greed

• American Ninja Warrior

• Bad Girls Club

• Below Deck

• Botched

• Chrisley Knows Best

• Dateline

• Don't Be Tardy

• Face Off

• Flipping Out

• Hollywood Game Night

• Hollywood Medium

• Keeping Up with the Kardashians

• Killer Couples

• Lock-Up

• Married to Medicine

• Million Dollar Listing

• Paranormal Witness

• Snapped

• Southern Charm franchise

• Summer House

• The Profit

• The Real Housewives franchise

• Top Chef

On the news front, Peacock users can stream the NBC News Now channel, the Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, Dateline, and Lock Up.

There's a trove of movies, too.

Peacock will offer about 600 movies, including Spielberg classics like Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park, the Fast and the Furious franchise, The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future, Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, and so on.

Telemundo will have a major presence.

Peacock will offer 3,000 of hours of Telemundo-produced, Spanish-language programming. This includes old series like Betty in NY, El Barón and Preso No. 1, and original series, like Armas de Mujer, a 10-episode drama.

What are Peacock's original shows?

Peacock's original shows will begin rolling out in July 2020, and will continue through 2021—and beyond.

New Drama Series

Angelyne: A drama based on the true story of Angelyne, the self-made star of a mysterious billboard in Los Angeles, starring Emmy Rossum.

Armas de Mujer: Kate del Castillo stars in this Spanish-language show about four women whose criminal husbands are arrested, from the creators of La Reina del Sur.

Battlestar Galactica: Sam Esmail, creator of Mr. Robot, is exploring a different corner of SyFy's beloved sci-fi show, Battlestar Galactica.

Brave New World: A drama based on Aldous Huxley's 1932 dystopia about a world made perfectly stable, at a high cost.

The Capture: This BBC thriller is a timely and gripping look at the surveillance state.

Dr. Death: Based on the disturbing Wondery podcast of the same name, Dr. Death is the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Jamie Dornan), a Dallas neurosurgeon who left behind a trail of critically damaged patients. It also stars Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater.

Once of Us Is Lying (in development): Based on Karen McManus's bestselling YA thriller, One of Us Is Lying is like The Breakfast Club, but with a sinister twist. Five students walk into a detention, and only four come out.

Hatching Twitter (in development): This series looks at how Twitter was created, based on Nick Bilton's book of the same name.

Queer as Folk (in development): A reboot of the series that ran from 2000 to 2005, focusing on a group of gay friends.

New Comedy Series

The Amber Ruffin Show: In this weekly series, comedian and Late Night With Seth Meyers writer Amber Ruffin will offer a humorous take on the week's news.

AP Bio: Season 4 of this twisted high school comedy continues on Peacock.

Code 404: Set in the near future, this police comedy focuses on a policeman brought back from the dead thanks to new AI technology.

Five Bedrooms: Watch what happens when five friends buy a house together.

Girls5Eva: Alert! The next Tina Fey comedy is about a '90s girl group that decides to get back together.

Hart to Hart: An original interview series headed by Kevin Hart.

Hitmen: Former Great British Bake Off hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc star as hapless assassins (really!) in this comedy.

Intelligence: A droll workplace comedy, set in the world of British intelligence. David Schwimmer plays a US intelligence agent and Nick Mohammed plays an awkward computer analyst.

Lady Parts: This joyous BBC comedy is about a Muslim female punk band.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (film): In 2017, a spinoff movie of the USA show Psych premiered. Now, a sequel to the spinoff is coming.

Punky Brewster: Soleil Moon Frye reprises her role as the iconic 1980s character, Punky Brewster, in this10n-episode series. Now, Punky is a mom of three who decides to take in a foster child.

Rutherford Falls: Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) watches on as his small New England town changes in this comedy from Mike Schur (The Good Place).

Saved by the Bell: The famed '90s sitcom is back, with a whole new cast. In the reboot, Bayside High gets an influx of students from low-income high schools, giving "the overprivileged Bayside kids a much needed and hilarious dose of reality,” per the official synopsis.

The Kids Tonight Show: A late-night talk show for kids.

Who Wrote That: This docuseries celebrates Saturday Night Live's writers.

MacGruber (in development): Will Forte's super-heroic SNL character, MacGruber, gets his own show.

Straight Talk (in development): Jada Pinkett Smith returns to scripted television in this show about a couple with conflicting ideologies.

The Adventure Zone (in development): Based on a podcast about Dungeons and Dragons.

Clean Slate (in development): Laverne Cox plays a trans woman who returns to Alabama and reunites with her father.

Expecting (in development): Created by Mindy Kaling, Expecting is about a woman who has a baby with her gay best friend.

Division One (in development): An underdog comedy about a woman's college soccer team.

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