2022 Streaming Service Power Rankings

To give you a sense of my taste, here is my ranking of my favorite 106 series of all time.
Here are my favorite series and films of 2021.

1. Best Overall: HBO Max is #1 in my book due to the quality and volume of its library and its continued success rate in creating new quality programming. There's just so much here: all the classic HBO stuff (Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, etc.); the new HBO stuff (The Rehearsal, Succession, Jerrod Carmichael's "Rothaniel," etc.); the HBO Max stuff is pretty good, too (Hacks, Sex Lives of College Girls); a deep library of classic and foreign films under the TCM imprint (Bicycle Thieves, Citizen Kane); lots of under-appreciated gems (Breaking Away, The Last Detail); an abundance of modern movies, comedy, and documentaries; quality television from the past (Roots, Tanner '88); and lots, lots more. It's all easy to discover via their interface. The only thing really missing are classic network series (Head of the Class and The Nanny don't cut it). I personally like HBO Max the way it is and don't want it diluted by the programming from Discovery, none of which I care about. We'll see what happens.

2. Best Value: Hulu is my #2 because it has so many series from the past and present that I love: Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life, Mary Tyler Moore, Better Things, The Great, Only Murders in the Building, Broad City, Cheers, The Bear, etc., etc. The FX library is second only to HBO in the modern era. They have a decent selection of films. I watch Hulu a lot, second only to HBO Max. I personally do not want Hulu to merge with Disney+. Disney does not want edgy content under its banner. Let Hulu stay Hulu.

3. Most Overrated: Netflix is #3 because while it does have quite a bit of stuff I like, I just don't care about most Netflix offerings. The stuff I like: Sex Education, Derry Girls, John Mulaney specials, Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, The Babysitters Club, etc. They also have some decent films, though their classic film selection is pathetic. However, I just don't care about their flagships (Bridgerton, Stranger Things, Squid Game) or their reality programming. Netflix is still a decent value, but I just don't watch it as much as I do HBO Max or Hulu.

4. Most Lovingly-Curated: I love the Criterion Channel because I love the films they feature. I recently watched the films of the obscure Texas filmmaker Eagle Pennell because they were featured on the channel. Essential if you dig what they do, which I do.

5. Most Savvy: Apple+'s approach is to make every show count, and so far they have a very high batting average. They have no library to speak of, but they're building their brand (in the streaming space) in a very smart way. I have no allegiance to Apple products, but I like what they're doing and continue to be intrigued by their offerings. I also watch a lot of soccer, so I will be following MLS here next year.

6. Most Squandered Potential: Prime Video has in my eyes gotten the least bang for its buck considering all the money Amazon has spent on its service. There are gems (such as Patriot) to be found amongst the dreck, to be sure, but browsing the service is a true pain (I haven't seen the new interface yet). What happens if Rings of Power is a flop?

7. Most Under-the-Radar: AMC+ is not essential to me, but I do like a lot of the shows and indie movies they have to offer. They have Mad Men, but they made a huge strategic blunder in not securing the rights to Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul. I generally like what they do and will support them when they have something I really want to watch, but they do get lost in the shuffle and don't have the financial muscle to hang with the top players.

8. Most Middling: Peacock. They have some decent content, and they get credit for airing We Are Lady Parts, but there's just not enough there here. Also, there is just not anything worth watching anymore on the NBC mothership. Pass.

9. Most Unnecessary: Paramount+ . See Peacock above. I don't care about Star Trek or Yellowstone. They get credit for carrying the NWSL. If they were to add Showtime's library and currently offerings (hello, Yellowjackets!) this would move up in the rankings. As things stand: Pass.

10. Least Ambitious: Disney+. I just don't care about any of the Disney properties. Disney is putting all of its resources into Marvel and Star Wars, and it's working for them, but it's just not for me. I would have loved this service when I was 12. I am no longer 12. Pass.

11. Good Bye: ESPN+. I currently subscribe to this to watch MLS. Once that is gone, there will be nothing to keep me here. Bye.

12. Worth an Occasional Check-In: MHz Choice, Brit Box, Acorn: I like international television. If there's something I want to check out, I will subscribe for a month. Can't justify long-term subscriptions to these, though. There's just too much else to watch elsewhere.

13. Worth Mentioning: I haven't had the chance to watch P-Valley yet, but it's on my watchlist, and I'll have to subscribe to Starz to do so. Credit to Starz for supporting this show.

14. No Thank You: Ad-Supported Streamers. I do not like this trend. I like watching without ads. As a last resort, fine. But I don't mind supporting services that provide quality content without ads.

Thanks for reading!