I’m Good With 3 Streaming Services in May, but You Might Want to Cancel These

It’s NBA playoff season, and while cord-cutters can joyfully watch games cable-free with services like Max or YouTube TV, you don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy TV in May. Finales for Andor and The Last of Us are on deck, and the return of Poker Face has me excited for Peacock. Speaking of the latter, we won’t judge you if you decide to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 on the streamer (you know you watched the Will Ferrell movie). 

Netflix is also at the top of my list for Judy Blume’s Forever adaptation, Fear Street and my love-hate relationship with Blood of Zeus. Though we’ll say goodbye to Andor this month, some Star Wars fans may hold tight to Disney Plus for Tales of the Underworld in the spirit of May the 4th. 

As you think about shuffling your streaming subscriptions around for the greater good of your budget, you can follow my advice on strategically dropping services: Rotate — or churn your subscriptions like butter. Subscribe, stream, cancel after a show ends, then do it all again.

This helps keep things fresh and saves money when Netflix, Disney Plus, Max and others don’t have stuff you’re in the mood to watch. Just make sure to shut off auto-renewal for your subscriptions. This method might not work if you share your streaming account, but I suggest trying if you can.

Here are my recommendations for which services to cancel or keep in May, based on the newest movies, shows and events coming to each streamer (I didn’t consider live TV streaming services). Your tastes may differ, but I encourage you to switch up your services for potential savings. It’s simpler than you may realize. 

Read more: Best Streaming Services of 2025

Keep these streaming services in May

Peacock: Yes, Poker Face comes back on May 8, and you can also stream the Kentucky Derby on May 3. Season finales abound: the Chicago franchise shows hit Peacock on May 22, The Voice on May 21 and Suits LA on May 19. And before Ballerina heads to theaters in June, you may as well stream every John Wick movie on Peacock when they land on May 15.

Other new arrivals on Peacock include Black Bag (May 2), Love Hurts (May 9) and Eurovision Song Contest from May 13-17. 

Netflix: There are a few reasons to tune in this month, including the arrival of Forever on May 8, an adaptation of Judy Blume’s novel, and The Four Seasons on May 1. And don’t miss Netflix’s Tudum event streaming live on May 31. Here are May’s other highlights:

• Blood of Zeus, season 3 (May 8)
• Karol G: Tomorrow was Beautiful (May 8)
• Nonnas (May 9)
• All American, season 7 (May 13)
• Bet, a live-action adaptation of Kakegurui (May 15)
• Love, Death & Robots: Volume 4 (May 15)
• Untold: The Fall of Favre (May 20)
• Sirens (May 22)
• Fear Street: Prom Queen (May 23)
• Big Mouth, season 8 (May 23)

Max: Keep this at least until May 25 for The Last of Us season finale, and on May 15, check out Duster, a new Max original that will stream each week. Max has NBA playoff games if you have the B/R Sports tier, but you can also watch The Brutalist on May 16, the documentary Pee-wee as Himself on May 23 and the return of And Just Like That… on May 29. 

Hulu: Keep watching The Handmaid’s Tale until the series finale on May 27. Finales for Grey’s Anatomy and Doctor Odyssey also stream this month, but new drops include Summer of 69 (May 9), The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (May 15), Nine Perfect Strangers, season 2 (May 21) and Welcome to Wrexham, season 4 (May 16).

Apple TV Plus: Alexander Skarsgård debuts in the sci-fi series Murderbot on May 16. But if you’re not watching that, Your Friends and Neighbors or The Studio, drop this service.

Paramount Plus: It’s a toss-up for Paramount Plus. The biggest new premieres are season 18 of Criminal Minds: Evolution on May 8, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars on May 9 and The Chi, season 7 on May 16. You can stream MobLand and finales for these shows: 

• The Equalizer (May 4)
• Happy Face (May 1)
• Watson (May 11)
• Ghosts (May 8
• Elsbeth (May 8) 
• Tracker (May 11)   

Prime Video: You probably want to watch Another Simple Favor on May 1, the sequel to A Simple Favor. A new season of The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy premieres May 27, and if you want more sisterly drama like Netflix’s Sirens, you can check out The Better Sister on May 29.  

Cancel these services in May

Starz: Raising Kanan, season 4, will air its finale on May 16, so you can cancel this service unless you snagged a multi-month discount deal for it.

Disney Plus: The Andor series finale drops May 13, and Doctor Who continues to stream this month. There’s no firm streaming release date for Captain America: Brave New World here, so keep an eye out. But cancel this service after Andor if you’re not watching anything else.

Patience saves money on streaming 

FOMO doesn’t have to hinder your entertainment budget. Rotate your subscriptions as a clever way to manage streaming costs, because if you can wait patiently until most or all episodes of your favorite shows are on a streaming service, you save. Patience is key. Why get billed several months just to watch a show that lasts six or 10 weeks when you binge-watch everything in one month instead? This is ideal for those who love binges or a condensed viewing schedule. Rotating your subscriptions is a clever way to finesse your streaming budget. This tactic is smooth and suitable if you love binge-watching or don’t mind a tighter viewing experience.

I plan to stream Duster on Max, but its eight episodes will stretch into the summer. I can wait until July to binge it. Murderbot will have 10 total episodes on Apple TV Plus, so if you hold off to watch, you can save a few bucks. If you canceled Disney Plus after Daredevil: Born Again, don’t forget to resubscribe for Ironheart in June. Cancel if you’re not streaming, watch content a month or so later in its season, or wait to binge everything months later.

Consider what you pay for streaming each month and do the math. Netflix is now more, ranging from $8 to $25 (plus extra member fees), Paramount Plus starts at $8 and Apple TV Plus is $10. Depending on bundles, Disney Plus is anywhere from $10 to $27. Max costs $10 to $21, Hulu is $10 a month, Starz runs $11 now and Peacock starts at $8 monthly. If you choose to rotate, set calendar alerts to remind you when to resubscribe or cancel. 

Visit us in June for another round of streaming rotation recommendations.