The Best Streaming Services for Dramas

Like most live TV streaming services, DirecTV Stream has a dedicated plan for Latino live channels: this one is called Óptimo Más, currently priced at $86.99/month. It offers all the same perks as other DirecTV Stream plans, including a 5-day free trial, unlimited simultaneous streams, and unlimited DVR, but its 100-channel lineup is more or less split into two, English and Spanish. Among the English channels are CNN, Nickelodeon, USA, Disney Channel, and AMC, while some notable Spanish channels include Univision, TUDN, Cine Estelar, De Pelicula, Antena 3, and TyC Sports. If you prefer DirecTV Stream’s other plans, like Choice or Ultimate, you can opt for DirecTV Stream’s Spanish add-on—the sports-oriented Deportes, which costs $5/month, and the entertainment-focused Español, which costs $15/month.

Shudder is one of the many services you can stack on top of your existing Amazon Prime subscription. The Amazon Prime + Shudder bundle doesn’t offer special discounts, but it does streamline everything into one platform (Prime) and lets you pay for both subscriptions under one bill. The only downside is you don’t have the option to pay for Shudder annually; if you did, you’d only have to pay $5.99/month instead of $6.99/month.

Spectrum TV users who subscribe to the TV Select, TV Select Plus, TV Select Signature, or Mi Plan Latino plans are eligible for a free Vix Premium subscription, which would otherwise cost $4.99/month. On top of your TV plan, you get on-demand access to popular Spanish-language films and shows like Lalola, Mujeres Asesinas, and El Gallo de Oro, as well as live access to soccer games by Liga MX and the UEFA Champions League. Your Vix subscription remains free as long as you stay in an eligible Spectrum TV plan.

The Amazon Prime + Vix bundle combines Prime’s popular on-demand titles and originals with Vix’s expansive catalog of telenovelas, peliculas, and live coverage of sports matches by leagues like Liga MX and the UEFA Champions League. The bundle makes it so that you can watch both subscriptions on just one platform, and pay for both under one bill. Normally, Vix costs the usual amount in the bundle ($4.99/month, with a 7-day free trial) but watch out for Prime Day, Black Friday, or other special events—Vix will often be offered at slash prices, if not free.

Film fans know IFC as the studio behind many a beloved indie and award-winning documentary, but they might not know about IFC Films Unlimited. It’s an add-on streaming service available to watch on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube TV, The Roku Channel, and Sling TV that costs $5.99/month, with a 7-day free trial. IFC Films Unlimited has yet to be available as a standalone service, but here’s a hack: if you download the pricier AMC+, you can access the entire IFC Films Unlimited catalog along with Shudder, AMC, BBC America, and Sundance TV.

Angel Studios is an independent film studio that makes all its productions—including films, TV shows, stand-up specials, and kids series—free to watch. Many of the titles are Christian-themed (notable ones include Sound of Freedom and The Chosen), though not all are explicitly religious. To fund its original titles, Angel Studios allows users to “pay it forward” or donate whatever amount they can. For $20/month users can also be part of the “Angel Guild,” which gives them access to theatrical release tickets, merch, and ad-free content. Most importantly, Angel Guild members get to be part of the decision-making that happens in curating and producing titles.

Founded by content creators hoping to go beyond the restrictions of YouTube, Nebula is an ad-free streaming service that hosts original video essays and podcasts, most of which are educational in nature. It costs $6/month (less than half of YouTube Premium), 50% of which goes to the creators themselves. Like Patreon, it’s a pro-creator platform worth considering if you want to directly support your favorite creators. Some Nebula creators you might recognize from YouTube are Big Joel, JustWRite, LegalEagle, Philosophy Tube, HBomberguy, and Maggie Mae Fish. Major pros include unlimited simultaneous streams, offline downloads, and easy merch shopping on the platform itself. A major downside, however, is that a lot of the videos on Nebula are available to watch for free (with ads) on YouTube.

This powerhouse bundle combines Prime Video’s extensive catalog with Max’s award-winning titles, classics from the WB vault, Starz’s original series, and blockbuster films. It’s one of the best bundles a movie and TV fan can get, and the best part is it’s discounted at just $20.99/month. Or maybe the best part is that this combines all three services’ ad-free tiers, giving you uninterrupted quality content at an affordable price. So in short, you get a 25% discount, zero ads, streamlined viewing (watch everything on Prime’s platform), and some of the most critically and commercially acclaimed titles to hit the screen. We’d say that’s a deal right there. The only downside is the bundle will only be available for a limited time; Prime Video might put it down at any given time.

Dropout is the streaming successor to the YouTube hit channel that was CollegeHumor. The streaming service, priced at $5.99/month, features unscripted shows that are “independent, ad-free, and uncensored.” This includes fan favorites like Game Changer, Very Important People, Um Actually, Breaking News, and Dimension 20. You can also find very old CollegeHumor sketches in Dropout, though you can also watch this on YouTube. New episodes of ongoing shows are released on a biweekly basis. Since it’s pretty new, subscribers get 20% off their first year.

Wine connoisseurs and gourmands will find much to like in SommTV, a streaming service dedicated to all things fine wine, food, and travel. It has documentaries, full-length features, and even original shows (including the award-winning Sparklers) dedicated to fine drinks and dining. Think of it like the streaming counterpart to your favorite wine and travel magazine. SommTV costs $6.99/month, with a 3-day free trial and offline downloads feature.