With September's back-to-school bustle in full swing, squeezing in time to catch up on all the best new shows and movies into your day can feel like a game of Tetris. You're not alone. As routines ramp up, it's the perfect time to audit your subscriptions and save some money until you aren't quite so blessed 'n busy.
Streaming costs in 2025 are only creeping up higher, after all. On average, households spend over $60 a month on streaming — that’s more than $700 a year! In this economy? Nah.
Instead of letting those apps collect dust (and your hard-earned cash), I'd rather hit pause on a service I know I don't plan to use much for a while. You can always resubscribe when a new show or movie you want to see drops. For September 2025, the one service I'd recommend dropping is Netflix.
I know, I know it's the granddaddy of all streamers, but hear me out. While it makes the cut for our best streaming services ranking, Netflix's September lineup is looking pretty dry. Especially now that this month's marquee series premiere has wrapped up. Unless you're in the middle of a rewatch or catching up on a big backlog, it's a safe bet to cancel for now and rejoin later. Here's why I think you should consider canceling Netflix this month — and what streaming service you should subscribe to instead (that you can snag for 50% off through September 18).
Here's why I'm canceling Netflix ...
One big name dominated Netflix's top 10 list of most-watched shows this month: Wednesday. Tim Burton's hit horror comedy returned for season 2 (or, rather, the second half of it) on September 3. After the midseason finale left fans reeling, we got to see season 2's epic conclusion as Jenna Ortega's Wednesday and the rest of the creepy and kooky Adams family race to stop a murder before it happens. It's a fun reversal of the first season, when the perennially unimpressed teen solved a murder mystery while navigating the growing pains of a new high school, Nevermore Academy.
But now that Wednesday season 2 has wrapped up with some promising hints at what's to come, the rest of Netflix's catalogue is looking pretty light through what's left of September. Crime drama fans may want to check out Jude Law and Jason Bateman teaming up in the limited series "Black Rabbit," which premieres on September 18. I'd say the same to "Rick and Morty" fans with "Haunted Hotel," an adult animated horror comedy series, that comes out the next day.
"House of Guinness," a new series from the mind of "Peaky Blinders" creator Stephen Knight, might have been enough to convince me to keep Netflix this month if the rest of the line-up was really something. But I think I'll catch up on other must-watch TV shows on my list instead, and just check it out once I have a reason to subscribe to Netflix again.
Hello, Paramount Plus!
I flirted with getting a Paramount Plus account for years, but "Yellowjackets" is what finally sold me on it this past spring. After the "Yellowjackets" season 3 finale concluded, I threw my subscription out into the cold like Jackie (too soon?) until those girls stuck in the wilderness return for a fourth season.
With the Women's Rugby World Cup kicking off at the top of this month and streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus in the U.S., I booted Netflix out of the group chat in favor of it. Oh, and I guess football is on Paramount Plus, too, if that's your thing.
The Paramount Plus September roster of new shows and movies isn't stacked with brand-new releases, but it's got a solid mix of classics that I'm looking to revisit. I'm talking good, dumb Halloween fun like the "Friday the 13th" and "Scary Movie" series. There's also that "NCIS: Tony & Ziva" spin-off, with new episodes each week through October. Does it need to exist? Probably not, but I'm a sucker for a long-sizzling "will they/won't they" dynamic.
Paramount Plus is running a killer streaming deal right now, which sealed the deal.
New and returning subscribers can snag a 12-month subscription to Paramount Plus Essential for just $29 — a 50% savings compared to its regular annual price. The deal also knocks the Paramount Plus Premium plan down to $59.99 (was $119.99) for an even larger library of streaming options. Just keep in mind this Paramount Plus deal only goes through September 18. So if you're on the fence, don't drag your feet.
Since the standard tiers with ads for Paramount Plus and Netflix both cost the same at $7.99 per month, whether it's worth the effort to swap is a matter of personal preference. The Paramount Plus premium tier (with limited ads, a live CBS feed and Showtime content) is $13/month, while Netflix's standard tier with ads is $18/month, so you're saving a fiver each month by making the switch. If you're paying $25 a month for Netflix's premium tier, you'll save even more.
With the cost of just about everything on the rise these days, tightening up your budget here and there can add up.
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