Almost a year ago, I said Paramount Plus didn't matter to me — but that I knew it would, eventually. Much like Peacock eventually picking up better shows (and signing the WWE Network), I knew Paramount Plus was going to get increasingly more important over time. And even though it's become one of the best streaming services, I was fine not paying for it, even with cheaper prices from Paramount Plus coupon codes - that is, until now.
Some folks may have had that moment this week when Picard season two or the Halo TV series finally debuted. Not me. I've barely played more than nine hours of Halo in my life, and all of the word of mouth made it sound like more of a car-crash than a must-stream. When the question of a dude's helmet getting taken off is the entire discourse surrounding a show — The Mandalorian would be nothing without Baby Yoda — I look to see what else to watch this weekend.
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But this past Wednesday night, my "come to Paramount Plus" moment finally happened. And so, I finally subscribed to Paramount Plus, but for reasons that may not be as obvious as you'd think.
Two movie franchises sold me on Paramount Plus
You know how Disney Plus has both the Marvel movies and shows? And how Peacock has The Office? Well, one of Paramount Plus' in-house franchises is Jackass.
While watching All Elite Wrestling on TNT, I saw an ad for Jackass Forever, which is now available on Paramount Plus. I originally saw that movie during its theatrical release, and it had me laughing so hard I knew I was going to need to see it multiple times. This film isn't especially ground-breaking for the Jackass series (of which it's the fourth), though it did break the glass ceiling, as Rachel Wolfson is the first female cast member who's willing to get tortured by the gang.
But Jackass Forever going to Paramount Plus wasn't the entire reason for my decision. Jackass Forever makes me want to go down memory lane with the rest of the series of films, and Paramount Plus also has all of the previous Jackass movies (plus Jackass 2.5 and Jackass 3.5) — for a total of six titles, all of which I plan to watch once I'm done catching up on the Oscar nominations before the big show. It also has collections of Jackass episodes.
Renting all of the older Jackass movies adds up to $15 (Forever is only available for a $19.99 purchase at the moment), so Paramount Plus' $4.99 per month price makes all the more sense. I could take three months to watch all of those movies, and it would still be $20 less than it costs to buy Jackass Forever and rent the rest.
On top of that, Paramount Plus has another movie series I've been dying to dive back into: Scream. I spent the early pandemic years — and the years before — getting back into horror, but I've held off on a Scream binge, which is why I skipped seeing Scream 5 in theaters. And, again, all five Scream movies are on Paramount Plus, which makes that monthly price even more manageable than spending $3-$5 bucks renting each film digitally.
Canceling Paramount Plus feels possible, if not obvious
I don't know how long I'll continue to pay for Paramount Plus after I finish those movies. Maybe I'll hear the Halo show gets good (doubt it). Maybe I'll become a Star Trek fan again (those films and shows feel more like a part of my much-younger years).
But once I've watched all of the Jackass and Scream movies that my heart desires, I'll have an interesting question. Does Paramount Plus have enough to keep me subscribed? Or will I cancel for four months to make the budgeting room to just buy Jackass Forever for a mere $19.99 and move on.
I always knew Paramount Plus would find a reason to lure me in, now it's time for it to figure out a way to keep me. Paramount Plus' attempts to build other hubs to keep subscribers will include Transformers 7 (plus two more sequels after that) and the Knuckles series spinning off of Sonic 2. Rounding out the list, you've got A Quiet Place Part 3, the long-delayed Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7.
But those are all in the future, and since Paramount Plus wants to charge you every month? That's why I set reminder for 28 days after the date I started, I'm not going to forget.
