CBS All Access will become Paramount Plus on March 4th. Here’s everything we know about the new streaming service.
Buckle up everyone because Viacom finally has a horse in the streaming service race. In less than a week CBS All Access is gearing up for a massive change. It will effectively transition into the Paramount Plus network under two separate payment plans. The first will be an ad-supported version that includes “a massive portion of the library,” according to streaming CEO Tom Ryan. This plan, which launches in June, will be $4.99 per month. On the other hand, the premium tier will have live sports supplemented with even more options, live CBS news feeds, and a live CBS TV experience for $9.99. You’re probably wondering… What exactly can I get for my monthly subscription? Well, Paramount Plus has made a lot of exciting acquisitions these last couple of weeks.
Similar to HBO Max’s landmark announcement to release films concurrently in theaters and on streaming, Paramount Plus will do the same with their own movies after thirty to forty-five days in the cinema. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic makes it continually difficult for large groups to gather in theaters. Despite the positive news that New York City theaters will reopen with newfound COVID guidelines including twenty-five percent capacity and a mask mandate, there is still a long way to go to have the full theater experience again. However, with a Paramount Plus subscription, you can finally check out many of the year’s most anticipated films that were inevitably delayed due to the pandemic. Among these movies is A Quiet Place Part 2, which was expected to release on March 18, 2020, and was continuously put on hold. The film will hit theaters on Sept. 17 and on Paramount Plus on Nov. 1. Another tentpole blockbuster expected to hit streaming is Mission: Impossible 7, set for Nov. 19 in theaters but will be available for streaming on Jan. 3, 2022. Another Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun: Maverick, will be hitting theaters and streaming this upcoming July. Although there are no official release dates for the next James Bond film No Time to Die and the Paw Patrol feature, we can expect them to also come to streaming within the next year.
On the television side of things, Paramount Plus is racking up a fierce lineup of both new and old content. A Frasier reboot starring Kelsey Grammer has been teased multiple times these past couple of months with Grammar saying, “I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane.” This isn’t the only full-fledged reboot coming to Paramount Plus. Criminal Minds, which will see all fifteen seasons transfer over to Paramount Plus, and will receive a revival of its own. Even more exciting is the all-out Real World reunion that Paramount Plus has planned. This reunion will bring together the original “seven strangers” from nearly thirty years before and explore how they will interact upon moving back into the New York loft where it all began.
Nickelodeon fans have long been searching for a way to watch all of their favorite nostalgic shows in one place. Paramount Plus is bringing together all of your favorite childhood memories. Not only are popular shows like Spongebob Squarepants, the Avatar series, and iCarly coming to Paramount Plus, but there is also a strong desire to expand these universes. The first ever Spongebob Squarepants spinoff show Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years will serve as a prequel and show how our favorite characters met each other. The CG series will premiere at the end of 2021. Rugrats will also get its own CG reboot in a similar vein to Kamp Koral. As for Avatar, Paramount Plus made an exciting announcement about Avatar Studios. The original creators and executive producers Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will run the studio as co-chief creative officers with the first project apparently being a feature-length film set in the Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra universe. Finally, a sequel series to iCarly just began filming and is expected to release at the end of the year. This continuation of the most successful kids’ sitcom of all time will follow Carly, Freddie, and Spencer in their adult lives.
One of the more unique approaches that Paramount Plus is taking is their upcoming adaptation slate. Popular films made under the production company like Love Story, Fatal Attraction, and Flashdance will all receive television spin-offs. These series will join the previously announced The Offer and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. The latter series will revolve around Grease fan favorite Frenchy’s older sister, Jane, and how she founded the Pink Ladies. It seems that although these adaptations will be inspired by the films that came before them they will be taking a new direction. Video game fans also might be compelled to pick up a Paramount Plus subscription for the upcoming Halo film. It is pretty evident that Paramount Plus has all kinds of new shows and movies to check out when it hits our screens on March 4th.
