Peacock is nearly upon us. NBCUniversal’s long-awaited first march into the Streaming Wars launches on July 15 and with it, the hopes and dreams of one of Hollywood’s biggest studios as it enters the wild wild west of the digital frontier. And much like Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max, Peacock is launching with a wide array of original content, and the platform has decided to debut a number of new trailers to help build the hype.
Though the name Peacock still is a bit silly and confusing (though probably not as bad as the whole HBO Max vs. HBO vs. HBO Go vs. HBO Now fiasco), the streamer is an immediate contender in the streaming wars thanks to its deep library of content, including NBC sitcoms (with “The Office” coming in 2021) and library of Universal films. However, libraries get people to sign up, but originals are what keep subscribers around month after month.
Leading the way in the new originals debuting with Peacock is the long-awaited TV adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s classic novel, “Brave New World.” Starring Alden Ehrenreich, “Brave New World” looks to be the big selling point for those interested in checking out Peacock, with its huge production values, great cast, and its well-known source material. And in the new trailer, it appears that “Brave New World” is leaning hard into that ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ vibe of a pristine future with a dark, seedy underbelly and one person who is aiming to take it all down.
Peacock also debuted new trailers for “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” (the sequel film to an original movie that was itself a sequel to a long-running TV series), “The Capture,” “Intelligence” (is that David Schwimmer?!?), “Curious George,” and several more. The entire launch line-up looks to cover the bases from comedies to dramas to sci-fi to reality TV to kids programming. We’ll just have to see if any of these series can catch on with the general public and become a hit for the fledgling service.
As HBO Max and Quibi have recently proven, not all original series with big stars and expensive budgets are going to be instant hits. It takes time to build a brand and a streaming service.
You can watch the trailers below: