As part of IGN’s State of Streaming event, we’re taking a fresh look at the major streaming services and what they offer subscribers in 2023.
AMC+ might feel like a forgotten sibling of the bigger streaming services, but its dedication to quality series gives it a foot up in the streaming wars. It's garnered attention thanks to Interview with the Vampire and Dark Winds, and when you take into consideration its impressive back catalog and unique connection to AMC's other platforms, AMC+ starts to look like a pretty good investment.
AMC+'s TV Shows and Movies
To really dig into the most important part of any streaming service we're going to be breaking this section down into four segments. First we'll be looking at the original programming each platform has to offer, then we're delving into their back catalog, next up will be any glaring omissions, and then finally anything that really stands out and makes the streamer unique.
Originals: AMC+ has a quality over quantity mindset with its originals, boasting some of the best TV of the last few years. Interview With the Vampire is nothing short of a must watch show, Gangs of London boasts some of the most inventive action seen on the small screen, A Discovery of Witches is the adult-fantasy romance that you never knew you needed, and Dark Winds is one of the most underrated crime shows of the decade – and was produced by none other than George R.R. Martin. So while AMC+ doesn't have the spread of originals that services like Netflix or Max does, they're growing quite an impressive catalog of shows to call their own.
Back catalog: Launched at a time when studios, broadcasters, and cable outlets were building streaming services from the contents of their own TV and movie libraries, AMC+ is bolstered by two decades of heavy-hitting dramas and massively popular genre fare from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and Sundance TV. That selection includes acclaimed TV shows like Mad Men, the many Walking Dead spinoffs, and Killing Eve, as well as cult favorites like Halt and Catch Fire and Kevin Can F**k Himself. There's also currently have a large selection of great studio movies like Starship Troopers, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Rock, and even both of the very enjoyable — if fairly maligned — Ghost Rider movies.
Standout: When you subscribe to AMC+ you're really getting multiple services: Access to fellow AMC-owned streamers Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited. That's a huge get especially in terms of Shudder, which is usually $5.99 a month, so for just $3 more you can get AMC+ with Shudder included. If you're a horror fan, it's a must-have service and one of the best places to discover new genre movies. Some of the bangers that are currently streaming on Shudder include Ginger Snaps, Phenomena, Jennifer Reeders's newest chiller Perpetrator, and Hellraiser. This is just a sampling of the eclectic joys of Shudder. Thanks to Shudder, AMC+ is the service to beat for horror hounds.
Glaring omissions: There are three really obvious things lacking from AMC+, and they just happen to be three of AMC's biggest shows. Neither Breaking Bad, its spinoff Better Call Saul, or the original The Walking Dead are available on the streamer. While that's disappointing in 2023, as streamers move away from exclusivity and get back into the licensing business – as well as launching their own free ad-supported streaming television (or FAST) channels, like AMC's devoted to The Walking Dead universe – this is becoming the norm.
AMC+'s User Interface
The AMC+ app launched in 2020 and the 2023 version still feels pretty new. On a standard smart TV, the app can be pretty glitchy and be a bit of a struggle to navigate. Plus, you have to login with your remote which feels outdated – though AMC+ isn't alone as Max makes you do the same – and can make it a little more of a hassle to set up your account. AMC+ definitely works better on desktop as it's easier to navigate and search, plus it doesn't give you internet time out errors which happen on the app way too regularly. It also runs heavy, often taking a few seconds to load images or move from page to page. Luckily there are some things that make searching AMC+ worthwhile. They have useful branded hubs which make it easy to find what you're looking for and make exploring the app pretty fun.
One of the big things that AMC+ lacks is any content that streams in 4K and even the general "HD" that some shows stream in doesn't look that clean. This is definitely a lower-tech service but its lower price does reflect that. Another thing that may trip some viewers up is that AMC+ doesn't have a simple captioning / subtitles option within the app like Prime Video or Netflix, instead supporting closed captioning that you have to set up through your device menu. (This was the case using the app on a Vizio Roku Smart TV.)
AMC+'s Price
AMC+ is bare bones when it comes to subscription options: Just a single tier for $8.99 a month, which puts it on the slightly cheaper end of ad-free streaming subscriptions. Despite the fact that the app isn't really up to scratch, the selection and quality of the catalog as well as the access to the wide variety of AMC's other streaming services make this feel like a great value. You can also lower the cost to around $6.99 a month if you commit to an annual subscription for $83.88. In 2022, AMC announced an ad-supported tier, but that has yet to materialize. One thing that may turn potential subscribers off is that currently Max subscribers can currently stream Interview with the Vampire, Gangs of London, and Dark Winds for a limited time – so you might want to hold off on subscribing until that window closes.
