We subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, which is definitely more than we need. Netflix has a lot of exclusive content that I like - in the last month or so we watched the series Stranger Things and Lady Dynamite, and I definitely feel like we got our $10 worth there. I also loved Jessica Jones.
As for alternatives -
* Right now I'm getting free Vudu credits every week from T-Mobile and using those to buy episodes of TV I want to watch but can't get for free on the other services, so that might be an alternative if you have T-Mobile
* Obviously there's also the public library for DVDs
* An OTA antenna will get you a lot of current shows, but I've gotten so used to not watching commercials I don't want to go back
I feel like if I wanted to pay more attention, I could probably put my various subscriptions on hold at different times and probably only pay half as much in the end, since we tend to binge on shows - why pay for Netflix when we're catching up on Game of Thrones on a different service; why pay for Hulu when the shows we watch there are mostly off until fall? But I never actually do this because it seems like kind of a pain in the ass.