Free Streaming Options: Revisit Classic TV Sitcoms, Beloved Dramas and One-and-Done Favorites — at No Cost!

Ryan Schwartz
·7 min read

There’s a ridiculous amount of TV content out there waiting to be streamed during your downtime — and a lot of it won’t cost you one shiny penny.

TVLine already offers a premium streaming guide, which delivers a rundown of subscription rates, original series and select library content offered by established, new and forthcoming streamers. We also publish a monthly list of TV shows and movies coming and going on Netflix.

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But now, as you are probably seeking out even more things to watch, we have assembled a comprehensive guide to free alternatives to Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu and the aforementioned Netflix — including broadcast network apps with surprisingly stacked libraries, and oddities you’ve heard of but never explored, such as Crackle, Tubi and Vudu.

ABC:

In addition to currently airing series, the Alphabet Network’s library includes 40+ titles…

COMEDIES: 8 Simple Rules, The Neighbors, Reaper, Rodney, Samantha Who, Ugly Betty

DRAMAS: Army Wives, Body of Proof, Brothers and Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Felicity, Legend of the Seeker, October Road, Perception, Raising the Bar

ONE-AND-DONES: The Astronaut Wives Club, Benched, Betrayal, Family Tools, FlashForward, GCB, Happy Town, Killer Women, Lucky 7, Malibu Country, Man Up!, Manhattan Love Story, Mixology, My So-Called Life, Night Stalker, No Ordinary Family, Off the Map, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, The Protector, Red Band Society, Red Widow, The River, Scoundrels, Trophy Wife, Zero Hour

CRACKLE:

The formerly Sony-owned streamer offers over 60 library titles; seasons of classic series are typically offered on a rotating basis…

COMEDIES: 10 Items or Less, 227, 3rd Rock From the Sun, All in the Family, Archie Bunker’s Place, Barney Miller, Breaking In, The Critic, Dr. Ken, The Facts of Life, I Dream of Jeannie, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Just Shoot Me, Malcolm & Eddie, Men at Work, My Boys, NewsRadio, One Day at a Time (1975), Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, The Partridge Family, Roseanne, Sanford, Silver Spoons, S.W.A.T. (1975), Til Death, What’s Happening!, What’s Happening Now!!, Who’s the Boss?

DRAMAS: Charlie’s Angels (1976), Fantasy Island, Hawthorne, Huff, Odyssey 5, Sheena, T.J. Hooker, The Unusuals, VIP, Zorro

ONE-AND-DONES: Bad Teacher, The Beast, Big Day, The Blacklist: Redemption, Brothers, Charlie’s Angels (2011), The Dana Carvey Show, The Ellen Show, Houdini & Doyle, Kidnapped, Last Resort, Marry Me, The McCarthys, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Mob Doctor, Mr. Sunshine, Pan Am, The Player, Rake (US), Thief, The Tick (2001), The Unusuals, Welcome to the Family

CW SEED:

The CW has an alternate streaming service that offers an eclectic array of former CW series, international imports and short-lived faves…

COMEDIES: Everybody Hates Chris, Gavin & Stacey, Girlfriends, The Game, Schitt’s Creek

DRAMAS: The Carrie Diaries, House of Cards (UK), The L.A. Complex, Pushing Daisies, Supernatural: The Anime Series

ONE-AND-DONES: Alcatraz, Birds of Prey, Constantine, Forever, Hellcats, Intruders, Moonlight, Privileged, Ringer, The Secret Circle, Time After Time, The Tomorrow People

IMDB TV:

That website you use to look up an actor’s TV and film credits also offers a deep bench of recent-ish hour-long dramas, as well as a handful of comedies…

COMEDIES: Alf, Bewitched, Corner Gas, Dr. Ken, The Middle, The Patridge Family, Psych

DRAMAS: 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, Almost Human, Chicago Fire, Columbo, The Commish, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Dallas, Desperate Housewives, Dominion, Everwood, The Following, Fringe, Hart to Hart, Heroes, The Incredible Hulk, Leverage, Lie to Me, Nikita, Pacific Blue, Private Practice, Revenge, Revolution, The Rifleman, The Rockford Files, Silk Stalkings, Starsky & Hutch, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Warehouse 13, White Collar, Wiseguy

ONE-AND-DONES: Invasion, My So-Called Life

NBC:

In addition to currently airing series, the Peacock Network’s library includes 50+ titles…

COMEDIES: Charles in Charge, The Munsters Today, Punky Brewster (1984), Saturday Night Live, Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Up All Night, Whitney, Will & Grace (1998)

DRAMAS: Amazing Stories (1985), Battlestar Galactica (2004), The Bionic Woman (1976), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Equalizer, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, House M.D., The Incredible Hulk, The Invisible Man, Knight Rider (1982), Life, Lipstick Jungle, Miami Vice, Midnight, Texas, Night Gallery, Quantum Leap, Shades of Blue, The Six Million Dollar Man, Smash

ONE-AND-DONES: Allegiance, American Gothic (1995), Bent, The Black Donnellys, The Cape, Crowded, Darkroom, Dracula, Emerald City, The Event, Go On, Guys With Kids, Heroes Reborn, Kings, Knight Rider (2008), Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Outsourced, Peacemakers, Prime Suspect (2011), Raines, The Starter Wife, State of Affairs, Telenovela, Vanishing Son, Voyagers!, Young Hercules

PLUTO TV:

If you’re looking for scripted series, the ViacomCBS-owned service offers few on-demand titles you won’t find on a competing service. What it does offer that others don’t is over 250 live, linear curated channels that encompass entertainment, news, sports and lifestyle programs…

COMEDIES: 3rd Rock From the Sun, The Addams Family, Cybil, Getting On (UK), Grace Under Fire, Grounded for Life, Hearts Afire, The Lucy Show, The PJs, Raising Expectations, Roseanne

DRAMAS: Being Erica, Crime Story, The Dead Zone, Flash Gordon, Leverage, Primeval, Queer as Folk (UK), Robin Hood

TUBI:

This AVOD service, which was recently acquired by Fox Corporation, currently offers the deepest bench of classic TV shows…

COMEDIES: 3rd Rock From the Sun, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Alf, The Andy Griffith Show, Anger Management, The Beverly Hillbillies, Car 54, Where Are You?, Cybil, The Danny Thomas Show, Dennis the Menace, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Doris Day Show, Family Affair (1966), Father Knows Best, Fridays, Grace Under Fire, The Greatest American Hero, Grounded for Life, Here’s Lucy, The Honeymooners (Lost Episodes), The Inbetweeners, The Jerry Lewis Show, Life With Elizabeth, The Little Rascals, The Man Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mothers-in-Law, Mr. Bean, The Patty Duke Show, Peep Show, Petticoat Junction, Raising Expectations, The Red Skelton Show, Retired at 35, Shameless (UK), Tales From the Cryptkeeper, Teachers (2001), That Girl, Wilfred (Aus)

DRAMAS: 1-800-Missing, 21 Jump Street, Being Human, The Commish, Dark Shadows, The Dead Zone, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Haven, Highlander, Highway to Heaven, Hunter, Kingdom (2007), Merlin, Pacific Blue, Queer as Folk (UK), The Real McCoys, Route 66, Silk Stalkings, Wildfire

ONE-AND-DONES: Blade: The Series, Camelot, The Firm, The Goode Family, Partners (2014), Running Wilde, The Weird Al Show, Women of the House

VUDU:

The Walmart-owned streamer offers a limited selection of scripted series…

COMEDIES: The Addams Family, Blue Mountain State, Car 54, Where Are You?, Dead Like Me, Father Knows Best, The Greatest American Hero, Grounded for Life, Hearts Afire, I Dream of Jeannie, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Mr. Bean, Roseanne

DRAMAS: 21 Jump Street, Being Human, Crime Story, Highlander, Hunter, Leverage, Merlin, Queer as Folk (UK), The Real McCoys, Shameless (UK), Silk Stalkings, Top Boy, Wiseguy

ONE-AND-DONES: The Mob Doctor, Women of the House

ADDITIONAL SERVICES:

IF YOU’RE A CORD-CUTTER WHO WANTS LOCAL PROGRAMMING… Locast.org

IF YOU’RE A CORD-CUTTER WHO WANTS THE NEWS… ABC News, CBS News, NBC News Now

IF YOU’RE A PROUD LIBRARY CARD HOLDER… Hoopla, Kanopy

IF YOU’RE MISSING BASEBALL… PBS is streaming Ken Burns’ Baseball for free.

IF YOU’RE IN NEED OF A FREE 30-DAY TRIAL…
Acorn TV (Code: FREE30)
Showtime (No code necessary!)
Shudder (Code: SHUTIN)
Sundance Now (Code: SUNDANCENOW30)
Urban Movie Channel (Code: UMCFREE30)

Launch Gallery: Streaming Services Guide: Prices, Content and More

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