How to watch Turner Classic Movies without cable in Michigan

Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press
·4 min read
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As the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America strikes stretch on, more and more viewers will find themselves turning to classic films for comfort and entertainment.

Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild walk a picket line outside of Paramount Pictures, in Los Angeles, California, on July 21, 2023. Tens of thousands of Hollywood actors went on strike at midnight on July 14, 2023, effectively bringing the giant movie and television business to a halt as they join writers in the first industry-wide walkout in 63 years.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM), one of the most popular cable networks, has remained close to many people’s hearts since it launched in 1994.

As NPR described it:

The more you love film, the more you're likely to love TCM. It presents a wider variety of movies, across film's century-plus history, than any other network or streaming service. Thanks to its knowledgeable and enthusiastic co-hosts, it puts those films into context. It creates a sense of community and enthusiasm among its viewers, which is invaluable. TCM doesn't just present movies, it curates them. It explains why some films and performances are so good, and why you should watch and value them. And it presents those films, every one of them, unedited, uninterrupted and without commercials.

What’s going on with TCM now

CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav arrives at the Sun Valley Lodge for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2023 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every July, some of the world's most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive weeklong conference.

TCM was previously owned by WarnerMedia, the former AT&T. In early 2022, WarnerMedia and Discovery formed a $43-billion merger that resulted in new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslavis leading drastic cuts and layoffs in all parts of the company. But what he didn’t expect was the massive outcry when he gutted TCM, sacking nearly everyone who worked for the cable channel.

Classic film lovers throughout Hollywood were enraged. Among the outpouring of tweets from industry professionals, actor Ryan Reynolds tweeted, “Turner Classic Movies has been a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember. It’s a holy corner of film history — and a living, breathing library for an entire art form. Please don’t f--- with @tcm.”

Canadian actor Ryan Gosling arrives for the world premiere of "Barbie" at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, on July 9, 2023.
Canadian actor Ryan Gosling arrives for the world premiere of "Barbie" at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, on July 9, 2023.

Filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson quickly intervened, saying, “We have each spent time talking to David, separately and together, and it’s clear that TCM and classic cinema are very important to him. Our primary aim is to ensure that TCM’s programming is untouched and protected.”

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The following week, Zaslav and TCM announced that Tabesh would remain in place at the network and the three directors will assist him in curating the channel’s offerings.

Classic film as culture

TCM has proven so popular over the years that a whole cottage industry has developed from it. Along with more standard fare like memorabilia, shirts, mugs and other tchotchkes, there’s a TCM wine club, a four-day classic film festival held every April in the heart of Hollywood and packed with special guests. There’s even a five-day Turner Classic Movies cruise each November.

Paula Guthat, co owner and CEO of Cinema Detroit photographed at the theatre in Detroit on November 20, 2014.
Paula Guthat, co owner and CEO of Cinema Detroit photographed at the theatre in Detroit on November 20, 2014.

Then, there’s #TCMParty, originated by Detroiter and classic film lover Paula Guthat. She knows a little something about movies; she and husband Tim are the founders of Cinema Detroit, an independent movie theater located in Midtown. @TCM_Party invites viewers from around the world to watch films on the network and live tweet together. The account has gained nearly 43,000 followers since it was started in 2011.

“I’ve been very concerned,” she said. “There is no way to overstate how concerned I was before they rehired (programmer) Charlie Tabesh. There’s a lot of angst because it is such a unicorn in today’s world—film, uncut and commercial-free. And they have done a great job of including other voices than just the old Hollywood studios. That’s the mainstay, but there’s great special programming. Black filmmakers, women filmmakers…they’re doing a series on disability in film. It’s very very special.

Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild walk a picket line outside of Warner Bros Studio in Burbank, California, on July 26, 2023. Tens of thousands of Hollywood actors went on strike at midnight on July 14, 2023, effectively bringing the giant movie and television business to a halt as they join writers in the first industry-wide walkout for 63 years.

“And it’s not just for quote-unquote ‘old people.’ It’s watched and loved by people who are massively influencing art and culture. (Director) Greta Gerwig is a perfect example. Can you go online or anywhere in life without somehow encountering the massive phenomenon that is ‘Barbie’? Is there anyone more influential in film right at this moment? Greta Gerwig was just on TCM presenting the films that inspired her.”

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How to watch TCM without cable

With many homes "cutting the cord" by skipping cable and opting to rely on streaming platforms for home entertainment, Turner Classic Movies can still be accessed without paying a monthly cable bill for channels you mostly don't watch.

DirecTV ($64.99/mo), Hulu Plus Live TV ($69.99/mo), Sling TV ($40/mo plus $6 extra for the Hollywood package) and YouTube TV ($72.99/mo) all feature the channel — though, admittedly, none of them come at a small price.

With Tabesh back as head of programming, however, and three Hollywood titans standing behind him, Turner Classic Movies' future seems safe for now.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Turner Classic Movies is on streaming services if you don't have cable