7 Hit TV Shows You Had No Idea Were Streaming for Free

Lionsgate Television

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Still from The Great British Bake-Off - 2

BBC Studios

Fans of The Great British Baking Show (a.k.a. The Great British Bake-Off ) may have noticed when they tuned in for the Fall 2022 season that several “collections” had disappeared from Netflix. But all those older episodes, the ones featuring with Mary Berry as judge and Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins as hosts, are now available —for free!—on The Roku Channel. Even better, Roku lists the seasons in proper numerical order and includes dozens of episodes that never made it to American viewers, including the show’s original Seasons 1 and 2, all episodes of the after-show An Extra Slice , and the celebrity editions featuring stars including Jameela Jamil , Daisy Ridley , and James McAvoy .

Where to watch it: The Roku Channel

CBS Paramount Television

Pluto TV is one of the most popular FAST channels due to its interface. Set up like a TV Guide listings channel, the FAST streamer’s offerings are arranged by show name. Its offerings include a classic Doctor Who channel, The Walking Dead channel, a Survivor channel, and a Stargate channel, to name but a few. But of its free content, the most extensive is its Star Trek channel, which has The Original Series and The Next Generation playing on a constant loop. The next channel up is the More Star Trek channel , which has Deep Space Nine , Voyager , and Enterprise . So eventually, you’re bound to catch your favorite.

Where to watch it: Pluto TV

Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks, and John Slattery on Mad Men - 4

Lionsgate Television

Courtney B. Vance, Jonathan Majors, and Jurnee Smollett in Lovecraft Country - 5

Warner Bros. Television Distribution

Even though Disney bought out most of 20th Century Fox in 2019, FCC rules made it so the actual broadcast network, Fox, couldn’t be part of the deal. While the network may be shorn of its production studio, it’s made up for it with Tubi, one of the most popular FAST services currently out there. Moreover, it’s been ready to scoop up shows from larger networks that don’t have ad-supported free services, like HBO. Among its free offerings that once were once exclusive to the premium pay channel is the one-season wonder Lovecraft Country , a horror series set in the Jim Crow South and a breakout moment for star Jonathan Majors .

Where to watch it: Tubi

Debmar-Mercury/20th Television

Xumo was, until recently, NBC Universal’s other free streaming service after Peacock, but since the latter dropped its free tier , Xumo is now NBCU’s main FAST streamer. While you may not have been aware that it even exists, it may be time to add the service to your Smart TV. Xumo is slowly adding complete collections of comedies and dramas for free streaming, including all five seasons of Anger Management , the sitcom Charlie Sheen moved on to after being fired from the hit Two and a Half Men . The 2012 comedy series is a loose adaptation of the 2003 Jack Nicholson movie, starring Sheen as a former baseball player who becomes an anger management therapist after working through his own issues.

Where to watch it: Xumo

PBS

Finally, there’s the PBS app, which is public broadcasting’s version of a FAST service. Though its drama content and Masterpiece shows are locked behind a paywall (one which drops if you donate $5/month to your local PBS station), arts and science programs, including old-school stuff like The Joy of Painting With Bob Ross , are streaming free for everyone. But the real treasure trove of this app consists of 50 seasons of the science and tech docuseries NOVA and 40 seasons of the animal and ecosystem docuseries Nature . These long-running programs are educational TV institutions after half a century on the air, and every last episode of each is available at no cost.

Where to watch it: PBS

7 Hit TV Shows You Had No Idea Were Streaming for Free#

7 Hit TV Shows You Had No Idea Were Streaming for Free