Free streaming services offer rich catalog of shows to binge
Some streaming services have picked quite the time to jack up their prices.
In October, monthly subscription rates for Disney+ Premium will be $13.99, a 27% increase. Hulu will set you back $17.99, a $3 bump. In September, Netflix is discontinuing its DVD service, which provided titles hard to find anywhere else.
All these changes come during a strike that has halted most TV productions. Those planning to get through the content drought by bingeing on old shows have a tough choice. Either set aside more for viewing pleasures or resign yourself to reading more books.
But there’s a third option: Get hooked on great shows without paying a penny.
There are plenty of free streaming services with rich catalogs. You have to put up with ads, a small price to pay for, well, not having a price to pay.
Here are eight treasures waiting to be discovered.
If you like “Saturday Night Live,”try“Fridays:”:
ABC’s ’80s response to the sketch comedy show is a bit of a mess. It tries too hard to be irreverent with lots of sketches about drugs and race. But you get a chance to see castmates Michael Richards and Larry David try out ideas that would later blossom on “Seinfeld.” (Roku, Tubi, Shout, Pluto, Plex)
If you like “Grey’s Anatomy,” try “The Good Wife”:
The legal drama’s acclaimed spinoff “The Good Fight” is only available on Paramount+, but anyone can watch the original series, in which Julianna Margulies excels
as an attorney juggling personal and professional cases that would give Perry Mason a panic attack. (Freevee)
If you like “Stranger Things,” try “Freaks and Geeks”:
The teens in this short-lived sitcom don’t have to deal with Demogorgons but they do face bullying, imperfect parents and hormones, all of which are just as scary. (Pluto)
If you like “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” try “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour”:
Before the abundance of late-night talkers, airwaves were filled with prime-time variety shows. Most were terrible. But this effort, which ran from 1969 to 1972, was something special, especially when the host teamed up with talents like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Cher. (Crackle, Tubi, Pluto, Shout)
If you like “Breaking Bad,” try“Weeds”:
Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) is a kinder, gentler drug dealer than Walter White ever was. But that doesn’t keep her from getting into loads of trouble. This dramedy didn’t get the attention it
deserved during its run on Showtime. Better late than never. (Roku, Freevee)
If you like “The Bachelor,” try “The Love Boat”:
This course for adventure was silly and contrived. But isn’t every contemporary dating show? You never knew who might come on board (Whoa, is that Andy Warhol in the bar?) and no one ever returned to port with their heart broken. Well, maybe Gopher. (Pluto)
If you like “Law & Order: SVU,”try“Cagney & Lacey”:
It’s hard to imagine Olivia Benson would be cracking cases on TV if it weren’t for Christine Cagney (Sharon Gless) and Mary Beth Lacey (Tyne Daly). The duo solved plenty of crimes, but the series was at its best when it delved into the partners’ personal lives. (Roku, Pluto)
If you like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” try “NewsRadio”:
This sitcom was set in a radio station, not a TV newsroom. But it broadcast just as many solid laughs. A lot of heart and humor went away with the passing of Phil Hartman, who played a slimier version of Ted Baxter.