25 of the Best Shows You Can Watch for Free on Tubi
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Unlike the other big streamers, Tubi only has a handful of original shows, most of them imports (their original movie selection is much larger). That's not to say it's a wasteland for TV addicts: The streamer might actually have too many shows, a vast and sometimes wild catalog that spans decades.
As the likes of Netflix and HBO Max have slimmed down their catalogues, Tubi is growing, offering a mix of established hits, underrated gems, and more obscure offerings. For the sheer breadth of material on offer, it has become the first place I look for anything outside the current zeitgeist—like the following 18 shows, an entirely non-comprehensive sampling of what Tubi has to offer, crossing genres and decades.
Demascus (2025)
Sci-fi comedy Demascus was a victim of that very stupid moment a couple of years ago when streamers and studios were shelving every other project for tax reasons. Demascus, originally an AMC project, was rescued by Tubi—and a good thing, too. From playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm (Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies), the show stars Okieriete Onaodowan as the title character, turning 33 and pursuing therapy for the first time in an alternate present. He's offered the chance to use DIRT (Digital Immersive Reality Therapy), in which he can visit and view other versions of himself, as long as he doesn't interfere. Which, of course, he does, with results that are sometimes poignant and sometimes funny. Hard to believe that this clever show almost wound up in the bin. Stream Demascus.
Ranma ½ (1989 – 2012)
Whether or not you've seen the Netflix update, you can still catch the original (all 161 gender-bending episodes!) over on Tubi. After falling into a cursed spring, martial arts prodigy Ranma Saotome finds that he turns into a girl when he gets wet, with hot water turning him back into a boy; not to be outdone, his dad turns into a panda. That same father pledged him in marriage years ago to one of the daughter of the Soun Tendo, owner of a prestigious dojo with no male heir. Akane Tendo is a fiery, skilled martial artist in her own right, and the love-hate relationship between the two unwilling partners is the focus of most of the comedy and the drama. Stream Ranma ½.
Babylon 5 (1993 – 1998, five seasons)
J. Michael Straczynski’s wildly ambitious sci-fi epic was way ahead of its time, with a planned (more or less) five season story arc set on the titular space station. Babylon 5 is a remote outpost that becomes the last best hope for peace in the face of conflicting human and alien agendas—even more so after an ancient threat is awakened. With increasingly complex storylines that expanded over its run, this was a stab at prestige TV before that was a thing, and it still holds up (dated CGI effects notwithstanding. Stream Babylon 5.
All in the Family (1971 – 1979)
The show that almost singlehandedly rewrote the rules for broadcast television, Norman Lear's long-running sitcom focused on a working-class family and dealt with gender roles, racism, war, religion, sexual orientation—issues that sitcoms had never bothered with before. Shows with more on their minds than chuckles would follow in its wake, but none were quite as fearless as this one. Stream All in the Family.
Empire (2015 – 2020)
Hip hop mogul and Empire Entertainment CEO Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is dying, having been diagnosed with ALS at a young age. He wasn't planning to have to hand off his company so early, but nevertheless finds himself preparing his three very different sons (Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, and Bryshere Y. Gray) to take the keys to the kingdom—by pitting them against one other. Into this already Shakespearean setup steps Lucious' ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), just released from prison and harboring her own plans for Lucious's empire. Stream Empire.
Girlfriends (2000 – 2008)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) leads the comedy about the lives of four women from different backgrounds living in Los Angeles, blending slice-of-single-life comedy with some cutting social satire. It’s funny and smart, and deserves a lot bigger place in pop culture history given its impressive eight seasons (and nine-season spin-off, The Game). Ross, Jill Marie Jones, Golden Brooks, and Persia White just recently reunited for a commercial, and there's been scattered chatter about a possible revival. In the meantime... Stream Girlfriends.
Boarders (2024 - , two seasons)
This British import feels a bit like a latter-day Skins, with a talented cast of young stars-in-waiting (including leads Josh Tedeku and Jodie Campbell) and a scholastic setting. At the (fictional) prestigious boarding school St. Gilbert’s, five Black teens are newly attending, having earned scholarships, but their integration into the existing cliques is less than smooth. The blend of coming-of-age drama with a willingness to take the piss when it comes to the whole rich private school thing makes this Tubi original a good time. Stream Boarders.
Murder, She Wrote (1984 – 1996)
Once a week for 12 seasons (and a handful of spin-off movies), crime novelist Jessica Fletcher would employ her charm, wit, and general nosiness toward solving a murder that she'd stumbled into (no one questions why this particular woman just happens to be on the scene for hundreds of murders, and I'd suggest you don't either). Angela Lansbury is iconic as one of TV's greatest detectives, and the celebrity guest stars make for fun star-spotting—even if some of the faces are a tad less recognizable in 2025. Stream Murder, She Wrote.
The Equalizer (2021 – 2025)
The Queen Latifah-led Equalizer reboots the 1980s series (and sidesteps the Denzel Washington movies) by spinning the premise in a slightly different direction: Latifah plays single-mom Robyn McCall, an impossibly skilled former CIA operative who puts her talents to work for those in need. While the original's vibe was more about the cops being handcuffed by things like "rules" and "giving perps their basic human dignity," this one is more about those who've been failed by systems that don't care about them—and who might benefit from the help of a woman who can beat just about anyone's ass. It's very satisfying watching Robyn and company spy and/or punch their way out of sticky situations to help the oppressed. Stream The Equalizer.
Big Mood (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
Another UK import and Tubi original (at least stateside), Big Mood stars Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) and Lydia West (It's a Sin) as a couple of besties in East London, living their best millennial 30-something lives. Well, kind of: Maggie's dealing with bipolar disorder, and unclear on whether she wants to continue with her medication as she sets out to write a play, while Lydia is doing her very best running a tanking dive bar inherited from her father. It's both a cute dramedy and an impressively frank exploration of the challenges of living with mental illness. Stream Big Mood.
Community (2009 – 2015)
Dan Harmon’s influential series didn’t do huge numbers during its initial run on NBC, but has had an impressive afterlife. Led by Joel McHale, with the noteworthy presence of Chevy Chase in the earlier seasons, pretty much everyone in the show’s cast (including Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, and Ken Jeong) has become a star. Canceled after six seasons, the show’s getting a movie wrap-up—allegedly. Someday. You should still have plenty of time to catch up on the clever original. Stream Community.
Murdoch Mysteries (2008 – , )
Granted, Tubi currently only has the first eight seasons of this beloved Canadian crime drama, but that should keep you busy for a while, eh? Kicking off in 1895, the show follows Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) of the Toronto Constabulary and his team solve Upper Canada's most alarming crimes. The chemistry between the leads is a plus, as is the show's whimsical attitude toward historical accuracy, throwing in real-life figures and innovations into a mix that just as readily includes technology that might as well be steampunk. Stream Murdoch Mysteries.
Space: 1999 (1975 – 1977)
Kicking off with the, OK, fairly implausible scenario of the moon breaking free of Earth's orbit, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Space: 1999 quickly develops into a uniquely introspective bit of 1970's sci-fi, with Martin Landau and Barbara Bain as leaders of the moon base that survives on the surface. There's plenty of weird sci-fi and a fair bit of action, but also some metaphysical ideas in mind: We're all alone in a deeply hostile universe, the show suggests, so all the more reason for us to stick together. Stream Space: 1999.
Homicide: Life on the Street (1993 – 1999)
One of TV's best (and most critically acclaimed) police procedurals was constantly on the verge of cancellation while it was on, and then was unavailable to stream for years. Based on a nonfiction book by then-journalist David Simon (The Wire), Homicide felt more real (and a bit more cynical) than just about any cop show up to that point. The show made Andre Braugher a star, and birthed breakout character John Munch (Richard Belzer), a character who'd go on to appear on Law & Order, The X-Files, The Wire, and many other shows. Stream Homicide.
Vicious (2013 – 2016, two seasons)
The old-school sitcom formula has never been executed quite this bitchily, with the inspired pairing of Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi as Freddie Thornhill and Stuart Bixby, a couple of nearly 50 years who’ve developed a love-hate relationship. This cast, which includes Frances de la Tour and Game of Thrones’ Ian Rheon, is unbeatable, and the one-liners are hilariously nasty. Stream Vicious.
The Haves and the Have Nots (2013 – 2021, eight seasons)
Tyler Perry's old-school primetime soap was the show that practically built OWN; it was the then-new network's first scripted show, and an immediate breakout. It follows three families: The wealthy Harringtons and the Cryers are wealthy movers in Atlanta, Georgia, while the Young family is overseen by single mom Hanna, who's both a maid for the Cryers and confidante to the family matriarch. There's juicy tension galore between the three families, in no small part because of class differences, but also because they're all equally screwed. Stream The Haves and the Have Nots.
Broadchurch (2013 – 2017)
Creator Chris Chibnall's dark crime drama didn't invent its particular sub-genre (whatever you call the one where two troubled homicide detectives butt heads in a gloomy town), but it did popularize it to the point that we've been inundated with countless imitators. With the great pairing of Olivia Colman and David Tennant (joined by yet another Doctor Who Doctor, Jodie Whittaker), Broadchurch still stands alongside the best of its kind. Stream Broadchurch.
Doctor Who (1963 – 1989, 26 seasons)
Speaking of Doctor Who, even if you're current with the modern incarnation (if I can use "modern" for a show that started airing in 2005), you've got a lot of timey-wimey adventures to enjoy. Tubi has the entirety of the surviving 26-season original run, going all the way back to 1963 and the story of a mysterious old man living in a junkyard with his granddaughter. Seven doctors is enough to keep anyone busy for a while. Tubi has the show broken out by Doctor, but, if you want to start from the beginning stream The First Doctor.
Haven (2010 – 2015)
Tubi is a haven for small gems like this one, a five-season Stephen King adaptation originally produced by SyFy. Emily Rose stars as Audrey Parker, and FBI Special Agent sent to the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case who gets drawn into “The Troubles," a series of harmful supernatural events that have recurred throughout the town’s history. A supernatural-case-of-the-week format gives way to a bigger mystery when Audrey comes to learn that this isn’t her first time in Haven, nor the first time she’s encountered the Troubles. Stream Haven.
Scandal (2012 – 2018, seven seasons)
Shonda Rhimes was already a powerhouse producer and screenwriter with several successful seasons of Grey's Anatomy under her belt when Scandal debuted, but its blend of political thrills and sexy, soapy drama is what solidified her brand, and her spot atop of the modern TV landscape. Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope, head of the DC-based crisis management firm Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA), who is the person to call when you've got a PR disaster to fix. If you want to get a sense of the stakes involved, consider that Tony Goldwyn costars as Fitzgerald Grant III, President of the United States, and also Olivia's lover. Stream Scandal.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003)
With word that Sarah Michelle Gellar (and company?) are returning to the wreckage of Sunnydale for a Hulu reboot, it’s probably not a bad time to visit (or revisit, or re-revisit) this seven-season teen vampire hunter saga. While the pacing might feel a little slow, and the effects a little janky, its blend of high school (and then college) angst, kick-ass monster fights, and genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy holds up. Stream Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Heartland (2007 – , 18 seasons)
If there’s a stereotype that middle-American viewers won’t watch foreign fare, this show puts the lie to it—at least when it comes to imports from Alberta (tariff-free!). Based on a popular book series from Linda Chapman and Beth Chambers (writing under the name Lauren Brooke), the show follows the lives of a family of horse ranchers in western Canada, led by sisters Amy and Lou (Amber Marshall and Michelle Morgan). Tubi currently has only the first 15 seasons of the drama, which has recently been renewed for a 19th. That’s Law & Order-level longevity, y'all. Stream Heartland.
Highlander (1992 – 1998, six seasons)
An classic of '90s-era syndicated action/adventure, Highlander stars Adrian Paul as the title hero, taking over from Christopher Lambert in the film series. Duncan MacLeod is an immortal warrior living in the modern(-ish) day, hunted by others of his own kind, whose goal is singular: to chop off Duncan's head in order to steal his power. Episodes typically involve some sort of flashback to an earlier era in Duncan's life where we first encounter the threat he'll face in the modern day. There's at least one good sword fight in every episode, and I can't imagine what more you'd want out of a series. Bonus: It carries over the films' kick-ass Queen theme song. Stream Highlander.
Z Nation (2014 - 2019)
The Walking Dead made prestige television out of the zombie apocalypse, but this SyFy channel original is all a campy, gory good time. Things kick off with a soldier who’s been tasked with transporting a package across country. The package in question is actually a human being, the survivor of a zombie bite who might be able to help create a vaccine (take note, The Last of Us fans). This one comes from the schlock-masters at The Asylum, purveyors of infamous B-movies like Sharknado, which should tell you all you need to know about the tone. Stream Z Nation.
Columbo (1968 – 2003, 16 seasons)
Peter Falk's sublimely rumpled detective practically invented the style that Peacock's Poker Face has recently revived: a crime (usually a murder) is committed, the viewers know whodunnit, and Columbo has to solve it. Early on in any given episode, we get to watch the crime being committed, though we don't always know the motive. The challenge isn't to figure out the culprit, but to discover exactly how TV's greatest detective is going to solve the case. Stream Columbo.
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