Free Classic TV Streams --- 2020

[Sal]

I mentioned about a month ago that I would do a page about some of the more popular free streaming sites that are out there like CTV, Tubi, and Crackle and a few more and show you what they have to offer as far as classic TV titles and new releases. With this being the first complete week of the New Year and the first one after the Christmas holidays, this will be my first post. Others will follow about once or twice a week whenever new material comes in. First of all, here is what was available during the holidays for those of you who may have been on vacation or just felt like doing other things and like me are just now getting back in the streaming scene.


2019

December 19



CTV Throwback - The Flying Nun - Sally Field's second TV starring role after "Gidget" and the one that brought her instant fame and notoriety which she tried hard to remove later in her career on the way to becoming an Oscar winner.


The ROKU Channel - ALF - The lovable furry alien can also be seen on Tubi.

Dec. 27

The Bob Hope Show (1950-53) - The legendary comic's first appearances on TV which led to a long series of successful highly-rated specials.

The Roku Channel - The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis(Seasons 1 and 2) - The misadventures of teenager Dobie Gillis and his best friend Maynard G Krebs, played by Bob Denver before he became Gilligan. A very funny and underrated series which is rarely seen anywhere.

Dec. 30

Tubi - The Donna Reed Show(Seasons 1-5) - The beloved family classic from the 1950s which I can finally watch for free without any restrictions. The main reason that I subscribed to Tubi!

Tubi - Love and War (1994) - An obscure and rarely-shown on TV romantic comedy starring Jay Thomas, Susan Dey, and Annie "Meemaw" Potts.

Dec. 31, 2019

Sony/Crackle - A whole bunch of releases and re-releases for a great New Year binge-watching experience:

Bewitched (Seasons 6 and 7)

Just Shoot Me (Seasons 1-3)

NewsRadio (Seasons 4 and 5)

All In The Family (Seasons 7 and 8)

227 (Seasons 1 and 2)

Charlie's Angels (Season 5)

Starsky & Hutch (S1 and 2)

Who's The Boss?(S7)

What's Happening?(S3)

I Dream Of Jeannie(S1 and 2)

Silver Spoons (S2)

T J Hooker(S5)

Parker Lewis Can't Lose(S3)

The Partridge Family(S1 and 2)

One Day At A Time(S5 and 6)

Archie Bunker's Place(S4)


Note: Most of these titles can also be found on Roku (see next entry below) and CTV Throwback in Canada, with the difference being that CTV releases the complete series on the same day while Crackle goes one season at a time.


The Roku Channel - Like Crackle, Roku also finished the year with a bundle of new releases:


Bewitched (Seasons 1-4)

The Nanny (Seasons 1 and 2)

Hart to Hart(Seasons 1 and 2)

NewsRadio(Seasons 1 and 2)

The Facts Of Life (S5 and 6)

I Dream Of Jeannie (S3 and 4)

Barney Miller (S1 and 2)

The Partridge Family (S1 and 2)


That takes care of 2019. As you can see, it really ended with a bang! Now on to 2020:

January 2

Tubi - Dark Shadows - The complete series of the creepy classic is now available.

January 6 (Canada) and 7 (US)

Tubi - Here's Lucy(Seasons 1-4) - Lucy's third hit sitcom and my favorite one of the group, co-starring her own children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.

The Mothers-In-Law - (Seasons 1 and 2) - Sitcom produced by Desi Arnaz Sr. starring comic veterans Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden.


And that brings us up to date right to today. Keep it here for more streaming titles!


Today is normally when CTV Throwback introduces their new content. For the third week in a row it didn't happen but what I find to be more interesting is what they have done with a pair of new series.

This week, the CTV Comedy Channel premiered the first two episodes of the new rebooted "Mad About You". The series will run every Tuesday at 10:00 and 10:30 pm and can also be streamed on the CTV Comedy page. The original series can be seen in its entirety on CTV Throwback along with a bonus feature which spotlights the Top 10 episodes along with a direct link to the new show.

Speaking of bonuses, the main CTV network will debut another new mid-season series on Feb. 16 called "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" which will also be on NBC. The first episode is already available for streaming one month early on the CTV website as well as on the People magazine site for US viewers. If you like "Glee" you will like this show as well. The sudden bursts of music that happen on nearly every scene can be a little unsettling at first, but once you get used to it and Zoey herself, it might grow on you a little. Have a look:


CTV

People


I hope every week can be this exciting! That's it for now. See you soon!

[MA]

Thank you for this Sal!

[AB]

There's several shows on the list I want to see. Thanks for the those links.

[MA]

Sal,

Do you mind if I add links if I can find any?

[Sal]

Thank you for the kind words, guys! Feel free to add anything you like!


Here is what became available over the weekend:

Thursday January 9

SONY/CRACKLE

Barney Miller (Season 8)

Who's The Boss? (Season 8)


Friday January 10

CTV Throwback - Baywatch - Seasons 7 and 8 - The popular series begins to 'jump the shark' - and at least one of the stars almost gets eaten by one!


Since then...nothing much. More updates to come!

[Sal]

A couple of mid-60s classics from Tubi highlight this week's new releases:


Family Affair (Seasons 2-5)

The Doris Day Show (Seasons 2-5)

For both series, only the first season had been made available before, but now both are complete and ready to watch!

Also of some note today, here is what was released from CTV Throwback:


Viva Laughlin (2017) (2 episodes)

Blunt Talk (2015) (2 seasons, 20 episodes)

As usual, nothing worthwhile from either title. February should be a little more interesting with a couple of noteworthy titles for 1970s TV fans:


1. Before she was a regular on Family Ties, Meredith Baxter found herself as part of another hit series which was simply called "Family" (from 1976). Also in the cast on their way to stardom were young co-stars Willie Aames ("Eight Is Enough", "Charles In Charge") and Kristy McNichol ("Empty Nest").

2. "All's Fair", also from 1976, stars Richard Crenna and Bernadette Peters as a young couple living in Washington in the post-Watergate era.

Both shows will premiere on Feb. 20. Full details:

CTV Throwback and CTV Movies - February 2020 Titles

[Sal]

Jan. 31 VUDU (Free Version)

I Dream Of Jeannie (Season 3)

Nothing else of note has come along lately so I'll throw this in as a bonus for all of you Internet Archive fans:

Internet Archive Playlists 2019-20

(Recently added in 2020: Green Acres, My Favorite Martian, The Greatest American Hero, The Munsters - all complete series, plus The Addams Family - Season 1 of 2. All shows are found in the above link.)

[Sal]

Thursday Feb. 6

CTV Throwback

Today, there are 4 more series to debut on CTV Throwback, two of them with a Valentine's Day flavor, that are all worthy of being "thrown back" where they came from, but instead are fully available to watch:


1. Family Law - Starring Tony Danza as a lawyer. That's all you have to know to realize how bad this show is.

2. The Guardian - Another law series starring Dabney Coleman.

3. Cupid - A sitcom about a man who claims to be the angel Cupid, the god of love. Just in time for Valentine's Day!

4. Marry Me - A man plans to marry his girlfriend after 6 years of dating. Your Valentine won't like this show either.


Here are more releases from other services that you should like a lot better:


The Saint (1962) - Before he was James Bond, Roger Moore played secret agent Simon Templar aka The Saint. The full 6 season series is available on both Roku and Tubi.

Roku also has Head Of The Class (1986) starring Howard Hesseman of WKRP as a teacher to a group of gifted students, including Robin Givens, the future Mrs Mike Tyson.

Also from Tubi, You Bet Your Life (1950) - Season 1 The hit game show starring the one and only Groucho Marx where the secret word is always 'fun'. Another season of "You Bet Your Life" appeared previously under the title "The Best Of Groucho Marx". So now you have two seasons to watch and enjoy. Tell them Groucho sent you!

[MA]

Thanks for those links Sal.

[MA]

IMDB TV:

https://www.imdb.com/tv/

They have classic TV shows such as ALF, The Rockford Files, and Columbo.

[Sal]

Originally Posted by MA

IMDB TV:

https://www.imdb.com/tv/

They have classic TV shows such as ALF, The Rockford Files, and Columbo.

I'll add it to my list for you even though it's US-only and I can't get it. This week, they added another title and I'll have it further down the page along with other news about upcoming releases and more titles that you are sure to fall in love with since, after all, today is Valentine's Day.

The big news is from CTV Throwback which has been a little disappointing with its shows recently but in the next month they will look to make it up with the following series:


This week, they continue with their monthly habit of rotating different seasons of Baywatch, giving us the first (Season 1) and last (Season 9) seasons of the hit series. Season 1 ran on NBC before they foolishly cancelled it and it was picked up in syndication where it ran for 8 more successful years. CTV will have Seasons 2 and 3 beginning on March 10th.


Also new from CTV Throwback is The Partridge Family - 2200 AD , the cartoon sequel based on the classic series from the 1970s (which is also on CTV Throwback) where the family ends up in space, with the cast providing their own voices. The cartoon can also be found on the "Partridge Family" DVD sets, where they have a couple of episodes available as bonus features. CTV has the entire series, all 15 episodes from 1974.

Next Thursday, CTV Throwback will offer a couple more 1970s shows: All's Fair and Family, both from 1976. Full details still to come!

In March, they will go even farther back, to the 1960s, where they will present a sitcom that, believe it or not, was first seen in black and white! On Thursday March 5th, CTV Throwback will present "Hazel" (1961-66) starring Shirley Booth as a funny live-in maid. The long-running series is not currently available for streaming in the US, although you can still watch it on Antenna TV, so CTV is getting a real scoop here. Not only that, on the same day, they will be offering a short-lived series that is still popular with fans today despite its limited run. It's "That's My Mama" starring Clifton Davis and Ted Lange, just before he found fame on "The Love Boat". I'm not particularly fond of either series, considering them both to be slightly above terrible, but I'll watch anyway whenever I can find the time. News about this and other new releases can be found in this press release which was released yesterday:

CTV Throwback - March 2020


Here are the rest of this week's new releases from other free streaming sites which will also include IMDB TV:


Feb. 7 - Internet Archive - Columbo

Feb. 8 - Tubi (US) - Highlander
(1992)

Feb. 10 - Vudu - The Real McCoys - Seasons 1-3

Feb. 12 - Tubi (US) - Highway To Heaven (S1-5)

IMDB TV - My So-Called Life (Season 1)


Now wasn't that worth waiting for?

[MA]

Originally Posted by Sal

I'll add it to my list for you even though it's US-only and I can't get it. This week, they added another title and I'll have it further down the page along with other news about upcoming releases and more titles that you are sure to fall in love with since, after all, today is Valentine's Day.

The big news is from CTV Throwback which has been a little disappointing with its shows recently but in the next month they will look to make it up with the following series:


This week, they continue with their monthly habit of rotating different seasons of Baywatch, giving us the first (Season 1) and last (Season 9) seasons of the hit series. Season 1 ran on NBC before they foolishly cancelled it and it was picked up in syndication where it ran for 8 more successful years. CTV will have Seasons 2 and 3 beginning on March 10th.


Also new from CTV Throwback is The Partridge Family - 2200 AD , the cartoon sequel based on the classic series from the 1970s (which is also on CTV Throwback) where the family ends up in space, with the cast providing their own voices. The cartoon can also be found on the "Partridge Family" DVD sets, where they have a couple of episodes available as bonus features. CTV has the entire series, all 15 episodes from 1974.

Next Thursday, CTV Throwback will offer a couple more 1970s shows: All's Fair and Family, both from 1976. Full details still to come!

In March, they will go even farther back, to the 1960s, where they will present a sitcom that, believe it or not, was first seen in black and white! On Thursday March 5th, CTV Throwback will present "Hazel" (1961-66) starring Shirley Booth as a funny live-in maid. The long-running series is not currently available for streaming in the US, although you can still watch it on Antenna TV, so CTV is getting a real scoop here. Not only that, on the same day, they will be offering a short-lived series that is still popular with fans today despite its limited run. It's "That's My Mama" starring Clifton Davis and Ted Lange, just before he found fame on "The Love Boat". I'm not particularly fond of either series, considering them both to be slightly above terrible, but I'll watch anyway whenever I can find the time. News about this and other new releases can be found in this press release which was released yesterday:

CTV Throwback - March 2020


Here are the rest of this week's new releases from other free streaming sites which will also include IMDB TV:


Feb. 7 - Internet Archive - Columbo

Feb. 8 - Tubi (US) - Highlander
(1992)

Feb. 10 - Vudu - The Real McCoys - Seasons 1-3

Feb. 12 - Tubi (US) - Highway To Heaven (S1-5)

IMDB TV - My So-Called Life (Season 1)


Now wasn't that worth waiting for?

Thank you for adding that. It's a shame that you can't get IMDB TV though.

[TVQuack]

So great that Head of the Class is streaming on the Roku Channel!

[Sal]

This weekend's releases:

Feb. 14

Crackle - The Facts Of Life - Seasons 6 and 7

Tubi - Dusty's Trail (1974) - Bob Denver stars in a Western version of "Gilligan's Island".

Roku - Annie Oakley (1954)

[MA]

Awesome. Nice to see The Facts Of Life on Crackle.