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As the Hollywood writers and actors strikes are in their fourth month, many Americans are tuning into surprising alternatives. The classics; TV shows that were popular a half-century ago.
TV comedies such as “Gilligan’s Island”, “Bewitched”, “Facts of Life”, and “What’s Happening” are hits again as viewers turn to free TV services that stream those shows and others over the internet.
There’s a reason a TV show is considered a classic. They were really good for their time and everybody watched them because there was no cable TV. “Happy Days”, and “Charlie’s Angels” aired once in prime-time. Not only did people watch them nightly, they talked about them the next day at work and school. Word of mouth and the “if you miss it you’ve missed it” mindset gave each night of the week a special reason to sit in front of the television and tune in.
Free TV Viewing is on the rise
According to “Fast Company” and the research group “Qloo”, viewers are tuning in again to vintage or retro content. Perhaps because of the writer’s and actors strikes. But there are other explanations. The cost of streaming services such as YouTube TV, Hulu, and Netflix have raised prices recently leading to “FAST”, or “free-ad-supported-tv”, gaining viewers.
Also the library and quality of shows those services offer have improved. Fast services such as Tubi, Pluto, FreeVee, The Roku Channel, and Crackle have half a century of classic TV comedies and dramas at their fingertips.
Tubi, which has 250 free live channels, reports it hit 74 million monthly active users last month. While Pluto TV has seen its viewership jump by 70%. You won’t get every episode of every show, and audio and video quality isn’t what you’ve come to expect from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. All are free, as long as you don’t mind about a minute and a half of commercials before, during, and after shows.
Which service has the best shows?
Which of the free services offer the best selection of classic TV shows? That’s a matter of taste of course. But if you’re curious and don’t want to scroll through pages of listings, I’ve done it for you. It isn’t a complete list, but it’s a good place to start and you can find it on my blog www.whatthetech.tv
FREEVEE
Freaks and Geeks
Everybody Hates Chris
Sanford and Son
Happy Days
The Brady Bunch
Newhart
The Jeffersons
Dharma and Greg
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Bob Newhart Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Designing Women
Petticoat Junction
Benson
Evening Shade
Mork & Mindy
Webster
Laverne and Shirley
Blossom
Father Knows Best
ROKU CHANNEL
What’s Happening
In the Heat of the Night
Family Affair
Home Improvement
Silver Spoons
Green Acres
Bewitched
Coach
The Tonight Show
Walker Texas Ranger
I Dream of Jeannie
Quantum Leap
Alf
Leave it to Beaver
Adams Family
That Girl
Benson
Family Affair
Petticoat Junction
The Real McCoys
TUBI TV
Johnny Carson
The Joy of Painting
Match Game
Gilligan’s Island
Miami Vice
Columbo
The Jetsons
The Facts of Life
Eight is Enough
Bonanza
Spencer for Hire
Bewitched
What’s Happening
Highway to Heaven
The Jeffersons
Charlies Angels
Different Strokes
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Barney Miller
I Dream of Jeannie
Silver Spoons
Gimme a Break
Alf
The Beverly Hillbillies227
Honeymooners
Family Affair
Laugh-In
Too Close for Comfort
The Partridge Family
The Greatest American Hero
Carol Burnett Show
One Day at a Time
That Girl
PLUTO TV
Walker Texas Ranger
Hawaii Five-O
Beverly Hills 90210
Baywatch
Star Trek
Moesha
Green Acres
Maude
The Brady Bunch
I Love Lucy channel
Family Ties
Happy Days
Laverne and /shirley
three’s company
The Love Boat
Andy Griffith Show
Adams Family
Dick Van Dyke channel
Beverly Hillbillies chanel
Johnny Carson channel
carol burnett chanel
hawaii five o
matlock
mission impossible
perry mason
gunsmoke
rawhide