15 Best TV Shows You Can Watch For Free On Tubi

There are a lot of streaming services out there, all with acclaimed, interesting TV shows to watch. But if you start subscribing to them all — Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, and more — you’ll start paying a pretty penny. What’s a frugal television enjoyer to do? Go back to traditional cable, or even bunny ears?

Not so fast. Enter Tubi, a Fox-owned streaming service that offers a glut of free content supported by advertisements, no subscription fees necessary. Ad-supported television — what a concept!

If you’re looking to explore the cost-effective Wild West of Tubi and don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. Keep scrolling for the 15 best TV shows you can watch for free on Tubi right now — from television classics (“The Dick Van Dyke Show”) to cult hits (“Mystery Science Theater 3000”) to cutting-edge contemporary choices (“Killing Eve”) — then drop a comment with your own recommendations.

Here’s another sitcom with a dysfunctional, politically incorrect male main character. There are just a few key differences to “Archer.” For one, it’s animated, coming from animated comedy TV linchpin Adam Reed (“Sealab 2021”). For another, it’s also a rollicking, action-packed, genre-hopping spy thriller that feels like James Bond, “Mission: Impossible,” “24,” and “The Avengers” (the British show, not the Marvel flick), stuffed with a “30 Rock”-esque amount of jokes per minute.

Voice acting veteran H. Jon Benjamin (“Bob’s Burgers”) plays the title role of Sterling Archer, a washed-up spy with a huge ego, tons of vices, and id-driven reactions toward everything. Other characters include Sterling’s domineering mother and boss Malory (the late Jessica Walter), his tough-talking partner and sometimes lover Lana (Aisha Tyler), and the spy agency’s assistant who hides a deeply eccentric soul, Cheryl (Judy Greer).

Oh, and the spy agency’s name is the International Secret Intelligence Service – or ISIS. If that joke made you laugh out loud, stream “Archer,” posthaste.

One of the great 2000s sitcoms and an underrated entry in the growing complexity of 21st-century TV comedies, “The Bernie Mac Show” stars the titular comedian as a fictionalized version of himself, becoming a caretaker to his nieces and nephew after his drug-addicted sister enters rehab.

Created by TV comedy luminary Larry Wilmore (from “In Living Color” through “Insecure” and everything in between), “The Bernie Mac Show” made a compelling case for the single-cam comedy as a primary mode of creative television expression. It had unorthodox editing techniques, including onscreen subtitles that packed more jokes per minute, and notably featured fourth-wall-breaking asides where Mac would address the camera as “America” and give his unfiltered opinions on the episode’s events.

Beyond these experimentations, “The Bernie Mac Show” also soared because of its emotional center, featuring lots of lovely moments between Mac, his wife Wanda (Kellita Smith), and the adopted kids he grew to adore. It’s also a milestone in television representation, with Bernie becoming one of the best Black TV characters of all time.

A phenomenal, long-running, and endlessly influential crime drama (especially to Rian Johnson in both his “Knives Out” movies and his show “Poker Face”), “Columbo” is an essential, delightful, and cozy watch.

Giving one of the great TV performances of all time, Peter Falk plays Lieutenant Frank Columbo, a Los Angeles detective who is the definition of “frumpy.” He wears a wrinkled overcoat, has eternally windswept hair, mumbles his way through interrogations, and wears a quizzical smile even in the most traditionally intense of police circumstances. He is also, without exaggeration, the single greatest criminal investigator in the history of the world.

The show trademarked the storytelling form known as the “howcatchem,” as opposed to the more traditional “whodunit,” where the person who committed the murder is shown in the very first scene, and the pleasures come not from the eventual revelation of the perpetrator’s identity but from the procedure in the detective’s discovery. And Columbo always got his man.

Oh, just one more thing: Steven Spielberg directed the first episode, “Murder by the Book.”

If you haven’t seen “Dawson’s Creek” and have been itching to check out one of the classic teen dramas, you no longer have to wait for your lives to be over (shout out to that theme song, now available again on streaming).

Created by Kevin Williamson (who also took the Gen X teens’ temperature with “Scream”), the show takes many elements present in teen dramas of yore — precocious verbiage, sexual maturation, and a litany of “very special episodes” — and remixes them with a lived-in, authentic sensibility. Or, at least it felt authentic when it first aired in the late 1990s through early 2000s — now it might just give you a full-on nostalgia rush. Fun no matter what!

James Van Der Beek stars as Dawson, an aspiring filmmaker who enjoys a friendship that feels like something more with Joey, a troubled tomboy played by Katie Holmes. Other notable cast members include Joshua Jackson as Dawson’s goofy best friend, Pacey, and Michelle Williams as the new kid in town who changes everything.

“The Dick Van Dyke Show” is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, a must-watch for anyone with even a passing interest in the medium, especially if those interests center around comedy.

Created by comedy legend Carl Reiner (who’s also enjoyed fruitful partnerships with people like Mel Brooks and Steve Martin), the show stars another comedy icon, Dick Van Dyke, as Rob Petrie, the head writer for a Sid Caesar-styled variety show. Van Dyke’s work on the show is timeless and flawless; he’s charming, sophisticated, and ever-eager to play the fool even when playing the voice of reason. His wife, Laura, is played by yet another comedy legend, Mary Tyler Moore, whose ebullient charms beyond justify her eventual headlining show, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Together, they make one of the great television couples.

Watching these two physically gifted performers dance (sometimes literally) their way through fleet, endearing familial situations is enough to recommend the show — and that’s before it takes you behind the scenes of producing comedy television with a litany of vaudevillian one-liners and eccentric characters.

Originally airing on UPN and the CW from 2000 to 2008, “Girlfriends” is an underrated sitcom, a rich and inviting watch notable in its tonal complexities, representative importance, and sensitive performances (especially from breakout star Tracee Ellis Ross).

Created by the prolific Mara Brock Akil (who had previously worked on other great shows like “Moesha” and “The Jamie Foxx Show”), “Girlfriends” follows a group of female friends in Los Angeles: Joan (Ross), Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), and Toni (Jill Marie Jones). Throughout its eight seasons, this group of girlfriends navigates their deep and long-standing friendship through the ebbs and flows of modern life.

But refreshingly, “Girlfriends” is unafraid of digging deep, mining its relationships and situations for pathos just as much as laughs. Some of its plot developments are ripped from the 2000s headlines, using such national traumas as Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War as impediments through which to persevere. And the characters, especially Joan and Toni, are unafraid to hit each other where it hurts, even in the pursuit of love.

“Homicide: Life on the Street” is a powerful work of television, a show that, despite its critical acclaim and obvious influence, remains underrated and underappreciated in mainstream culture.

Based on a nonfiction book by David Simon (who would go on to create another TV crime classic, “The Wire”), and created by Paul Attanasio (who would go on to earn Oscar nods for the screenplays of unorthodox crime movies “Quiz Show” and “Donnie Brasco”), “Homicide” follows the homicide unit of the Baltimore Police Department as they grit their way through all manner of complicated and intense crimes.

The ensemble cast is deep, with standouts like Andre Braugher and Melissa Leo orienting us through an endlessly disorienting world (plus, it features the debut of Detective John Munch, played by Richard Belzer, a character who would go on to star in the more popular “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”). And in both its writing and filmmaking, a sense of intoxicating complexity is the standard, foreshadowing what we now take for granted in our world of prestige, peak TV.

“Saturday Night Live” isn’t the only iconic sketch comedy series developed by Lorne Michaels. And in this writer’s humble opinion, “The Kids in the Hall” might be the smarter and hipper choice.

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian comedy troupe composed of Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, Bruce McCulloch, and Scott Thompson. And in their sketch show, originally airing from 1988 to 1995, we see a full display of their endlessly peculiar sensibilities.

Their sketch premises are surreal and heady, yet silly and stupid. Their character work is beyond committed, even and especially when they gender-bend and play female characters not as shrieking caricatures (a sin that their obvious forebearers, Monty Python, are more than guilty of) but as real human beings who happen to be dealing with comedic absurdities.

And the variety of types of sketches seen makes the show function as a kind of masterclass for the aspiring sketch comedian. Traditionally live two-person sketches, avant-garde pre-taped short films, straight-to-camera character monologues — all of these and more are present in this wonderful, unique show.

Inspired by a series of thriller books written by Luke Jennings, “Killing Eve” is one of the more unique shows on this list, both in terms of tone and production history. It’s startling proof of what’s possible solely in the medium of television.

Sandra Oh stars as Eve Polastri, a British intelligence agent on the hunt for Villanelle (Jodie Comer), a seemingly sociopathic and prolific criminal assassin. While the resulting plot functions primarily as a pulse-pounding thriller, it also curiously curdles into black comedy and, most provocatively, a kind of dysfunctional queer romance. These two characters become unhealthily obsessed with each other in violent ways, both psychologically and viscerally; think “lesbian ‘Hannibal'” and you’re getting there.

As for its production, every one of its four seasons is head-written by a different person, giving each entry its own special verve. Season 1 comes from Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), Season 2 from Emerald Fennell (“Saltburn”), Season 3 from Suzanne Heathcote (“Fear the Walking Dead”), and Season 4 from Laura Neal (“Sex Education”).

If you’ve binged “Columbo” and crave another cozy mystery series featuring one of our all-time great television detectives, it is beyond time for you to dive into “Murder, She Wrote.”

The eternally beloved Angela Lansbury plays Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer who puts her fictional bona fides into practical use when she helps solve real-life murders in the sanguine, fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine. Lansbury, already an icon on stage (“Sweeney Todd,” among others) and in film (“The Manchurian Candidate,” among others), instantly added television to her impressive resume. Her performance is full of warmth and empathy, yet slides into no-nonsense truth bombs with ease. When she discovers who the murderer is and gives them a scolding, it hurts more than any prison sentence they’re about to face. 

If “Homicide: Life on the Street” is a double-shot espresso served by a barista who wants to punch you in the gut, “Murder, She Wrote” is a pumpkin spice latte served by a barista who wants to know the name of your rescue dog. It is, quite simply, the loveliest show about constant murder you will ever watch.

A homemade cult comedy classic for those who loved “Kids in the Hall” and want more of that smart-silly sensibility, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” has been a television mainstay since 1988, and it ain’t going anywhere any time soon.

The show’s engine is simple. You know how it’s fun to make fun of bad movies with your friends? “MST3K” codifies that as an endlessly repeatable, endlessly entertaining structure for a television series — with the benefit of professional comedy writers and performers, of course.

Its narrative thrust, explained handily in its catchy surf rock theme song, concerns a human host (over the years, Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, and Jonah Ray) stuck on a spaceship with robot companions Crow and Tom Servo. Their captors wish to drive them mad with the worst movies they can find, but their snarky prisoners can’t help but riff their way through the flicks, staying sane with good humor.

Jump in on any episode, and good luck making it through without laughing until you cry.

A one-season wonder stuffed with the edginess of a contemporary Adult Swim program (which makes sense, given it was syndicated by Adult Swim after The WB unceremoniously canceled it) and the heart of a “Bob’s Burgers” family sitcom, “The Oblongs” is the kind of underseen gem Tubi is made for.

Voiced by an absolute murderer’s row of talent — Will Ferrell, Jean Smart, the Sklar Brothers, Pamela Adlon, and more — “The Oblongs” is a semi-autobiographical animated comedy that comes from creators Angus Oblong and Jace Richdale. It’s the tale of a typical nuclear family — emphasis on “nuclear,” as they’re all mutated and deformed by their environment’s radiation, pollution, and no-holds-barred poisoning. Despite their various maladies, they do their best to maintain a typical American life, dealing with family squabbles, school issues, and the coming-of-age moments that affect all youngsters, surreal body horror or not.

Originally airing in 2001, elements of the show may play with some overtly insensitive edges. But for this writer, it remains a worthy watch because of its surprisingly wholesome voice and uniquely inventive animation style.

How about some reality? But nothing in the TLC or “Real Housewives” zone of reality; there is nary a Kardashian to be found. Instead, Tubi offers one of our classier entries in the canon, a revelatory competition show that broadened culture to the ideas of high fashion and added catchphrases like “make it work” to our lexicon.

“Project Runway,” created by the constantly working reality producer Eli Holzman (“Undercover Boss” and “American Idol,” among others), originally began airing in 2004 and continues to this day. It features a group of working and aspiring designers competing in fashion challenges, crafting pieces for models to wear down the runway. Through each season, one by one, contestants are eliminated until just a single winner is crowned.

Throughout the show’s run, notable fashion figures have hosted, judged, and mentored, including Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Karlie Kloss, Michael Kors, and so many more.

If you’re a fan of Edgar Wright movies like “Shaun of the Dead” or “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and haven’t checked out his breakthrough TV series, “Spaced,” now is the time to procure a Cornetto and pay your respects.

Written by Wright and Jessica Stevenson (who you might recognize as a key cameo from “Shaun of the Dead”), the show features key collaborators of Wright’s, including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost; Pegg and Stevenson star here as Tim and Daisy, two strangers who decide to move in together (despite having just met) to score the only London apartment they can both afford. 

“Spaced” also establishes many of Wright’s pet themes, including an obsession with pop culture both in-universe (i.e., the characters love nerdy stuff) and in its filmic style as directed by Wright. Plus, beyond the “Edgar Wright completionism” of it all, “Spaced” is a great, concise watch, a flavor of British comedy that feels like Danny Boyle’s “Clerks,” a breakneck piece of surrealism crossed with sensitive character work.

Quick question: Are you interested in exploring the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge? If yes, it’s time for you to enter “The Twilight Zone.” If no, um, have fun not watching a great TV show?

Created and hosted by noted TV writer Rod Serling, “The Twilight Zone” is another one of those canonical shows that continues to startle and entertain with its power, sensitivity, and courage.

From a historical perspective, “The Twilight Zone” took a still-budding medium’s showcase of self-contained teleplays and combined it with the genre pleasures of science fiction and horror to make concise works of storytelling power. As such, the episodes — especially iconic ones like “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and “It’s a Good Life” — possess a perfect mixture of spine-tingling chills and shocking pieces of social and cultural commentary.

It’s also a great way to see some of Hollywood’s most exemplary and sometimes still-developing performers chew their way through some gnarly material, including George Takei in “The Encounter,” Burgess Meredith in “Time Enough at Last,” and Jack Klugman in “A Game of Pool.”