Can I watch full TV episodes online for free? Are there any legal sites for this? I am sure you may have asked yourself these questions a lot of times.
Here’s a good news! You can leave your television sets and log in to some websites and web apps for watching your favorite TV shows. There are tons of sites out there where you can simply log in and watch your favorite shows for free.
But, not all of these free sites are legal. There are a lot of spammy sites that show pirated content which is simply illegal. Accessing such sites can potentially infect your computer with malware programs. This is why you should be careful while browsing for free tv shows online.
So, to help you save time, I have gone through a few websites and picked the best ones that allowed me to watch TV show episodes online for free. The sites I have mentioned are trusted sources and as legal as the paid streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix or Amazon Prime.
You’ll watch these TV episodes with the creator’s consent, without breaking any law. So, go ahead and check out these legal websites to watch TV show episodes for free.
Top 15 Sites to Watch TV Online Legally & For Free
Here are my top picks for the legal website that let you watch TV shows & full episodes online for free.
1. Crackle
Your first take on watching TV shows on the legal and completely free website would be Crackle . The website offers video-on-demand services to users for free, and has been in this business for more than a year.
Crackle has great features that can create a high-quality video streaming experience for you. Full episodes of popular TV shows are easily found on this website. Original series, documentaries and some unreleased video content are also made available.
The good things about Crackle –
- It is a legal and free service
- All episodes and TV shows are rated
- Crackle’s library is small but contains TV show classics and latest outstanding TV series
- Crackle is now available as an app for other devices
- You can stream channels such as Award Winning Documentaries and sign up to create User Watch lists
Crackle continues to pull millions of viewers daily. But, it is nonetheless a free service and doesn’t get paid for views. I was bugged, however, when too many ads and commercials kept disturbing me while I was streaming a full-length episode.
Soon I realized that ads were the only way Crackle was making money to run its business. Other than that, Crackle is a top-notch website to watch full episodes of TV shows for free.
2. Popcorn Time
Less of a website and more of a web application , Popcorn Time is a popular video streaming service. It contains more content on TV shows and less on movies, which is good for your needs. You can stream both, the current and past episodes of a TV show to stay on track with a series.
What’s best about Popcorn Time –
- You can download TV show episodes for free through the smartphone app or PC software
- It uses the BitTorrent protocol to stay a free service
- There’s a good chance that you’ll find almost any TV show or movie till date
- Includes a integrated media player with great streaming features
Now, the site didn’t disturb me with ads , but there were a few pop-ups blocked by my browser. It made me wonder, “ Is Popcorn Time safe? ”
The software or web application is legal in all respects, but there is a catch. I can personally use Popcorn Time to watch copyrighted TV show episodes , but I am not supposed to share or re-use it somewhere else. That’s how borderline illegal Popcorn Time is.
3. Popcorn Flix
Up next is this namesake video streaming service that is a completely different ball game. PopcornFlix or Popcorn Flix is an OTT (over-the-top) video-on-demand service that streams selective TV shows and independent feature films.
Popcorn Flix is run by Screen Media Ventures, and its content comes from the distribution company’s library. So, you would not find all TV shows on this site. But, you’ll still get loads of original content in the form of film school originals and web series.
The site is available only in the United States and Canada, and a few more territories. It primarily streams webisodes and full-length episodes of TV shows distributed by the parent company. ‘
Also, the service is ad-supported , so watch out for the incessant pop-ups. The best thing about Popcorn Flix is that I can use the app or open the site on all sorts of platforms – Xbox, Windows 10 mobile, PlayStation, iPad, iPhone, Roku and more.
4. Canistream.it
I tested CanIStream.it to find out if I could really stream TV show episodes for free. Well, the video streaming website turned out right for that matter.
Canistream.it is a web site developed by Urban Pixels and works more as an aggregator for all major video streaming platforms like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, and even Crackle.
It is like a video search engine – you search for a TV show title, the site shows relevant links across these platforms, and you can instantly start streaming the episodes.
Canistream.it offers –
- Free as well as a subscription-based streaming
- Time limited rentals at a small price
- A sign-up feature where you can set a reminder for upcoming TV show episodes
The site is not a great free service, though. I wanted to watch some latest popular TV show and it was available only as Premium content on the site. So, I had to pay for a subscription to watch premium TV show episodes. Fortunately, there
5. Yidio
Unlike the sites above, Yidio is more popular as a host that offers its own content for free. There’s no doubt that you’d use Yidio to watch TV shows for free, but it’s good to watch some unrated original series once a while.
Yidio offers higher quality video for TV show episodes. The site offers movies in standard quality. The integrated Yidio player has great options – a 10-second rewind button, link to share episodes on Facebook, multi-language subtitles , and more.
The site scores points and money when it comes to advertisements . I watched an hour-long episode and was disturbed only a few times by some short, underwhelming ads.
That’s the only way Yidio makes money, so I don’t mind the short ads at all.
Also, the site offers great video buffering. But, the buffering speed and video quality depends on your location and region. Instead, you can try the Yidio mobile app as a free TV show app to watch episodes and web series instantly and on-the-go.
6. Tubi TV
TubiTV is more popular as a Netflix alternative. You can watch TV shows that aren’t available on Netflix or other popular platforms for free. It gives an exclusive status to the site.
The streaming service is now more popular as an Android or iOS app . Your video’s buffering could slow down on the site , but not on the app.
Since the site makes money mostly from ads, you can pay a small subscription fee to watch full-length TV show episodes ad-free . You can always give your feedback to Tubi TV and get more content on the site.
I also found out that the site is not available in Europe . That’s not a deal breaker for me, but I’m sure TubiTV plans to re-launch in European countries with a more compliant version of its site and app.
7. StreamWoop
Let’s switch the TV show genre and move on to some sports series. StreamWoop is one of the best video-on-demand services to watch live sports streaming .
You can watch your favorite sports TV shows, features, current news, match highlights, and even major league events – all for free on StreamWoop .
StreamWoop has –
- A vast sports content index for free streaming
- Free links for live video streams
- Support from trusted sources to offer copyrighted sports TV shows
The site is more of a community than a video streaming service. You may not find many ads , but the buffering speed may vary based on what sports series or live event you’re watching.
8. ZorroStream
ZorroStream.TV is probably your second-best option to watch sports TV series and episodes for free. It is an online live sports streaming service that is safe for your personal use .
I like tuning into ZorroStream to watch missed out episodes of shows like Ballers. The site uses a Flash player to load the streamed video content.
It offers good buffering speed on Android devices, but the new HTML5 update makes it good for iOS devices also.
9. Stream2Watch
If I am out of my hometown, I can watch what’s on my local TV channels with Stream2Watch. The site is best to keep you connected to your local cable TV channels whenever you step out.
You can watch TV shows live at their regular broadcast time by logging in to the Stream2Watch site. If you miss the time, you can still stream the archived episodes .
This service is totally free and you won’t miss any live shows or TV episodes on being telecasted on channels like CBS and ABC. It is a cable TV alternative for your PC or mobile device.
The site can also help you catch major sports events like the World Cup. Watch your sports event from every angle with this website.
10. Crunchyroll
There’s a specialized video streaming site that lets you watch sports TV show episodes for free. Crunchyroll is a cool site to watch all sports web series and TV shows. You can also get classic TV show episodes on the site.
The site is not completely free , however. You can use the free version to watch limited content, while the paid-subscription offers more content and zero ads . I like to use Crunchyroll to watch classic anime shows and even the latest Japanese animation shows.
ShareTV works on a slightly different business model. It is an online television community and not a typical video streaming service.
The community keeps you updated with new episodes of your favorite TV shows. You can instantly watch episodes that are being aired at the same time.
With ShareTV , you can –
- keep a track of the new episodes and their release dates
- get more content from its partner – Hulu
- watch uncut full-length episodes of TV shows
- access unrated TV shows and web series
The site also offers features such as episode guides , summary, discussion boards, and more. Since it’s community-driven, you won’t be bugged a lot by ads.
However, the buffering speed may cut down after an episode gets streamed for a large number of viewers.
12. TV Player
If you are living in the UK, then chuck out all the above options. Log on TVPlayer.com and watch TV shows for free across the Kingdom. It is a free online service, exclusive for the Brits and offers over 100 TV channels .
You can get the Premium Tier plan and pay a small price to get additional TV channels from other parts of the world. But, the site has no plans to offer old TV shows or classic series.
You can watch full-length episodes in standard quality and you won’t need to install any extra software for video streaming.
13. Sport Stream TV
This site is only meant for those who want to watch a live sports TV show online . Be it a football match highlight show or a sports review series, you can watch it for free on SportStream.TV .
The special thing about this site is that I can even watch a live game from other parts of the world . So, the site is best when you are out of your country or continent, and you wish to watch a live sports event.
14. PBS
Yes, the American public broadcaster is now in the free video streaming market. The PBS site offers its TV show episodes for free in Canada, parts of Mexico, and the United States.
It is a non-profit organization, so you may see a few ads while watching full-length episodes. The site is great for watching educational television programming and age-suitable content.
PBS offers more artistic shows that revolve around classic tales, relevant dramas and children’s entertainment.
15. My Lifetime
Lastly, you can go to the amazing website – mylifetime.com/videos . Why is it amazing? The My Lifetime site not just lets you watch TV shows for free, it also engages you with funny titles and quirky episode reviews.
You can find the most popular small-town TV series and episodes on this site. It is a decent site to captivate you when you’re looking for romantic TV shows on finding love in a small town. Thankfully, this site has no ads and buffers high-quality content with a smooth flow.
Be sure to tell us which site from above allowed you to watch TV shows for free in the best and trusted way. Leave your comment below.