3 best free shows on Tubi to stream right now

Tubi on a tablet with headphones and popcorn nearby — (Image credit: Shutterstock; Tubi)

Looking for a TV show to watch on Tubi can feel a bit like searching through endless channels on a weekday afternoon off from work or school during the height of cable TV dominance. Tubi is one of the best free streaming services, but with more than 20,000 available titles, it offers a dizzying array of choices.

Tubi’s TV selections include everything from early classics to forgotten oddities to recent hits, all with relatively minimal commercial interruption. The platform combines the old-school TV experience of random discovery with the convenience of modern streaming on demand.

‘The Conners’

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After Roseanne Barr left the revival of her sitcom “Roseanne,” it seemed unlikely that the show would be able to continue. But “The Conners” demonstrated that the extended Conner family was more than worthy of carrying a show on its own, and the series has honored the “Roseanne” legacy of telling funny, relatable stories about working-class struggles and family solidarity.

John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Lecy Goranson, Sarah Gilbert and Michael Fishman return as the members of the Conner family, alongside Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara and Jayden Rey as the next generation of Conners. The family members mostly live in the same house as they did in the original series, with Goodman’s Dan Conner as the aging but still snarky patriarch and Gilbert’s Darlene Conner as the pragmatic daughter holding the bickering but loving family together.

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‘Unreal’

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As “The Bachelor” and its various spin-offs continue to rule reality TV, this dark dramedy set behind the scenes at a “Bachelor”-like reality show called “Everlasting” seems timelier than ever. “The Bachelor” has not yet gotten as unhinged as what happens on “Everlasting” over the course of four seasons of “Unreal,” including sabotage, rampant drug abuse, and literal murder. “Unreal” itself becomes just as addictive a soap opera as any reality show.

Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer are excellent as the frenemies who are responsible for keeping “Everlasting” on track through all of the behind-the-scenes disasters. Appleby’s Rachel Goldberg is a master at manipulating contestants’ emotions to get the show’s desired results, even though her own personal life is a wreck. It’s fascinating and occasionally horrifying to watch as she ruins lives and relationships in pursuit of creating must-see TV.

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‘The Critic’

“It stinks!” may not be quite as famous a line as “Two thumbs up,” but it’s proved to be just as valuable as shorthand for a certain type of movie review. It’s the catch phrase of the title character in animated comedy “The Critic,” bestowed upon all manner of cinematic monstrosities. Hapless movie critic Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz) attempts to educate his TV audience about high-quality cinema, but his corporate bosses aren’t interested in highbrow art.

Created by veteran “The Simpsons” writer-producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, “The Critic” features a similar mix of sarcastic humor, pop-culture references and smart satire, with a little bit of heart. “The Critic” only lasted two seasons, but it’s since become a cult classic — much like a movie Jay Sherman might have recommended on his show.

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Josh Bell is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He's the former film editor of Las Vegas Weekly and has written about movies and TV for Vulture, Inverse, CBR, Crooked Marquee and more. With comedian Jason Harris, he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year.