5 best free shows streaming on The Roku Channel right now
Discover new shows and classic must-see TV with The Roku Channel
Need a new TV show to get invested in without paying for the streaming subscription attached to it? Don't discount completely free platforms like The Roku Channel, where you can find hundreds of TV shows and movies without having to pay a cent.
The Roku Channel is one of the best free streaming services available, with a wide variety of different series ranging from those that are still airing to classics you may not have thought about in a while. That makes it a fun and versatile option to turn to when you've exhausted options on paid services like Netflix and Hulu.
Not sure what to watch, or just need a place to start? Check out five of our favorites below for a few of the best free series you can watch right now on The Roku Channel.
'House'
Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) is an intelligent yet sarcastic and prickly doctor whose expertise helps solve challenging and often dire medical mysteries. He might be a genius, but he has an awful bedside manner and borders on antisocial. That doesn't keep him from being the best in his field, or from keeping his co-workers (and a lover) from worming their way into his life despite his staunch insistence that he only needs himself - and the pain medication he's addicted to.
Watch on The Roku Channel
'The Nanny'
Cosmetic saleswoman Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) shows up on the doorstep of Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy) pushing cosmetics after her boyfriend dumps her. Sheffield hires her on to be a nanny for his children despite feeling he isn't quite what he's looking for, but eventually warms to her charm, style, and warm heart, especially when it comes to dealing with the kids. And it doesn't hurt that both of them have an initial romantic spark, either.
Watch on The Roku Channel
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'Walker, Texas Ranger'
Former Marine Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris) and former Dallas Cowboys player and partner James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard) fight crime together in Texas while working to improve their community and even setting criminals on the straight and narrow. With copious usage of martial arts, cheesy '90s action montages, and Norris's larger-than-life skills, this is a cult classic that'll have you nodding along to its iconic (and cringe but cool) theme song. 'Cause the eyes of a Ranger are upon you, after all.
Watch on The Roku Channel
'Gossip Girl'
Blogger "Gossip Girl" (Kristen Bell) narrates a look at a group of upper-class teens in Manhattan's Upper East Side. When popular girl Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) reappears after a mysterious absence, her actions and love interests become the subject of the unknown blogger's regular posts and musings, as the rest of Constance Billard School for Girls, including Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) become exposed for their seedy doings.
Watch on The Roku Channel
'Dead Like Me'
Georgia "George" Lass (Ellen Muth) dies unexpectedly after being hit by a toilet seat falling from the sky. She's given a second shot at life as a new member of the undead, albeit as another person, working as a "grim reaper" to take the souls of those before they die and take them to the afterlife. Lass must come to terms with her untimely death and all the emotions that come along with escorting others to their own end while befriending other reapers and finding her place in this new world.
Watch on The Roku Channel
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Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.