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Summary

Tubi offers classic TV shows dating back to the ’50s, providing viewers with a trip down memory lane.
In the Nostalgia TV category, viewers can find beloved classics like Degrassi, The Magic School Bus, and more.
Tubi’s Live TV section has channels dedicated to classic shows like The Carol Burnett Show and Johnny Carson, making it easy to access classic TV.

TV fans are hardly starved for content these days. Between the traditional networks, cable channels, and streaming services, each week often brings dozens of new original shows and episodes to devour. Sometimes, though, the new can get tiring. That’s when it’s time to start seeking out the tried and true — the classics.

If you’re in search of a little TV history, there’s no better streaming service than Tubi. The free, ad-supported streamer is filled to the brim with many great shows and movies, but its killer feature really is all the classic TV on the platform.

Tubi has dozens of old TV shows (going back almost to the very beginning of television) and gives TV fans access to the history of the medium, plus a whole lot of nostalgia.

Tubi

number of users: 80 million
notable shows: Hemlock Grove, Babylon 5, Spartacus, Gotham, Columbo
notable movies: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Child’s Play, White House Down, Knives Out, It
Premium Subscription: No
Originals: Yes
Live TV: 200+ channels

Sorry Netflix, Tubi just proved it’s the best live streaming service

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Nostalgia TV

The best genre on Tubi

can-you-rewind-fast-forward-or-pause-tubi

Sorting through the mountains of content on Tubi can be a bit tough, but thankfully, for fans of classic TV, there’s an easy section to turn to. Under the Genres section in Tubi’s menu is one category simply called Nostalgia TV. The name says it all, really, but it’s the actual offerings that are exciting.

Favorites like Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Magic School bus are featured. So are Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Farscape, GI Joe, and more — and that’s just some of the more recent shows. Tubi also has TV shows going all the way back to the ’50s, like The Honeymooners, The Rifleman, Bonanza, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

The free streamer also has favorites like the original 21 Jump Street, the classic cartoon Jem, old Betty Boop cartoons, intriguing Mike Wallace interviews, variety shows like Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, and even The Weird Al Show.

I searched Tubi’s 200+ channels and found the best ones so you don’t have to

Tubi’s free, ad-supported streaming service is also a great home for live-streaming channels.

Hidden gems

Digging through the archive

Explore tab on Tubi streaming, with an arrow pointing to the button. — Pocket-lint / Google Play Store

Pocket-lint / Google Play Store

One of the biggest problems with TV, especially in the streaming era, is that the new tends to take precedence over the old. This means that not only are classic shows less front-and-center, there are a lot of practically forgotten shows awaiting rediscovery.

One of the best shows to check out is Suspense. The anthology series ran on CBS from 1949 to 1954, airing 260 live TV plays across six seasons.

For every classic Doctor Who serial or soap like Dark Shadows, there are lesser-known family sitcoms like The Donna Reed Show or Make Room for Daddy. Many people might be aware of The Beverly Hillbillies, The Carol Burnett Show, or Dennis the Menace, but few are likely to remember the Ted Knight-starring comedy Too Close for Comfort, or the odd Dale Robertson-fronted Tales of Wells Fargo, about an agent for the banking service in the old west.

One of the best shows to check out is Suspense. The anthology series ran on CBS from 1949 to 1954, airing 260 live TV plays across six seasons. Ninety of those episodes are available to watch on Tubi, with episodes featuring guest stars like Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Cloris Leachman and other icons. It’s a great series, but also fascinating to watch given that it’s from TV’s live broadcast era, when TV was closer in spirit to live theater.

a multimedia remote controlling a streaming service on a colored background

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Live TV

Classic TV channels

LG / Tubi

One of Tubi’s killer apps is its Live TV section, featuring dozens of live-streaming channels like sports, news, movies, and more. For the classic TV fan, there’s plenty to offer, as well. People can tune into The Carol Burnett Show channel, for example, to get a 24/7 stream of episodes from the classic variety show. There’s also a Johnny Carson channel, featuring classic episodes and clips from the old Tonight Show.

Along with those, there are channels for The Rifleman, Baywatch, Bob Ross’s Joy of Painting, Doctor Who, Forensic Files, and more. Plus, for kids, there’s the Kartoon Channel, which streams classics like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Super Mario Bros., and GI Joe. It’s a great way to dive into classic TV without the bells and whistles.