Bill Keveney
USA TODAY
Published 10:50 AM EDT Mar 18, 2020
The coronavirus risk has quickly changed the daily routine for millions of Americans, staying inside to avoid catching or spreading the dangerous illness.
Before the walls start to look like they’re closing in, it makes sense to find ways to while away the time.
Plenty of subscription streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, are available to those willing to pay. Some offer free trials. But in this wonderful digital age, there are plenty of free, undiscovered streaming opportunities, too.
Here are some options, many available through Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Internet-connected TVs and other devices:
AcornTV, Sundance Now and Shudder
These AMC-owned networks, which offer original fare along with extensive libraries, are extending their free-trial periods from seven days to 30. Interested subscribers should use the code FREE30 for AcornTV, SUNDANCENOW30 for Sundance Now and SHUTIN for Shudder.
Sundance Now offers a international selection of true crime stories, thrillers and dramatic series, including “Playing for Keeps,” a murder mystery centered on an Australian football team with new episodes each Thursday, and such past shows as “The Little Drummer Girl,” “Law & Order: U.K.,” “Deutschland 83” and “86.”
The lineup for Acorn TV, whose international menu features a special focus on British TV, includes such murder mysteries as “Midsomer Murders,” “Agatha Raisin” and the upcoming “Deadwater Fell” (April 6) with David Tennant and Cush Jumbo; crime dramas “No Offence” and “Line of Duty”; and dramedies “Doc Martin,” “After Henry” and “Men Behaving Badly.”
But if you love horror, Shudder offers a ton of scary movies and freaky thrillers. There are classics of the genre like “Night of the Living Dead,” the original “Halloween” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” but also newer offerings like Rob Zombie’s “3 From Hell” and the revamped anthology series “Creepshow.”
This month: The best TV shows and movies to stream in March 2020
Pluto TV
If you don’t mind ads, Pluto TV, owned by ViacomCBS, provides free programming from a variety of programming genres and networks, including longtime Viacom brands MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. There are channels for “American Gladiators” and “Baywatch,” along with a heaping helping of network and cable news programs.
Tubi
Tubi, an ad-supported service acquired this week by Fox, offers more than 20,000 movies and TV shows. Genres include action, comedy, drama, horror, documentary and family-oriented shows, along with plenty of TV programming from A&E (“Duck Dynasty”), “Highway to Heaven” and other uplifting programs from Dove Channel.
The big one: Netflix: Everything coming (and disappearing) in March 2020 (including ‘Ozark’)
Vudu
Walmart’s online video store – think Blockbuster for the digital era – offers newer movies like “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to rent or buy.
But Vudu also has a substantial free section that changes monthly. This month, you can watch “Point Break,” “Superbad” and the four “Lethal Weapon” films, plus multiple TV seasons of “Blue Mountain State,” “Leverage” and “Blue’s Clues.”
Like Netflix and Amazon, Vudu’s also gotten into the original series game, with free seasons of “Mr. Mom,” based on the 1980s Michael Keaton comedy, and the family-friendly “Adventure Force 5.”
Xumo
Xumo viewers get free live and on-demand streaming entertainment – up to 190 channels – along with some commercials. The service offers “channels” from The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, USA TODAY, Funny or Die and History. “Roseanne,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Unsolved Mysteries” are among the available programs.
IMDb TV
IMDb, the Amazon-owned website you click on to find the name of the mayor in “Jaws,” also has a free programming source, IMDb TV, available through the IMDb website, Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Fire TV.
So-called “recent” movies include “Blade Runner 2049,” “Two for the Money” and “Legally Blonde,” while TV shows include “Everwood,” “DeGrassi: The Next Generation” and “The Middle.”
Free programming is available through comedy-oriented Sony Crackle; Kanopy, which offers such high-end movies as “Lady Bird,” “Chinatown” and “Rashomon” for those with a library card or university ID; and Roku and YouTube.
Contributing: Brian Truitt
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
