Tubi is a FAST (free, ad-supported streaming television) service from the Fox Corporation, and has a wide selection of series streaming for free, just with the price of ads. What makes Tubi unique is its seemingly exclusive streaming rights to previously removed Max originals like Lovecraft Country alongside its various other offerings from different channels and networks.
No account is required to start streaming on Tubi, though creating one will allow you to keep track of your watch history, as well as add shows and movies to your watchlist. Tubi’s rolodex of movies is impressive, and while its television slate is slightly less-so, there are still numerous classics and must-see TV shows to watch on the platform. Below, we have broken down the best shows to watch on Tubi (listed in no particular order), all available for totally free.
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Bee—nevermind. Instead of summoning the sleazy ghost yourself, just turn on Tubi and immerse yourself in the cult classic animated series, which is now finally available on streaming. Beetlejuice follows the hilarious misadventures of Beetlejuice (Stephen Ouimette, taking over from Michael Keaton) and a 12-year old Lydia (Alyson Court, taking over from Winona Rider) as they attempt to assuage their boredom through bizarre episodic hijinks. This series features a sweetly endearing buddy relationship between Beetlejuice and Lydia, and is a perfect binge to embark on before watching the ghost’s big screen return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. —Anna Govert
Big Mood
Channel 4’s Big Mood has made it across the pond thanks to Tubi, where you can now watch all episodes of this hilarious and heartfelt series. Following best friends Maggie (Nicola Coughlan) and Eddie (Lydia West), Big Mood catalogs their journey as they move into their thirties, and begin to question whether or not their 10-year-long friendship is truly serving either of them. An irreverent comedy keen on highlighting that life doesn’t just stop as you exit your twenties, this series is a must-watch for any fan of Coughlan’s previous work on Derry Girls, or anyone just missing the distinctly millenial vibes of The Bold Type or Insecure. —Anna Govert
grown-ish
Even when the process is kept entirely in-house, it’s hard to know what to expect when an established series spins fan-favorite characters off to anchor something new. For the resulting spin-off to not only shift its target demographic, but move to a whole other network, like Yara Shahidi’s college-focused grown-ish did when it landed on Freeform after breaking away from ABC’s black-ish? That was more than unexpected—it was bold. Happily, it also proved to be a savvy play, the spin-off’s charming young cast, sharp writing, and fourth-wall-breaking confessional tone combining to give it real legs. As the black-ish-exported lead, Zoey, Shahidi is of course a blast to watch (even as Zoey makes bad decision after bad decision, as young adults alone at college for the first time are wont to do), but truly no more so than the rest of the ensemble cast, any one of whom could be considered a particular standout, depending on the mood you’re in. For the purposes of this list, Francia Raisa comes to mind, as her character, Ana Torres, is so diametrically opposite of the one she played for years on ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager, but pop phenoms Chloe x Halle might be who you’re most drawn to, or Luka Sabbat’s overly chill Luca, or Emily Arlook’s kinda-messy Nomi, whose most recent major arc saw her coming out to herself (and the professor she inadvisably made out with) as bisexual. There’s just so much going on on grown-ish, and while much of it is as awkward and painful as the growing pains of real young adulthood can be (especially in the age of social media), it’s never not a delight. —Alexis Gunderson
Spartacus
One of Starz’s biggest early hits, the oiled-up, testosterone-fueled Spartacus began with Blood and Sand, which focused on the historic gladiator (and a historic amount of male nudity) and his loyal rebellion of freed slaves growing stronger as Roman troops readied themselves to fight back. Tragically, star Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with cancer after filming the first season, and Starz filled in the production gap with the prequel miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Whitfield died in 2011, but the series continued on with a new lead, Liam McIntyre, for the follow-ups Vengeance and War of the Damned. Stylized battle sequences defined the series, but it also picked up more heart and substance as it continued. Look for early roles from Manu Bennett, Jai Courtney, Katrina Law, and more. —Allison Keene
Swamp Thing
Premiering on the now-defunct DC Universe app alongside Titans and Harley Quinn, Swamp Thing brought horror to the TV-MA side of DC’s television entries. Starring Teen Wolf alum Crystal Reed as scientist Abby Arcane, Swamp Thing follows Abby as she returns to her hometown in Louisiana to investigate a swamp-born virus. After her tentative bond with disgraced scientist Alec Holland (Andy Bean) is cut short by his tragic death, a mysterious creature—thing—residing in the swamp claims to be him. Defined by its chilling body horror, stand-out performances, and striking atmosphere in the Louisiana swamps, Swamp Thing was canceled far too soon, but what remains is a series absolutely worth watching. —Anna Govert
Astrid and Lilly Save the World
Released into the ether with little fanfare, Astrid and Lilly Save the World is about as obscure as you can get in our current streaming era. The series, which aired for just one season on SYFY, follows the titular Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) as they attempt to vanquish a gaggle of ridiculous and frightening monsters that they themselves accidentally summoned into their world. Pointedly starring two plus-size characters, the series examines the horrors of high school, including the brutal bullying that comes along with being outcasts, all as our central characters attempt to deal with their new supernatural problems. It’s charming, it’s silly, it’s heartwarming, and it’s hilarious. —Anna Govert
Gossip Girl
Slick, uber-wealthy and almost unbearably white, Gossip Girl was adroitly dubbed the “hockey fights video of teen romance drama” by the New York Daily News. While I tend to like my TV a little weightier and with a less blinding palette (seriously, you could set your white balance on most of this cast) I was, despite myself, quickly won over by this absurdist look at insanely wealthy New York teenagers. When the reactionary Parents Television Council referred to the show as “mind-blowingly inappropriate,” I was sold. Anything that pisses off a group of backwards tight-asses that much has got to be supported. And you know what? It was inappropriate. But so what? It was like Bugsy Malone with martinis and sex toys. Its tongue was planted firmly in cheek, and the show had wit to spare. And lest you think it was all modern fluff and wastoid teens, the show did have over-arching literary pretensions that often paid off. How else do you explain episode titles like “Pret-a-Poor-J,” “You’ve Got Yale!,” “The Witches of Bushwick” and “The Treasure of Serena Madre”? Sure the “Who was Gossip Girl” reveal makes much of the five years one giant plot hole, but who cares? You know you love her… XOXO, Gossip Girl! —Mark Rabinowitz
Next Level Chef
Gordon Ramsay—or at least his production company—represents a creative font unparalleled in its prodigious output on television these days, as a quick browse through streaming services will attest. It’s barely possible to even nail down how many disparate shows have Ramsay’s face attached to them at this point, and one wonders if even the celebrity chef could name every iron he has in the fire. Few are as flamboyantly silly, though, as Next Level Chef, a cooking competition built around the gimmick of a three-storied kitchen, where chefs on each level have the advantage (or hindrance) of working with progressively better or worse ingredients and equipment. Like the Netflix dystopian film The Platform, those left on the shabby bottom floor, dubbed “the basement,” are left cooking with whatever scraps are left when the show’s moving platform arrives, establishing a simultaneous satire of socioeconomic class and a fantasy of upward mobility, where contestants can “bootstrap” themselves up to a higher level with grit and determination. In truth, though, what we’re watching the show for is the pure sense of unfiltered chaos it radiates, the sight of a contestant blindly grabbing at ingredients for 30 seconds and only then taking a step back to wonder “Is it possible to cook a dish with these things?” TV is full of cooking competitions, but few thrust as much entertaining stress on their competitors. —Jim Vorel
Midsomer Murders
With 23 seasons (and counting) to its name since its debut in 1997, ITV’s Midsomer Murders is the UK’s longest running detective drama. Based on Caroline Graham’s crime-novel series Chief Inspector Barnaby, Midsomer Murders takes place in the affluent Midsomer county, where the eccentricities of its residents lead to compelling cases. While the series began with Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) at its center, Nettles’ retirement from the show in 2011 resulted in Detective Chief Inspector John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) taking the reins from his older cousin. Still as popular as ever, this charming series is a staple of British television, and specifically British crime dramas. —Anna Govert
Pride & Prejudice (1995)
Horse riders make their way through a 16mm-colored countryside, Colin Firth makes his way into a lake, and Austen makes her way onto TV in what remains the definitive adaptation of Austen’s work for the screen (the breathtaking opening three minutes of Joe Wright’s 2005 film adaptation aside). The music bounces from scene to scene with curlicue youthfulness. The acting prods the lines around it with sly good cheer. Through it all, the spirit of the adaptation by Andrew Davies can be found in his describing it so: “Let’s have Elizabeth on a hillside seeing these two tasty blokes galloping along, and something about them makes her skip down the hill.” And, for the implicit back and forth that inspires (let alone what follows), we follow, too. —Evan Fleischer
Stargirl
First things first: Stargirl is brutal. Featuring a peppy teen gymnastics phenom named Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) who finds a cosmically powered staff that gives her not just Superman-like powers but the overzealous confidence to immediately go out and use them, the DC Universe-turned-CW series doesn’t shy away from showing the visceral trauma inherent to a superpowered world. In the first few episodes alone a psychotic adult with mind-control powers terrorizes his son and nearly kills Courtney, another psychotic adult with ice powers does kill an innocent teen boy, and a third psychotic adult with an underground lair of tortured monsters and an above-ground lair with a mind-controlled trophy wife grooms his nightmare of a daughter into following in his just as murderous footsteps. And that’s not even getting into the regular old domestic abuse, alcoholism, and parental abandonment that all plague Courtney’s new Blue Valley friends (and future superheroic teammates) in their everyday lives.
Still, what Stargirl lacks in psychological (or physical) subtlety, it makes up for in its kitschy All American aesthetic. Ostensibly set in the modern day—as in, everyone has smart phones and working knowledge of the same Top 40 hits as Americans in 2022—Stargirl nevertheless looks like Pleasantville’s superpowered cousin. From Pat’s (Luke Wilson) classic car garage and Barbara’s (Amy Smart) mid-century modern working lady wardrobe to the layered primary colors and overly saturated sunshine palette, Stargirl is ready to give its audience period-piece whiplash. Thankfully, it’s so engaging that not even that will keep you from coming back for more. —Alexis Gunderson
