The Best Shows to Watch for Free Right Now

Some people learn about history in school, which is fine if you're into that sort of thing. But for those of you who consider yourselves a Netflix intellectual, there's no better way to fill your head with the knowledge of important events of yesteryear than through the stylish and fictionalized accounts of TV's hottest scripted shows.

In a world where big-budget superhero movies and franchises are taking over modern cinema, it can be hard for the hopeless romantics among us to find a good old-fashioned romantic comedy. Fortunately for those who like a classic "will-they-won’t-they story" about an unlikely couple falling in love, Netflix is here to let you stream some of the best and most hilarious rom-coms.

When someone says they're a fan of horror movies, they could mean a lot of things — that they love tense psychological thrillers like Gerald's Game, meta-classics like the Scream franchise, supernatural scare-fests like The Autopsy of Jane Doe, or one of the many other heart-pounding and harrowing subgenres to choose from.

There's nothing like the unscripted drama of real people fighting to see their dreams realized, which is why reality competition shows are so addictive. And with Netflix's already stacked library constantly expanding, it's becoming increasingly difficult to figure out which of these shows are worth that weekend binge since most tend to get lost in the mix.

Like comedy or horror, "thriller" is a genre of entertainment that's meant to provoke a physical response in the viewer. In this case, you're supposed to feel stress. A great thriller will raise your blood pressure and make you forget to breathe. In the same way you watch a family drama to make yourself cry, you watch a thriller to feel controlled anxiety.

Who said corporate absorption was so bad? Now that FX is part of the Disney family, it's easier than ever to watch programs from TV Guide's favorite network of the 2010s. Much of FX's past library is now available on Hulu, and some new FX shows are streaming exclusively on Hulu, including Devs, which you should check out, and Mrs. America.

You don't have to be a moody, hormonal teenager to enjoy watching programming about moody, hormonal teenagers. We've all been there, so it's all familiar to us. And between the edgy murder mysteries, irreverent comedies, heartwarming coming-of-age dramas, and supernatural romances, Netflix has an expansive slate of teen TV shows that make it easy to find your perfect binge for any mood you might be in.

Looking out the window is getting pretty old. Why not really escape your self-quarantine with a little out-of-this-world action from the greatest genre (we're biased) of television there is? Science-fiction TV is the perfect vacation from the realities of the world, offering moral questions about our present in a glossed-up package of spaceships, advanced technology, and the unexplained.

George Costanza can really belt it.

Lockdown has put a halt on people across the world going to the cinema, and a number of blockbuster films have also had their release dates postponed.

When The Joy of Painting first aired on public television back in 1983, the legendary, late painter Bob Ross taught the world that you don’t have to be blessed by Michelangelo at birth to be able to . He wanted everyone to know and believe that they could easily make art. Fortunately, we can still benefit from his mindset, because every single episode of his painting show is free to watch online.

We know you're tired of hearing about all the different streaming services you should subscribe to (especially since there are so, so many), but you should strongly consider subscribing to BritBox, which offers subscribers access to the best in British programming for just $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. A subscription means you no longer have to dig through Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon to find your favorite British programs under all the American shows that are given priority.

Much like its genre neighbors science-fiction and fantasy, supernatural programming allows viewers to escape into a world different than our own, one that is full of the unknown. Sometimes, these shows are scary and full of creatures that go bump in the night, while others make us laugh and inject a dose of levity into stressful situations.

As Bong Joon Ho rightfully pointed out, if you can conquer a one-inch subtitle, then entire worlds of storytelling will open up to you. And you don't even have to leave your house to get there.

In the old days, in order to get your superhero fix, you had to hide under the covers with a flashlight and read a comic book after your parents went to sleep, or you had to slip a comic into a Bible and sneak in a few pages during Sunday school (at least that's what movies have told us). Now, you can't change three channels or flip through two tiles on a streaming service without seeing someone in tights saving the day. And we aren't complaining!

When it comes to finding a show about the macabre reality that is true crime, no place is better than Netflix. With hit series after hit series, it seems the streaming service is coming out with a must-see true crime show every couple of weeks. As long as people keep committing crimes, Netflix will keep pumping out true crime shows, and we'll continue to watch them.

At this stage of self-quarantine — which you're doing to protect yourself and your community, so you're not complaining — you might be getting tired of bingeing comedy series with a lot of episodes. You're running low on episodes of Superstore to watch on Hulu, and you've already watched every episode of The Office twice.

There's nothing like the unscripted drama of real people fighting to see their dreams realized, which is why reality competition shows are so addictive. And with Netflix's already stacked library constantly expanding, it's becoming increasingly difficult to figure out which of these shows are worth that weekend binge since most tend to get lost in the mix.

Of course you're in the mood to see the best comedy movies streaming services have to offer at the moment. If ever there was time when we're all feeling like, "I want to watch a movie that will make me laugh—not think or cry or feel too much, just laugh," it's now.

We never thought we'd spend so much time frantically , but here we are. Our carts are filled with the best cleaning products and our homes have never looked (or smelled) this good since we moved in.