The Best Shows You Can Watch for Free Right Now

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.

Not everyone has money to burn. We can't all shell out money every month for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+ and/or whatever other streaming service subscriptions are fighting for our hard-earned cash these days.

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.

HBO is following the lead of several other streaming services by offering some of its content for free while we all plump up over bowls of mac 'n' cheese in self-quarantine. Starting Friday, April 2, anyone who downloads the HBO NOW or HBO GO apps or heads over to HBONOW.com or HBOGO.com will have free access to several of HBO's flagship shows and documentaries, as well as 20 theatrical movies. (HBO has not said how long its promotion will run, only saying it's for "a limited time.")

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.

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.

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout New York, Ty Warner, the owner of the Four Seasons hotel, will provide free rooms for medical personnel in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals working on the frontlines of the pandemic are being offered complimentary stays at the luxe hotel on East 57th Street.

Binge-watching a new TV show is a chance to put the real world on hold, and isn't that something we could all use more of right about now? For those who want to indulge in a little escapism, nothing beats the fantastical (and often physically impossible) worlds of science-fiction.

It is an age-old question, or at least a streaming age old question: What should I watch on Netflix? If you are among the those stuck at home for the foreseeable future and are looking for some fun, youthful, adventures to take your mind off what's going on outside — this is the list for you. From rom-coms to soapy thrillers, TV Guide has compiled a list of the best young adult movies to watch on Netflix.

Much like its genre neighbor science-fiction, supernatural shows allow viewers to escape into a world full of the unknown. Sometimes, they're scary and full of things that go bump in the night; at others, they're funny and inject a nice dose of levity into stressful situations; and often, they're full of hunky teenagers who are also werewolves.

By Nellie Andreeva