Over the last couple of years television networks have begun to stream many of their most popular shows online for free. ABC was the first to come out with a well developed online video player and almost all the other networks have followed. The following is a list of the major networks and their show’s available online.
ABC – (www.abc.go.com)
ABC offers the best online player of all the networks. Full screen is available for all shows, and many are streamed in HD. ABC is also very good about posting new shows promptly. Usually by the morning after the show airs. You are required to watch about five 30 second commercials during a one hour episode which is far less than the 20 minutes worth of commercials viewers have to endure while watching live Television.
ABC shows available online:
According to Jim, Brothers and Sisters, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Duel, Eli Stone, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Grey’s Anatomy, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Lost (Complete Seasons 1-4), Men in Trees, Pushing Daises, Samantha Who, Starcrossed, The Bachelor, Ugly Betty, and Women’s Murder Club.
NBC – (www.nbc.com)
NBC has tons of it shows available online. They video player works well but is not as seamless as ABC’s. You can watch all available shows in full screen.
NBC shows available online:
30 Rock, A-Team, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, All-American Summer, America’s Favorite Mom, American Gladiators, Amnesia, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rodgers, Chuck, Coastal Dreams, Emergency, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Knight Rider, Late Night with David Letterman, Life, Medium, Miami Vice, My Dad is Better, My Name is Earl, Night Gallery, The Office, Pale Force, Scrubs, and The Tonight Show.
FOX – (www.fox.com/fod)
Fox recently updated their online player and it now rivals ABC’s. The video quality is stunning and it’s easy to watch full screen video. The downside of the Fox player is that new episodes aren’t posted immediately after they air. It usually takes Fox at least a couple days to post new episodes.
Fox shows available online:
American Dad, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Back to You, Bones, Canterbury’s Law, Cops, Family Guy, Hell’s Kitchen, House, King of the Hill, Kitchen Nightmares, Mad TV, Moment of Truth, New Amsterdam, Prison Break, The Return of Jezebel James, The Simpsons, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, ‘Till Death, and Unhitched.
The CW – (www.cwtv.com)
The does offer many of their shows online, however actually viewing them is quite painful. The player is very slow and often unresponsive. For some reason The CW chooses the most grating advertisements possible to insert into their player. While watching one episode of Supernatural you might be forced to watch 5 of the exact same advertisement for Gossip Girl or some equally annoying CW show. Also the advertisements cannot be muted, as the volume controls magically disappear when the ads come on. Also the video resolution is very poor; only slightly better quality than a typical YouTube video. However it’s hard to complain about something you are getting for free.
CW shows available online:
Aliens in America, America’s Next Top Model, Beauty and the Geek, Crowned, Everybody Hates Chris, Farmer Wants a Wife, The Game, Girlfriends, Gossip Girl, Life is Wild, One Tree Hill, The Pussy Cat Doll’s Girlicious, Reaper, Smallville, Supernatural
CBS
CBS unfortunately does not consistently list any of their shows for free online.
