The best free TV shows on YouTube
YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing platforms on the internet. YouTube’s inception started as a place where users could upload their videos or watch content from their favorite music artists, comedians, and content creators. Because of its popularity, YouTube has now become a place where users can watch TV shows for free.
YouTube’s TV shows range from dramas and comedies to reality competitions and food programs. All of the shows listed below are available for free with ads, a fair trade-off for television programs that don’t cost any money to watch. Here are some of the best free TV shows to watch on YouTube.
Check out the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. Also, check out the best free movies to watch on YouTube.
Hell's Kitchen (2005)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 22
Genre: Reality
Cast: Gordon Ramsay, Christina Wilson, Marino Monferrato
If you enter Hell’s Kitchen, be prepared to meet the devil, chef Gordon Ramsay. The reality series is a competition between talented chefs, with the winner becoming the head chef at one of Ramsay’s restaurants. If you thought this would be easy, think again. At the beginning of the series, Ramsay divides the chefs into two teams.
These teams then compete in a series of challenges at “Hell’s Kitchen,” one of Ramsay’s kitchens in Hollywood. The challenges range from prep work and taste tests to dish recreation and dinner services. Ramsay does not hold back, as he frequently screams and berates the contestants when they fail a task. Contestants will have to go to hell and back to win this show.
The Good Wife (2009)
Metacritic: 81%
IMDb: 8.4/10
Rated: TV-14
Seasons: 7
Genre: Drama
Cast: Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, Matt Czuchry
Created by: Michelle King, Robert King
Emmy-winner Julianna Margulies headlines The Good Wife is Alicia Florrick, the wife of Peter Florrick (Chris North), the State’s Attorney of Cook County (Chris North). Alicia’s life comes crashing down after Peter heads to prison for his involvement in a sex and political corruption scandal. The embossing scandal damages the Florrick family’s reputation.
More importantly, Alicia now must find a new source of income to support her family, having left the workforce to support her husband’s political aspirations. Alicia returns to work as a junior litigator for the law firm Stern, Lockhart & Gardner. Now at the bottom of the totem pole, Alicia must learn to balance her private and professional lives to succeed at the firm.
ReBoot (1994)
IMDb: 7.9/10
Seasons: 4
Genre: Animation, Action & Adventure
Cast: Paul Dobson, Sharon Alexander, Kathleen Barr
Created by: Gavin Blair, Philip Mitchell, Ian Pearson, John Grace
Created in 1994, ReBoot is the first computer-animated television series in history. Yes, even before Pixar’s Toy Story, Canadian network YTV was using computer animation to ask some probing questions about an emerging digital world. Bob is a guardian from the Super Computer.
He is tasked to defend the digital city of Mainframe from evil computer viruses that seek to control the city and infect the entire ‘net. He’s helped along the way by his friends Dot and Enzo and his dog Frisket. It pales in comparison to Toy Story, of course, but ReBoot is a fascinating look at the dawn of the computer age.
Eighty-Sixed (2017)
Rated: NR
Seasons: 1
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Cazzie David, Owen Thiele, Kristi Lauren
Created by: Cazzie David, Elisa Kalani
If you’re looking for a show that will both entertain and make you cringe, Eighty-Sixed may be just the one for you. Cazzie David stars in and co-writes the show, unapologetically dubbed “Curb your Enthusiasm” for millennials. While that might be a bit of a stretch, the show unapologetically charges forward through both funny and embarrassing topics.
A series that mirrors this web series, with similar plot lines, characters, and events, is expected to debut on television. Producers will slightly adjust it for TV audiences; it will be called Half Empty, and Cazzie David will also serve as the primary writer. It’s an excellent show for viewers who don’t want to invest a lot of attention in each episode. It’s funny, subtle, and each episode will be short, which is perfect for the folks who like to binge-watch.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (2007)
IMDb: 4.9/10
Rated: TV-PG
Seasons: 4
Genre: Family, Kids
Cast: Jeff Foxworthy
Created by: Mark Burnett, Barry Poznick, John Stevens
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is a game show made for the entire family. Contestants have to answer 10 questions and one final bonus question to win. The questions are from elementary school textbooks, meaning adults should know the answers. However, you’ll be surprised how many contestants forget simple reading, writing, and arithmetic.
If a contestant needs help, they can turn to one of their classmates on the set. These classmates are brilliant elementary school kids who can provide air when a contestant uses a lifeline. If the contestant gets a question wrong or walks away from the game, they must look into the camera and declare that they are not smarter than a fifth grader.
