Watching Movies and Shows for Free
Sep 29th, 2008 by Nut
Last week I wrote about a couple of cool (and free) ways to listen to music, and now I want to talk about one way to watch a ton of TV shows and movies without shelling out any money. As you may or may not know, I love watching movies. And I’ve shared tips in the past about how you can go to the movies and rent movies without spending a ton of money.
But if you really want to go frugal, cheaper isn’t what you’re after — free is what you want. Hulu.com is fast becoming one of the most popular ways of watching your favorite TV shows (and some movies) for free. When it comes to TV shows, they have everything from Family Guy and The Simpsons to The Office and Late Night TV clips.
A friend of mine recently told me about a show I had never heard about called It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He figured I would like it — the humor is crude, rude, and totally un-PC. But I just never got around to figuring out when it was on and what channel aired it. Then one morning I figured I’d see if Hulu.com carried it. They sure did: it’s one of the most popular shows on the site. So after a few clicks and a 15-second ad, I was watching the first episode of the first season — all for free!
Here are some of the shows they have in store for you:
- Saturday Night Live!
- The Office
- Heroes
- 30 Rock
- Cops (the best show ever)
- Prison Break
- Doogie Howser
Curious to see if they carry a show you like? Check out the full list here.
And if movies are your thing, here’s a sampling of what you can watch for free:
- 28 Days Later
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Hoop Dreams
- Requiem for a Dream
- Jerry Maguire
- All three Karate Kids
You can check out the full list here.
I had heard of Hulu.com for a while, but I never really had the itch to check it out. Turns out that it’s free, it’s fast, and it’s legal (which is a big deal to some). It’s also a peek into the future of what TV and movies will be like down the road. Everything will be streamed via the web and everything will be in one place (I hope).
The downside? People don’t want to watch movies and TV shows on their computer. But have no fear! In a future post, I’ll tell you how you can watch Hulu.com (and anything else on your computer) on your TV. It’s really easy and once you hook it up, you won’t have to worry about it anymore.
Open an ING account and get a $25 bonus!
It’s Always Funny in Philadelphia is a great show. I missed much of last season for the same reason you did, it just didn’t get in my DVR.
While on the Hulu topic, it’s worth mentioning that Joss Whedon’s project Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog is available there (http://www.drhorrible.com/mushortio.html). I know it’s a crazy title and I haven’t seen it yet, but Joss Whedon rarely puts anything out bad. Plus when Neil Patrick Harris is in it, you know it’s going to be good.
[...] I was outlining a post I promised last week on hooking up your PC to watch free movies and TV shows on your television, I realized that there are so many variables and things to consider [...]