When September hit, we hit back with our Everything Guide to the Fall 2011 TV Schedule.
This week, we're catering to those of you without cable subscriptions and DVRs. That's right—the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free... from cable bills. Cord-cutters, we've heard your cries for some pointers on which fall shows will be available to watch online—and when. We're answering.
What TV Networks Post and When: The Basics
We've spent countless hours creepily stalking the web habits of all the major TV networks, and discovered some key patterns to which shows they post and when they post them. Here are some general rules of thumb.
Networks that Offer Next-Day Free Full Episodes:
ABC
Where: Full episodes of nearly all of ABC's primetime shows are available to stream next-day on Hulu or ABC.go.com.Exceptions: The Middle has never been available for free streaming online. Maybe this year? Doubtful.
CBS
Where: Most CBS shows are available to stream next-day on CBS.com or right here on TV.com (thanks, corporate parent company!).Exceptions: Mike & Molly, Criminal Minds, and The Mentalist were not available for free streaming last year. The network's late-night talk shows (Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson) tend to appear online three days after air, sometimes inconsistently.
NBC
Where: NBC's primetime shows are available to stream next-day on Hulu or NBC.com. Yes, even Law & Order: SVU, which wasn't available last year..Exceptions: None at this time.
MTV
Where: MTV's primetime shows are available to stream next-day on MTV.com. (Daytime filler programming like 10 on Top rarely, if ever, makes it to the web.)Exceptions: None at this time.
Comedy Central
Where: A few Comedy Central shows are available next-day on Hulu and ComedyCentral.com. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are the most consistent. South Park is available for next-day streaming at SouthParkStudios.com.Exceptions: Everything beyond the three shows listed above; though you might occasionally find full episodes of the network's other properties, they're too inconsistent to rely on.
Networks that Offer Delayed Free Full Episodes
The CW
Where: All CW shows are available to stream online at CWtv.com 2-3 days after they air on TV. Posting habits are not entirely consistent, but all episodes do get posted online within that 2-3 day window.FOX
FOX used to be a next-day streaming network, but it's a next-day streaming network no longer. Sad face.Where: All FOX shows are available to stream 8 days after airing on TV via Hulu or FOX.com.
Exceptions: American Idol has never been available for online streaming. Similarly, The X-Factor will not be made available for online streaming. I Hate My Teenage Daughter is not expected to post online, either.
FX
FX is a particularly frustrating network to follow online. Just about all of its shows are available 30 days after air. 30 DAYS! Who wants to catch It's Always Sunny one-month after everyone's done talking about it? So lame.Where: Hulu and FXnetworks.com.
Exceptions: New episodes of Wilfred are available 8 days after airing on TV. Archer is posted 30 days after air, but the episodes aren't necessarily released in sequential order. American Horror Story and Nip/Tuck are not available for online streaming.
SyFy
SyFy is a mixed bag, which makes it difficult to follow online while it's airing on TV. Of the shows that do make it to the web, most aren't available to stream until after the on-air season ends. At that time, episodes are released on a rolling basis.Where: On Hulu and SyFy.com.
Exceptions: Warehouse 13 offered up its first two episodes day after air, but the following episodes won't be available until after the on-air season is over. Merlin Season 3 is not yet available to stream, even though the season is over. No explanation there. Ghost Hunters Academy gets special treatment and is available just 30 days after air (suddenly that seems like no time at all).
What about Chuck on NBC? It's not on NBC nor Hulu.
Untrue for Warehouse 13, there are already 7 episodes that you can watch here: http://www.syfy.com/rewind/warehouse13... unfortunately, not from Canada.
Does anyone know where Prospect Park will be showing "All My Children" and "OLTL" when that's cancelled, too?
How about USA and TNT? TNT just went very streaming unfriendly. I've given up on cable and between HULU Plus and Netflixx, I can watch what I want but have to wait til the end of the season for lots. At least that way, I'm not getting hooked on a show they end up- canceling like I have so many times in the past. I don't expect freebies, everybody needs to get paid, but I do wish networks would understand that the world isn't like it was 20 years -go. We don't sit in front of the tv from 7-10 or whatever your time zone demands. An online audience is move captive and provides more data to the networks than they have ever had access to. Wise up, Networks!
The Middle is available on Hulu.
This is perfect... thank you!
While this article isn't really aimed at me because I'm not in the U.S. But, I haven't watched many online and it was only because I missed it while it was on TV. To me, I don't favor watching TV shows online. Mainly because I like to use my computer do to other stuff, while I'm watching TV.
If you have internet access, you don't need cable tv or satellite. Just get TV online from services like the TVDevo website which offers both live and on-demand programming. For movies, you can use Blockbuster or Redbox.
Well that's not much good for people living in the UK. You forgot to mention the BBC IPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and I forget what Channel 5 call their system.
Either that or retitle the article to include the sentence "For Americans Only".
Well it's not much help to Americans to talk about the BBC IPlayer, ITV Player or others that you can't watch here in the USA because our IP address isn't in registered to a British Territory.
There are several programs I wish I could watch online though those players but can't.
Just the way the territories are divided up I suppose.
Let's just pretend free video hosting sites don't exist. You pay for a cable wire... either it plugs into your computer or into your TV. WHATEVER!