Between Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, and whatever other new streaming service we’re supposed to keep up with, watching everything worth watching on TV these days can be extremely expensive. But there’s a whole world of free streaming services out there that offer tons of quality content, even if they don’t have the newest releases.
One of the best of these free services is The Roku Channel, which you can access for free, without needing to create a profile, from any device you currently have. Who needs to pay for streaming when there are so many great, long-running series you watch right there?
If you want a great binge, start with these finished Netflix shows
These 10 Netflix TV shows will delight you from start to finish.
Mike & Molly
127 episodes over six seasons
Every streaming service needs at least one comfort food sitcom that people can just turn on and soak in as the episodes roll over them one after another. The Roku Channel has multiple options, starting with Mike & Molly.
Mike & Molly follows police officer Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell) and school teacher Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy), who meet at an overeaters anonymous meeting in the first season. From there, the show traces their relationship from its early, casual stages into serious courtship into marriage into parenthood. Along the way, we meet their wacky relatives, watch as they change careers, and hear them exchange hundreds of one-liners.
Mike & Molly is easy watching. It’s a gentle sitcom you can pick up pretty much anywhere and enjoy.
- Release Date
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2010 – 2016-00-00
- Network
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CBS
- Directors
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James Burrows, Phill Lewis, Michael McDonald, David Trainer, Mark Roberts, Victor González, Melissa McCarthy, Stephen Prime, Jason Alexander, Joel Murray
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Melissa McCarthy
Molly Flynn
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Reno Wilson
Carl McMillan
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Swoosie Kurtz
Joyce Flynn
CSI: NY
197 episodes over nine seasons
There are certain kinds of shows that tend to run for a long time. A lot of sitcoms last forever. Procedural shows can too, because each episode tends to tell a new story, which means that, in theory, they can keep going as long as there are new crimes to solve.
And in New York City, there are always new crimes to solve. CSI: NY follows a team of forensic scientists working for the NYPD. The team is initially headed up by the no-nonsense Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinese) and the savvy investigator Detective Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), although there’s some turnover over the years, which tends to happen on shows that last this long. The episodes are well-written, the cast soon becomes familiar, and the stories are ripped from the headlines. If you’re looking to binge a crime show, it’s hard to go wrong with this one.
2 Broke Girls
138 episodes over six seasons
Back to sitcoms, 2 Broke Girls follows a pair of waitresses — Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) working in a Brooklyn diner. They’re trying to save up enough to open their own business, and getting into all kinds of misadventures in the meantime.
2 Broke Girls is an old-fashioned odd couple sitcom with a focus on working class hustle. It got some criticism over the years thanks to its off-color humor, but clearly people were watching, since it lasted for 138 episodes. Jennifer Coolidge is on hand in the supporting cast as Sophie, who runs the housecleaning company Sophie’s Choice.
- Release Date
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2011 – 2017-00-00
- Network
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CBS
- Showrunner
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Michael Patrick King
- Directors
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Michael Patrick King
- Writers
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Michael Patrick King
Castle
173 episodes over eight seasons
Castle is about a professional mystery writer (Nathan Fillion) who shadows a homicide detective (Stana Katic) as research for his next book. At first she considers him a hindrince to her job, but eventually comes to appreciate his insights. Over the course of the series, they become friends and eventually romantic partners.
Each episode of Castle has Richard Castle and Kate Beckett solving crimes, but it’s not as serious as on CSI: NY. In a way, Castle is closer in tone to something like Mike & Molly; the focus is on the humor, the romance, and the chemistry between the two leads, and the crime elements are there to provide some interesting contrast.
- Release Date
-
2009 – 2016-00-00
- Network
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ABC
- Showrunner
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Andrew W. Marlowe
The Neighborhood
155 episodes over eight seasons
This is the third and final long-running CBS sitcom on this list; clearly, CBS is happy to share its riches with The Roku Channel, and we’re better off for it.
The Neighborhood follows Dave Johnson (Max Greenfield), an extremely friendly, conflict-avoided Midwesterner who moves his family to a mainly Black neighborhood in Los Angeles, where his attitude conflicts with that of his more strident neighbor Calvin Butler, played by Cedric the Entertainer. The show mines these culture clashes for a lot of laughs, although it’s never mean-spirited or uncomfortable.
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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CBS
- Directors
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James Burrows, Victor González, Mark Cendrowski, Phill Lewis, Kelly Park, Ken Whittingham
Cast
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Cedric the Entertainer
Calvin Butler
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Max Greenfield
Dave Johnson
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Tichina Arnold
Tina Butler
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Heartland
279 episodes over 19 seasons
Of all the shows on this list, Heartland is one some viewers may not have heard of, although it’s also the longest-lived. It’s about a family who run a horse and cattle ranch in Alberta, Canada. Over the course of 19 seasons, we follow their hopes, dreams, ups, and downs. In particular, the show zeroes in on Amy Fleming (Amber Marshall), who possesses a unique gift to heal troubled horses.
Heartland is a bit of a modern western, but far less gritty and more wholesome than something like Yellowstone; there are way fewer backstabbings and murders here. It’s a relaxing watch.
Unlike every other show on this list, Heartland is still going! It’s one of the longest-running scripted dramas in history, and there’s every expectation that episodes will keep coming to Roku, where you can keep watching them for free.
- Release Date
-
October 14, 2007
- Network
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CBC Television
- Showrunner
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Heather Conkie
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Amber Marshall
Amy Fleming
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Shaun Johnston
Jack Bartlett
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Michelle Morgan
Samantha Louise ‘Lou’ Fleming
On the other side of the paywall
These shows are worth watching and will take you a long time to finish, but eventually you will run out. There are other terrific, long-running shows out there, but some of them require a proper pay subscription. You’ll have to give money to Netflix if you want to watch all nine seasons of Seinfeld, for instance, or pay for Disney+ if you want to watch all 37 (and counting) seasons of The Simpsons.
That said, there’s always the possibility that more long-running shows could eventually become available to watch for free on platforms like Roku, so as long as you’re comfortable waiting, there’s no reason to open your wallet just yet.
