Want “Charles in Charge” of your days and your nights but don’t want to spring for cable? Don’t want to feel left out during the water-cooler discussion of the last castoff from “The Voice” while at the same time avoiding a hefty satellite bill?
Many options are out there for you to see your favorite shows from the past and present for free or a small fee. New ones seem to be popping up each day as well.
Netflix and Hulu are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cheap television viewing on your television, iPad or computer. Here are the possibilities:
Network websites (free)
All major networks offer full episodes of many shows. If your laptop screen isn’t cutting it, you can always connect your computer directly to your TV.
Among its many selections, NBC has your “Charles in Charge” fix, boasting 21 episodes of the Scott Baio classic. Other nostalgic treats available include 94 “A-Team” adventures. See CBS for the latest developments for hits such as “How I Met Your Mother” and “Big Bang Theory.”
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Drawback: The sites don’t offer every show aired and are ad-supported, but the interruptions are generally minimal.
HDTV over the air (free)
Gone are the days of foil-adorned rabbit ears. If you bought an HDTV in about the last decade, the set should have a built-in tuner for receiving digital over-the-air broadcasts.
Most major networks along with an array of public television stations are available with a small antenna, which you can purchase for anywhere between $13 and $100 depending on the features you want.
Although the widest selection of digital TV broadcasts is found in big cities, more than 99 percent of U.S. TV households have access to at least one local digital station; 89 percent can get five or more stations, according to Crutchfield.
This option offers local programming that isn’t always available via satellite TV, with awesome HD picture quality.
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Drawback: This option does not include cable-only channels.
Crackle (free)
This Sony-owned site has syndicated classics like “Seinfeld” and “Married with Children” and newer content such as “Rescue Me.” In addition, it offers original series — “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” for example.
Crackle also exhibits one of the snazzier layouts.
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Drawback: Once again, the content is limited and scattered with commercials.
TVPC (free)
“TVPC is hands down my favorite of the bunch. It has just about every TV channel you can think of, both from here and abroad. Want to watch Danish news? Check. Puerto Rican telenovelas? Check,” says ZeroPaid.
Add to that list German sports and a Jamaican music channel, alongside Cartoon Network, HBO and History Channel shows.