Watch classic TV shows – like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Twilight Zone – or beloved cult classics – like The Weird Al Show and Mystery Science Theatre 3000 – free of charge. ShoutFactoryTV is a brand new (USA only) streaming every cord cutter needs to know about.

We've shown you how to watch TV online legally, for free, and ShoutFactoryTV is a site that lets you do just that. It won't be a replacement for HBO or Netflix anytime soon, but there are probably a few shows here you'll want to watch. If you like to watch classic TV movies for free, you need to check this out. No subscription required.

Who Is Shout Factory, and What Is This Site?

Shout Factory made a name for itself by acquiring the distribution rights to classic TV shows – usually ones the original owners didn't bother to release on DVD – and making them available to fans. Releasing cult classic Freaks And Geeks on DVD was an early success; today they own the rights to a wide variety of classic sitcoms and cult comedies.

While Shout Factory has long offered its shows on Hulu, this is the first streaming site they're running themselves. Many of the videos offered are actually just embeds of Hulu – but some aren't. For example: six episodes of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 currently found on ShoutFactoryTV are not currently offered on Hulu.

Because of this it's worth knowing about this site if you love any of the shows Shout Factory has the rights to. Even if you've no idea who Shout Factory are, this site is worth knowing about if you love classic TV.

What Kind of Stuff Can I Watch?

shoutfactory-tv-shows

Browsing the TV shows you'll notice that the selection's not overwhelming, and ranges widely. There's some stuff you probably recognize. A few highlights:

Of course, there's some pretty odd stuff here too – which is part of the point.

  • The Weird Al Show, a short-lived kids show by the web's favourite song parodist.
  • ReBoot: Quirky Canadian cartoon from the 90s, the first ever computer animated show.

There are also some movies offered.

shoutfactory-tv-movies

You'll find a few Jackie Chan classics, a couple of Steve Martin standup routines, the 1939 classic western Stagecoach. There are also a lot of old horror movies.

Oh, and Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space, considered by some to be the worst movie of all time, is also offered. But if you love bad movies, this site has so much more to offer you.

Mystery Science Theatre 3000

The real reason you want to check out ShoutFactory, though, is Mystery Science Theatre 3000. In case you don't know, this show featured robots making fun of bad movies.

Seriously: these movies are awful. It's great.

shoutfactorytv-mst3k

If you love this show, you might have noticed that Netflix recently stopped offering it. Happily there are 30 episodes offered here, which will apparently rotate every month. Hopefully Manos: The Hands Of Fate will make an appearance.

Another Streaming Option

ShoutFactoryTV won't replace Netflix or Hulu for you, but it's worth knowing about if you're a fan of classic TV. Explore it, and bookmark the shows you want to watch later.

And if you want other options, check out these three sites for classic TV fans. And if you live outside the US, know that but there are ways to access US-only websites internationally, if you're dedicated enough.

What is the best episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000? What noteworthy show on ShoutFactoryTV did I miss? Let's talk about all this and more in the comments, okay?

Image Credits: Pop-corn and remote Via Shutterstock