HBO is giving away some of its best TV shows for free. It's also throwing in a handful of movies and documentaries, again for free. This programming is all available for a limited time only on HBO NOW and HBO GO, and all without the need for a subscription.

Note: Here's how you can get HBO for free, at least for some time, even after this promotion has ended.

How to Watch HBO Shows for Free

Starting from April 3, you can watch some HBO shows, movies, and documentaries for free through HBO NOW or HBO GO. In all, HBO is giving away almost 500 hours of programming "for a limited time," but at least until the end of April.

You'll be able to stream this content without an HBO subscription on HBONOW.com or HBOGO.com, or by downloading the HBO NOW or HBO GO apps. It will also be made available via "participating distribution partners’ platforms" in the coming days.

The TV shows on offer include The Wire, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Silicon Valley, Veep, and Ballers. There are multiple seasons available for each show, which means it's possible to binge-watch the entire run of some of the best shows ever made.

The movies on offer include Isn't It Romantic?, Crazy, Stupid, Love, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and Pokemon Detective Pikachu. Documentaries include McMillion$, The Apollo, The Case Against Adnan Syed, and The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.

Download: HBO NOW on Android | iOS

Download: HBO GO on Android | iOS

Beware Free Netflix Subscription Scams

This free HBO content is only available in the US, at least officially. However, if you use a VPN to mask your location you should be able to access HBO from wherever you are in the world, and, as a consequence, stream these TV shows and movies for free.

HBO is far from the only company giving stuff away for free due to the coronavirus crisis we're all living through. In a similar vein you can now watch Live TV for free on Plex. However, despite what that email claimed, Netflix isn't offering free subscriptions.