The best free TV shows streaming on The Roku Channel right now
The best free TV shows streaming on The Roku Channel right now
From ‘Longmire’ and ‘Castle’ to ‘Magnum P.I.,’ these are the best of the best in the free Roku library.
Ever since I started picking the best free TV shows and movies to stream each week, it’s been much easier to keep track of what’s where in the free-streaming landscape. And The Roku Channel is a big part of that landscape. On this all-time list, you’ll find newer shows and older shows, procedurals and comedies, along with a brand-new addition that transports you to the sunny skies of Hawaii to do some private investigating.
As always, the rules are pretty simple: If it’s streaming on The Roku Channel right now and you can watch it for free, it’s eligible. So, here are the 10 shows I’d watch first to get the best of the streaming service.
Top 10 all-time best TV shows streaming on The Roku Channel:
No. 10: ‘Ransom’ (2017) | Crime drama
In “Ransom” Luke Roberts stars as Eric Beaumont, a hostage negotiator who handles kidnapping cases with his team, but the whole point is that he’s not charging in with a weapon. He’s trying to talk people down, read the room, and find the human angle before everything falls apart.
That gives the show a cooler, more patient feel than a lot of crime dramas. The tension is still there, but it’s not just about stand-offs and ticking clocks. It’s also about what this kind of work does to the people taking those calls day after day. Beaumont’s approach is all about psychology first, action second, and that makes “Ransom” a nice change of pace if you want a crime show that’s smart, tense, and easy to settle into.
Ransom
Eric Beaumont’s crisis negotiator team is brought in to save lives and resolve the most difficult kidnap and ransom cases when no one else can.
No. 9: ‘Hell on Wheels’ (2011) | Western drama
“Hell on Wheels” throws you into the ugly aftermath of the Civil War and follows a former Confederate soldier who’s hunting the men responsible for killing his wife. That revenge path leads him to Hell on Wheels, a moving railroad town built around the construction of the transcontinental railroad. So not exactly a peaceful fresh start.
Once he gets there, the show becomes a whole mess of revenge, power grabs, old grudges, and people doing whatever they have to do to survive. It’s dark and gritty, and the railroad setting gives it a strong engine. Meanwhile, the characters are messy enough to keep the whole thing interesting. If you like Westerns where no one’s clean and everyone’s carrying something, this is a really solid free watch.
Hell on Wheels
The epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on Cullen Bohannon, a Confederate soldier who sets out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who killed his wife. His journey takes him west to Hell on Wheels, a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot of a town that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, an engineering feat unprecedented for its time.
No. 8: ‘Castle’ (2009) | Mystery dramedy
“Castle” works because it knows exactly what tone it’s working in. Nathan Fillion plays Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who gets pulled into an NYPD case after someone starts recreating murders from his books. Thanks to his connections with the mayor, Castle ends up hanging around as a consultant, which is pretty much the last thing Detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic, wants.
That push-pull is the reason the show is a classic. Castle is charming, nosy, and always ready with a theory. Beckett is focused, sharp, and much less amused by him than he thinks she should be. The cases move fast, the banter is fun, and the longer story tied to Beckett’s past gives the show a little emotional punch that pushes it beyond a straight procedural.
Castle
After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard “Rick” Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.
No. 7: ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ (2020) | Musical dramedy
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” probably should’ve been on this list from the start, especially since The Roku Channel is part of the reason the show got a second life after NBC canceled it. The show follows Zoey Clarke, a tech worker in San Francisco, who suddenly gains the ability to hear the songs people are carrying around inside them. After a weird medical scan, everyone’s hidden feelings start coming through as musical performances only she can see and hear.
What I like about the songs is that they reveal the emotion behind the characters. They usually reveal something people are too scared, sad, angry, or embarrassed to say out loud, which lets Zoey see what they’re going through. Plus, she’s dealing with her dad’s declining health, a rough family life, a messy dating life, and a workplace full of people with their own problems. Jane Levy is so good here, making Zoey feel funny, overwhelmed, and just like a real person with a weird problem. Plus, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas” gives the story a great bonus chapter after the two-season run, so there’s a little extra closure waiting when the episodes are done.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
After an unusual event, Zoey Clarke, a whip-smart computer coder forging her way in San Francisco, suddenly starts to hear the innermost wants, thoughts and desires of the people around her through popular songs.
No. 6: ‘Magnum P.I.’ (2018) | Action procedural
This is the “Magnum P.I.” reboot you didn’t know you needed. Yes, Tom Selleck is a legend in the original show, but Jay Hernandez totally holds his own as Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL turned personal investigator in Hawaii. He’ll take on cases no one else is willing to and gets plenty of help from fellow vets T.C. Calvin and Rick Wright, and former MI6 agent Juliet Higgins.
I love shows where the location becomes almost a character in its own right. Even on Magnum’s worst day, the sun is always shining, the ocean’s always calling, and it’s easy to sit back and enjoy the Hawaii vibe as much as the action. And there is a lot of action. It’s got the bones of an easy-to-watch modern procedural, but jacks up the action with fast cars, helicopters, and plenty of kidnappings and nefarious plots to keep Magnum very busy. And with five full seasons and almost 100 episodes available for free, you don’t have to leave the island anytime soon.
Magnum P.I.
Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL, returns home from Afghanistan and applies his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii taking jobs no one else will—with the help of fellow vets T.C. Calvin and Rick Wright, and former MI:6 agent, Juliet Higgins.
No. 5: ‘Haven’ (2010) | Supernatural crime drama
“Haven” starts like a crime show before you’re pulled into something much weirder. Emily Rose plays Audrey Parker, an FBI agent who comes to a small town in Maine and finds herself dealing with locals affected by “the Troubles,” these strange supernatural problems that often turn dangerous. At first, it feels like she’s just solving cases, but the deeper she gets into Haven, the more it becomes clear there’s some connection between her and the town.
The show is loosely tied to a Stephen King story, and you can definitely feel that small-town weirdness in the bones of it. It’s creepy, but not too dark for me. It still has a case-of-the-week rhythm, with Audrey, Nathan, and Duke having strong chemistry as the mythology gets bigger. If you’re in the mood for something supernatural, this is a great swing.
Haven
FBI agent Audrey Parker arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve a murder and soon discovers the town’s many secrets—which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past.
No. 4: ‘The Neighborhood’ (2018) | Sitcom
“The Neighborhood” is a very funny show most people probably missed. Cedric the Entertainer plays Calvin Butler, an opinionated Los Angeles homeowner who likes his block exactly the way it is. Then Dave Johnson, played by Max Greenfield (perfect!), moves in next door with his family and immediately starts trying way too hard to be everyone’s new best friend.
That simple setup gives the show a ton to work with. Calvin is stubborn, Dave is very, very friendly, and the whole thing slowly turns from awkward neighbor tension into an actual friendship. The cast is the reason it works, especially Cedric, Greenfield, and Tichina Arnold. But the message is an important one: just because we’re different doesn’t mean we can’t get along just fine.
The Neighborhood
The nicest guy in the Midwest moves his family into a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles where not everyone appreciates his extreme neighborliness. That includes their new next-door neighbor Calvin.
No. 3: ‘2 Broke Girls’ (2011) | Workplace sitcom
“2 Broke Girls” is not subtle, and that’s why you probably love it or hate it (don’t blame me if you hate it!). Kat Dennings plays Max, a waitress who’s been broke a long time and knows how it works. Beth Behrs plays Caroline, who used to have money before her father’s Ponzi scheme blew up her life. Now they’re stuck working together at a Brooklyn diner, sharing a very small apartment, and trying to save enough money to launch a cupcake business.
The show moves fast and constantly goes for the joke. The diner crew keeps the energy up, with Han stressing, Oleg oversharing, Earl tossing one-liners, and Sophie dropping in whenever she feels like it. But the real reason it works is Max and Caroline. Their friendship gives the show an emotional reason to watch. Here’s hoping the comedy works for you!
2 Broke Girls
Comedy about the unlikely friendship that develops between two very different young women who meet waitressing at a diner in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and form a bond over one day owning their own successful cupcake business. Only one thing stands in their way – they’re broke.
No. 2: ‘Cold Case’ (2003) | Crime drama
“Cold Case” follows Kathryn Morris as Detective Lilly Rush, who reopens unsolved murder cases whenever there’s new evidence to dig into. Each episode takes you back to the time of the original crime, using the music, clothes, and mood of that era to pull you into the victim’s world before everything goes wrong.
That’s what makes it cool. You’re not just watching detectives chase clues. You’re seeing who these people were, what they wanted, and how their lives got cut short in a totally different time period. Now, the structure is still familiar and very easy to watch, but the storytelling is way deeper than you might expect when you get to see it from the victim’s perspective. Once you get into the rhythm of it, it’s obvious why “Cold Case” ran for seven seasons.
Cold Case
The Philadelphia homicide squad’s lone female detective finds her calling when she is assigned cases that have never been solved. Detective Lilly Rush combines her natural instincts with the updated technology available today to bring about justice for all the victims she can.
No. 1: ‘Longmire’ (2012) | Modern Western crime drama
“Longmire” is based on Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mystery novels, and you can feel that built-in depth right away. Robert Taylor plays Walt Longmire, a Wyoming sheriff who is working through the grief of his wife’s murder, while trying to keep the peace in a county where everyone knows everyone else’s business. It’s a crime show, yes, but it has the bones of a modern Western.
What elevates it, though, is the world-building. The setting feels lived in. The mysteries feel personal. And Walt is surrounded by characters who feel like real people, especially Katee Sackhoff as Vic and Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry Standing Bear. The show is slow, so prepare for that, but there’s something special in the way it lets the landscape, the relationships, and the moral gray areas do a lot of the work. With six seasons to dig into, it’s the kind of free Roku binge that can take over pretty quickly.
Longmire
A Wyoming sheriff rebuilds his life and career following the death of his wife. Based on the “Walt Longmire” series of mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson.