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Unlike the other big streamers, Tubi only has a handful of original shows, most of them imports (their original movie selection is much larger). That's not to say it's a wasteland for TV addicts: The streamer might actually have too many shows, a vast and sometimes wild catalog that spans decades.
As the likes of Netflix and HBO Max have slimmed down their catalogues, Tubi is growing, offering a mix of established hits, underrated gems, and more obscure offerings. For the sheer breadth of material on offer, it has become the first place I look for anything outside the current zeitgeist—like the following 18 shows, an entirely non-comprehensive sampling of what Tubi has to offer, crossing genres and decades.
Demascus (2025)
Sci-fi comedy Demascus was a victim of that very stupid moment a couple of years ago when streamers and studios were shelving every other project for tax reasons. Demascus, originally an AMC project, was rescued by Tubi—and a good thing, too. From playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm (Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies), the show stars Okieriete Onaodowan as the title character, turning 33 and pursuing therapy for the first time in an alternate present. He's offered the chance to use DIRT (Digital Immersive Reality Therapy), in which he can visit and view other versions of himself, as long as he doesn't interfere. Which, of course, he does, with results that are sometimes poignant and sometimes funny. Hard to believe that this clever show almost wound up in the bin. Stream Demascus.
Ranma ½ (1989 – 2012)
Whether or not you've seen the Netflix update, you can still catch the original (all 161 gender-bending episodes!) over on Tubi. After falling into a cursed spring, martial arts prodigy Ranma Saotome finds that he turns into a girl when he gets wet, with hot water turning him back into a boy; not to be outdone, his dad turns into a panda. That same father pledged him in marriage years ago to one of the daughter of the Soun Tendo, owner of a prestigious dojo with no male heir. Akane Tendo is a fiery, skilled martial artist in her own right, and the love-hate relationship between the two unwilling partners is the focus of most of the comedy and the drama. Stream Ranma ½.
Babylon 5 (1993 – 1998, five seasons)
J. Michael Straczynski’s wildly ambitious sci-fi epic was way ahead of its time, with a planned (more or less) five season story arc set on the titular space station. Babylon 5 is a remote outpost that becomes the last best hope for peace in the face of conflicting human and alien agendas—even more so after an ancient threat is awakened. With increasingly complex storylines that expanded over its run, this was a stab at prestige TV before that was a thing, and it still holds up (dated CGI effects notwithstanding. Stream Babylon 5.
All in the Family (1971 – 1979)
The show that almost singlehandedly rewrote the rules for broadcast television, Norman Lear's long-running sitcom focused on a working-class family and dealt with gender roles, racism, war, religion, sexual orientation—issues that sitcoms had never bothered with before. Shows with more on their minds than chuckles would follow in its wake, but none were quite as fearless as this one. Stream All in the Family.
Empire (2015 – 2020)
Hip hop mogul and Empire Entertainment CEO Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is dying, having been diagnosed with ALS at a young age. He wasn't planning to have to hand off his company so early, but nevertheless finds himself preparing his three very different sons (Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, and Bryshere Y. Gray) to take the keys to the kingdom—by pitting them against one other. Into this already Shakespearean setup steps Lucious' ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), just released from prison and harboring her own plans for Lucious's empire. Stream Empire.
Girlfriends (2000 – 2008)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) leads the comedy about the lives of four women from different backgrounds living in Los Angeles, blending slice-of-single-life comedy with some cutting social satire. It’s funny and smart, and deserves a lot bigger place in pop culture history given its impressive eight seasons (and nine-season spin-off, The Game). Ross, Jill Marie Jones, Golden Brooks, and Persia White just recently reunited for a commercial, and there's been scattered chatter about a possible revival. In the meantime... Stream Girlfriends.
Boarders (2024 - , two seasons)
This British import feels a bit like a latter-day Skins, with a talented cast of young stars-in-waiting (including leads Josh Tedeku and Jodie Campbell) and a scholastic setting. At the (fictional) prestigious boarding school St. Gilbert’s, five Black teens are newly attending, having earned scholarships, but their integration into the existing cliques is less than smooth. The blend of coming-of-age drama with a willingness to take the piss when it comes to the whole rich private school thing makes this Tubi original a good time. Stream Boarders.
Murder, She Wrote (1984 – 1996)
Once a week for 12 seasons (and a handful of spin-off movies), crime novelist Jessica Fletcher would employ her charm, wit, and general nosiness toward solving a murder that she'd stumbled into (no one questions why this particular woman just happens to be on the scene for hundreds of murders, and I'd suggest you don't either). Angela Lansbury is iconic as one of TV's greatest detectives, and the celebrity guest stars make for fun star-spotting—even if some of the faces are a tad less recognizable in 2025. Stream Murder, She Wrote.
The Equalizer (2021 – 2025)
The Queen Latifah-led Equalizer reboots the 1980s series (and sidesteps the Denzel Washington movies) by spinning the premise in a slightly different direction: Latifah plays single-mom Robyn McCall, an impossibly skilled former CIA operative who puts her talents to work for those in need. While the original's vibe was more about the cops being handcuffed by things like "rules" and "giving perps their basic human dignity," this one is more about those who've been failed by systems that don't care about them—and who might benefit from the help of a woman who can beat just about anyone's ass. It's very satisfying watching Robyn and company spy and/or punch their way out of sticky situations to help the oppressed. Stream The Equalizer.
Big Mood (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
Another UK import and Tubi original (at least stateside), Big Mood stars Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) and Lydia West (It's a Sin) as a couple of besties in East London, living their best millennial 30-something lives. Well, kind of: Maggie's dealing with bipolar disorder, and unclear on whether she wants to continue with her medication as she sets out to write a play, while Lydia is doing her very best running a tanking dive bar inherited from her father. It's both a cute dramedy and an impressively frank exploration of the challenges of living with mental illness. Stream Big Mood.
