Straight answers about TV Show DB. Ask a question or browse by topic — every entry is written to be accurate and to the point.
Use a streaming search or the show's page; availability shifts as licensing deals change.
The fastest way is a streaming search that checks every service at once, or a show's own page here. Because titles are licensed for set windows, the same show moves between services over time, so re-check rather than assume — and a title can be free-with-ads on one service and subscription-only on another simultaneously.
Streaming rights are time-limited licenses; when a deal ends the title moves, returns to its studio, or leaves.
Most shows aren't owned by the service you watch them on — they're licensed for a period. When the contract ends the title can jump to another platform, go back to the studio's own service, or leave streaming for a while. That's why a show may not be where you left it.
A tool that searches all services at once so you don't open each app one by one.
A streaming search engine indexes availability across platforms so you can look up a title, actor, or genre in one place and see which services carry it — and whether it's included, rented, or bought. Its data can lag real changes slightly, so treat results as a strong hint.
FAST/free plays ads at no cost; subscription charges monthly, often with a cheaper ad tier.
Free ad-supported streaming (FAST) costs nothing but plays ads and rotates its catalog. Subscription services charge monthly for on-demand libraries, and most now offer a lower-priced ad-supported tier next to an ad-free one. Many titles sit on several of these at once, so compare before paying.
Some titles are only on disc, digital purchase, or temporarily off streaming between licensing deals.
Not everything is streamable at a given moment — a title can be between deals, exclusive to physical media, or only available to rent or buy digitally. Checking a search tool for a rent/buy option, or waiting for the next licensing window, are the usual routes. Older or niche titles are the most likely to be temporarily unavailable.
The largest standalone subscription streamer, known for a huge original slate across genres and countries.
Netflix is a subscription streaming service that helped define the category, offering a large library of licensed titles plus a heavy investment in original films and series worldwide. It offers multiple plan tiers, including an ad-supported option, and popularized binge-style releases. It isn't tied to a single studio, so its licensed catalog turns over as deals change.
Amazon's streaming service, included with Prime membership, blending originals, licensed titles, and add-on channels.
Prime Video is Amazon's streaming service, bundled with an Amazon Prime membership or available standalone. It mixes original series and films with a large licensed catalog and lets you add other services as paid 'channels' billed through Amazon. It also sells and rents titles that aren't included with the subscription.
Disney's family-and-franchise service — home to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic.
Disney+ is Disney's subscription service centered on its owned brands: Disney animation, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, plus general entertainment in some regions. It skews family-friendly and franchise-driven, and Disney bundles it with Hulu and ESPN+ in the US.
Warner Bros. Discovery's service and the streaming home of HBO originals, Warner films, and more.
Max is Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service and the home of prestige HBO series, Warner Bros. movies, DC titles, and a deep back catalog. It has carried both the 'HBO Max' and 'Max' branding over time. It's known for a smaller but highly-regarded slate of originals.
A Disney-owned service strong in next-day network TV, current-season shows, and general entertainment.
Hulu is a subscription service, now Disney-owned, known for streaming many network shows the day after they air, plus originals and a broad general-entertainment library. It offers ad and ad-free tiers and a separate live-TV package. Disney integrates Hulu content into Disney+ in some markets.
Apple's originals-only service — a smaller catalog focused entirely on high-budget original films and series.
Apple TV+ is Apple's subscription service built almost entirely on original programming rather than a large licensed library. That makes its catalog small but polished, with award-winning series and films. Note the 'Apple TV' app is a broader hub that also aggregates other services, which is separate from the TV+ subscription itself.
NBCUniversal's service, strong in NBC/Bravo shows, live sports, and current-season network TV.
Peacock is NBCUniversal's streaming service, featuring NBC and Bravo programming, Universal films, next-day network episodes, and a growing lineup of live sports and events. It offers ad-supported and premium tiers. Its sports and reality catalog are common reasons people subscribe.
Paramount's service — CBS shows, Paramount films, Star Trek, Nickelodeon, and live sports in some regions.
Paramount+ is Paramount's subscription service, home to CBS series, Paramount movies, the Star Trek franchise, Nickelodeon, and certain live sports depending on region. It offers ad and ad-free tiers, and in some markets bundles with the Showtime brand.
A free, ad-supported on-demand service (owned by Fox) with a large rotating movie and TV library.
Tubi is a free, ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox, offering a big on-demand catalog of films and TV plus some FAST live channels — no subscription required. The trade-off for 'free' is ad breaks and a catalog that rotates. It's a popular way to watch older and catalog titles at no cost.
A free, ad-supported service (owned by Paramount) built around live 'channels' that play like traditional TV.
Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported service owned by Paramount, best known for its lineup of themed live channels that stream around the clock like old-fashioned TV, alongside some on-demand titles. There's no subscription; you flip channels and watch what's on. It's a lean-back alternative to picking each title.
Roku's own free, ad-supported service, available on Roku devices and the web.
The Roku Channel is Roku's free, ad-supported streaming service offering on-demand movies and shows plus live FAST channels, available on Roku devices and via the web. Like other free services it's supported by ads and has a rotating catalog. It comes built into Roku's platform.
An internet replacement for cable — bundles of live channels with cloud DVR, no cable box.
Live-TV streaming services (such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, and others) stream bundles of live cable and broadcast channels over the internet with a cloud DVR, replacing a traditional cable subscription. They cost more than on-demand apps because they carry live sports and news channels. They're aimed at cord-cutters who still want live TV.
Rent for a one-time watch; buy only if you'll rewatch — a digital 'purchase' is a store-tied license.
Renting gives a viewing window (often 48 hours once started) for less, which suits a single watch. Buying keeps the title in your library, but a digital purchase is a long-term license tied to that store, not a physical copy, so availability can theoretically change. One-time watch: rent. Longtime favorite: buying can pay off.
4K is sharper resolution; HDR widens contrast and color. Both need a capable screen, plan, and fast internet.
4K (Ultra HD) has about four times the pixels of HD; HDR (high dynamic range) widens brightness and color for more lifelike contrast. To actually get them you need a 4K/HDR TV, a plan that includes them (some services charge more), and a fast, steady connection — otherwise the stream drops to lower quality.
Many apps allow in-app downloads for offline viewing, with limits set by the service and licensing.
Most major apps let you download selected titles to a phone or tablet for offline viewing — good for flights. Downloads live inside the app (not as normal files), often expire after a set time, and some titles are blocked from download by licensing. Limits vary by service and plan.
Each service caps simultaneous streams by plan tier; higher tiers allow more screens.
Services limit simultaneous playback per account, and the cap usually rises with the plan — a basic plan may allow one or two streams, premium more. That's separate from how many profiles you can make. A 'too many streams' message means someone else on the account is watching.
Subtitles translate dialogue; captions also note sounds for the deaf/HoH; dubbing replaces the audio in another language.
Subtitles show translated or transcribed dialogue as text. Closed captions go further, describing sound effects and speaker cues for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Dubbing replaces the original voice track with performances in another language. Many streamers offer several of these per title, switchable in the player settings.
Smart TVs, streaming sticks/boxes (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast), game consoles, phones, and browsers.
Streaming apps run on smart TVs, dedicated devices (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast/Google TV), game consoles, phones, tablets, and web browsers. A cheap streaming stick adds every major app to any TV with an HDMI port. Some 4K/HDR features depend on using a device and screen that support them.
Binge releases drive a burst of buzz; weekly releases keep subscribers and conversation going for months.
A binge release drops a whole season at once for a spike of viewing and word of mouth. A weekly release spreads episodes to sustain subscriptions and discussion, like traditional TV. Some services split the difference — a few episodes up front, then weekly. It's a strategy choice, not a rule.
A season is one batch of episodes; a series is the whole show. US and UK usage differ.
In American usage a season is a single run of episodes and a series is the entire show. In British usage 'series' often means what Americans call a 'season' (as in 'series 2'). So 'the new series' can mean a brand-new show or just the next season, depending on where it's from.
A show designed to tell one complete story in a fixed, short run, with no planned continuation.
A limited series (miniseries) tells a self-contained story across a set number of episodes and isn't built to continue — good when you want a full arc without a years-long commitment. Occasionally a hit limited series is renewed anyway, but by design it begins and ends once.
The first test episode that establishes a show and, traditionally, decides whether it gets ordered to series.
A pilot is a show's first episode, made to introduce the premise and characters and to prove the concept works. Historically networks judged pilots before ordering a full season; in streaming, shows are often greenlit straight to a full order, so the 'pilot' is simply episode one. It still carries the job of hooking you.
Policies have tightened; many services now limit an account to one household or charge for extra members.
Cross-household sharing used to be quietly tolerated, but several major services now tie an account to a single household and sell paid 'extra member' add-ons for people elsewhere. Rules and enforcement differ by service and change over time, so assume sharing outside your home may cost extra or be blocked — check the current terms.
Separate profiles keep each viewer's history, recommendations, and watchlist distinct.
Profiles give everyone their own watchlist, history, and recommendations, so one person's viewing doesn't reshape another's suggestions. Many services also offer a locked kids profile limited to age-appropriate content. Profiles are separate from simultaneous streams — you can have several but still be capped on how many play at once.
A kids profile filters the catalog to age-appropriate titles; PINs can lock mature content.
A kids profile restricts what's shown to age-rated, child-friendly titles and simplifies the interface. Most services add parental controls such as PINs to lock adult profiles or individual mature titles, and maturity settings per profile. Setup lives in the account's profile or parental-control settings.
Most services are month-to-month; cancel anytime and resubscribe, usually keeping your profiles.
Streaming subscriptions are typically month-to-month with no contract, so you can cancel and keep access until the period ends. A common tactic is to subscribe for one month to watch a season, then cancel and rotate to another service. Profiles and watchlists usually return if you resubscribe to the same account.
A multi-episode documentary that explores one subject across installments instead of a single film.
A docuseries is a documentary told over several episodes rather than one movie, letting it explore a subject — a crime, a person, an industry — in more depth. Streaming made the format popular because episodic release keeps viewers returning. It differs from a docudrama, which dramatizes real events with actors.
Nonfiction storytelling about real crimes and investigations, in docuseries, films, or dramatized form.
True crime covers real crimes, investigations, and trials, told as documentaries, docuseries, podcasts, or dramatized retellings. Its streaming popularity comes from suspenseful, episodic structure. Quality varies widely, and the best examples treat victims and facts responsibly rather than sensationally.
Unscripted programming built around real people; it's shaped by editing and 'produced' but not fully scripted.
Reality TV features real (non-actor) participants in competitions, dating, lifestyle, or documentary-style setups. It isn't scripted like a drama, but it is heavily produced — through casting, prompts, situations, and especially editing — so the finished story is shaped, not raw. 'Unscripted' is the industry term.
A show where each season (or episode) tells a new standalone story, often with a new cast.
An anthology series changes its story each season or each episode rather than continuing one arc, frequently with a fresh cast and setting under a shared theme or tone. It lets you jump in anywhere and lets creators tell many different stories under one title. Some anthologies keep a recurring host or framing device.
A drama where most episodes tell a self-contained case, so you can watch out of order.
A procedural — common in crime, legal, and medical shows — resolves a new case within each episode, with lighter season-long arcs. That episodic structure makes procedurals easy to drop into anywhere, which is part of why they rerun and stream well. It contrasts with heavily serialized shows that must be watched in order.
Sitcoms are short comedies (often ~22 min); dramas are longer (~42–60 min) and more serialized.
A sitcom (situation comedy) runs shorter, aims for laughs, and traditionally resets each episode, though many now carry ongoing arcs. A drama runs longer, takes a serious tone, and is usually more serialized so episodes build on each other. Runtime is the quick tell: comedies tend to be about half the length of dramas.
Studios launched their own services to keep hit shows in-house instead of licensing them out.
Studios once earned licensing fees by putting shows on a few big platforms, then launched their own services to keep hits exclusive and own the subscriber relationship — splitting the catalog across more apps. The result is more services, more exclusives, more comparison-shopping, and a swing back toward bundles to simplify it.
Packages combining two or more services for less than subscribing to each separately.
A bundle groups multiple services into one discounted subscription, echoing how cable packaged channels. Bundles save money if you'd use each service anyway, but can nudge you into paying for ones you won't watch. Compare the bundle to subscribing only to what you'll actually use.
Dropping traditional cable/satellite in favor of streaming services and internet-delivered TV.
Cord-cutting means canceling a traditional cable or satellite subscription and replacing it with streaming — on-demand apps, free ad-supported services, and internet live-TV bundles. It can save money, but subscribing to many services (especially for live sports) can add back up to cable-like costs, which is the modern trade-off.
Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV — always-on themed channels that play like broadcast TV, at no cost.
FAST stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV: linear channels that stream around the clock with ads and no subscription, found on services like Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel. Instead of picking a title, you tune to a channel and watch what's on. They've grown fast as a free, lean-back option.
Roughly 3–5 Mbps per HD stream and about 15–25 Mbps per 4K stream; multiply by simultaneous streams.
As a rule of thumb, standard definition needs a few Mbps, HD around 5 Mbps, and 4K roughly 15–25 Mbps per stream — and those add up when several people stream at once. A steady connection matters as much as raw speed; buffering usually means Wi-Fi signal or congestion, not just plan speed.