How to Download TV Shows for Free

By Editorial Team

Updated September 22, 2017

You can download free TV shows using your laptop.
i laptop image by Angie Lingnau from Fotolia.com

Downloading TV shows for free is tricky at times. The big reason why is that a lot of sites on the Internet advertise for it, but then charge fees to use their services. So how do you download a TV show for free? You have two options. You can do it using iTunes and a TV show's website. Both offer free TV shows, especially the trailers of new TV shows.

Pull up iTunes. Check to the right side of the page for the “Download” button. Click on it and follow the process.

Open up the iTunes store. Find the listing for it on the side bar to the far left of the iTunes application. It is under the title "STORE." Click on this name and a new page will pop up.

Go to the "TV Show" section on iTunes. You will find the section lead-in on the side bar to the left side of the iTunes page store. (It isn’t the initial side bar you used.) It will be under the title “iTunes STORE.” Click on "TV Shows" and it will take you to another page.

Scan the middle of the page and check for TV shows with “Free” labeled across them. Click on those icons and they will take you to another page listing the TV show you can download to free. You can also do a search for free TV shows by adding those three words in the search box at the upper left corner of the iTunes page.

Download your free TV show by picking an episode. You will see a list in the middle of the TV show page. Scan across to the left and click on “Free” to add it to computer. Afterward, you can go back out of the iTunes store and pull up your new episode and watch it.

Visit the official channel or network website for the television show you want to download. Main networks include NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS, while popular cable channels include MTV, USA and CNN.

Select the website of the TV show you want to download for free. For instance, if you enjoy watching the TV show “Psych” that airs on USA, you should pick the listing of USA or Psych TV. This selection should take you directly to the website for the TV show.

Scan the menu on the website of the TV show and click on "Episodes." After you go to a new page, check for free episodes. If you see any, click on them and download them to your computer. Many stations will air free ones to get you hooked on the TV program, especially before the start of a new season.

Tips

It's good to have an idea of what TV show you want to download for free before you start this process.

Warnings

If you can't find a free episode of a TV show you want to watch, move on. You can probably download a similar show that is free.

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