True TV April 2024: Hidden gems on Tubi 

• Warner Bros. Television

Since Tubi is a free streaming TV service (with ads, because everything has ads anymore), you'd probably assume that it sucks. As the saying goes, that just makes an ass out of you and umami. There are indeed plenty of gems to be found on Tubi if you're willing to put in the work. None of you are—I know my slacker audience—so I've rounded up some shows worth streaming on Tubi.

Fastlane (2002–2003): Slick cars, gorgeous women, and an Episode 1 appearance by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst—Fastlane is more early-2000s than a flaming pile of Maxim magazines in a Hot Topic. The flashy cop drama about LAPD detectives Van (Peter Facinelli) and Deaq (Bill Bellamy) working undercover and off-the-books for evidence warehouse operator Billie (Tiffani Thiessen) is deliriously excessive: Each episode cost nearly $3 million. Showrunner McG put every penny on the screen, though, and the series' mix of action, humor and proto-hipster sleaze has made Fastlane a posthumous cult hit.

Pandemic (2007): Thirteen years before the real thing arrived, Hallmark Channel's miniseries unleashed a mysterious virus into the world (well, mostly Los Angeles, as per Hallmark's budget). The four-part series revolves around a CDC doctor (Tiffani Thiessen again) racing to find the cure for a deadly flu ravaging California, while the governor (Eric Roberts) and the mayor of L.A. (Faye Dunaway) fight over a drug lord's epidemic-related blackmail scheme—there's a lot going on here. Pandemic is best viewed as retro nostalgia and quarantine theater that makes 2020's COVID-19 response look flawless.

Archie's Weird Mysteries (1999–2000): The live-action Riverdale likely took a few cues from Archie's Weird Mysteries, a 40-episode animated series wherein the gang investigates supernatural phenomena; it's the X-Files and Scooby-Doo mashup no one asked for. Also like Riverdale, Archie's Weird Mysteries becomes more addictively entertaining the longer you stick with it. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, aliens, ghosts and sea monsters all pop up, as do more offbeat threats like a tapioca pudding blob, a monster-creating energy drink and extraterrestrial potatoes.

Blue Mountain State (2010–2011): You've rightfully long forgotten about Spike, the male-focused cable channel that eventually became Paramount Network, but the meathead media outlet did produce one worthwhile original: Blue Mountain State. Beneath all of the sex, booze, drugs, more sex, hazing, urine and yet more sex, Blue Mountain State is a smart college comedy—not valedictorian smart, but close enough to pass. Anyone who still secretly enjoys American Pie (on Blu-ray, because you can't stream it anywhere; thanks, Woke Police) should check out BMS, mostly because critics hated it.

Casual (2015–2018): On the other side of the critical spectrum, early Hulu original Casual won raves upon arrival—it even premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, so posh. Producer/director Jason Reitman's (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) low-key comedy about the dating misadventures of newly-divorced single mom Valerie (Michaela Watkins) and her younger brother Alex (Tommy Dewey) is still as fresh and funny as it was almost a decade ago. Casual also features future breakout stars like Britt Lower (Severance), Maya Erskine (PEN15) and Alisha Boe (The Buccaneers).

The Weird Al Show (1997): It was supposed to be the next Pee-Wee's Playhouse, but The Weird Al Show was doomed from the start as a CBS Saturday morning babysitter. Still, Al tried like hell for 13 wild episodes loaded with anarchic animation, bizarro skits and a sprawling guest list (including Patton Oswalt, Fabio, Alex Trebek, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, John Tesh and even producer Dick Clark himself). The show didn't, however, feature Al's signature parody songs, because CBS wouldn't pay the royalties(!). TWAS was also one of SNL alum Victoria Jackson's last appearances before going full Christofascist.

V (2009–2011): Alien spaceships appear over Earth, and their leader (Morena Baccarin) assures humankind that their intentions are benevolent. (Spoiler: They aren't.) V is a glossier remake of the 1984 miniseries that leans harder into media manipulation and population delusion. Remove the aliens, and it's a documentary about 2024 'Merica. The funniest Easter eggs of V are future Resident Alien star Alan Tudyk as a covert space invader who's remained undetected on Earth for decades, and the subtle nods to then-President Barack Obama. (Remember the tan suit that destroyed the nation? How did we survive?)