Cutting cable was, without a doubt, the best decision I ever made, but I do miss it at times. Luckily, Plex has live TV channels for free. If you’re trying to mix up your library’s content, check out these unique channels.
10FilmRise: Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysterieswas particularly good when Robert Stack was the host (though I am partial to Dennis Farina, too), but I’ll get to Robert shortly. The show’s premise of real-life cases being open-ended gave us viewers an opportunity to be detectives. Can you solve the mystery of the missing husband or child? Do you see a pattern in this cold case? If so, you could call their hotline for tips; in fact, some episodes were updated, showing that these cases were being solved in real-time.
Then there’s the theme song, the eerie silence, and reenactments, which were admittedly a little cheesy, but you can tell the scenes were taken seriously. And to tie everything together, Robert Stack had a one-in-a-million voice that was very distinct, like James Earl Jones, Keith David, and Ralph Ineson. The way he read lines made the closing of these cases urgent (which they were).
9National Lampoon
Self-described as knowing “comedy from A to Z,“National Lampoontruly is an expansive library of comedy, from slapstick to sophisticated jokes. One night, I went fromCheech & Chong: Still Smokin’toTommy BoytoTropic Thunder, so the channel doesn’t just stick to any particular decade.
Beyond the decades the movies were released, you’ll also notice, like I did, there’s a good mix of popular hits and cult classics. I also noticed there are several recurring actors, like Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and Paul Rudd. Considering the content National Lampoon covers, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I’m not complaining, either.
8StarTalk TV
StarTalk TVis more or less StarTalk’s YouTube channel, but in a television format. It’s hosted and co-hosted by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice, respectively, in addition to guest stars from all manner of science fields and entertainment to discuss ideas and concepts occupying the time in the science community. Despite Neil deGrasse Tyson’s background, the show isn’t solely on astrophysics.
StarTalk has numerous formats, and they’re all showcased on StarTalk TV. One day there could be a conversation about exploding stars with astrophysicist Dr. Michael Shara, and the next day a philosophical debate aboutThe Matrixwith Laurence Fishburne. It’s a very engaging and wonderful way to learn about the natural world.
7Shout! Movies
I’ve gone on record forusing the Shout! TV app on a regular basis, and that stands true to this day. As a streaming service, it’s where I get to peruse mostly B-tier and C-tier entertainment from the early 2000s and before. As a TV channel on Plex, the content is very much the same, so it’s become a consistent option on my server.
Although I prefer to choose what I want to watch on the app, havingShout! TVas a TV channel is essentially the service on shuffle. More often than not, I end up enjoying a movie I may not have chosen on my own, like Man of the Year (starring Robin Williams) and Gerry (starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck).
I’ll be the first to tell you I love Asian action movies, with Jackie Chan being the spark. The fact that Plex hasHi-Yah!, which itself has a streaming service, has been the biggest reason for turning live TV back on in my Plex server. It’s completely unique in being a channel all about kicking, punching, and, in some cases, political intrigue.
5ION Channels
Prime-time television is a guilty pleasure of mine, especially when it comes toLaw & Order. When I had cable, and finally realized thebenefits of cable-cutting, ION was my go-to for catching up on dramas and suspense-fueled series. Luckily for me, bothIONandION Plusare available on Plex, which is the perfect kind of content to watch when you aren’t in the mood for highbrow content.
ION and ION Plus feature the same series you’d see on television, likeBull, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, andLaw & Order: SVU(one of my personal favorites). All the shows are easily digestible, and the stories are usually self-contained, so you aren’t missing a lot of context if you tune in on a random day.
4Curiosity NOW
I really like BBC Earth, and I do watch the channel regularly, butCuriosity NOWis perfect as a companion to BBC Earth. Along with StarTalk TV and BBC Earth, Curiosity NOW completes the trifecta for learning about the natural world and the problems we face as a species.
Just like with Shout! TV and Hi-Yah!,Curiosity Streamhas a standalone service, but Curiosity NOW is free and supported by ads. The content you’d find on Curiosity Stream is found here, minus the option to pick and choose.
3Funny Or Die, Inc.
Being a big fan of comedy—stand-up and otherwise—I don’t experience the genre only in movie form. Funny Or Die is on the other end of the comedy spectrum for me, with National Lampoon on the opposite end. This channel is a constant stream of skits and sketches by lesser-known and popular comedians and actors.
Now, seeing as many of the skits and sketches are short, the channel groups multiple episodes together that share themes. For example,Laugh About The Musicrevolves around music, with guest stars Kesha, Ed Helms, Jewel, and more. Another good one isTotally Real Movies Coming Soon, which pokes fun at how ridiculous movie trailers get.
2Scares by Shudder
Shudderis another streaming service I use as often as possible, being a fan of horror, since other popular streaming services can be lacking at times. Being exclusively horror, you’re going to have a hard time finding a library with such a good mix of modern, obscure, and classic movies. One day, you’re watching the beautifully shotMandy, and on another day, you’re watchingWolf Creek 2.
1Amasian TV: Anime 24/7
Plex has just a handful of TV channels dedicated to anime, and even fewer that aren’t just reruns of a single show, like the Yu-Gi-Oh! Channel.Anime 24/7focuses on popular series and movies, like Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, and Lupin the 3rd. What’s particularly nice is that multiple episodes are played in succession, before switching to a different show or breaking up the marathon with a movie.
Anime 24/7 is essentially your sleeper agent for hooking new fans of anime. Since it focuses more on popular content, if one of your friends on Plex catches an episode of, say, Hunter x Hunter and enjoys it, they’ll have an easier time finding others who enjoy it, too. If you’re looking to add more obscure anime to your Plex server, try the ANIME x HIDIVE channel instead.
The good news is that each and every TV channel here is already accessible on your Plex server by default. If you hover over the branding in the TV guide, you can click the little heart to add it to your Favorites tab for quick access. However, you will need to make sure you havelive TV enabled in your Plex server!
