Hulu

TV on the Internet!

Hulu, an evil plot to destroy the world, is a free, ad-supported streaming video site that plays full episodes, clips, and whole movies. It is a joint corporate venture by Fox, ABC and NBC, and carries content from all three networks, plus their sundry cable networks and motion picture studios, as well as various other providers.

Because of international distribution rights, it can only be viewed on computers physically located in America. And only on computers, as Hulu specifically blocks out all set-top boxes and game consoles like the Play Station 3 from accessing their programming through the regular web interface, ensuring that viewers watch the shows on television, not on a website connected to a television (laptops and monitors with HDMI outputs notwithstanding)...

Unless you buy hulu+, which opens up access to the Play Station 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Internet televisions/streaming devices and Blu-ray players to receiving the service via a special app, though some programming remains restricted to PC-only.

And if you have Hulu+, you also avoid Fox and ABC's "eight day block", which forces viewers to wait a full week before watching a new episode of a program online unless they have a subscription to a network-approved cable service or Hulu (and right now, only Dish Network can be authorized by Fox). All content is also made available 24/7 as opposed to the standard service rotating it on and off.

Oh, and see all those series down there? If it's an American series that isn't currently airing, expect there to be at least one complete season available to see. In many cases, whole series can be viewed. If it's an anime, chances are even higher that you'll have the whole series on hand, even if it's still airing. With professional subs. No more than 2 weeks behind Japan. Cue rejoicing followed by Archive Binge.

Wanna help? Pick a channel, select sort by name, and start writing down every series you see in the appropriate section. Watch out for both movies (those go to the film folder) and duplicates.

A similar service is Crackle, which primarily hosts movies and TV shows owned by Sony.

Content hosted on Hulu (free) includes: