‘Have Gun, Will Travel’ and Other Classic TV Shows That Are Impossible to Stream

These days, it seems that almost every TV show you could ever want to watch is available to stream. Between Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount Plus+, and other streaming services, it’s usually easy to find somewhere to watch your favorite show. That is, unless you’re a fan of Dallas spinoff Knots Landing or were hoping to revisit the vintage western Have Gun, Will Travel. In that case, you better hope that you kept your DVD player, because neither show is available to stream, or even for digital purchase. 

And those two shows aren’t the only ones that are bizarrely inaccessible. Here are six classic TV shows that you can’t stream or purchase digitally. 

‘Have Gun, Will Travel’ 

The ‘50s and ‘60s were a boom time for TV westerns. While you can stream episodes of Gunsmoke and Bonanza, other shows are harder to find. That includes Have Gun, Will Travel, which starred Richard Boone as a gunfighter for hire in the Old West. More than 200 episodes aired from 1957 to 1963, but these days, it seems the only place to find it is in occasional reruns on MeTV or on DVD.

‘Lassie’ 

Lassie might be one of the most famous fictional dogs of all time. But if you wanted to revisit the old TV show about the intrepid collie, which aired from 1954 to 1973, you appear to be out of luck. While you can find various movie adaptations featuring the character (including the 1940s versions with Elizabeth Taylor), the TV show doesn’t seem to be streaming anywhere.

‘Knot’s Landing’ 

You can stream ‘80s primetime soap Dallas on Freevee. But if you’re looking to catch up with the Southern California branch of the Ewing clan, whose dramatic lives were chronicled in the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing, you’re out of luck. Though Knots Landing aired for 14 seasons (outlasting the show that spawned it), it’s not available to stream. However, the first two seasons are available on DVD. 

‘Northern Exposure’ 

Quirky drama Northern Exposure aired for six seasons on CBS from 1990 to 1995. Though the show was well-received by critics and won multiple Emmys – including Outstanding Drama Series in 1992 – it’s currently not available to stream anywhere. The reason likely has to do with music licensing, notes The Stranger. You can purchase DVD box set of the complete series, though. 

‘Murphy Brown’ 

Issues with music rights are also the reason that the iconic ‘90s sitcom Murphy Brown is not streaming anywhere, according to Decider. The series starred Candice Bergen as a journalist (and recovering alcoholic) working for a TV news show. Murphy loved Motown, and the show featured a lot of iconic songs from the label, often in key scenes. While you won’t find Murphy Brown on Netflix or other services, you can purchase the show’s short-lived 2018 revival on Prime Video.    

‘Tales From the Crypt’ 

If you watched HBO in the 1990s, you probably remember Tales From the Crypt. The creepy anthology series hosted by the decrepit Crypt Keeper aired for seven seasons. But weirdly, it’s not available to stream on HBO Max. The show’s 93 episodes aren’t even available to purchase digitally. It’s not clear why HBO Max doesn’t have the show, but in a 2017 interview with Deadline, Turner exec Kevin Reilly mentioned that the series had “complicated rights structure,” which killed a planned reboot. 

‘Homicide: Life on the Streets’ 

TV Guide called it one of the best TV shows of all time, but you still can’t stream Homicide: Life on the Streets. The show was based on the book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, by David Simon, a Baltimore reporter who spent a year embedded in the city’s police department. Simon would go on to create The Wire, another show that often shows up on “best of all time lists.” Thankfully, that series is available to stream on HBO Max. 

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