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Still Haven’t Watched ‘The Sopranos’ or ‘The Wire’? HBO Is Letting People Binge Some of Its Best Shows for Free

If you’ve been waiting to catch up on vintage prestige TV shows like 'The Sopranos' and 'The Wire,' now’s your chance. HBO is opening up its library and letting people watch full seasons of some of its best shows for free.
by Megan Elliott
Published on
2 min read

If you’ve been waiting to catch up on vintage prestige TV shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, now’s your chance. HBO is opening up its library and letting people watch full seasons of some of its best shows for free. The limited time #StayHomeBoxOffice promotion includes nine iconic series as well as nearly two dozen feature films and 10 documentaries and docuseries. 

Stream ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Wire’ starting April 3 

Sopranos
The Sopranos | Will Hart / HBO

Beginning Friday, April 3, people in the U.S. will be able to stream nearly 500 hours of programming for free without a subscription on HBO Now and HBO Go.

The free programming lineup includes all episodes of nine HBO shows. Seven seasons of the acclaimed Jersey-set mob-drama The Sopranos are included, as is every episode of crime series The Wire. You can also watch True Blood and Six Feet Under.

The Sopranos, which premiered in 1999 and until 2007, starred James Gandolfini as crime boss Tony Soprano. Rolling Stone dubbed it the best TV show of all time. The Wire took the no. 2 spot. (Both shows, along with True Blood and Six Feet Under, also stream for free on Amazon Prime.) 

The free streaming isn’t limited to older HBO series. You’ll also be able to catch up on the Bill Hader comedy Barry, along with Succession, Silicon Valley, Ballers, and Veep. But you won’t be able to watch every HBO hit — shows such as Game of Thrones, Watchmen, and Westworld aren’t included. 

Catch up on HBO docs and Warner Bros. films too

Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Pokémon Detective Pikachu | Photograph by Courtesy of Warner Bros. Inc.

Plowing through all 86 episodes of The Sorpanos or 60 episodes of The Wire will take some time — about six days, if you watch both shows without any breaks. But if you need more to watch, you can also cue up one of 10 documentaries and docuseries HBO is streaming for free: 

  • The Apollo
  • The Case Against Adnan Syed
  • Elvis Presley: The Searcher
  • I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter
  • The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
  • Jane Fonda in Five Acts
  • McMillion$
  • True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality
  • United Skates
  • We Are the Dream: The Kids of the MLK Oakland Oratorical Fest

Plus, another 20 movies from Warner Bros. will also be available to stream, including 2019 releases Blinded By the Light; The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part; Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase; Pokémon Detective Pikachu; and Isn’t It Romantic? Crazy Stupid Love, Sucker Punch, Empire of the Sun, and Happy Feet Two are among the other movies available to watch for free.

How to watch HBO shows and movies for free 

The free programming will be available starting Friday, April 3. To start binge-watching, download the HBO Now or HBO Go apps or visit HBONOW.com or HBOGO.com. Content will also be available for free via participating distribution partners’ platforms in the coming days. 

Read more: ‘The Sopranos’: Why We Never Saw the Russian From ‘Pine Barrens’ Again

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