Although I no longer subscribe to Hulu Plus, the online streaming service has an impressive selection of classic TV series in their library.
There are actually two Hulus, the original Hulu online and Hulu Plus. The latter is a subscription streaming service which costs the same as Netflix, $7.99 a month. The difference is Hulu Plus carries programming with “limited commercial interruptions.”
The commercials are kind of annoying for a pay service, but their classic TV library is pretty vast. Many shows are limited, however, so you may only see a season or two.
I spent a lot of time searching the Hulu site for classic TV shows (1950s-1960s-1970s) and put together the following list organized by category. Please note that not all series may be available on Plus. This list was researched in mid-January 2014 and is subject to change:
Adventure/Crime Drama
Adam-12, The Adventures of Black Beauty, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Avengers, The Buccaneers, Dangerous Assignment, Dragnet, Ellery Queen, Flipper, Highway Patrol, I Spy, Ironside, It Takes A Thief, Kojak, Man with a Camera, Movin’ On, Naked City, Peter Gunn, The Rockford Files, Route 66, Sea Hunt
British
I Claudius, UFO, Yes Prime Minister
Cartoons/Kids
The Adventures of Flash Gordon, The Archies, Archie’s Funhouse, Dick Tracy, Dudley Do-Right, The Electric Company, Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids, Felix The Cat, Fireball XL-5, Fractured Fairy Tales, Godzilla, Gumby, The Jackson 5ive, Jason of Star Command, Johnny Soko & His Flying Robot, Lancelot Link Secret Chimp, The Mr. Magoo Show, The New Three Stooges, Popeye the Sailor, Return to the Planet of The Apes, Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends, The Secrets of Isis, The Soupy Sales Show, Speed Racer, Supercar
Comedies
The Abbott & Costello Show, All In The Family, The Andy Griffith Show, Barney Miller, Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, Buster Keaton (Short Films), Date With The Angels, Dennis The Menace, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Doris Day Show, Ernie Kovacs, Father Knows Best, Good Times, Green Acres, Here’s Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, I Love Lucy, Laurel & Hardy (Lost Films), The Lucy Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, McHale’s Navy, Mister Ed, The Mothers-in-Law, My Favorite Martian, My Living Doll, My Mother The Car, Nanny and the Professor, Rhoda, Sanford and Son, The Three Stooges, WKRP in Cincinnati
Dramas
Lassie, Studio One, The White Shadow
Game Shows
You Bet Your Life
Science Fiction/Dramas
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Battlestar Galactica, Dark Shadows, Flash Gordon, The Incredible Hulk, Land of the Giants, Lost In Space, Night Gallery, One Step Beyond, The Outer Limits, Space: 1999, Star Trek, Tales of Tomorrow, The Time Tunnel, The Twilight Zone, Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea
Variety
The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lawrence Welk Show
Westerns
Alias Smith and Jones, The Big Valley, Bonanza, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, The Roy Rogers Show
If you like classic TV and don’t mind watching on your PC, check out all the free shows on Hulu. If you’d rather watch on your TV, get a Roku or other streaming box and subscribe to Hulu Plus.