HBO is making hundreds of hours of films and TV free to stream without a subscription

Tired of friends telling you it’s time to catch up on David Simon’s beloved five-season crime drama The Wire? Tired of telling your friends they need to watch The Wire so you can discuss it, and having them say, “Eh, I don’t have HBO?” Either way, your moment has arrived. HBO announced Thursday that it will be making nearly 500 hours of its original series and licensed films available on its streaming platform free of charge, as of Friday, April 3. The content will be available through April 30 on HBONOW.com, HBOGO.com, and their associated apps.

The film selection is obviously select and somewhat limited, though it’s a good time to revisit the light, fun features Detective Pikachu and The Lego Movie 2. But the free TV series selection is an impressive roster of some of HBO’s big hits, including The Wire, The Sopranos, Silicon Valley, Veep, and Six Feet Under. All seasons of those shows will be available to stream.

The move comes during a period where streaming services are seeing a huge boom in business due to the widespread closing of movie theaters, the postponing of major new film releases, and the number of people isolating themselves at home to limit the spread of coronavirus. An increasing number of streaming and other subscription services are currently offering free monthlong trial accounts to get streaming fans hooked, including the horror service Shudder, CBS All Access, Showtime, Film Movement Plus, IFC Films, and others.

Here’s what HBO plans to make available on Friday. The streaming platform is encouraging viewers to look for “interactive stunts” around this content on HBO’s social media outlets, and to track and share the hashtag #StayHomeBoxOffice.

Photo: HBO

Full Series

• Ballers (5 Seasons)
• Barry (2 Seasons)
• Silicon Valley (6 Seasons)
• Six Feet Under (5 Seasons)
• The Sopranos (7 Seasons)
• Succession (2 Seasons)
• True Blood (7 Seasons)
• Veep (7 Seasons)
• The Wire (5 Seasons)

Docuseries and Documentaries

• 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

Warner Bros. movies

• Arthur
• Arthur 2: On the Rocks
• Blinded By the Light
• The Bridges of Madison County
• Crazy, Stupid, Love
• Empire of the Sun
• Forget Paris
• Happy Feet Two
• Isn’t It Romantic?
• The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
• Midnight Special
• My Dog Skip
• Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase
• Pan
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu
• Red Riding Hood
• Smallfoot
• Storks
• Sucker Punch
• Unknown

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