The popularity of Free Ad-supported Streaming Television is on the rise as subscription-based streamers continue to increase their fees and cycle through various corporate owners.
One of the best features of FAST services is their role as an unofficial national archive for classic shows from the decades-spanning history of television.
Many of these vintage shows were either difficult or impossible to find on streaming channels or in physical media format just a few years ago.
(CBS/YouTube screenshot)
Now, hundreds of these historic shows have their own dedicated live channels on various FAST services or are available to stream there on demand.
But when you’re truly itching for a televised walk down memory lane, which FAST service is the best?
(Screenshot (Internet Archive))
Well, that depends on which branch of Memory Lane you’re hoping to stroll.
A virtual trip to the past could mean simpler tech, a decades-deep on-demand library, or tons of classic live channels to scroll through.
All FAST services hit these points to some degree, but one in particular is the best choice for a wide variety of needs.
Analog Memory Lane
Viewers frustrated by the current landscape of paid streamers may long for the late twentieth century days when television was free, easy to use, and still held the element of surprise.
(CBS/YouTube screenshot)
Cable television cost money even back then, but the three major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) and PBS were free to anyone with a television set. There was an ease of navigation with fewer channels and remote controls to keep track of.
FAST services tap into that same low-tech, easy-access vibe from years ago.
Popular FAST services like Roku, Freevee, Pluto, and Tubi are virtually identical in terms of setup and ease of use.
Related: Freevee Has Excellent Live Channels. Here’s a Sampling We Love!
Each has a home screen listing various categories of on-demand movie and TV options, plus access to live TV channels.
These live channel listings are where the time travel magic really happens because nothing says “back in the day” more than scrolling down an endless list of TV channels with your remote.
Ease of Navigation
All of those live channels and on-demand offerings can be overwhelming without some guidance.
(Baywatch Official Youtube Page Screenshot)
FAST services have general categories (like Romance or Comedy) that lead to much more fun and specific subcategories (like “Nostalgia TV” or “Couch Classics”).
These subcategories can streamline navigation and offer the opportunity for discovery. You might have an idea of what to expect from “’80s TV Shows,” but “Cancelled Too Soon” could bring some welcome surprises.
Even Roku’s pragmatic “Not on Netflix” category title is charming and helpful.
Related: Is Netflix Leaving Its Cancel-Happy Ways In The Past?
FAST services can be searched for specific show titles, but there’s much to be said for being able to comfortably browse different categories and chance upon a new “old” favorite that you never knew existed.
Classic TV Library Size
Several classic shows overlap on all the FAST services (fans of That Girl and I Love Lucy, rejoice!), but some have a longer timeline of TV history than others.
(CBS/YouTube screenshot)
Tubi’s classic categories perhaps do the deepest dive, with many familiar and obscure offerings from the 1950s like Lights Out (1951), a pre-Twilight Zone anthology series. It also has even earlier shows like Riders of the Death Valley (1941) and those lovable scamps of Our Gang (1926).
Another aspect of television history is that reality shows have been around long enough to be considered classic television.
Fans of the genre will be happy to learn that the library of FAST reality content is growing across all services, especially on Freevee, whose live channels include Bravo Vault and the Olympics Classics Channel.
Classic game shows are another branch of reality TV that is having a moment, as seen in a recent Twitter thread about a Supermarket Sweep couple from the ’90s.
(Lifetime/YouTube screenshot)
These old game shows truly provide an education in the pop culture, cost of consumer goods, and sartorial choices of people from decades ago.
Comfort Classics
Each decade has its own iconic shows that evoke nostalgia for the time when they originally aired. But they can also induce wistfulness for the perhaps much different time periods when we first watched those shows.
Related: The Age of Nostalgia: Why Young Audiences Are Seeking Out Old TV
Several of these popular shows have their own channels, like Little House on the Prairie and Murder, She Wrote on Pluto.
Some FAST services feature the same classic shows but have a different number of available seasons. Also, FAST content can vary depending on which company owns them.
Freevee is affiliated with Amazon, and now that ads have bled into the Prime Video subscription model, it can be argued that both services are technically ad-supported. As it stands, content regularly flows from Prime Video to Freevee, which is great news for those on the FAST track.
(CBS/YouTube screenshot)
Pluto is owned by Paramount, and while it doesn’t offer all seasons of the Twilight Zone (that service would be Freevee), it features an abundance of Star Trek content.
But never fear! Pluto is the only FAST service that has all ten seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210 available to stream.
The One You’ll Visit Most
The similarity of features between FAST services makes ease of navigation the biggest reason for choosing one over another.
A large library of classics isn’t of much use if it’s a headache to find something to watch.
(CBS/YouTube screenshot)
Many of the popular FAST services have either too few (and broad) or too many (and overly specific) category options.
Each of these ends of the spectrum results in viewers spending more time scrolling through the wrong content than watching what it is they came for.
The easy fix for this is to know exactly what show you’re looking for and type that into the service’s search box.
Related: The Best Shows to Revisit Your High School Years
But oftentimes, viewers are just browsing in an unspecified mood and don’t know what they want until they see it.
While FAST services can’t read minds (yet!), Tubi comes the closest with its combination of a large library, ease of navigation, and targeted search categories. Tubi also excels in the number and quality of its live and on-demand channels.
(NBC/YouTube screenshot)
Tubi’s categories include Nostalgia TV, Based On a Book, and Modern Classics. The service also features a Classic Dr. Who section, with the first seven seasons of that series available to stream.
Ultimately, any of the FAST services will offer some good options when you’re in the mood for a walk down memory lane.
But for a wide classic library selection plus ease of use, it’s hard to beat Tubi as the go-to FAST service.
