You Can Now Watch Reading Rainbow and Old PBS Shows for Free
Decades after going off the air, classic PBS children’s shows like Reading Rainbow and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood continue to hold a place in the hearts of many children of the 70s, 80s and 90s. If you grew up in this era, you might want to be able to share these shows with your kids without paying per episode on a streaming site or watching grainy clips on YouTube.
Well, now you can thanks to Roku’s new free, ad-supported streaming channel (FAST) PBS Retro . Bad news? Some of your favorite shows may not be on the lineup—at least for now.
How to Watch Classic PBS Kids Shows on Roku
You can access PBS Retro through the Roku Channel on smart TVs, Roku devices, the company’s app and web browsers. The channel operates around the clock. It may be a little jarring at first to see commercials airing during shows that originally aired on public television, but it’s a small price to pay to bring more of Lady Elaine Fairchild and Betty Aberlin back into our lives.
You can also watch some classic PBS shows for adults (although who are we kidding, PBS Retro is 95% intended for adults) on Roku, which air on PBS Food, PBS Antiques Roadshow, Julia Child, Antiques Road Trip, and PBS Nature.
What shows are on PBS Retro?
You can currently watch Reading Rainbow , Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood , Thomas & Friends , Kratts’ Creatures , and Zoboumafu for free on PBS Retro. These were the only shows mentioned in the article on The Wrap where the news was first announced; it is unclear at this time whether additional offerings will be added to the channel in the future.
Ultimately it comes down to ownership and distribution rights, but hopefully these shows are just the beginning and will be followed by other classics like The Letter People, 3-2-1 Contact , Newton’s Apple and Wishbone .