What's on Roku - Ken Burns' Baseball documentary, kids TV and movies, tokusatsu shows, and more

March 27, 2020 - 12:43 -- RokuGuide

What's on RokuWhat's on Roku helps you find free entertainment on Roku. This week we have recommendations for five channels loaded with free content, including free kids and family TV and movies on Prime Video, Ken Burns' documentary Baseball on PBS, four new channels on Pluto TV, and more.

Prime VideoAmazon is offering free streaming of 40 kids and family shows on their Prime Video channel, including the Amazon Original series Just Add Magic, Pete the Cat, and The Dangerous Book for Boys. Also included are PBS series such as Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Arthur, and Caillou, along with a number of family movies from IMDBtv such as Shrek Forever After, Scooby-Doo, and The Smurfs.

PBSWhen Major League Baseball delayed this week's opening day, Ken Burns responded by making his Emmy-winning 1994 documentary series "Baseball" (1994) available for free streaming on PBS, including the PBS Roku channel. The 9-part series describes the story of baseball as "the story of America. It is an epic overflowing with heroes and hopefuls, scoundrels and screwballs. It is a saga spanning the quest for racial justice, the clash of labor and management, the transformation of popular culture, and the unfolding of the national pastime."

Pluto TVPluto TV launched four new channels last week: Cops (Ch. 308), Blaze Live (Ch. 250), TokuSHOUTsu (Ch. 681), and America’s Voice News (Ch. 247).

Cops provides continuous streaming of the half-hour documentary reality crime TV show that follows police officers and sheriff's deputies during routine patrols and emergency responses. Blaze Live features original content from Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Steven Crowder, Dave Rubin, and Candace Owens. TokuSHOUTsu is a channel from Shoutcast Factory with tokusatsu programming. (Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action drama that makes heavy use of special effects, often dealing with science fiction, fantasy or horror.[1] ) America’s Voice News bills itself as "an American 24/7 news and entertainment network" with a "unique blend of programming aimed at sparking conversation."

The Roku ChannelThe Roku Channel has added a "Home Together - Entertainment for Everyone" category with a half-dozen categories of free content:

  • Essential Movies & TV - Watch hit movies such as The Karate Kid (1984) and Stand by Me (1986), bingeworthy TV that includes Growing Pains (1985-1992) and Without a Trace (2002-2009), and family movies and TV shows like The Smurfs 2 (2013) and Little Big League (1994).
  • Family Fun - Stream episodes of popular shows like Sesame Street, Madeline, and Bob the Builder.
  • Interior Refresh - Six free live streams include This Old House, The Design Network, and DIY, while on-demand content includes Restoration Man, Grand Designs, and Brand New House on a Budget.
  • Comfort TV - Twenty-nine free TV shows include episodes of The Nanny (1993-1995), Hell's Kitchen (2005-2018), Tiny House Hunting (2014-2017), and Duck Dynasty (2012-2013). Several daytime TV shows are also available, including six seasons of The Jerry Springer Show, six seasons of The Maury Show, and one season of Lauren Lake's Paternity Court.
  • Couch Concerts - Enjoy three live streams that include MTV Block Party, MTV Biggest Pop Hits, and several streams from Pluto TV, watch music documentaries about US, Metallica, Lady Gaga, and several other performers.
  • Sports Fix - Live sports streams include Outside TV, Esports Television, and Fubo Sports Network. Several sports movies and sports documentaries are available on demand, including Rudy (1993), Bull Durham (1988), and Fastball (2015).

Relax Sleep Meditation ChannelWe could all use a little help in getting a good night's sleep during the pandemic, and meditation isn't a bad idea either. Relax Sleep Meditation Channel provides over a dozen soundtracks of soothing and relaxing sounds like ocean waves, forest noises, trains, and even a mother's heartbeat to help us relax, sleep, and meditate. Unlike many other "ambient sound" channels, the videos on this one have a dark screen to keep your bedroom dark at night.

Get notified of new postings by following Twitter hashtag #WhatsOnRoku.