Nice of Showtime to post its first three episodes of the acclaimed showbiz comedy Episodes online for all. They're hoping to seduce new subscribers with this handy free preview of Matt LeBlanc's sneaky little gem.
Other channels are looking to lure viewers with iTunes freebies for download. Available now: the Lights Out and Fairly Legal pilot episodes, worth watching from FX and USA, respectively. Watch on your computer, iPod or other portable device.
If you don't get HDNet, like most viewers can't, iTunes expands your world with the World Report "Mexican Oil" and the Dan Rather Reports hour "Addicted to Antibiotics," both free for download.
Other current iTunes options include the pilots of Syfy's drama Being Human and movie makeup artists competition Face Off (reviewed here by TVWW contributor Ed Bark).
Amazon Video on Demand offers some of the same free streams/downloads, including Lights Out, Fairly Legal and the Syfy selections. Look, too, for the pilots of NBC's The Cape and Perfect Couples and IFC's Portlandia.
While you're at Showtime taking Episodes for a gratis spin, peruse other full-episode freebies for season-openers of cool shows including its new William H. Macy comedy Shameless. Other goodies streaming there: Dexter, The Big C, The United States of Tara and a personal favorite, the high-voltage comedy debunking of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.