The streaming age completely redefined entertainment, particularly in terms of at-home enjoyment. Where once people had to purchase or rent the movie or television show they craved after it had fallen from currency (or, worse, had to wait for reruns), streaming services put beloved programs right at our fingertips. However, even in an entertainment landscape where you can find just about everything anytime you want it, there are a few series that have remained elusive. Now, however one nearly impossible to watch series is finally making its way to free streaming—except it’s missing an important episode.
Now streaming on Tubi are all seven seasons of Tales From the Crypt. The iconic HBO series has long been notoriously difficult to stream and while it did make an appearance on Shudder earlier this year, the series is now available to stream for free on Tubi’s platform. That said, it’s not exactly a complete streaming of the iconic horror series. Fans have discovered that the Season 5 final of the series appears to be missing.
Even with the missing episode, having Tales From the Crypt streaming for free on Tubi is a massive win for horror fans (and ‘80s and ‘90s kids). The series was iconic pretty much from its debut on June 10, 1989, and for good reason. Not only did the anthology series have some really interesting elements—namely its host, the Cryptkeeper and a stacked deck of filmmaking talent behind it including Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill, Robert Zemeckis and more—but it was also based on an existing comic series, EC Comics’ 1950s series of the same name. What really took the series to the next level, however, was that it aired on HBO initially. Because HBO was a premium cable channel, the series didn’t experience the same sort of censorship that most network television standards and practices subjected shows to. This meant that there were elements of the show, such as graphic violence, nudity, and strong language, that appeared only on HBO—they were edited out for broadcast syndication.
But while keeping the series “appropriate” for basic cable and network television was probably a little challenging back in the day, that isn’t why it’s been nearly impossible to stream. That challenge falls to rights issues. As is often the case with shows that ran on television in the pre-streaming era, rights over various elements including music long created issues for Tales From the Crypt to make its way to streaming. That changed back in May when Shudder managed to get through the red tape to bring the show into the streaming era. That in turn has led to the series now being available on Tubi but rights issues might still be at work. As we noted, Tubi’s offering of Tales From the Crypt to stream for free is missing the Season 5 finale. That appears to be the only episode not available to stream on Tubi and while we aren’t entirely certain why that’s the case, it is very possible that there could be remaining rights issues with that episode. That episode, “Till Death Do We part” starred John Stamos as a gigolo involved with a powerful, mob-connected woman while also having a forbidden affair, a situation that puts Johnny in an extremely difficult situation when he’s forced to choose. It’s a great episode… you just can’t stream that one for free at the moment.
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