How To Watch The Best Murder Mysteries For Free

No Subscriptions Or Credit Card Needed!

Welcome to a brand new edition of Only Murders In The Inbox! If you’re a regular reader, thanks returning. If you’re only just now joining us, we’re happy to have you! Every week, OMITI covers murder mysteries in literature and entertainment. We delve into the ways the Mystery genre is significant in pop culture. You’ll also find curated suggestions and lists here so if you’re looking for a particular type of story, I’ve got you! If you’re new to Only Murders, start here:

What Is Only Murders In The Inbox?

Grab Your Pumpkin Spice Latte! Here’s A List Of Cozy Mysteries For Fall

How To Escape A Killer In Five Easy Steps

If you’d like to support my writing, sign up for a paid monthly subscription, become a patron sleuth or gift a subscription to a friend. A monthly paid membership includes all archived editions of Only Murders In The Inbox, as well as exclusive editions, for less than the price of a latte. This works out to be around sixty-two cents for each OMITI edition. I would love to have your support. Hit the button below.

If you’re not ready to commit to a monthly or yearly membership, you can also make a one-time contribution by Buying Me A Coffee. With all of the money I’m about to save you right now in this free edition, you can afford it!

---

How To Watch The Best Murder Mysteries For Free

Times are tough — in Hollywood, anyway, which causes me to assume they’re tough all around — and with the holidays fast approaching, you might contemplate purchases a little longer than you did before, being extra mindful with your money. In this day and age, it’s especially wise to stash some extra cash away, with political shifts creating uncertainty, not only in the United States, but around the world. So if you’re feeling the pinch, want to save more than you spend, or just want some new and different streaming platforms to explore for the low, low price of free, this is the edition for you! I’ve assembled the ultimate directory for free murder mystery movies and television shows across all streaming services and major platforms.¹ You don’t need a big budget to enjoy great entertainment, just a subscription to Only Murders In The Inbox!

Kanopy (Free, No Ads!)

There are few things as spectacular as a well-stocked library, and your local one has much more to offer than stacks of books. Many public libraries offer access to entire catalogs of movies and television shows, mainly through two streaming services, Kanopy and Hoopla.

If your closest library doesn’t offer these streaming services, many public library systems in other states offer non-resident cards for a yearly fee. For example, L.A. offers a non-resident card for fifty bucks. Becoming a paid patron from another city, as a non-resident, allows public libraries to justify sharing library services to non-taxpayers. In turn, it’s a good additional income stream for libraries that might have experienced budget cutbacks. Also, keep in mind most libraries offer free memberships to military patrons no matter where they live. There are also guest passes, which make some, but not all, library resources available, which varies county by county, so check with your local branch.

Take advantage of the services your local library offers! Here are mysteries currently streaming on one of the platforms, Kanopy:

Cagney & Lacey, Image Courtesy of CBS

Television

• Wallander

• The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

• Maisie Raine

• Cagney and Lacey

• Death In Paradise - all seasons and its spin-off, Beyond Paradise

• And Then There Were None mini-series (2015)

• The BBC’s The Suspicions Of Mr. Whicher series

• Luther

• New Tricks

• Father Brown - all seasons

• The Little Murders Of Agatha Christie

• Scott and Bailey

• Whitechapel

• Dalziel & Pascoe - series eight

Movies

• Tell No One

• Memento

• The Third Man

• Terror By Night

• Quirke

One of the oldest mysteries in cinema from 1924 starting Buster Keaton titled Sherlock Jr.

• And Then There Were None (1945)

• Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

• The Woman In Green featuring Sherlock Holmes

• A Murder To Remember

• Dial M For Murder

• Agatha Christie’s Endless Night (1972)

• Death On The Nile (1978)

• Murder, She Said

• Sorry, Wrong Number (starring Barbara Stanwyck, the inspiration for the Season Three episode of Murder, She Wrote (“Crossed Up”)

• Newer international mysteries such as the French film, The Crime Is Mine (2023)

By the way, if you love libraries, check out this Only Murders In The Inbox Edition:

Hoopla (Also Free Through Your Library, No Ads!)

• Agatha Raisin

• Luther

• My Life Is Murder

• Brokenwood Mysteries

• Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries

• Death In Paradise

• Father Brown

• Dalgleish

• Midsomer Murders

• Holding

• The Chelsea Detective

• Foyle’s War

• Dark Winds

• London Kills

Image Courtesy of LionsGate

Tubi, Free With Ads

Tubi is light on mysteries, but if you’re hunting for some, here’s the short list. The streaming service has an expansive collection of black independent cinema, westerns, sci-fi and fantasy classics from Labyrinth to Logan’s Run. Their collection also contains a plethora of B-movies as well as more than two hundred LGBTQ+ films. If you don’t mind commercials, Tubi might be just what you’ve been looking for — and it’s free!

• Knives Out

• The Fugitive

• Out Of Time

• Vicious Murder

• Complex

• Guess Who

Image Courtesy of Acorn TV

The Roku Channel

The Roku Channel is great if you’re interested in trying out a new series but aren’t ready to risk a subscription you might never use. Roku is notorious for having only pilot eps. available for free, in hopes of hooking you so you’ll sign up for a new platform just to watch a series.

Television

• Bones - pilot only

• Scarecrow and Mrs. King

• Hart To Hart

• Murdoch Mysteries

• The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes

• The Return Of Sherlock Holmes

• The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes

• Arthur Hailey’s Detective

• The Doctor Blake Mysteries

• Cagney and Lacey

• Mrs. Columbo

• Line Of Duty

• A Touch Of Frost

• Broadchurch

• Shetland

• Suspect

• Poirot

• Miss Marple - pilot only

• Shetland - pilot only

• Mapleworth Murders

• Good Ship Murder

• Suspect - pilot only

• A Touch Of Frost

• Prime Suspect

• Dark Winds

• Coroner

• Castle

• Sally Lockhart Mysteries

• Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

• Midsomer Murders - select episodes only (to encourage you to sign up for Britbox)

Movies

• Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

• And Then There Were None (1958)

• Sherlock Holmes And The Voice Of Terror

• Sherlock Holmes In Washington

• We Have Always Lived In The Castle

• Rear Window (1998)

Criminal Minds, Image Courtesy of CBS

Plex

• Sherlock Holmes (1954)

• Ion Mystery Channel for popular mainstream shows (NCIS, Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami and more)

Also, great news: you can catch Britbox live on Plex!

Gift Subscriptions For The Holidays

My final money-saving tip is this: ask for a subscription for the holidays! Both Britbox and Acorn TV have them available — I’ve both given and received year-long gifts from both platforms — and that’s a sure-fire way of ensuring you’ll get a present you’ll actually use.

Song of the Day: “We Will Commit Wolf Murder” by Of Montreal

1. I’m skipping Pluto TV because of the personal amount of information required to create your free membership, as well as Prime Video because it’s not really free, it’s included in the Amazon Prime membership you’re paying annually.