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by Jeffrey
For anyone unfamiliar with Tubi, well, it’s another free streaming service. On the surface, it features random newish releases of movies and TV shows, as well as original content. But underneath the surface, it’s actually so much more.
I personally believe that Tubi, in spirit, is the Last Surviving Video Store, and in a moment I’m going to show you why. See, Tubi regularly rotates hidden gems and forgotten classics that no other streaming service remotely cares about. I’m going to make the assumption that this started because these movies and shows were super cheap to license, and it was an affordable way for the service to flesh out their offerings. At least in the beginning. But the result of their selection is more powerful than that. One search for simply ‘80s’ or ’90s’ and you’ll see exactly what I mean. It’s like walking through a Blockbuster or local video store on any given weekend night 30+ years ago. And those search results are hardly even the tip of the iceberg.
A press release from Tubi claims that it hosts “Over 275,000 movies and tv show episodes”. That’s… A lot. I’m even finding it hard to believe. But after further research, I can’t refute it. The problem with this is, WHERE DO YOU EVEN START. At first glance upon creating an account (which I highly recommend) or not, you’re definitely just shown a lot of generic crapola you’ve seen everywhere else over the last decade. But as you start to watch older nostalgic movies and shows, the more it suggests to you, and that rabbit hole is one of the deepest I’ve ever been down. If you love the bizarre and the somewhat forgotten, you’ll be right at home. The following list of retro flicks and TV shows from the early 90’s to the early 00’s contains some of my personal favorites, some well known and long forgotten, some just… completely insane.
And I know what you’re thinking, no, Tubi’s not a sponsor.
Cry-Baby (Movie 1990)
I’ve gotta admit. Until I came across it on Tubi 2 weeks ago, I somehow didn’t know that this one existed. Starring Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and a bit of Willem Dafoe (as well as too many others to mention). It follows Depp as ‘Cry-Baby’, a high school student in an alternate reality version of the 50s, where Depp runs with the ‘Drapes’ (a rebellious, dirty and rowdy bunch) and falls in love with a ‘Square’ (you can piece that one together). It’s kind of a musical, it’s kind of a comedy and it’s definitely all weird, but in the best way possible. Watching J Depp as a rockabilly greaser shed gelatinous tears in slow motion is worth the watch alone.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction? (Original TV Show 1997-2002)
Oh man I love this show. I had seen it a little when new episodes were still coming out, but it hits way harder now. Starting in season 2 it was hosted by Jonathan Frakes, mostly known from The Next Generation. The premise being that it’s an occasionally paranormal anthology series, with the twist that some of the stories are based on things that “actually happened” (uhhhh, debatable) and some are imagined by the writers of the show. It’s up to the viewers to decide by the reveal at the end which is which. A totally fun concept for a show of the 90’s. It’s incredibly and unintentionally humorous, only to be magnified by Frakes intros and coy reveals of fact or fiction at the end of each episode. Perfect night time tv, and nostalgic whether you’ve already seen it or not.
*I also just found out that The Frakester reprised his role in a German made continuation of the series in 2021??
Peep Show (TV Show 2003)
I’ve never run into another person that knows what I’m talking about when I mention Peep Show and that’s just a dang shame. It’s a British comedy starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, a comedy duo that’s endlessly funny across multiple mediums. But the magic of Peep Show is that the entire series is filmed from a 1st person perspective. All of it. Whether you’re looking at the world through the eyes of a main character, a side character or a bystander, there’s never a shot that can’t be linked back to someone else’s perspective. Hence the title. Once you start watching it you realize how weird this actually is. It’s uncommon and bad practice for actors to look directly into the camera ever outside of an intentional gag, and in this show, that’s exactly what it is, all the time. The main premise follows roommates Mark and Jez, sort of an “Odd Couple” match-up, as they navigate their jobs (and/or lack thereof), dysfunctional relationships and absolute chaos. If you can get through the first episode, the rest of the series is well worth your time.
Doppelganger (Movie 1993)
Whew... This one is technically a horror movie, but like a lot of the movies I’ve considered for this list, it lands more as a comedy. It stars Drew Barrymore, and yesssssss she’s playing two roles. Or is she?? The lines in the story are constantly blurred between the sweet version of her character that falls for her new roommate and her murderous twin, always seen with her head wrapped up like she’s got the measles in an episode of The Little Rascals with extra large shades. The pay off of this one is EVERYTHING. I howled with surprise and laughter at the wild climax, and I bet you probably would too. All I’ll say is if you’re easily grossed out, pass on this one, if you aren’t it’s kind of a must watch.
The Critic (TV Show 1994)
A short run animated sitcom starring the one and only Jon Lovitz as a James Agate-esque movie critic, and created by ex-Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss. Jon’s characters son in the show was also voiced by Christine Cavanaugh, who voiced a large amount of characters from some of my favorite cartoons growing up (Chuckie from Rugrats, Oblina from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Dexter from Dexters Lab and tons more). The whole thing plays out like a subdued and more adult version of the Animaniacs to me. It only survived for 2 seasons unfortunately, but I think this one was just a little ahead of its time, it absolutely holds up though and is still quite hilarious.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (Movie 1999)
I could easily put this movie in my top 5 comedies of all time. Endlessly quotable, deranged and unhinged. It’s a dark comedy mockumentary starring Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley, BRITTANY MURPHY and tons more. It follows a group of high schoolers from “Beautiful Mt. Rose, Minnesota” as they all prepare for their schools beauty pageant in hopes to win their way to the finals. It’s not long before contestants and friends are involved in fatal ‘accidents’ or irreparably maimed. It’s without a doubt a product of its time, and worth watching for the first time or the 20th.
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This list was relatively palatable in contrast to the darker abyss of the Tubi universe. But I’m going to leave that up to you to explore for yourself. All movies and shows mentioned are streaming now, but I’d act quickly if you want to catch one, it’s quite the revolving door. If you’d like to see more blog content like this be sure to comment below!