Pluto TV brought back something I didn't realize I missed from cable

Rich Hein

Tue, July 7, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC

An image of a streaming app Pluto running on a small screen on a kitchen counter. — Rich Hein/How-ToGeek

I spend most of my workday in front of a screen. I'm developing projects, reading, editing, writing, and making decisions for hours at a time. Since I work from home and my wife doesn't, the end of my workday usually means feeding and walking the dogs, making dinner, and getting things ready for the next morning.

We have a little 12-inch screen in the kitchen that can access just about every streaming platform, but I'm rarely looking for something new to watch. By that point in the day, the last thing I want to do is scroll through rows of shows and make another decision.

Times like these are when Pluto TV fits into my routine, whether I'm making dinner or working on something in the garage. I'm not trying to find the perfect show or start something I need to pay close attention to. I just want something familiar enough to keep me entertained without demanding my full attention.

Pluto TV feels more like flipping through cable channels

Sometimes, fewer choices made watching TV easier

An image of a TV hanging on a wall with the streaming app Pluto TV running. The Channel guide is open and the Classic TV category is displaying shows in that category.

When we first got cable, we had a box with a dial and 36 channels. Later, we got the wired remote that let you sit on the couch and change channels without getting up. You flipped through the channels, stopped when something caught your attention, and watched whatever was already playing.

Today, the choices are almost endless, but that hasn't always made the experience better. I've spent 20 minutes or more scrolling through lists of movies and shows, only to give up without choosing anything. Sometimes I'll put on music instead, but choosing an album or playlist can lead to the same kind of scrolling. Pluto TV feels closer to the way cable used to work. I can open the guide, move through a few channels, and settle on something without treating every choice like a decision I need to get right.

roku-home-screen — Rich Hein/HowToGeek.com

Pluto TV's guide feels more like traditional cable

Pluto TV isn't the only free streaming service I use. Tubi and The Roku Channel both offer live channels, but Pluto TV still feels the closest to cable for me because of how easy it is to move through the guide. I can move up or down through the channels, see what's playing, and read the program information without stopping to dig through menus.

The channel names are easy to read, each listing includes an image, and I can quickly recognize something familiar. Once I'm signed in, I can also mark channels as favorites, which puts them together in a Favorites category near the top of the guide. That makes it even easier to move between the channels I watch most without scrolling through the full lineup.

Not choosing is part of the appeal

On-demand streaming can make watching TV feel like a commitment

A photo of an old tube TV with bunny ears.

On-demand streaming gives me more control, but it also makes every choice feel more intentional. Starting a movie can feel like committing to the next two hours. Beginning a new series can feel like signing up for several seasons. Even choosing something familiar can turn into comparing episodes, runtimes, and whether I'm really in the mood to watch it.

That's part of what makes Pluto TV so easy to use. I don't have to choose the perfect show or decide how much time I'm willing to give it. I love dropping into one of my favorite sitcoms or movies while I'm getting things done around the house. I can watch for a few minutes, change the channel if it doesn't hold my attention, and move on without feeling like I picked the wrong thing.

The categories help me find something faster

Comedy, movies, and classic TV cover most of what I want

An image of a TV hanging on a wall with the streaming app Pluto TV running. The Channel guide is open and the Comedy category is displaying shows in that category. — Rich Hein/HowToGeek.com

Most of the time, I'm looking for one of three things: comedy, movies, or classic TV . Pluto TV makes that easy because I can open one of those sections and see all the related channels in one place. I'm still choosing what type of entertainment I want, but I'm not scrolling through one massive library trying to pick a specific show or movie.

I can jump into the comedy section, browse a few classic TV channels, or see what movies are already playing. Once I find something familiar, I can leave it on in the background and get back to whatever I'm doing.

Pluto TV reminded me what streaming lost

What streaming TV made harder was stumbling into something I wasn't looking for. With cable, you might land on a movie halfway through, catch an episode of a show you hadn't seen in years, or stop on something you never would've searched for on your own.

I still use other streaming services, but Pluto TV fills a different role for me. I'm not always starting with a specific title in mind. I sometimes find something because it happens to be on, and that can be more enjoyable than picking from an endless list. Pluto TV brings back some of what streaming lost from the old-school cable experience.

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