Sundance TV is a bit of a mixed bag these days. But it’s still a good place to go to see interesting independent films from around the world. And it’s easy to get without cable.
In a hurry? If you just want a great streaming service that includes Sundance TV and much more, try these:
- DIRECTV STREAM: Makes it easy to switch from cable to streaming with their 75+ channel Entertainment plan and options for much more. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Sling TV: The top low-cost streaming service provides a great base channel lineup in both its plans. Save 50% your first month with Sling TV.
- Philo: This service gives you 60+ live TV channel for just $25/mo!
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, try ExpressVPN to get access to the content you deserve.
Table Of Contents
Sundance TV is yet another victim of channel drift, the wandering away of a once-niche TV network from its original wheelhouse. In this case, indie documentaries, short films, and world cinema.
But while Sundance these days does carry NCIS reruns, it also still has some international independent films. Read on for a closer look.
What Is Sundance TV
Sundance TV is indeed named for the famed Sundance Film Festival founded by Robert Redford. Of course, the festival was named for his breakout role in the classic 1969 George Roy Hill western, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
It was first launched as The Sundance Channel in 1996 by Redford, Showtime (which would become part of Paramount Global), and PolyGram (which ended up part of NBCUniversal). In 2008, it was purchased by what is now AMC Networks, which also owned Sundance’s main rival, the Independent Film Channel (IFC).
Sundance TV is joined by its AMC sister-channels IFC in showcasing independent film, AMC for prestige drama series, ShortsTV for exclusively short-form productions, BBC American and BBC World News for Anglophiles, and WE tv for women-centered family and lifestyle reality.
AMC also offers the subscription-based streaming services Shudder (horror movies), Allblk (targeting viewers of color), Acorn TV (British and other English-speaking, non-American film and TV), AMC+, WE tv+, Sundance Now (more on this below), IFC Films Unlimited, and AMC Premiere.
Other non-AMC channels that cover international or independent films or film festivals are Fandor, Cinefest, Magnolia Selects, and Warriors & Gangsters.
Sundance TV Shows
Sundance TV still has some stuff to interest fans of films from the festival circuit, more artistic or avant-garde fare, British film and TV, and high(er)-brow reality shows. Its independent films from around the world include some that appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.
But you won’t find those on the schedule most weeks. Instead, there are classic TV shows from just about every decade going back to the fifties and sixties.
And there are a few movies on the weekends like Young Guns starring Emilio Estevez, Man on Fire and Training Day with Denzel Washington, and Casino and Heat with Robert de Niro. These are all more what you would expect on AMC.
Featured shows on the Sundance TV website (available on-demand with TV provider credentials):
- State of the Union†
- NCIS
- Columbo
- JAG
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent
- This Close†
- Back (British)
- Green Porno
- Mammas
- Seduce Me
† Sundance TV Original
Unblock Your Favorite Movies and Shows With a VPN
If you can’t watch your favorite movies and shows because of your location, a VPN will allow you to get the access you are entitled to, plus extra security and unequalled privacy. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN.
Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
Stream Sundance TV
Sundance TV isn’t hard to find. Most streaming services carry it. Channel lineups, prices, and additional features vary widely. But that means you can find a package that fits your viewing style and not pay for extras you don’t want (like with cable or satellite).
Let’s get down to some details.
Philo
Philo is your go-to service for saving money. For $25/mo, you get over 60 channels, a few of them being Sundance TV, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, and WE tv.
You also get unlimited cloud DVR and you can stream on up to 3 devices. The trade-off is no NBCUniversal (Bravo, Syfy, USA), WarnerMedia (TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network), Disney (Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform), local stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox), or any sports or news channels (except BBC World News).
For everything you need to know, see our Philo review.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a smorgasbord of channel options. You pick a base package ($40.00/mo), and then customize it with extras and add-ons. The result is a custom package that’s cheaper if you like a few niche channels, but can get more expensive if you really enjoy the options of flipping through 80-140 networks.
Sundance TV fans will have to make a few choices: go for Sundance TV in the Hollywood Extra ($6/mo) or get AMC+ Extra ($7/mo), which includes on-demand access to content from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and Sundance TV as well as full access to IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, and Sundance Now.
Sling also contains the most robust selection of premium add-on channels, and many feature indie and international movies and TV: Acorn TV, Cinefest, IFC Films Unlimited, Magnolia Selects, Shudder, and Warriors & Gangsters.
All Sling plans come with 50 hours of cloud DVR. The Sling Blue plan comes with streaming on up to 3 devices but the Sling Orange is limited to one. See our Sling TV review.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is the closest you get to traditional cable. If you liked everything about cable except the bill, the contract, and installation appointment, sign up! But it’s better than even that.
Its Entertainment Package ($79.99/mo) has the biggest percentage of the most popular cable channels, including Sundance TV, AMC, BBC America, and WE tv. If you want ShortsTV and IFC, you’ll have to upgrade to the Choice Package ($108.99/mo).
All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR (online sign-up) and streaming on unlimited devices at once. For more details, see our DIRECTV STREAM review.
Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days
YouTube TV
YouTubeTV offers over 85 channels for $72.99/mo, including Sundance TV, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, and WE tv. They also have an expansive collection of a la carte premium channels (not as good as Sling TV, however) to choose from: Acorn TV, AMC+, Fandor, IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, Sundance Now, and WE tv+ are just a few.
Sundance Now
Sundance Now is Sundance’s subscription-based on-demand streaming service. It’s got all the independent, international, original stuff that used to be the focus of Sundance TV.
New content is added every week. Current popular items are Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle (a Sundance Now Exclusive), season 2 of The Split, The Little Drummer Girl, and A Discovery of Witches (a Sundance Now/Shudder Original).
Membership starts at $6.99/mo, or $59.99/yr, and you can subscribe through Sling TV or YouTubeTV or just go to the Sundance Now website and sign up through them.
Superpower Your Live TV Streaming With a VPN
You can’t beat a VPN for privacy, security, and access. We have used them for years as an important part of our streaming toolkit and we recommend ExpressVPN. Other brands worth checking out include Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost.
| i | See our VPN Buyer’s Guide for complete information on how to choose the best VPN for your needs. |
TVs and Devices to Watch Sundance TV
Pretty much any smart TV or other streaming device that you’ve purchased in the last few years should be supported by the streaming services we’ve discussed above. These include:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- Android mobile
- Chromecast
- iOS devices
- Roku
- Web browsers
Philo doesn’t support Samsung smart TVs, but the others do. And DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t support Android TV-based devices but the others do. Sling and YouTube both support LG and VIZIO smart TVs as well as Xbox gaming systems.
Don’t see your device listed here? See our streaming service reviews for complete details.
Today’s Sundance TV Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
| NCIS – Ships in the Night The team partners with a Coast Guard Investigative Service agent to solve the murder of a Marine on a dinner boat. | |
| NCIS – Recruited Dr. Mallard's predecessor, Dr. Magnus, joins the team to help solve a murder at a college fair. | |
| Columbo – Playback After killing his mother-in-law, an electronics magnate's alibi is a video security system. | |
| Columbo – A Deadly State of Mind A psychiatrist (George Hamilton) romances a wealthy patient (Lesley Ann Warren) then uses her in his alibi after killing her husband (Stephen Elliott). | |
| Sanford & Son – Going Out of Business Fred sees the beginning of the end of his junk business when Lamont takes a job in a men's clothing store. | |
| Sanford & Son – Home Sweet Home Fred holds out for more money when a Japanese land development company offers to buy his house. | |
| Sanford & Son – My Kingdom for a Horse Fred buys a racehorse with an impressive history in hopes of breeding him. | |
| Sanford & Son – Sanford and Niece Fred's niece, the spitting image of his late wife, visits the Sanford home. | |
| Sanford & Son – Julio and Sister and Nephew Julio's sister and nephew stay with the Sanfords temporarily. | |
| Sanford & Son – Fred's Treasure Garden A fun time is had by all when Grady serves his friends, including two policemen, a salad made with marijuana. | |
| Sanford & Son – Tower Power Fred tries to sculpt a work of art from junk when he discovers the value of sculpture. | |
| Sanford & Son – A Little Extra Security Grady must decide whether to lie when he receives too many Social Security checks. | |
| Sanford & Son – The Merger Julio and the Sanfords decide to merge their junk businesses into one. | |
| Sanford & Son – Once a Thief Grady steps in to protect the Sanford "treasures" when Lamont invites an ex-convict friend home. | |
| Sanford & Son – The Stand-In Father and son nightclub performers are injured in Fred's house. | |
| Sanford & Son – Strange Bedfellows Fred's lifestyle is disrupted when Lamont runs for state assemblyman. | |
| Sanford & Son – The Masquerade Party Fred, Grady and Bubba become contestants on a television game show. | |
| Sanford & Son – Golden Boy Fred buys half ownership of a professional fighter who can't fight. | |
| Sanford & Son – My Brother-in-Law's Keeper Fred awaits a visit from his sister until he finds out that her new husband is white. | |
| Sanford & Son – The Headache Lamont consults a psychiatrist to see what is causing his headaches. | |
| Sanford & Son – The Stung Fred asks a professional gambler to teach Lamont and his friends a lesson. | |
| Law & Order – Blood Libel An art teacher's murder leads the detectives to an anti-Semitic student and exposure of a pay-for-grades scandal. | |
| Law & Order – Remand An arson suspect, hoping to make a deal, feeds detectives false information that may lead to the release of a convicted rapist. | |
| Law & Order – Corpus Delicti Curtis and Briscoe's investigation into the death of a horse leads to a killer who may target more than animals. | |
| Law & Order – Trophy Detectives link the murders of two male teens to a case that occurred five years earlier; McCoy fears he convicted the wrong man for the earlier murders. | |
| Law & Order – Charm City A subway-station bombing prompts the squad to seek help from detectives in Baltimore where their prime suspect is wanted. | |
| Law & Order – Custody Paul Robinette returns as a defense attorney representing a crack-addicted black woman accused of kidnapping her son from his adoptive parents. | |
| Law & Order – Encore Michael Dobson, a sleazy nightclub owner, crosses the detectives' path again when his second wife is killed. | |
| Law & Order – Savior Briscoe and Curtis' investigation of the murders of a mother and son leads to the father, but Kincaid uncovers the real killer. | |
| Law & Order – Deceit The investigation of a gay man's murder leads the detectives to his former employer who sexually harassed him. | |
| Law & Order – Atonement A model's death seems to be an open-and-shut case until the prime suspect claims he suffered an extreme emotional disturbance and that he loved the victim. | |
| Law & Order – Slave A shooting incident leads Briscoe and Curtis to a teen who had been given to a drug dealer to settle his mother's drug debts. |
Wrapping Up
Where can you tune in to see Isabella Rossallini dressing up as a male snail to show mollusk mating habits in a 2 minute short? You know the answer!
Just sign up for one of the services listed above and you can join Colman Domingo and guests for Bottomless Brunch at Colman’s every Sunday morning — and the cable company isn’t invited.
We recommend Sling TV for fans of Sundance TV.
FAQs
Can I watch Sundance TV with AMC+?
The Sundance TV channel is not included with AMC+. Sundance TV is a linear channel — that’s a traditional live TV channel with a schedule. AMC+ is AMC Network’s uber-streaming service, which combines all their other single-channel niche streaming services’ content and adds the best of AMC itself and the entire Walking Dead Universe.
In many ways, AMC+ (or Sundance Now described above) may be much more what you’re looking for. It has the prestige drama series, international selections, and psychological thrillers that used to be on Sundance TV, AMC, and the other channels.
And you can watch episodes a full week before they air on their live channel to everyone else. Subscriptions start at $8.99/mo. It’s cheaper to get it with Sling TV.
Why don’t Hulu + Live TV or FuboTV offer Sundance TV?
Neither Hulu + Live TV nor FuboTV carry any channels from AMC Networks, which owns Sundance TV and AMC among others. Content providers charge a carriage fee per channel per subscriber. Even the larger TV providers have to make hard choices about which channels to carry in order to keep subscription costs down for customers. Fubo also doesn’t carry WarnerMedia or A&E, YouTube TV doesn’t carry A&E, and Fubo and Hulu, for whatever reason, decided not to go for AMC.
Ditch “Big Cable” Now – 3 Simple Steps to Cut the Cord
- Pick the right streaming service
- Get the content you deserve with the best VPN.
- Supercharge your internet provider
That’s it — you’ll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more!
Page Updates ▼▲
-
Updated some sub-sections. Updated some section headings. Image changes.
-
Updated some sub-sections. Image changes. Linking. Deleted unneeded sub-section.
-
Added buttons for streaming services. Image changes. Mentioned offers. Various changes to content.
-
Added VPN info. Added buttons for streaming services. Image changes.
-
Added links to streaming services. Added some links. Misc changes. Deleted unneeded sub-section.
-
Updated some sub-sections. Pricing updates. Misc content updates.
-
Added sub-section. Image changes. Linking.
-
Added some more links. Mentioned offers. Pricing updates.
-
Updated some section headings. Added some links. Image changes.
-
States That Have Produced the Best Actors and Actresses - 09/06/2022 -
Exclusive Sports on Hulu + Live TV - 07/24/2022 -
Just How Good Is Hulu + Live TV’s Local TV Coverage? - 07/03/2022