Although it isn’t quite the independent film hub that was in the beginning, IFC is still a great channel for film buffs. And thankfully, it’s pretty easy to get access to without cable. Read on to learn how!
In a hurry? IFC isn’t as broadly available as some channels but there are still a number of top choices. Here are our favorites:
- 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
If you like programming that tends to be on the unconventional side, you will enjoy watching IFC. Although this channel still produces and showcases independent films and documentaries, it has largely abandoned its original format in favor of sketch comedy, talk, and similar types of shows.
Let’s take a closer look at the history of this channel, a few of its more popular programs, and how you can watch them without the need for a cable subscription.
What Is IFC?
In 1994, the Independent Film Channel (IFC) was officially spun off from Bravo. It was intended as a hub for independent content creators. By 2001, the channel largely went by IFC in most of its marketing materials.
Over the next decade, the channel started its shift to a format featuring a mixture of off-color comedy and horror content. In 2011, IFC owner Rainbow Media became its own company called AMC Networks. In 2014, AMC Networks announced that the channel would be rebranded as IFC.
IFC Programming
While IFC has a lot of quality programming to offer viewers, many of its shows are no longer in production or were acquired from other networks. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top shows that you are encouraged to check out first if you’re new to IFC.
- Portlandia: This sketch comedy program generally made fun of the idea that everyone in Oregon’s largest city is a hipster or is otherwise part of a counterculture. Veteran comedians Fred Armisten and Carrie Brownstein created the show, and it won a Peabody Award during its eight seasons on IFC.
- Comedy Bang! Bang!: This program presents sketches, spoof interviews, and other content using a faux talk show format. Adapted from a podcast by Scott Aukerman, it continued to make new episodes for IFC until 2016.
- Brockmire: A traditional comedy, it follows the adventures of a former Kansas City Royals play-by-play announcer trying to resurrect his career following a public outburst. Throughout most of the show, the titular character calls games for a minor league team in Pennsylvania before eventually moving to New Orleans. The show came to an end in May 2020.
- Stan Against Evil: A horror-comedy that sees two police officers coming together to battle demons threatening to take over their town. This program ran for three seasons between 2016 and 2018.
- Bunk: Comedians complete a series of challenges such as shaming puppies and coming up with new movie ideas to win prizes awarded by host Kurt Braunohler. There are 10 episodes available for streaming on IFC.com.
If you are interested in shows that are still airing new episodes, you should watch comedies Sherman’s Showcase and Documentary Now. They are currently slated for renewal by the network and are both scheduled to air new episodes at some point in 2022. In addition, Slo Pitch is expected to debut its second season in June 2022.
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 IFC
Two of the biggest live TV streaming services, FuboTV and Hulu + Live TV, do not offer IFC. But many others do.
- Philo: This platform is ideal if you just want to watch your favorite channels without spending a lot of money. You get IFC, Comedy Central and more than 65 others for $25/mo. No sports or local channels, but at that price, why not? Comes with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on 3 devices. (Philo review)
- Sling TV: Known for offering flexibility and affordability. You can get IFC for $40.00/mo through the Sling Blue or Sling Orange base plans. You can get both for $55.00/mo. Comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR. Sling Blue allows you to stream on up to 3 devices at once. (Sling TV review)
- DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV): For $79.99/mo, you can get IFC and roughly 80 other channels. It is the easiest service to migrate to if you are leaving your current cable or satellite provider. Regional sports networks (RSNs) and other premium channels are available with upgrades. All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR storage (online sign-up only) and simultaneous streaming on unlimited devices. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
- YouTube TV: For $72.99/mo, you’ll get 100+ channels such as IFC, ESPN and CNN. It comes with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 3 devices.
- AMC+: Starting at $6.99/mo, you’ll have a chance to watch most IFC shows on an on-demand basis. It also comes with subscriptions for Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited (see below). You will also be able to watch content from networks such as BBC America and AMC.
IFC Films Unlimited
IFC Films Unlimited is a subscription on-demand movie platform. There are more than 500 films available on the platform at any time. The selection features most genres and tends toward the more unusual.
You can subscribe to it through Sling TV, YouTube TV, and AMC+.
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 Live Stream IFC
Most popular devices can be used to stream IFC. All the ones we’ve discussed support these:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- Android mobile
- Chromecast
- iOS devices
- Roku
- Web browsers.
Other than Philo, they all support Samsung smart TVs. And other than DIRECTV STREAM, they support TVs built to the Android TV standard. Smart TVs from LG and VIZIO and gaming systems from Xbox are supported by Sling and YouTube.
If you don’t see a device listed here, it may still be supported. Our streaming service reviews for the complete lists.
Today’s IFC Schedule
Here is today’s schedule in Eastern Time:
Everybody Loves Raymond – Alone Time Ray is worried when Debra asks him to take the kids out more so she can have time to herself. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Someone's Cranky While crabby Robert convalesces at his parents' home after a close encounter with a bull, Debra searches for the cause of his mean-spirited behavior. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Bad Moon Rising Ray pushes Debra over the edge when he suggests that a pill could alleviate all of her PMS moodiness. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Confronting the Attacker Still reeling after his encounter with a bull, Robert loses his nerve on his first day back with the police force and decides to quit his job to begin a new career in telemarketing. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Robert's Divorce The sight of Robert's ex-wife prompts the family to reminisce about the demise of the marriage. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Italy Marie surprises the entire family with a two-week vacation in Italy, but for Ray, it's two weeks too long. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Italy Marie surprises the entire family with a two-week vacation in Italy, but for Ray, it's two weeks too long. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Wallpaper Ray's parents finally go too far, prompting him to lose his cool and kick them out of the house once and for all. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Meant to Be Robert quickly goes from deciding which one of three beautiful women he likes to wondering if any still like him. |
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Three's Company – Love Diary Roper thinks the candid diary Chrissy is transcribing is her own. |
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Three's Company – The Fast Jack and Chrissy compete in a test of willpower. |
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Three's Company – Helen's Rendezvous Jack, Janet and Chrissy think that Helen is having an affair. |
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Three's Company – My Sister's Keeper Janet finds Jack in bed with her visiting sister. |
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Three's Company – Chrissy's New Boss Chrissy plans a business trip with her boss. |
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Three's Company – Larry's Bride The girls accuse Jack of wanting Larry's fiancee. |
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Three's Company – The Party's Over Mr. Roper's dirty trick prompts his wife to leave. |
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Three's Company – The Crush The girls blame Jack for a bogus party invitation. |
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Three's Company – The Kleptomaniac Jack and Janet suspect Chrissy is a kleptomaniac. |
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Three's Company – Eleanor's Return Jack fears another roommate will replace him. |
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Gilligan's Island – `V' for Vitamins The Professor diagnoses the Skipper as suffering from a vitamin deficiency. |
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Gilligan's Island – Mr. & Mrs. ??? The Howells discover that they are not legally married after learning that the minister who married them is a fraud. As the Skipper prepares to marry them in the lagoon, a fight causes them to call off the wedding. |
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Gilligan's Island – Meet the Meteor A large meteorite lands on the island and threatens all living things. |
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Gilligan's Island – Up at Bat Gilligan emerges from an unexplored cave with a bat bite on his neck. |
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Gilligan's Island – Gilligan vs. Gilligan A spy identical to Gilligan questions the castaways about their shipwreck. |
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Gilligan's Island – Pass the Vegetables Please Gilligan fishes a crate of vegetable seeds out of the lagoon. |
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Gilligan's Island – The Producer A Hollywood producer makes an emergency landing on the island just as Ginger hears that he is on a worldwide talent search. |
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Gilligan's Island – Voodoo While exploring an island cave, Gilligan discovers the relics of an ancient civilization. |
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Parks and Recreation – Sister City Leslie hosts the Parks and Recreation Department of Boraqua, Venezuela, Pawnee's sister city; Tom becomes an errand boy; April plays hard to get. |
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Parks and Recreation – Kaboom Leslie and the rest of the department help an organization build a playground; Leslie takes advice from Mark. |
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Parks and Recreation – Greg Pikitis Leslie asks Dave and Andy to help her catch a teenage vandal; Ann tries to throw a fun Halloween party. |
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Parks and Recreation – Ron and Tammy Leslie learns the library department, which is run by Ron's ex-wife (Megan Mullally), wants to take over her lot; Andy gets a job in hopes of winning back Ann. |
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Parks and Recreation – The Camel After a City Hall mural is defaced, the members of the Parks Department compete to come up with a new design; Andy and Ron share an uncomfortable moment. |
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Parks and Recreation – Hunting Trip Leslie invites herself on Ron's annual hunting trip to prove that she can hang with the guys; with everyone else away, April and Andy bond in the office. |
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Parks and Recreation – Tom's Divorce Leslie finds out that Tom is getting a divorce and tries to cheer him up, but Tom is withholding an important detail about his marriage to Wendy. |
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Parks and Recreation – Christmas Scandal A meeting with a disgraced councilman lands Leslie in the middle of a sex scandal; when Ron offers to cover for Leslie for a day, he quickly discovers how much work she really does. |
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Parks and Recreation – The Set Up Ann sets Leslie up on a blind date; one of Ann's old friends makes Mark feel insecure. |
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Parks and Recreation – Leslie's House Following a date with Justin in Indianapolis, Leslie hosts a dinner party at her house to try to impress him. |
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Parks and Recreation – Sweetums Leslie objects to a deal the Parks Department forms with a local company to sell energy bars in Pawnee; Mark agrees to help Tom move. |
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Parks and Recreation – Galentine's Day Leslie and Justin reunite her mother with an old flame for Valentine's Day; Andy's band is nervous about playing a gig at the Senior Center. |
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Parks and Recreation – Woman of the Year Ron wins an award for a project that Leslie began; Tom needs to find money to invest in a local Pawnee club. |
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Parks and Recreation – The Possum Leslie must catch a possum that bit the mayor's dog; Mark refuses to bend the rules for Ron. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Pet Cemetery When Debra and the kids go away for the weekend, Ray accidentally kills Ally's hamster. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – The Author Sibling rivalry heats up when a publishing company passes on Ray's sports book and Robert gets promoted. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – The Walk to the Door Ray runs into a girl he disrespected when they dated in high school, but he ends up regretting an apology. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Young Girl Everything goes astray when Robert starts dating a woman half his age. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Fighting In-Laws While celebrating Thanksgiving, Debra discovers that her seemingly contented parents are miserable with each other. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – The Sneeze Ray can't help but enjoy the extra attention his mother lavishes on him when he feels under the weather. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – Christmas Present Ray buys Debra an extravagant gift, hoping she'll be so overjoyed that she'll let him take a golf trip. |
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Everybody Loves Raymond – What Good Are You? Ray tries to prove to everyone that he can be counted on after failing to help Debra when she chokes. |
Wrapping Up
IFC offers a combination of horror and comedy shows with a dash of independent films and documentaries to round the channel’s programming.
It is available through a number streaming services, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a platform that meets your needs and budget. We recommend Sling TV for IFC but if you don’t need a live stream, AMC+ is a great deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does IFC have any new shows?
Aside from Sherman’s Showcase, Documentary Now, and Slo Pitch, IFC does not have much original programming. However, the Baroness Von Sketch Show recently finished up its run in 2021 if you are looking for shows that are still relatively new despite being out of production. And it is likely IFC will produce more original content in the future.
Is there a Canadian version of IFC?
Until 2019, there was a Canadian version of IFC that was owned by Corus Entertainment. This entity licensed the IFC name from AMC during the majority of its 18 years on the air. A number of mainstream shows such as Game of Thrones and Californication were also broadcast on this channel.
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