‘Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television’ is Now Streaming for Free on YouTube Premium!

There’s a chance you missed Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television the first time around. Premiering all the way back in October of 2017, this immensely meta YouTube Premium comedy doubles down on the mismatched buddy cop formula as a no-nonsense cop (Samira Wiley) is forced to team with real-life actor Ryan Hansen to solve a variety of murder mysteries.

When YouTube Premium, which was formerly YouTube Red, relaunched, the platform’s strategy was to make the first two episodes of a show free for everyone, while the rest of the series would rest behind an $11.99 a month paywall. Despite this financial roadblock, YouTube’s Karate Kid revival Cobra Kai became a bonafide pop culture sensation, garnering both critical acclaim and an abundance of views. But a number of quality programs like Champaign ILL, Sideswiped, and Overthinking with Kat & June didn’t earn the commercial cachet they deserved thanks to streamers who were understandably weary about shelling out money to enhance a previously free service.

Thankfully, YouTube Premium is changing their model (again). At some point in 2019, new original content will reportedly be available for free (with ads). But guess what, Hansen fansen? You don’t have to wait until TBD 2019 to stream the first season of Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television for free. To promote the upcoming second season, YouTube’s made all eight Season 1 episodes of the series available to watch for free until February 13th.

Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television is a ton of fun. Hansen and Wiley share a crackling chemistry, and the show is littered with fun cameo appearances from a variety of celebrities playing bizarro versions of themselves. From Joel McHale and Donald Faison to Jon Cryer and Kristen Bell, the aggressively self-referential series gleefully tees off on all things pop culture and Hollywood, perhaps saving their most scathing jabs for YouTube.

“If you have your own TV show, albeit it on a subscription based website that was formerly free, but you don’t have a billboard, how is anyone gonna post about it?” Hansen asks at the beginning of Episode 7.

Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television is absolutely ridiculous, but instead of shying away from the absurdity, it embraces it with arms wide open. The comedy succeeds due to Hansen’s inexhaustible charisma. Despite starring in cult favorites like Party Down and Veronica Mars, the actor seems to relish using his career as a punchline, adding to the breezy anything goes spirit of the series.

I don’t know. I heard some of Hansen’s unaired pilots were actually pretty solid and that the writer did THE BEST HE COULD DO UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, KRISTEN BELL.

Although, predictably, Bell does steal the show in Episode 7.

Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television is one of the most under-appreciated shows (not) on television. Watch it for free on YouTube before February 13th.

Season 2 of Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television premieres January 30 on YouTube Premium.

Where to stream Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on TV