What's On MeTV Today: Complete 2026 Daily Schedule, Air Times, And Viewing Guide

Please note: This television guide covers the primary MeTV (Memorable Entertainment Television) broadcast network. If you are looking for secondary digital subchannels from Weigel Broadcasting, such as MeTV+ or MeTV Toons, their standalone daily programming grids differ from the primary flagship schedule outlined below.

Navigating the daily broadcast schedule of MeTV requires understanding both the national network feed and the operational realities of local affiliate syndication. As America's premier classic television network, MeTV delivers an immutably curated rotation of iconic 1950s through 1980s sitcoms, courtroom dramas, police procedurals, and golden-age Westerns.

Whether you are checking the lineup over-the-air via a digital tuner, through a traditional multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) like cable or satellite, or via a virtual streaming bundle, the programming day follows a rigorous, block-scheduled format. Below is the full breakdown of what is on MeTV today, organized by time slot, genre block, and delivery platform for 2026.

The Master 2026 MeTV Weekday Broadcast Grid

MeTV operates across dual master distribution feeds: an Eastern/Pacific (ET/PT) feed and a Central/Mountain (CT/MT) feed. While local affiliate stations reserve the right to insert localized public affairs programming, weather interruptions, or local news during early morning dayparts, the network preserves a uniform national daytime and primetime schedule.

Detailed Daypart Breakdown: What to Watch and When

MeTV organizes its programming into clear, predictable blocks. This ensures viewers always know what style of storytelling will be available at any given hour.

Morning Courtroom and Crime Dramas (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET)

The daytime lineup transitions from early domestic sitcoms directly into heavy legal and investigative procedurals.

• Perry Mason (8:00 AM ET): Starting the workday block, Raymond Burr’s masterful portrayal of the tenacious defense attorney sets the standard for courtroom drama. These episodes feature classic black-and-white cinematography and Mason's signature courtroom confessions.
• Matlock (9:00 AM ET): Transitioning to full-color late-twentieth-century litigation, Andy Griffith trades his Mayberry badge for a seersucker suit, defending falsely accused clients across Atlanta through down-home charm and forensic deconstruction.
• In the Heat of the Night (10:00 AM ET): Based on the film and novel of the same name, this series confronts small-town racial tension, regional crime, and rural politics through the dynamic partnership of Police Chief Bill Gillespie and Detective Virgil Tibbs in Sparta, Mississippi.
• The Waltons (11:00 AM ET): Bringing a gentler cadence to late morning, this hour chronicles the Walton family during the Great Depression and World War II, serving as an emotional bridge into the afternoon action slate.

The Afternoon Western Frontier Block (12:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET)

MeTV devotes five consecutive afternoon hours to the American Western, making it the most consistent home for classic frontier programming on standard television.

• Gunsmoke (12:00 PM & 1:00 PM ET): Airing back-to-back, the network showcases both the early hour-long black-and-white episodes and the later technicolor seasons of Matt Dillon maintaining law and order in Dodge City, Kansas.
• Bonanza (2:00 PM ET): Set against the Lake Tahoe backdrop of the Ponderosa Ranch, the Cartwright family navigates domestic disputes, land conflicts, and high-stakes Western history.
• The Rifleman (3:00 PM ET): Chuck Connors stars as Lucas McCain, balancing moral parenting with lightning-fast defense using his custom-modified Winchester model 1892 rifle across two fast-paced half-hour episodes.
• Wagon Train (4:00 PM ET): Inspired by John Ford’s legendary cinematic style, this hour-long adventure details the perils of frontier families traveling westward from Missouri to California.

Primetime Sitcom Heavyweights (6:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET)

During the evening and primetime hours, MeTV moves into its highest-rated comedy block, pairing character-driven situational humor with legendary television ensembles.

The core primetime schedule pairs The Andy Griffith Show with M*A*S*H between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM Eastern. This two-hour transition from rural Americana to wartime satire delivers the network's most reliable viewership baseline.

The primetime schedule features:

1. M*A*S*H (7:00 PM ET): Following Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, B.J. Hunnicutt, and Margaret Houlihan, these back-to-back half-hours blend medical drama with biting anti-war humor.
2. Norman Lear & Mid-Century Powerhouses (8:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET): Anchored by All in the Family and Sanford and Son, these hours tackle social mores, cultural shifts, and generational clashes through unmatched comedic timing.
3. Hogan's Heroes & The Carol Burnett Show (10:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET): The evening winds down with satirical espionage in Stalag 13, followed by iconic physical comedy, parodies, and sketches from Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway.

Weekend Specialties: Sci-Fi, Superheroes, and Svengoolie

Saturdays and Sundays on MeTV break away from the weekday Western and sitcom formula, featuring distinctive genre marathons that have built dedicated followings.

Super Sci-Fi Saturday Night

The Saturday evening block is one of the most culturally enduring fixtures on modern broadcast television:

• Svengoolie (8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT): Hosted by Rich Koz (and the expanded Berwyn crew), this two-hour horror franchise showcases vintage monster cinema, Universal classics, sci-fi B-movies, sketch interruptions, rubber chicken storms, and horror history.
• Star Trek: The Original Series (10:00 PM ET): Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise travel through the cosmos on their five-year exploration mission.
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century / Battlestar Galactica (11:00 PM ET): Rotating space-opera classics that offer pure late-1970s and early-1980s retro-futuristic adventures.
• The Twilight Zone & Lost in Space (Late Night): Anthological thrills and family space adventures wrap up the overnight block until Sunday dawn.

The Sunday Western and Crime Showcase

Sundays feature an expanded morning collection of classic cowboy cinema and adventure serials, including The Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, and Maverick, before shifting into Sunday evening mystery movies such as the rotating Columbo, McCloud, McMillan & Wife, and Banacek wheels.

Technical Access: How to Watch MeTV Today

Unlike standard cable-only networks, MeTV is widely available across multiple delivery protocols, ranging from zero-cost over-the-air signals to broadband-streamed vMVPD services.

[Local Over-The-Air Broadcast] ── ATSC 1.0 / ATSC 3.0 Tuner ──> Free Digital TV [Virtual MVPD Carriers] ── Frndly TV / Philo ──> Broadband Stream [Traditional MVPD Systems] ── Cable / Dish Network (247) ──> Set-Top Box

Over-The-Air (OTA) Reception via Digital Antenna

MeTV is primarily broadcast as a digital subchannel by commercial affiliate stations across the United States.

• Tuning Strategy: To pull in MeTV, connect an indoor or outdoor UHF/VHF antenna directly to your television's coaxial RF input and run an automatic channel scan (rescan).
• Subchannel Configuration: Because MeTV is usually carried on a subchannel (such as .2, .3, or .4 behind a major ABC, CBS, NBC, or FOX primary signal), ensure your tuner supports digital ATSC 1.0 decoding or modern ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV protocols.
• Signal Diagnostics: If your television displays pixellation, macroblocking, or an audio-only feed, adjust your antenna toward the local broadcast transmission tower. Digital subchannels are often allocated lower bitrates (typically standard-definition 480i or compressed 720p) relative to the primary network carrier.

Virtual Multichannel Streaming (vMVPDs)

You cannot access a standalone, direct-to-consumer free live stream through the general MeTV website. However, active legal live feeds are carried within lightweight subscription streaming services:

• Frndly TV: Carries the full live national feeds of MeTV, MeTV+, and MeTV Toons within its basic subscription tier, featuring cloud DVR capabilities.
• Philo: Distributes the live feed of MeTV alongside its entertainment channel bundle, offering unlimited rolling cloud recording functionality.
• Traditional Pay-TV Providers: Carried nationwide on Dish Network (Channel 247), DirecTV (in select local carriage agreement markets), and major cable systems such as Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum, and Cox (channel assignments vary by market and municipal franchising agreements).

Troubleshooting Local Schedule Variations

While MeTV provides a strict national program schedule, viewers occasionally encounter programming that does not match the national guide. This discrepancy usually stems from one of three structural issues:

1. Local Affiliate Pre-Emptions: Local broadcast stations licensed by the FCC hold the legal authority to replace network feeds with local breaking news, continuous severe weather tracking, paid regional programming, or religious broadcasts.
2. Syndication Exclusivity Rules (SynEx): In rare television markets, a competing local broadcast station may hold the exclusive local rights to air a specific syndicated program (such as The Andy Griffith Show). When this occurs, the local MeTV affiliate must black out or replace that specific hour with an alternative program supplied by Weigel Broadcasting.
3. Feed Displacement (Time Zones): Viewers living in Mountain and Central time zones must verify whether their cable or streaming provider passes through the Eastern Master Clock or the delayed Mountain/Central feed. If your program begins exactly one hour off from the printed guide, your provider is routing the alternate regional transponder feed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What shows air on MeTV during prime time tonight?

The core weekday primetime schedule features back-to-back episodes of M*A*S*H at 7:00 PM ET, followed by All in the Family at 8:00 PM, Sanford and Son at 8:30 PM, an evening replay of The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00 PM, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. at 9:30 PM ET. On Saturday evenings, the network shifts away from comedy to air the horror showcase Svengoolie at 8:00 PM ET, followed by Star Trek at 10:00 PM ET.

Where can I find my local MeTV channel number?

You can find your local channel assignment by entering your zip code into the station locator tool on the official MeTV website (metv.com/wheretowatch). Because MeTV operates primarily as a digital broadcast subchannel, your over-the-air channel number will almost always include a decimal point (such as 2.2, 7.3, or 12.2), whereas cable and satellite systems assign unique two- to three-digit channels based on your regional provider.

Can I stream MeTV online for free?

No, MeTV does not provide a free, unauthenticated live online stream through its website or mobile apps. To stream MeTV legally without an antenna, you need an active subscription to a streaming television service that carries Weigel Broadcasting networks, such as Frndly TV or Philo. The official MeTV app provides on-demand clips, program schedules, quizzes, and merchandise, but does not include a free live broadcast feed.

What is the difference between MeTV, MeTV+, and MeTV Toons?

MeTV is the flagship network, focused on classic live-action sitcoms, Westerns, legal dramas, and mystery procedurals. MeTV+ is a secondary digital subchannel carrying deeper runs of sitcoms, action titles, and science fiction not featured on the main schedule. MeTV Toons is a specialized 24/7 animation network dedicated entirely to classic Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, MGM, and Fleischer animation, operating with its own independent broadcast schedule.

What time does Svengoolie air on MeTV?

Svengoolie airs every Saturday evening at 8:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM Central. The two-hour broadcast features full-length vintage sci-fi and classic horror films, surrounded by comedy sketches, trivia, audience mail, and parody songs hosted by Rich Koz and his ensemble cast.

Keep Your Tuner Ready for Classic Television

To ensure you never miss your favorite programs on MeTV today, run a quarterly rescan on your television's digital antenna tuner. Broadcast subchannels often make channel sharing and frequency adjustments behind the scenes, and an automated sweep ensures all your local Weigel Broadcasting feeds—including MeTV, MeTV+, and MeTV Toons—remain clear and accessible on your channel guide.