Watch Full, Unedited Episodes of Most Popular Series for Free

Are you one of the millions of Americans who are cutting the proverbial cord and giving up your cable TV subscription? According to TV analysts, more than 650,000 people cancelled their cable contracts in the second quarter of 2015, a trend that most in the business expect will only accelerate.

Of course, HBO is doing its part to help consumers consciously decouple from their cable providers. With its newest offering, HBO Now, customers can watch a huge library of original episodes of all their favorite HBO series.

HBO Now Versus HBO Go: What’s the Difference?

If you’re a cable subscriber with a premium HBO package, you probably already know about the HBO Go app, which lets you stream any HBO series to your mobile devices, as well as a wide array of other supported devices, such as Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and most video game consoles, not to mention your Mac or PC.

HBO Now, however, lets you skip the cable subscription and pay a modest monthly fee for your HBO programming. While the service was originally planned as an exclusive offering for customers with Apple devices, that deal has expired, and you can now use HBO Now with the same bevy of devices you can use with your HBO Go app. For the first time, all of HBO’s premium series programming is available on a stand-alone basis to anyone with a supported device — no monthly cable subscription required.

Try HBO Now for Free

If you’re not sure HBO Now is right for you, you now have an opportunity to try it free for 30 days, no strings attached. That’s probably a no-brainer for the “Game of Thrones” series addicts patiently waiting for the season six premiere on April 24th. But even if you aren’t a virtual resident of Westeros yet, there are still a ton of reasons to give HBO Now a try.

For an intense look at the mafia’s underbelly, who can resist “The Sopranos”? You can access the entire library of episodes going all the way back to episode one of season one with your HBO Now trial. Ditto HBO’s gritty cult hit “The Wire,” where you can follow Jimmy McNulty, Bubbles, and Omar through the mean streets of Baltimore’s drug scene.

If comedy is more your thing, you can follow the antics of Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “Veep,” or keep up with the millennial angst of Hannah Horvath in the trendy hit series “Girls.” And you won’t want to miss one of HBO’s newest smash series, “Silicon Valley.” Heading into season three this year, which also premiers on April 24th, the series is garnering rave reviews. Don’t forget the cult classic “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and Larry David’s cringe-worthy portrayal of himself.

Still not convinced you want your free HBO Now trial? Maybe other HBO series hits like “True Blood” or “Entourage” are more your style. There’s also Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s newest show, “Ballers,” to tempt you, as well as “Togetherness,” “Vinyl,” and “Eastbound and Down.”

Watch Your Favorite HBO Series Anywhere, Even When You Travel Abroad

You’ll need a United-States-based IP address if you want to stream your favorite HBO series episodes from HBO Now; if you’re browsing the web from another country, your HBO Now subscription won’t work — unless you have Hotspot Shield VPN.

Hotspot Shield VPN lets you browse from virtual locations in over 15 countries. It supports pretty much every mobile device and platform you might use, so you can watch your HBO Now series on your iPhone, your Mac, or an Android device. Here’s how to do it:

1. Download the completely free (no-ads) Hotspot Shield browser extension for Chrome.
2. Select the United States from the country list to ensure you are virtually browsing from a U.S. location; you can confirm your IP address using this link so you know you’re using a U.S. IP address.
3. Open the HBO Now app on your device and start streaming your favorite HBO series.

It really is that simple to watch your favorite HBO episodes for free on just about any device. If you have any trouble installing or using your Hotspot Shield VPN, choosing the right country, or if you have questions or need support, the Hotspot Shield help desk will help get you up and running so you don’t miss a thing.