It's unusual for shows normally restricted to streaming services to wind up on free broadcast TV. But it happens, such as with ABC putting up two full seasons of "Only Murders In The Building" on the network in the past few years. (I believe it also ran on CTV.)

Now there are two more that have come out from behind a paywall. 

The first is a well regarded HBO Max show (also seen on CTV's USA Network) called "The Pitt". It's a medical drama and it won two Emmys this year, for Best Drama Series and Best Actor for former ER star Noah Wyle. And it's been highly praised for its realistic depiction of a hospital emergency room, all done in real time. (Each show is titled after the hour it takes place in, with the premiere called "7 AM.") 

I just noticed the first season was running on local TV over CFTO at 10 PM Tuesday night, with other episodes to follow in that timeslot. The second season is set to premiere January 9th on the pay services and this free preview of the first incarnation is obviously designed to get you hooked and subscribing.

The second show to come over from streaming-only is a sequel of sorts to the American version of "The Office." This mockumentary is called "The Paper," about a less than successful news publication that's trying to regain its old glory. Its first full season ran on Peacock in the U.S. and on Showcase, as well as Global's StackTV, in Canada.

You can watch season 1 for free on NBC at 8:30 PM beginning this coming Monday. It has also gotten decent reviews from critics and this is another preview the U.S. network hopes will get you to subscribe to its Peacock channel (not available in Canada) as season two approaches. 

It seems like this is a new trend  in TV, using a free run of a previous season's hit streaming show to get you intrigued and hopefully shelling out money to watch the next coming episodes online. But for now, you can at least sample both for nothing.