Where can I watch FX, FXX, and "FX on Hulu" shows in Canada?

Since debuting The Shield in 2002, American cable channel FX, and more recently its sibling network FXX, have gained critical and audience acclaim for their original series like Nip/Tuck, The Americans, American Horror Story, and Atlanta, among numerous others.

In 2020, after both FX and Hulu were acquired by The Walt Disney Company, Hulu launched an FX portal (originally "FX on Hulu") which includes additional exclusive series such as Devs, Mrs. America, and Reservation Dogs.

Rogers Media holds exclusive Canadian broadcast and streaming rights to recent original programming aired on FX and FXX under a deal originally reached in 2011 with FX's then-parent company, 21st Century Fox (later purchased by Disney). Rogers operates a Canadian version of the FX channel which launched that same year, as well as a Canadian version of FXX launched in 2014. For a time, these channels also aired some of the FX on Hulu original series.

From 2011 to early 2022, these channels were only available in Canada through cable or similar TV services, and for much of that time, the majority of past FX series or seasons covered by the deal were not syndicated to other services in Canada such as Netflix. (Some FX series briefly appeared on the short-lived Shomi streaming service co-owned by Rogers, but did not move to another over-the-top service after Shomi closed in 2016.)

However, as of April 2022, virtually all programming produced by FX by its in-house studio FX Productions (FXP), including programs produced for FXX or released on Hulu, are available through one or both of the following streaming services:

• Citytv+, an add-on channel to Amazon's Prime Video streaming platform that was launched by Rogers in April 2022, includes access to current programs airing on the Canadian versions of the FX and FXX channels, as well as a selection of past programs. Citytv+ costs $4.99 per month (and carries some advertising), which is on top of the $9.99 per month (or $99.00 per year) price of Amazon Prime itself, though a one-month free trial of both available to first-time subscribers in most areas.
   
• The Star hub on the Disney+ streaming service, which launched in Canada in 2021, is the only way to watch several FX on Hulu programs that premiered from late 2021 onwards, including Reservation Dogs and American Horror Stories. It has also increasingly provided access to past FXP series like The Americans, and even past seasons of ongoing FX series like Atlanta. Disney+ is currently only available as an ad-free service for $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year.

(All prices in this article are in Canadian dollars before applicable sales taxes, and are current as of April 2022 but are subject to change.)

How can I access FX Canada?

For many years, the only way to get FX or FXX in Canada was through a cable, satellite, or IP-based TV service provider, such as Rogers, Shaw, Bell, Telus, Cogeco, Vidéotron, VMedia, or TekSavvy.

Although Rogers, which operates the channels, was quick to add them to its "full cable" packages, some providers required (and may still require) customers to subscribe to either their top-of-the-line plans, or add the channels as part of a theme pack, or à-la-carte for a $3 to $5 fee per channel.

If you are a subscriber to FX and/or FXX through a TV provider, in many cases you can access many past and present FX series through the FXNow Canada streaming platform, which includes apps for iOS and Android mobile devices as well as Apple TV. Note, however that some providers, including Bell and VMedia, have more restricted carriage agreements that do not provide access to FXNow (though you may be able to access programming on-demand in other ways) – so in this sense, there is an advantage to subscribing through Rogers if you're in that company's territory.

In April 2022, after years of complaints from cord-cutters about not having a purely "over-the-top" way to access current FX programming, Rogers announced a new streaming option, Citytv+, which combines programming from several Rogers channels including Citytv, FX, FXX, and its multicultural network Omni Television.

When we checked shortly after the launch, FX programs available through Citytv+ included ongoing series like Mayans M.C., Breeders, and Atlanta, and classic series, some of which – including The Shield – are not available on Disney+ in Canada. (However, as best as we can tell, all of these series are also available on FXNow – so there is likely no benefit to subscribing if you're already a cable subscriber to FX or FXX.)

Citytv+ is currently distributed only as an paid add-on package through the Prime Video Channels platform, meaning that only customers with Amazon's Prime subscription package are eligible to subscribe, and must access programming through the Prime Video app. As a result, there is a monthly fee – currently $4.99 per month – which is on top of the subscription fee for Amazon Prime itself ($9.99 per month, or $99.00 per year).

You should also be aware that Citytv+ is not marketed as a commercial-free service – you may see ads or promotions during programs, similar to what you might see watching these programs using FXNow as a cable subscriber. From Rogers' perspective, that $4.99 per month fee is only replacing the monthly wholesale fee you would have paid through your cable provider, and not the revenue Rogers earns from advertising.

Are FX on Hulu exclusive series available in Canada?

Although Hulu is not available in Canada, most of the first batch of series that were been promoted in the U.S. as "FX on Hulu" exclusives – including Devs, Mrs. America, A Teacher, and Y: The Last Man – premiered in this country on the FX Canada linear channel, and were subsequently made available on FXNow Canada. Rogers has also confirmed that the upcoming Hulu-exclusive FX series The Old Man will be handled the same way.

However, in December 2020, Disney – which, as noted above, acquired FX and Hulu among other properties in 2019 – confirmed the launch of the Star hub in Canada and several other countries within the Disney+ streaming service, hosting age-restricted content from Disney-owned studios and networks, and serving a similar (but not exactly identical) purpose to Hulu in the United States.

As part of this launch – and because there is no way to opt-out of the Star hub (nor is there a way to subscribe to it separately) – the Canadian price for Disney+ increased to $11.99 per month, or $119.99 per year.

Subsequent to this launch, newly-announced FX on Hulu series have begun to migrate to Star, rather than premiering on the Canadian FX or FXX channels. This began with American Horror Stories – the one-story-per-episode spinoff of American Horror Story – in August 2021, followed by Reservation Dogs in September. It's likely that other recent and forthcoming FX on Hulu series, like The Premise and Fleishman is in Trouble, will follow, though not all have necessarily been directly confirmed to date by Disney.

Can I watch programs from the FX / FXX channels on Disney+ / Star?

Yes, particularly beginning in 2022, but not including current seasons of this programming.

Although Disney's initial announcement about Star stated that FX content would be included, initially only a limited amount of FX's programming was available in Canada, in light of FX's existing contract with Rogers.

Star ultimately launched with a handful of series from the FX archive, including The League, Man Seeking Woman, Sons of Anarchy, The Strain, Tyrant, and Terriers. Later in the year, it added additional programming, including early seasons of American Horror Story (AHS).

In December 2021, Disney announced (in listings provided to multiple media outlets) that several other series would be made available on Disney+ / Star in Canada in January 2022 – including The Americans, Legion, Pose, additional seasons of AHS, and select seasons of ongoing series like Atlanta and What We Do in the Shadows.

Why the bigger shift in 2022? It's not entirely clear, but it's possible that Rogers' FX deal was up for renewal and Disney negotiated some additional flexibility that takes effect starting in 2022. (It's conceivable that some of Rogers' current promotional efforts with Disney+ are also tied to this revised deal.)

Beyond these, while it seems likely that additional FX programs will appear on Star later in 2022, the timing of when specific shows (or seasons) will be available to stream may be dependent on the length and terms of Rogers' deal with FX – details that, unfortunately, we're not privy to.

Rogers has also made clear, in a statement to The Canadian Press, that there will be no immediate changes to FX, FXX or FXNow in Canada – meaning that FX programs will likely co-exist on both FXNow and Disney+ in Canada for at least the next while.

Are there any FX or FXX original programs not available on FX / FXX Canada?

We are aware of two current original series from the FX and FXX channels not carried by the channels' Canadian counterparts (not including FX on Hulu series, as discussed above):

• Archer – New seasons currently air on Adult Swim Canada (episodes available to stream on the Global TV site/app and on StackTV while in season). Past seasons are available on Netflix and Prime Video. The program was initially picked up by Teletoon when it debuted in 2009 and was not affected when Rogers' deal with FX came into effect. It subsequently moved to its current Canadian home in 2019 when Teletoon owner Corus Entertainment consolidated all its animated adult programming on a relaunched 24-hour Adult Swim channel.
   
• The Weekly and its mid-2020 follow-up / replacement, The New York Times Presents (both documentary series produced by The New York Times, the latter including occasional feature-length documentaries like Framing Britney Spears) – Evidently, FX only acquired the U.S. broadcast rights, as the program's distributor Red Arrow Studios decided to sell international rights separately. As of summer 2021, NYT Presents (including Framing Britney Spears), but not the earlier season of The Weekly, are available on Crave in Canada.

(We had previously listed FXX short-form adult comedy anthology series Cake in this section as well, as the series did not – to our knowledge – air on the FXX linear channel day-and-date with its U.S. broadcast. However, the first four seasons of the program are now available on FXNow and Citytv+, as well as on Disney+, in Canada. The most recent fifth season of Cake is not yet available on either service.)

As noted above, many past FX series, including several that did not originally air on FX Canada, have since become available through FXNow. However, some series that were commissioned from unaffiliated studios, such as Nip/Tuck (produced by Warner Bros.), are not available. Some of these may be available on other channels or streaming services from time to time.

Many other past series are available, but for similar reasons, not all are exclusive to FXNow and some are also available elsewhere. For example, Rescue Me, The Shield, Damages, and Justified, which were commissioned from Sony Pictures Television, are all available on both FXNow and on Bell Media's free-to-everyone CTV Throwback streaming service - just with more advertising on the latter.

On rare occasions, entire series or individual episodes have been pulled from circulation entirely, such as Louie (for reasons that have been well-publicized). This sort of withdrawal is generally done across the board including FX in the U.S. as well as all of its international offshoots.

Are there any other places I can access recent FX programming in Canada?

A small number of past or long-running FX series are available on one or more third-party streaming services, in addition to FXNow Canada and/or Star. Here's the ones we're aware of:

• As noted above, the Sony-produced series Rescue Me, The Shield, Damages, and Justified are available on CTV Throwback.
• The first three seasons of Fargo are currently available in Canada on Netflix. Our understanding is that it was more easily available to Netflix as it was co-produced with (and is distributed by) MGM Television.

It is possible to purchase digital copies of many FX, FXX and FX on Hulu series, even ones currently in-season, through digital media stores such as Google Play or iTunes (for the latter we can't link to a list of all FX shows so we've linked to Devs as an example). Of course, a season purchase of this type typically requires an upfront cost of around $10-$20, depending on the show and how recent the season is.

Significant revisions

• April 14, 2022 – Initial revisions to reflect current/recent FX programming now being available in Canada via Citytv+.
• December 29, 2021 – Noted a recent announcement regarding additional FX series coming to Disney+ / Star in Canada
• October 13, 2021 – Updated throughout to properly reflect a number of changes since February, including the launch of Star, and some of the programs that have been added to that hub post-launch
• July 14, 2021 – Added details about American Horror Stories (the new FX on Hulu spinoff of the original AHS).
• February 7, 2021 – Updates following the announcement of Star's initial programming lineup in Canada.
• December 20, 2020 – Updates, including a few related to the upcoming launch of Star on Disney+ in Canada.
• July 22, 2020 – Updates to FX series available on third-party streaming services.
• July 12, 2020 – Added Cake to the list of missing series in Canada.
• June 23, 2020 – Updates including confirmation that FX on Hulu programming will continue to air on FX Canada.
• April 1-4, 2020 – Added section on digital purchases; various small updates and copyedits.