Content:  

As you might have guessed, all the content on the CBS site is from CBS network shows. There is quite a list though, including pages for all the soap operas and even the late night shows, like Late Show with David Letterman. Unfortunately, many of the shows don’t have full episodes available on CBS’s site. This is supremely frustrating when you really want to see your favorite show but can’t wait for its designated time slot.

One of the best parts about CBS content, though, is the list of TV Classics available for viewing. If you want to see full episodes of shows that are no longer on the air, CBS will oblige. You can find Family Ties, Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver, Melrose Place, The Twilight Zone and more. You can even see episodes of the original Star Trek if you need a quick geek out session. 

Ease of Use:  

The CBS site is incredibly well-designed. It’s easy to find the shows you’re looking for because there is a dropdown menu with a complete list of all the shows available. You can also search for specific shows. The videos are always organized by show with a separate page dedicated to each show and a special video tab that displays what’s available for that show. Details, related episodes and recommended shows are all viewable to the side.

The controls for the video pane become transparent unless you mouse over them, which means they’re out of the way until you need them. It also helps the site to look simpler and less cluttered. 

Advertising:  

The CBS site is actually pretty subtle with advertising. While the number of ads in a video varies, we felt like the ads were less frequent than on other Internet TV sites. Another nice feature is the 15 second ad on clips. We liked this because it’s annoying to watch a 30 second ad for clips that are only a few minutes long. 

Features:  

Keeping with the simple aesthetic of the rest of the site, videos on CBS don’t have a ton of features attached. Play button, time stamp, volume, fullscreen. That’s all you really need.

At the top of the window, you also have options to share and embed each video. 

Help/Support:  

CBS doesn’t have a very good user support structure in place. There is a short but serviceable FAQ to answer simple questions, but little else. We would like to at least see email support in case of more difficult problems. 

The CBS site looks good, works well and has a lot of entertaining shows. The only thing that holds it back is the sparse catalog of full episodes for some of the popular shows. For more entertaining options, try TopTenREVIEWS' top three selections: Hulu, Fancast and Modern Feed.