"Bada Bing The Sopranos" is now one of HBO's free shows and movies; you can catch up with Tony Soprano and his gang without paying an HBO subscription fee.

As a gesture of goodwill, HBO will offer about 500 hours of programming for free on HBO Go and HBO Now. Nine shows and 20 movies from Warner Bros. will be available for free for a limited time starting today (April 3).

HBO has already made some series available for free, and now all episodes of the nine shows will be available:

The 20 HBO movies available for free are from sister studio Warner Bros. and include "Detective Pikachu," "Happy Feet 2," and "Crazy, Stupid, Love," among other hits. Ten HBO documentaries are also streaming for free, including the recent series "McMillions" and "The Case Against Adnan Syed. [It is worth noting that "Game of Thrones" and other recent HBO hits like "Watchmen" and "Westworld" are not on the list.

HBO's free content move comes at a time when millions of Americans are staying home due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. With movie theaters closing and many 2020 releases postponed, many are turning to streaming services for entertainment. According to Warner Media, HBO Now streaming has increased over 40% in recent weeks.

Americans who have fled abroad and are currently living out of the country may find it difficult to take advantage of this benefit. But if you have a VPN - ExpressVPN is our favorite because of its speed, support, and great money-back guarantee - you can sign into that VPN, select the US, and binge to your lofty heart's content.

Of course, HBO's free shows and movies aren't entirely altruistic gestures; they're also a clever way to get people hooked on HBO's content ahead of the launch of HBO Max in May.