Showtime
Critically-acclaimed docuseries The Trade returns with season two on Friday, March 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of Showtime on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming subscription services:
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Showtime Online
The easiest way to watch is through Showtime’s own streaming service, which includes all live and on-demand Showtime content. It comes with a free 30-day trial:
Once you’re signed up for Showtime’s streaming service, you can watch the show live or on-demand on your computer via the Showtime website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, Smart TV, Facebook Portal TV or other compatible streaming device.
Amazon Prime’s Showtime Channel
For those who like to watch on Amazon’s digital platforms, this is ultimately the same as the above option only it’s through Amazon. If you have Amazon Prime or start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all live and on-demand Showtime content via the Showtime Channel, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Amazon Prime Showtime Free Trial
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the Showtime channel, you can then watch the show either live as it airs or on-demand anytime after.
For either option, you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
FuboTV
Showtime is available as an add-on to FuboTV’s main 95-channel package. Both the main channel bundle and the Showtime add-on can be included in your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up, you can either watch the show live, or you can watch on-demand anytime after. With either option, you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
Hulu
Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, Showtime is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV:
Once signed up for Hulu and the Showtime add-on, you can watch the show live as it airs, or you can watch it on-demand anytime after.
You can watch on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 (on-demand only), Nintendo Switch, Echo Show or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
‘The Trade’ Season 2 Preview
The Trade premiered in January 2018, taking viewers inside the country’s opioid epidemic. It featured the cartel-controlled Mexico supply lines, the families all over the United States who have been torn apart by experiencing the drug addiction first-hand, and the law enforcement officials who are fighting a losing battle of trying to save the addicts whenever they can.
It was almost universally praised, with LA Times critic Robert Lloyd saying that it “encourages empathy” by putting a human face on the people who have been caught up in the opioid epidemic.
Now in season two, director Matthew Heineman is focusing on the horrific problem of human trafficking. The show again look at three different threads that are part of this story — a group of Central Americans coming to the United States (and a few heading back home after being deported), the “shadow industries” that exploit those seeking refuge in America, and the law enforcement agents who try to stop the migrants.
The goal of season two is to “bring audiences inside the rarely seen underbelly of the migrants’ world” and “humanize their struggle to survive” amidst the “smugglers and traffickers who take advantage of [their] vulnerability” and the “law enforcement pursuing them at the border,” according to a press release by the network.
“With the second season of The Trade, I wanted to shift my focus towards a different illicit industry: human smuggling and trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of people each year flee gang violence and poverty in Central America, risking their lives in pursuit of the American dream. I hope the show humanizes their journey to the U.S. while also shedding light on the cartels, smugglers, and traffickers preying on their vulnerability every step of the way,” Matthew Heineman told Deadline in a preseason interview.
Hollywood Reporter critic Inkoo Kang actually says season two is a “substantial improvement” on season one because it’s “a more mature work” on Heineman’s part.
“It’s surely important work, as one anonymous young woman, speaking to a human rights activist named Marisa, can attest,” writes Kang. “The woman recalls being forced into prostitution by her MS-13 member boyfriend, then being gang raped by a group of men who, afterward, discussed beheading her. ‘What better prey for organized crime than migrants?’ Marisa sighs. Unlike drugs, ‘You can sell a human being over and over again.'”
The Trade airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
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