Free on GazeboTV for Period Drama Fans

Last Updated on August 10, 2021

Fans of “Anne of Green Gables” and “Avonlea” rejoice! GazeboTV now has lots of free content perfect for those who love Sullivan Entertainment’s period dramas and family-friendly shows.

When you sign up on their website, you’ll be able to access all of GazeboTV’s exclusive free content, and discover classic period drama and viewing for the whole family that you may want to rent or purchase. There are no monthly fees or long-term obligations, you just pay for what you want to watch, or you can just watch the free content… for free!

Below, we share just a sampling of what you can watch for free on GazeboTV; from fantastic short documentaries about “Anne of Green Gables” and “Road to Avonlea” to behind the scenes videos of how the period dramas were created, there’s something here for the whole family.

There are also free full-length episodes, including the 45-minute long “The Missing Story of Marilla Cuthbert,” the stand-alone episode from “Road to Avonlea” that provides the missing link in the chronology of the Green Gables films between “Anne of Avonlea” (Anne II) and “Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story” (Anne III), as well as 4 episodes of “Road to Avonlea,” and 4 episodes of “Wind at My Back.” For young children, there are several free episodes of “Anne: The Animated Series.” You can find out more about all these titles here. 

On August 10 we will be holding a GazeboTV giveaway, just for Willow and Thatch readers… there will be three winners, one each for a digital copy of either the “Anne of Green Gables Trilogy” (AOGG, Anne of Avonlea, AoGG: The Continuing Story), “Road to Avonlea” (Season 1), or a bundle of “Wind at my Back” (Season 1), “Lantern Hill,” and “Love on the Land.” Enter on our Facebook page here. If you don’t have Facebook, email us saying you’d like to enter (open to US and Canada only, ages 18 and over). Giveaway ends August 23, 2021 at 9:59 PM ET and winners will be announced on Facebook. 

Thank you to Sullivan Entertainment’ for partnering with us on this!

Free Content for Fans of Anne of Green Gables

The Making of Anne of Green Gables: Tune in to find see interviews with key cast, production talent and creative executives, who collaborated together closely in the realization of the iconic 1985 period drama starring Megan Follows.

The Making of Anne of Avonlea: Filmed on location during the filming of “Anne of Avonlea” (Anne of Green Gables The Sequel) in 1987, this behind the scenes look at the production and interviews with key cast offers a unique insight into the development of the second “Anne” film.

L.M.Montgomery’s Island: A short documentary, narrated by Cedric Smith (Anne and Green Gables, Road To Avonlea) that takes the viewer through the inspirations that fueled L.M.Montgomery’s creation of Anne of Green Gables and Kevin Sullivan’s film adaption 80 years later.

Frills and Furbelows: The Costumes Recreated: Costume designer Martha Mann discusses recreating the costumes for the fourth “Anne of Green Gables” film, “Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning.” Learn about her thought process and creative influences for the iconic costumes.

Unforgettable Anne Moments: From puffed sleeves to a drunk Diana, watch a series of fans’ favorite moments from the films.

100 Years of Anne: A look back at the evolution of L.M. Montgomery’s novels and their adaptation into movies.

Jonathan Crombie Uncut Interview from The Continuing Story: Jonathan Crombie discusses recreating his role as Gilbert Blythe 10 years later, set against the background of World War I.

Missing Scenes from Anne of Green Gables: These unique scenes were filmed for a German version of the movie with German stars as German national broadcaster ZDF was part of this Canadian-German co-production.

Anne of Avonlea Missing Scenes: A collection of missing scenes from “Anne of Avonlea” including several scenes of Anne’s life as a teacher that were excluded from the final cut of the movie due to runtime.

Anne: The Continuing Story Missing Scenes: A collection of missing scenes from “Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story” including: Gil’s Decision to go to War, Anne & Gilbert’s Wedding Night, Anne Cares for an Orphan Child, Gil Playing Football, Anne in the Hospital, Gil Leaves for New York.

Anne: The Animated Series: The kids can watch 3 free episodes of this series that follows Anne as wild imagination leads her through different adventures, which demonstrate important lessons in loyalty, resolving conflict and problem-solving.

The Missing Story of Marilla Cuthbert: Old Friends, Old Wounds: In this stand alone episode from “Road to Avonlea,” Marilla passes away and Rachel is left with Green Gables and the two young children they have adopted. This story provides the missing link in the chronology of the Green Gables films; between “Anne of Avonlea” (Anne II) and “Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story” (Anne III).

Free Content for Fans of Avonlea

The Best of Road to Avonlea: Enjoy a selection of fan favorite episodes of “Road to Avonlea” for free on GazeboTV. Chosen for the variety of story-lines they exhibit, these 4 episodes are just a taste of an award winning series that has captivated audiences for over 30 years.

Avonlea: A Rustic Paradise: This documentary takes the viewer through the inspiration behind one of most popular series of the 20th century: “Road To Avonlea,” and chronicles the journey from the dream world created by L.M. Montgomery in her novels, to the rustic paradise and memorable characterization presented on TV week after week for seven seasons.

The Origin and Evolution of a Series: Enjoy an on set interview with Kevin Sullivan as he maps out the story of Road To Avonlea from L.M. Montgomery’s novels.

Creating an Epic Dreamworld: Executive producer Kevin Sullivan talks about how he conceptualized and built his world of Avonlea from the ground up, working with a team of costume and production designers, who created intricate designs and elaborate settings.

Kevin Sullivan Changes His Tact: A behind the scenes look at Sullivan’s inspirations for one of the most highly rated episodes of “Road To Avonlea: Home Movie”. He and Location Manager Dan Matthews talk about how the episode was conceptualized, the techniques used to film it, and the importance of memory and family in the concept behind the episode.

The Village of Avonlea: A Look Back: A look at the construction of the village of Avonlea during filming and interviews with key cast members such as Sarah Polley, Lally Cadeau, Cedric Smith, Gema Zamprogna, Zacharey Bennet and Mag Ruffman.

Further Down The Road: Kevin Sullivan talks about the evolution of scripts for “Road To Avonlea” from inception, to the introduction of expanded storylines, and new characters in Season 2.

Between The Action: Go behind the scenes of “Road To Avonlea” Season 2 and see how the various stunts through the season were coordinated and executed.

Behind the Scenes at King Farm: Location Manager Dan Matthews takes the viewer on a tour of a wide variety locations surrounding the King Farm, that were used to invent the seamless cinematic world of Kevin Sullivan’s series.

A Fond Farewell: The Avonlea Cast Looks Back: “Avonlea” comes to a close. The cast and Kevin Sullivan explain why as they look back over 7 seasons.

Free Content for Fans of Wind at My Back

The Best of Wind at My Back: Chosen for their wide range of dramatic story-lines, these 4 episodes are amongst the highest-rated by fans. Both poignant and humorous you’ll discover a wonderful introduction to a show that has been called ‘the Canadian version’ of “The Waltons.” Set in the tough times of the 1930’s TV Guide calls this series “warm, funny and downright addicting!”

Beginnings and Endings: Kevin Sullivan talks about how he created the “Wind at My Back” series from a series of books about the 1930s and from stories of his own family’s history.

Finding New Bedford: Find out how the series “Wind at My Back” moved from being shot on location to entirely in studio with the construction of a massive back lot set for the town of New Bedford.

Wind At My Back Cast Screen Tests: A compilation of screen tests for the casting of “Wind At My Back,” season one. Featuring Cynthia Bellevue, James Carroll, Dan Lett, Kathy Greenwood, Tyrone Savage and Shirley Douglas.

Sullivan Studios Tour: The sets for “Wind at My Back,” “Anne of Green Gables A New Beginning, Sleeping Dogs Lie” and more were created on the Sullivan Studio back lot. See how production design, costume design, a period back lot and sound stages can create different worlds spanning 1850-1950.

More Free Content for Period Drama Fans

The Making of Lantern Hill: Interviews with key cast on the evolution of creating another film story based on a book by Anne of Green Gables writer L.M. Montgomery titled “Jane of Lantern Hill.”

The Making of The Piano Man’s Daughter: Director Kevin Sullivan and Actress Wendy Crewson discuss the process of adapting Timothy Findley’s award-wining novel for the screen.

The Making of Butterbox Babies: An inside look at the production of the shockingly true story of The Ideal Maternity Home, based on the book Butterbox Babies by author Bette Cahill. Includes interviews with key cast and the film makers.

The Making of Sleeping Dogs Lie: Sex, religion and politics explode in this shocking jazz-age story of a theatre owner who sells out for a small fortune and hands the cheque to his beautiful wife to deposit at the local bank. Instead, she donates the money to the Catholic Church and millionaire Ambrose Small is never seen or heard from again.

You’ll also find many more interviews with the casts of “Anne of Green Gables,” “Road To Avonlea” and “Wind At My Back.”

If you are interested in renting or owning some of the family-friendly content, to get you started, Willow and Thatch readers receive $10 off the “Anne of Green Gables Trilogy” by using the code WILLOWTHATCH at checkout at GazeboTV.

You can also take 10% off everything in your cart at Shop at Sullivan, using the code WILLOW&THATCH.

If you enjoyed this post, wander over to The Period Films List. You’ll especially like the Best Period Dramas: Family Friendly List. Also see our our Review of Road to Avonlea, the Review of Anne of Avonlea, Introducing Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Green Gables’ Time Setting, and our interview with Kevin Sullivan: The Road from Anne to Avonlea.