Streaming · Plain-English answer
Most smart TVs cannot run a VPN app directly, because platforms like Tizen and webOS do not support them. The usual options are installing the VPN on your router so every device is covered, using an Android TV or Fire TV device that runs apps, or sharing a connection from a laptop.
Samsung's Tizen and LG's webOS have no system support for VPN profiles and no VPN apps in their stores, so there is nothing to install. Android TV and Google TV sets are the exception, since they run standard Android apps, and Amazon's Fire TV platform behaves the same way.
That leaves three practical routes for everything else: put the VPN upstream of the TV, put it on a streaming stick plugged into the TV, or route the TV through a computer that is already connected.
A router VPN is the cleanest. Install WireGuard on a compatible router, and the TV is covered without knowing a VPN exists. It also counts as one device against your plan limit.
Alternatively, plug in a Fire TV Stick or Android TV box and install the VPN app there, which gives you per app control and easy server switching from the sofa. The third option is sharing your laptop's VPN connection over a hotspot or ethernet cable, which works but ties up the laptop whenever you watch.
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