Having a vast library of good television shows and films is the most important factor in the success of a streaming service. That’s part of what transformed Netflix into a global phenomenon, and it’s why services like Paramount Plus have worked hard to build a healthy library of series that subscribers can browse through. As is the case with all streaming services, Paramount+ has a mix of original series that live only on the platform and older shows that were originally on broadcast and have now found a home on streaming.
Although these shows have varied histories, each one of them is a great staple in Paramount Plus’s overall streaming library. Paramount+ might not seem like it has the kind of depth or variety that someplace like Netflix does, but trust me, once you dive in, you’ll find that there are plenty of shows to watch and love.
Recommended Videos
Penny Dreadful (2014)
3 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Mystery, Action & Adventure
Stars
Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton
Created by
John Logan
Watch on Paramount+
A riff on gothic horror that had a hugely devoted fanbase during its initial run, Penny Dreadful is a delightful mishmash that pulls elements from everything from Dracula to Frankenstein. The show’s greatest selling point, though, is Eva Green’s towering central performance, which was hugely acclaimed at the time and has only become more beloved in the years since. If you’re looking for a great show to dive into for the spooky season, Penny Dreadful is the ideal choice.
Special Ops: Lioness (2023)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
Watch on Paramount+
Taylor Sheridan owns Paramount Plus in a way that few creators do in the modern TV era, which is part of the reason he’s currently responsible for so much of what’s on Paramount Plus. His latest show is Special Ops: Lioness, which follows a CIA agent as she attempts to balance her personal life with professional obligations while fighting the war on terror. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Zoe Saldana, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman, Special Ops: Lioness is a tense thriller, in spite of its slightly silly name.
Tulsa King (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama
Stars
Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Savage, Max Casella
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
Watch on Paramount+
We know Sylvester Stallone is a major movie star, but his first venture into the world of TV is also a fun affair! Terrence Winter of The Sopranos serves as the showrunner of this mafia drama. Stallone plays Dwight Manfredi, a mobster who is attempting to get back on his feet by running a new crime ring after spending a lot of time behind bars. Once a criminal, always a criminal.
Evil (2019)
82%
7.7/10
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi
Created by
Michelle King, Robert King
Watch on Paramount+
The Kings are the most creative minds working on TV at Paramount right now, and Evil brings a thoroughly modern lens to one of the most ancient subjects in the world. The series tells the story of a priest and a psychologist who work together to investigate events that initially seem to have a supernatural dimension to them. The line between what’s real and what isn’t is always fuzzy, but Evil is also unique for the ways in which it infuses thoroughly modern notions of darkness into its storytelling. It’s a series about living online and how easy it is to be sucked into the darkness by the world around you, and it’s a delightful, twisted ride.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
73%
7/10
5 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Stars
Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman
Created by
Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Fuller
Watch on Paramount+
As one of the longest-running sci-fi franchises in the history of TV, Star Trek: Discovery is just the latest iteration of a story that many are already deeply familiar with. Discovery is actually a prequel to the original Star Trek, and takes place roughly a decade before the events of the original series. Following a military scientist who eventually becomes captain of the Discovery, the show has helped bring Star Trek to modern audiences and is the first series set in the universe since Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005. Although Discovery hasn’t been met with universal acclaim, those who love it love it passionately, and it may prove to be an excellent entry point for science fiction fans who are unfamiliar with this world.
Frasier (1993)
79%
8.2/10
11 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves
Created by
Peter Casey, David Angell
Watch on Paramount+
It’s not exactly a controversial opinion to say that Frasier, one of the most decorated comedy series of all time, is a good TV show. Although it started as a spinoff of Cheers, the show eventually proved that it was a worthy successor and lasted 11 seasons. The series follows Kelsey Grammar’s Frasier as he moves to Seattle in search of a new beginning. There, he hosts a radio show and deals with the strife around his personal life. The dry wit at the heart of Frasier was what sustained the show, but Frasier had a much bigger heart than it let on, and that warmth allowed these dry, silly characters to feel like family.
Chappelle's Show (2003)
74%
8.8/10
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Dave Chappelle
Created by
Dave Chappelle, Neal Brennan
Watch on Paramount+
Dave Chappelle is the center of an ongoing controversy today, but that doesn’t make Chappelle’s Show any less era-defining. Dave Chappelle’s sketch show, which ran for three seasons starting in 2003, was filled with some of the funniest sketches in the history of comedy. What made Chappelle’s comedy so brilliant was its ability to make sharp political points without ever feeling like a diatribe. Chappelle’s best sketches had a distinct point of view, but they were also hilarious, and he knew that those things didn’t have to be in conflict. We live in a dark, absurd world, and Chappelle captured that world beautifully.
Twin Peaks (1990)
83%
8.8/10
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Stars
Sheryl Lee, Mädchen Amick, Kimmy Robertson
Created by
David Lynch, Mark Frost
Watch on Paramount+
Widely regarded as one of the best shows ever made, Twin Peaks is compelling in part because it feels like no other TV show ever made. The series is set in a small town that has been rocked by the death of a teenage girl. Following Dale Cooper, the FBI agent sent to investigate the murder, the series explores the darkness underneath the town of Twin Peaks and the history of evil that even a quiet town has buried underneath it. As a story about murder, Twin Peaks is utterly compelling, but that’s not all the show is. Ultimately, it’s a story about the terrible things people do to one another and how we reconcile with that horrifying potential.
1923 (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Western
Stars
Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Darren Mann
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
Watch on Paramount+
Although Yellowstone is not itself on Paramount Plus, its prequel series, 1923, is, and we should all be grateful for that fact. The show, which stars Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as ancestors of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, the show is about the closing of the American frontier, and in its gentle way, it’s also about aging. 1923 is given time to be a little more reflective and thoughtful than its predecessor, and it’s anchored by a pair of wonderful central performances from Ford and Mirren.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stars
Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush
Created by
Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
Watch on Paramount+
If you’re nostalgic for the days when Star Trek was mostly a space adventure that wasn’t all that focused on lore, then Strange New Worlds is the show for you. The series is a prequel to the original Star Trek, and it tells stories that are largely contained to single episodes. As such, it plays by the old rules of TV, and is all the better for it. With strong writing, a solid cast that it knows how to take full advantage of, and better special effects than they had in the 1960s, Strange New Worlds is the ideal Star Trek show for a casual fan.
Yellowjackets (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Stars
Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nélisse
Created by
Bart Nickerson, Ashley Lyle
Watch on Paramount+
A riff on Lord of the Flies that follows a girls’ soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness following a plane crash, Yellowjackets has been a remarkably gripping story about trauma that also features plenty of cannibalism. The series, which splits its story between following the teens in the immediate aftermath of the crash, and the surviving adults more than 20 years later, features plenty of great performances and also manages to focus on women in a way few shows on TV do even today. Yellowjackets is also just wild, zany fun, and it’s that unique combination that has made it every TV lover’s latest obsession.
Freaks and Geeks (1999)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Stars
John Francis Daley, Linda Cardellini, James Franco
Created by
Paul Feig
Watch on Paramount+
A cult teen show that only ran a single season, Freaks and Geeks tells the story of the outcasts in a 1980 high school. In addition to launching a generation of young talent, Freaks and Geeks was also a smart show about what it meant to grow up in that era and what it means to grow up in general. Few shows have better captured the angst of being a teenager, even if the series wound up only having a short life on the air. The fact that it’s still discussed 25 years later speaks to its staying power.
Escape at Dannemora (2018)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Stars
Benicio del Toro, Paul Dano, Patricia Arquette
Created by
Michael Tolkin, Brett Johnson
Watch on Paramount+
A great and largely underseen miniseries from 2018, Escape at Dannemora tells the story of two real-life prisoners who escaped from a prison in upstate New York with some help from a female employee. Patricia Arquette won an Emmy for her performance in the series, and she’s matched by equally great work from Paul Dano and Benicio Del Toro. Add in some incredible direction from Ben Stiller, and you have the recipe for a tight, thrilling series that takes a very grounded, realistic look at what it actually takes to escape from prison.
1883 (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Western
Stars
Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
Watch on Paramount+
Paramount Plus may have fumbled the ball a bit when it came to getting the rights to stream Yellowstone, but the company has made good use of the broader Yellowstone universe. 1883 tells the story of the Dutton family as they first establish their ties to the land they will eventually defend so fulsomely in Yellowstone. The series stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, a real-life couple who are also the foundation of the entire Dutton family. 1883 is a limited series, but it’s not the only expansion of the Yellowstone universe that creator Taylor Sheridan has made.
Halo (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Stars
Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone, Joseph Morgan
Created by
Kyle Killen, Steven Kane
Watch on Paramount+
Adapted from one of the bestselling video game series of all time, Halo follows a super soldier living in the 26th century who becomes embroiled in humanity’s battle against a group of hostile aliens. Although the Halo games made their bones on combat (and there’s plenty of that here), the Halo series smartly adjusts to its medium, spending more time building out the world of this story and giving the Master Chief character far more humanity than he gets in most of the games. Halo is still a sci-fi action series, but it’s one that has a solid emotional backbone.
Billions (2016)
7 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff, David Costabile
Created by
Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin
Watch on Paramount+
An electric, high-wire series about finance, Billions tells the story of a New York district attorney determined to go after the wealthiest people under his supervision. Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis prove to be incredible scene partners, and Billions is unafraid of complicating the dynamics between the two central figures. Billions doesn’t achieve the same lofty heights as Succession, which is set in a very similar world, but it is one of the most fun shows on television, and there’s something to be said about that, too.
The Amazing Race (2001)
36 Seasons
Genre
Reality
Stars
Phil Keoghan
Created by
Bertram van Munster, Elise Doganieri
Watch on Paramount+
One of the great reality competition series ever invented, The Amazing Race follows pairs of two as they travel around the world in an attempt to win a weeks-long race. The challenges these contestants face test a perfect combination of physical skill and logic, and they also give those contestants a chance to immerse themselves in the culture of the places they pass through. The Amazing Race has been running for more than 20 years for a reason. It’s one of the best ways to see every part of the world from the comfort of your couch and also live vicariously through the daring of others.
Cheers (1982)
11 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman
Created by
Glen Charles, Les Charles, James Burrows
Watch on Paramount+
One of the greatest sitcoms ever made, Cheers tells the story of the staff and patrons of a single Boston bar as they attempt to get through the trials and tribulations of their everyday lives. Featuring a roster of great performers, many of whom went on to become major stars (like Woody Harrelson), Cheers is both funny and slightly sad in a way that many sitcoms at the time weren’t. Above all else, though, it’s just good, comforting television, and its 11-season run means that there’s tons to dive into.
The Daily Show (1996)
Perhaps one of the best political comedy shows ever made, The Daily Show has now been supplanted by all of the shows that came from it, and all of the comedians that were once on it. It its heyday, though, Jon Stewart’s Daily Show was a source not just of trenchant political satire, but also of actually interesting political commentary. Stewart knew how to handle everything from 9/11 to the election of the first Black president, and more importantly, he knew how to make those things genuinely funny. The show is still great to this day, but the Stewart era is worth rewatching to understand how Americans processed politics.
Drunk History (2013)
Perhaps one of the great conceits in recent comedy history, Drunk History takes us through actual historical events as narrated by people who are getting increasingly drunk as they tell their story. The result, as acted out by actors in appropriate historical dress, is fuzzily true accounts of actual history that are usually much funnier than whatever actually happened. Drunk History features a slew of famous faces drunk as a skunk, and it’s moderately informative to boot.
The Challenge (1998)
40 Seasons
Genre
Reality
Stars
Darrell Taylor, Devin Walker-Molaghan, Horacio Gutiérrez
Created by
Jonathan Murray, Mary-Ellis Bunim
Watch on Paramount+
A spin-off of Road Rules and The Real World that became a reality TV phenomenon all its own, The Challenge follows reality stars as they compete in a series of games, typically on teams divined by some criteria or another. While the rules of The Challenge vary by season, what remains constant are the various ways the series has riveted viewers since its premiere. The competition has been held in locations all over the globe, and it’s that combination of travel and invention that has allowed the show to endure for more than 25 years and even more seasons than that.
Ghosts (2021)
A network sitcom that manages to be both wholesome and genuinely amusing, Ghosts tells the story of a couple who decide to take a chance on a rundown house only to discover that it’s filled with ghosts. When the ghosts discover that one half of the couple can see them, a saga of shenanigans ensues. Ghosts is loosely serialized, but part of the show’s brilliance is the way it makes its supernatural premise seem much more fun than you might expect. Ghosts is genuinely funny in a way few network sitcoms airing today are.
Dexter (2006)
8 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Stars
Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Geoff Pierson
Created by
James Manos, Jr.
Watch on Paramount+
The legacy of Dexter is complicated and fraught, to say the least. When the show was firing on all cylinders, though, there were few shows on television that were more gripping. The series follows its titular character, a serial killer who justifies his actions by only murdering other murderers. The series is a fascinating look at one man’s compulsions and obsessions, and it won actor Michael C. Hall a boatload of awards. It definitely jumped the shark by the end of its run, but the first few seasons hum along beautifully.
What shows are coming to Paramount+ in January?
January 5
- The Golden Globe Awards**
January 8
- Raid the Cage (season 2)**
- The Price is Right at Night**
January 9
- Hollywood Squares**
January 15
- Danger Force (season 3)
- Matlock (1986, seasons 1-9)
January 22
- Isle of MTV: Malta (2024 special)
- Help! I’m in a Secret Relationship (season 3)
January 24
- Star Trek: Section 31 premiere
January 26
- Watson**
January 29
- The Tiny Chef Show (season 2)
January 31
- NCIS: Sydney (season 2)**
