Streaming is a hopscotch game of services where the show you love will probably jump off the platform you pay for before you get a chance to finish it. Such is the horror of modernity. On the bright side, it also means that combining the right streaming services can act like a cheat code for gaining access to a bunch of cool, diverse series. One of those cheat codes is getting add-on, ensuring you get prestige programming alongside reality series and network TV shows (thanks to CBS All Access). Here are the 30 best shows on Paramount Plus and the best shows on Showtime you can watch. TIE: 30. 2014 Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Eva Green Drama, Horror TV-MA 3 seasons John Logan In the deliciously gothic drama, , characters from classic literature wage war with an eclectic team of strangers in Victorian
London. Anchored by standout performances from Eva Green, Timothy Dalton, and Josh Hartnett, the series is a vastly entertaining mash-up of horror, mystery, and prestige TV firing on all cylinders. Oh, and also Patty LuPone delivers one of the greatest episodes of television in Season 2’s “The Cut Wife.” TIE: 30. 2021 Jeremy Renner, Dianne West, Aidan Gillen Crime, Drama TV-MA Two seasons, 20 episodes Hugh Dillon, Taylor Sheridan Jeremy Renner plays the unofficial mayor of a corrupt, seemingly lawless town in this crime drama from Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon. Renner’s Mike is a member of the McLusky family who has been mediating peace between
prison inmates, street gangs, cops, and guards for generations. When his brother dies, Mike takes up the family business and struggles to keep the town, and those closest to him, safe. 29. 2019 Documentary Subjects Documentary TV-MA Season 1: 5 episodes Matthew Galkin, Ethan Brown This severe, five-part docuseries investigates the unsolved murders of 8
Women whose bodies were discovered in a drainage ditch near Jennings, Louisiana. Beneath the true crime shock of the subject matter, the show delves deeply into the lives of the victims, simultaneously painting a detailed portrait of worthy lives while uncovering dark secrets, local corruption, and a toxic blend of apathy and incompetence. 28. 2019 – Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi Crime drama TV-MA 3 seasons (45 episodes) Michelle King, Robert King Some flavor is on display here, this time with a skeptical psychologist joining a Catholic priest-in-training while they dive into alleged demonic possessions and other such unexplained mysteries inside the church. Can logic or the supernatural eventually prevail as official explanations, or why not both? It’s a dynamic that never gets old. 27. 2012 Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Josh Lawson, Ben Schwartz
comedy TV-MA 5 seasons Matthew Carnahan In the razor sharp comedy, , Don Cheadle stars as Marty Kaan, a fast-talking consultant who excels at getting wealthy clients to pay out the nose for his services. Aided by his team that includes Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, and Josh Lawson who use their respective strengths to smooth talk pompous fat cats, Marty is the best at the game, and that game is manipulation. 26. 2020 James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard, Greg Kinnear, Amber Heard, Jovan Adepo, Odessa Young, Owen Teague, Henrique Zaga, Brad William Henke, Nat Wolff, and Irene Bedard Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Disaster, Fantasy Drama TV-MA Season 1: 9 episodes Josh Boone, Benjamin Cavell It’s just bad luck that this new adaptation of ‘s magnum opus doomsday novel landed in 2020. After almost a year of Covid, it hit a little too close to home, and maybe it does still, but for those brave enough, it’s an excellent version of the story. As with the seminal ’90s mini-series starring Gary Sinise, this version follows a group of survivors of a humanmade plague as they’re drawn either to a Godlike figure or the Devil himself, setting up the dominoes for an epic battle of good against evil for the soul of humanity. M-O-O-N: that spells pandemic horror. 25. 2017-2018 Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson Comedy TV-MA Season 1-2: 20 episodes Tim Robinson, Sam Richardson, Zach Kanin, Joe Kelly Tim and Sam are both morons, but they’re the very specific brand of morons you’d expect Tim Robinson ( ) and Sam Richardson ( ) would play. It’s a crying shame this absurd comedy gem didn’t catch
fire, but we were lucky enough to be blessed with two seasons where Tim and Sam run an ad agency for local businesses, designed heartfelt and strange commercials that would fit well in the Be Kind Rewind universe. That’s the loosest of concepts, meant to act solely as a vehicle for two of the brightest (and oddest) comedic minds of our era to run rampant through a world of normies. 24. 1991-1995 Denise Poirier, John Rafter Lee, and Julia Fletcher Adventure, Animation, Avant-Garde, Experimental Sci-Fi TV-MA Season 1-3: 21 episodes Peter Chung Part of the Liquid Television lineup back in the day, was the show you watched before you knew what the F in WTF stood for. Æon Flux is a Barbarella-like secret agent who wears a black bikini and heavy weapons, hailing from a city of nihilism and anarchy in perpetual war with a rigid totalitarian city. Flux’s eternal mission is to bring the city down by targeting its ruler. A glorious cyberpunk ballet, the cartoon series was unique in its German Expressionistic look and its gutsy experimentalism. All of that was sanded down for a questionable live-action film starring , which never stood a chance of bringing the gonzo world of this weirdo show to full fruition. 23. 2018 Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano Drama TV-MA 7 episodes Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin Directed by Ben Stiller, centers on a real-life prison break that spawned a massive manhunt in upstate
New York. The convicted murders were aided in their 2015 headline-grabbing escape by a female prison employee, who became romantically involved with both men leading to a gripping story that proves the old maxim that the truth can be stranger than fiction. 22. 2007-2014 David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Evan Handler, Pamela Adlon, and Madeline Zima Comedy Drama, Sex Comedy TV-MA Season 1-7: 84 episodes Tom Kapinos Watch here Hank Moody is an alcoholic writer who is super sad that his trenchant niche novel has been converted into a wildly popular (and soulless) movie. He’s also having a rough time with his ex-girlfriend/love of his life marrying a fancy
Los Angeles publisher and his teenage daughter pulling away from him because of his terminal inability to make good choices. Aided by his deplorable agent, Hank tries to clean up his life, but it’s not exactly a linear process. Sophisticated and filled to the brim with sex and excess, rocked the role with a constant stream of devil may care vibes and the wink of a possibility that this slime ball was somehow redeemable. 21. 2022-present Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, Garrett Hedlund, and Dana Delaney Crime Drama TV-MA Season 1: 9 episodes Taylor Sheridan Sylvester Stallone portrays a mafia capo who’s not swimming with the fishes. However, he might as well be on
Mars in this Taylor Sheridan-created series that takes him to Route 66 and the land of the Golden Driller. Tulsa’s experiencing a hotspot-like effect these days in the midst of and following , and it’s quite a joy to see Stallone as the mobster-straight-out-of-prison who’s dropping a “nice little place you got here” in a weed dispensary. Stallone has here with 1980s-style one-liners that could put the Sly and Arnold movies of yesteryear to shame. 20. 1999-2000 Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Becky Ann Baker, Joe Flaherty, and Busy Phillips Coming-Of-Age, Comedy, Drama TV-14 Season 1: 18 episodes Paul Feig In a kinder world, this series would have become the 1990s version of and run for a dozen seasons. Instead, its single season launched most of the major comedy stars of the 2000s and remains a cult classic worshipped by Millennials who saw themselves and their disaffection reflected in the army surplus jacket-wearing Lindsay and the gawkish nerd Sam. The siblings struggled navigating their high school cliques, and the mortification that comes with either being at the bottom of the food chain or not quite fitting in anywhere. A previously underseen masterpiece that has thankfully not been forgotten. 19. 2024 Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead Drama, History TV-MA 1 season, 8 episodes Ben Vanstone Based on a novel by Amor Towles, this darkly funny drama sees Ewan McGregor playing a mustachioed
Russian aristocrat under house arrest in a luxury hotel filled with an eclectic array of permanent and temporary guests. McGregor’s Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is banished to the hotel’s attic, witnessing the Bolshevik Revolution play out before him as he befriends a young girl and indulges in a bit of political scheming on the side. 18. 2020-present Patrick Stewart, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, Harry Treadway, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Jeri Ryan, and Brent Spiner Sci-Fi, Drama TV-MA Season 1-3: 30 episodes Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, Alex Kurtzman Undoubtedly one of the best of the modern spin-offs, Picard has gone through a serious evolution from dropping the old salt into a wild new adventure with
Artificial intelligence to leaning fully into the nostalgic possibilities for reuniting the crew of the USS Enterprise. Stewart is as compelling as ever, imbuing the legacy role with even more gravitas now that Picard is an elder statesman constantly considering his regrets and mortality. The rest of the cast is also running at full warp, and the third season is a pure gift to Next Generation fans. But you don’t have to take my word for it! 17. 2005 – 2008 Dee Bradley Baker, Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman Animation/Adventure TV-Y7-FV 3 (62 episodes) Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko This Nickelodeon series will appeal to many generations and revolves around the four nations that represent the four natural elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Special beings known as the Benders can control their own particular element, but all four elements can be mastered by the Avatar. In this series, a tribe discovers that the missing Avatar is among them, and now, Aang must use his abilities to truly become the master that he was intended to be. 16. 2022 – Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha Sci-Fi/Action TV-MA 2 seasons (20 episodes) Steven Kane, Kyle Killen Pablo Schreiber’s resumé , but he drops the villainous tendencies to be the key to saving humanity despite every thinkable odd in this gaming adaptation. The show pushes forward to the 26th century with a human-alien war, and Natasha McElhone portrays a pivotal leader while mankind goes up against “the Covenant.” Pablo’s Master Chief happens to be the deadliest weapon available to save us all, and this show brings the Xbox game to vivid life. 15. 2023 Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder Comedy, Drama TV-MA 1 season, 10 episodes Nathan Fielder, Benny Safdie There are cringe comedies and then there’s Showtime’s , a limited series about a married pair of alt-HGTV home flippers gentrifying their New
Mexico neighborhood via eco-friendly monstrosities and calling it philanthropy. Created by two masters of squirm – Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder – the show is a voyeuristic exercise that tests fans’ capacity for second-hand embarrassment as its main characters, the affluent Asher (Fielder) and Whitney (a shockingly unlikable Emma Stone) bulldoze the soul of their small, impoverished community with just a few reality TV cameras and a staggering amount of white privilege. It’s the best, most uncomfortable TV show you’ll watch this year. 14. 2022-present Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, and Timothy Dalton Western TV-MA Season 1: 8 episodes Taylor Sheridan It’s impossible to turn on Paramount+ while escaping Taylor Sheridan. He’s the Shonda Rhimes of the streaming channel, spinning off massive successes off his massive successes. is just one of them — a branch from the universe taking us back to bust decade where the Dutton family weathers economic downturns, prohibition, conflicts at the local Catholic boarding school, and men who want to do them harm. If you want to understand how good this show is, just take a look at the cast list. Ford and Mirren are fantastic, and while it was meant to be a one-off, a second season was ordered because fan response was so strong. 13. 1990 – 1991 & 2017 Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Fenn Mystery/Crime drama TV-MA 2 seasons (30 episodes) & 1 bonus season (18 episodes) Mark Frost, David Lynch The David Lynch creation’s long-lasting cult status and critical acclaim eventually sparked a third-season continuation/revival, but everything goes back to
FBI Agent Dale Cooper’s ultra-quirky investigation of who, exactly, killed homecoming
Queen Laura Palmer. As it happens, everything about this
Washington town is somehow even more quirky and f*cked up than Cooper himself. TV became a lot more experimental in the wake of this show, and even though Season 2 did not sit as well with fans, the revival more than made up for any shortcomings. 12. 2021-present Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Christina Ricci, Sammi Hanratty, Juliette Lewis, and Sophie Thatcher Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Drama TV-MA Season 1: 10 episodes Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson Watch here In 1972, the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 plane crashed in the remote Andes, and the survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism as a means to survive the inhospitable climes until they could be rescued. asks what would happen if the plane had been filled with teenage soccer players. Jumping back and forth between the wilderness and the present day, the series is a taut thriller tinged with the unfolding mystery of what really happened out there when the girls’ plane went down. Is it as simple as they made it sound in the press, or does it get a lot stranger? (Hint: you already know the answer.) Anchored by rock-star performances by Lynskey and Lewis and Ricci and the young crew, it’s earned its spot as a TV phenomenon for good reason. 11. 2012 Keegan Michael-Key, Jordan Peele Comedy TV-14 5 seasons Keegan Michael-Key, Jordan Peele In this Emmy-winning comedy series, Keegan Michael-Key and deliver a non-stop parade of hilarious sketches that riff on everything from
Hollywood movies,
United States politics, racial stereotypes, to the most heavy-hitting topic of them all: the creative process behind . Running for five seasons on Comedy Central, easily filled the void left by , and launched the career of a brilliant writer/director in the process. 10. 2013 – 2017 Nathan Fielder Reality/Comedy TV-MA 4 (25 episodes) Nathan Fielder : Before Nathan Fielder truly unsettled the world with full of manipulation, he warmed up with this assortment of satirical pranks. At times, this series is so cringeworthy to watch that, well, it is hard not to look away from the small-business scenarios. Yet Fielder keeps viewers hooked despite any discomfort, and it’s worth doubling back for a refresh of this deranged yet innovative series. 9. 1993-2004 Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, John Mahoney, and Moose The Dog and Enzo The Dog Sitcom TV-PG Season 1-11: 264 episodes David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee Yes, you hear the blues a’callin’. It’s inevitable. The pull of one of the most successful sitcoms of all time was, inexplicably, about a posh psychiatrist doling out radio advice in Seattle. The spin-off found a winning formula in affably pompous Frasier butting heads style with his domestic beer-swilling, retired cop father. Naturally, his effete brother Niles and dad’s daffy line-in physio Daphne are key to the mix, as well as his deadpan genius producer Roz. It’s difficult to see the show working without any of them because they made up a bizarre family that squabbled, had each other’s backs, and occasionally got into vaudeville-esque hijinks. A welcome antidote after watching so much TV-MA. 8. 2009-2016 Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Graham Phillips, Makenzie Vega, Josh Charles, and Christine Baranski Legal Drama, Political Drama TV-14 Season 1-7: 156 episodes Robert King, Michelle King The Kings’ drama series is an institution ripe for a rewatch (or long overdue for you to see). Jumping off the cliched image of the humbling politician admitting to an affair to a packed press conference with his doting wife holding his hand as a measure of public support, the show featured a woman who refused to play nice. After her husband is jailed for a sex scandal-tinged corruption charge, Alicia Florrick emerges from being a stay-at-home mother to rejoin the ranks of litigation to provide for her two children. deftly jumped between Florrick’s personal woes and the weekly courtroom challenges she faced with courage and smarts, all while touting an impressive list of guest stars and recurring actors. 7. 2011 – 2021 Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White Dramedy TV-MA 12 (134 episodes) Paul Abbott, John Wells The U.S. version of the Gallagher family lasted than its U.K. predecessor, and we received laughter and tears and more laughter before all was said and done. Fiona left the building one season before her siblings, and the show never recovered. Yet viewers will always enjoy revisiting how Fiona held the group together even when they drove her nuts. Tragic Lip and chaotic Carl were only a few of the character highlights, and incredible guest stars like Dermot Mulroney and Katey Sagal were icing on the
Chicago South Side cake. 6. 2003-2009 Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Carlos Alazraqui, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Mary Birdsong, Ian Roberts, and Joe Lo Truglio Comedy TV-MA Season 1-8: 124 episodes Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver It’s a comedy miracle that this weird, wonderful parody of exists. Throughout seasons of the most taboo jokes possible, the underlying philosophy of the series is that these Reno cops are profoundly inept. It’s the comic well from which all the funny stuff flows, and the cast nails it straight to the ground every time. It’s outrageous and singular, and fans of and who, somehow, haven’t checked this out should spare some binge time to connect with their comedy ancestors. Beyond its peerless humor, this Comedy Central show pulls off the impossible of having every cast member be the MVP of every episode. 5. 2017-present Jason Mitchell, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Tiffany Boone, Yolonda Ross, and Armando Riesco Drama TV-MA Season 1-5: 50 episodes Lena Waithe It’s easy to accidentally binge shows these days, but it’s genuinely difficult to stop watching . The series from Waithe and Common is a web of daily lives on the South Side of Chicago all affected in different ways by a dramatic series of events. It doesn’t feel quite right to call it a drama because it encompasses the totality of human experience through the eyes of its ensemble — from risky first loves to challenging jobs to the struggles of poverty and a lack of good choices. With fantastic performances throughout, the show is deeply humane and finds incredible joy in each of its vibrant, compelling characters. 4. 2006-2013/2021-present Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz, Erik King, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, James Remar, C.S. Lee, John Lithgow, Julia Stiles, and Jimmy Smits Crime Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Dark Comedy,
police Procedural TV-MA Season 1-8: 96 episodes/Season 1: 10 episodes James Manos Jr./Clyde Phillips Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter technician/serial killer in who loves his sister, excels at work, and kills people with decent regularity. The good news is that he was brought up with a moral code, so he sticks with murdering murderers. The police don’t seem too enthusiastic about that as an excuse, so he’s under constant threat of being discovered by the very people he shares a breakroom with. This series hit hard when it premiered, and it continues to shock, particularly because of its aggressive performances and ability to place Dexter in impossible situations that he juuuuuuuust manages to squeak out of. Most of the time. It eventually went delightfully off the rails, and the revival series clearly decided that staying grounded was overrated. It remains a guilty beach read in TV form. 3. 2016-present Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon, Kelly AuCoin, and Corey Stoll Drama TV-MA Season 1-6: 72 episodes Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin What whip-smart series about prosecuting the super-rich for fraud just got a new injection of relevance? This one! Koppelman, Levien, and Sorkin’s original series offered a hip jab against the uber-wealthy, treading that balance beam that allows us to salivate in envy at the lifestyle while deeply, deeply wishing they would get taken down. Based on several real-world fraud cases, the inciting storyline focuses on U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades’ attempt to nail charming hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod for doing a bunch of illegal stuff in order to make and secure his billions. Unsurprisingly, the minds behind and inject an incredible sense of cool alongside the twisting back stabs and reversals of massive fortune. Watch it for the clever drama, but be sure to take notes on some hot restaurants to check out for your next NYC visit. 2. 2003-2006 Dave Chappelle, Charlie Murphy, Donnell Rawlings, and Paul Mooney Sketch Comedy TV-MA Season 1-3: 28 episodes Dave Chappelle, Neal Brennan The GOAT that was too good to last. At first glance, there’s nothing groundbreaking about the structure of the sketch series. Dave Chappelle would do some standup and introduced some pre-recorded sketches to a clapping audience — but that standup, and those sketches, changed television. From ‘s hilarious tales of Hollywood life to the Racial Draft to a very different look for Wayne Brady, dared to push boundaries and go where other shows simply weren’t even thinking about going. 1. 1993-1999 Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig, Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, and Nicole de Boer Adventure, Sci-Fi TV-PG Season 1-7: 176 episodes Rick Berman, Michael Piller There’s no doubt that is having another fantastic Renaissance with a handful of shows spanning styles and tones, and while you’re enjoying the haunting and hilarious , you should make time to return to the greatest series of all time. Set on a space station jointly administered by Starfleet and Bajorans — who were previously brutally occupied by Kardassians — the show took the typical formula and cast of characters but had room to let their stories breathe because they weren’t constantly rocketing off to a new planet to meet new
aliens. As such, it had a lot to say about Colonizing, freedom fighters and terrorists, religious faith, and duty, yet still found some time to play
baseball, too.