The 30 Best TV Shows On Paramount+ (November 2023)

Following a comprehensive rebrand in 2021, Paramount+ is now known for hosting some of the best TV shows of any streaming platform. Where once the triumvirate of Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu dominated the landscape, there has been a boom of studio-backed services. This race, kicked into high gear by Disney Plus and then furthered by the likes of HBO Max and Peacock, is only continuing to pick up speed.

Thanks to access to TV shows from the likes of Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV, as well as CBS and Paramount favorites, the Paramount+ library is impressive and varied. With new TV shows available on Paramount+ every month, Viacom promises it will only get bigger going forward, providing plenty of options for customers from as little as $4.99 a month. Whether you’re a fully up subscriber or are considering a subscription, here’s Screen Rant’s guide to the best shows to watch on Paramount+ right now.

For more TV streaming recommendations, be sure to check out the best TV shows on Netflix and the best TV shows on Disney+.

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Best New TV Shows On Paramount+

Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023-Present)

Originally meant to be a spinoff of 1883, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is officially not part of the Yellowstone universe, though Taylor Sheridan still serves as an executive producer. The Paramount+ series sees David Oyelowo as real-life historical figure Bass Reeves, the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Reeves faces struggles and triumphs alike as he fights for justice, brings down criminals, and keeps his family safe in an ever-changing Wild West.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves has been praised for its fully fleshed-out portrait of Reeves, with much adulation going to Oyelowo and his layered performance. It stands out from Sheridan’s Yellowstone series while also appealing to Western fans.

Frasier (2023-Present)

Described as the titular psychologist’s “third act”, the Frasier revival finds Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) back in Boston, the Cheers city where he was first introduced to audiences. Here he takes a professorship role at Harvard University while trying to repair his fractured relationship with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scottt).

While Frasier’s snobby younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) sadly isn’t in the revival, there’s be plenty of hilarity for fans of the original sitcom, which ran for 11 seasons and won 37 Emmys, proving its comedy pedigree. The original Frasier is also available to stream on Paramount+.

Best Drama TV Shows On Paramount+

Special Ops: Lioness (2023)

A thrilling spy drama courtesy of Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, Special Ops: Lioness is a welcome all-action addition to Paramount+’s library. Boasting an all-star cast, the series sees Zoe Saldana’s Joe recruit a female special operations marine with the goal of befriending a suspected terrorist.

Taut and tense throughout and written with Sheridan’s signature flair for the dramatic, Special Ops: Lioness is carried by a swathe of superb supporting performances from the likes of Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman.

1923 (2022-2023)

Attracting talent as major as Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren is no easy task, yet the pair’s appearance in 1923 underscores the series’ status as one of the best TV shows on Paramount+. The Western is a prequel to Yellowstone that centers on the Dutton family as they deal with events related to Western expansion in the 20th century, the Prohibition era, and the Great Depression.

Expanding the Dutton mythology, 1923 is a riveting story in its own right – proving that prequels don’t have to be beholden to the original.

The Good Fight (2017-2022)

A spinoff of The Good Wife, the acclaimed drama series follows a woman having to rebuild her life and start over from scratch. This time around, the show centers on Baranski’s Diane, who has lost her life savings and whose reputation is tarnished by a Ponzi scheme.

The series blends interoffice and real-life politics as The Good Fight provides social commentary on the divisive nature of the political system in the United States. The cast all turn in exceptional performances, and it’s no wonder that The Good Fight was the first original scripted series commissioned for CBS All Access before it became Paramount+.

Wolf Pack (2023-Present)

A surprise standout of the Paramount+ originals that debuted in 2023, Wolf Pack is an alternative take on the ever-popular werewolf subgenre from Teen Wolf showrunner Jeff Davis. The show takes its inspiration from a series of novels about teen werewolves and incorporates many of the tropes that define successful teen drama. However, it’s definitely a different take on lycanthropy than Teen Wolf, with a very different mythology built into the story. A star turn from Sarah Michelle Gellar as an arson investigator also helps elevate Wolf Pack above the ordinary.

Related: What Is Paramount+? Everything To Know About The Streaming Service

Teen Wolf (2011-2017)

One of the better examples of supernatural teen drama, Teen Wolf was a phenomenon for MTV during its original run and boasts a massive online fandom that helped to usher in the modern era of how an audience interacts with television. The popularity of the show made stars of the cast, especially Dylan O’Brien, whose comic timing and capacity for pathos as Stiles really helped ground the action.

The show was so popular at its zenith that Paramount+ even produced a movie sequel to the series that was added to the platform in January 2023. Teen Wolf remains highly binge-able and a great coming-of-age story courtesy of its ensemble of teen characters.

Yellowjackets (2021-Present)

With its harrowing subject matter and gripping premise, Yellowjackets became the water cooler show of 2021, and is definitely a show Paramount+ subscribers will want to catch up on. It tells two parallel storylines. One takes place in 1996 when a girls’ high school soccer team is forced to survive in the Canadian wilderness after their plane crash-lands, and they eventually resort to cannibalism to survive. The second storyline takes place in the present day as the survivors are trying to live their adult lives when a mysterious blackmailer threatens to expose their secrets.

This is an intense enough story to hook anyone, but what makes Yellowjackets really soar is the spectacularly talented cast led by Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, and Juliette Lewis. As Yellowjackets gets darker and darker, it only becomes more addictive.

Billions (2016-2023)

A modern-day clash of the titans, Billions centers on the ongoing battle between ambitious United States Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and billionaire hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis).

Often compared to its fellow TV prestige drama Succession, which is also about plotting billionaires, Billions is faster-paced and soapier. And though it’s the less acclaimed of the two, Billions has been praised for its progressiveness, both in its accurate and safe portrayal of BDSM and for being the first American TV show to feature both a non-binary actor and character, the fan-favorite Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon), who elevated the already excellent show the second they appeared onscreen.

The Offer (2022)

A fascinating look behind the scenes during the making of one of the most significant films ever made, The Offer is a dramatized window into American cinematic history. The miniseries recounts the journey of getting The Godfather to the big screen, chronicling the background conflict between several major film studios, as well as the ominous involvement of real organized crime families.

While the narrative can become somewhat convoluted thanks to its many intricate threads, The Offer‘s real strength is in its cast. Miles Teller, Juno Temple, Matthew Goode, Colin Hanks, and more give great performances, and Temple was even nominated for a Critics Choice Award and a Satellite Award for her work.

Homeland (2011-2020)

Based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War, Homeland electrified audiences right from season 1. Protagonist Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) is a young, brilliant CIA operative who investigates rescued prisoner of war Sergeant Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), whom she is convinced has been turned into a terrorist during his capture.

Full of political intrigue and thrills, Homeland also frankly depicts struggles with mental health, as Carrie attempts to hide her bipolar disorder from the agency. Like most long-running shows, Homeland loses its luster in later seasons, but Danes deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as TV legend actors like James Gandolfini and Bryan Cranston for her performance as the flawed genius, and sometimes anti-heroine, Carrie Mathison.

The Good Wife (2009-2016)

An atypical political drama, The Good Wife stars Julianna Marguiles as the wife of a politician who returns to work as a lawyer after he’s jailed following a political scandal. The series took a step away from the case-of-the-week format that was so popular in the early 2010s, following a serialized narrative with story arcs that played out over several episodes.

This storytelling approach made it incredibly popular at the time and makes it a great binge-watch now that it’s concluded. Fans can watch the story play out in a few hours instead of having to wait week-to-week with Paramount+, making The Good Wife one of the most gripping shows on the service.

1883 (2021-2022)

Another prequel to Taylor Sheridan’s wildly popular Yellowstone, 1883 set the precedent for expanding the Duttons’ universe. The series stars country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as the original Duttons, the family moving from Tennessee to Montana to establish the area that becomes Yellowstone Ranch in the flagship series.

Sam Elliot, as the leader of the wagon train heading west, won a Screen Actors Guild Award for his turn in the series, while 1883‘s dark story was evocative of more classic Westerns than the original, more politically-infused Yellowstone show.

Related: The 20 Best Original Series On Paramount+

Best Comedy TV Shows On Paramount+

I Love Lucy (1951-1957)

One of television’s most defining sitcoms, I Love Lucy is one of the best shows on Paramount+. The sitcom centers on young housewife Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) who has big dreams of performing at the Tropicana club, where her husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz) works. Most episodes feature Lucy carrying out a ridiculous scheme, often with best friend and neighbor Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) in tow, and often to disastrous results.

I Love Lucy was the most-watched show in the United States for four of its six seasons and its episodes and quotes are still iconic today. Lucille Ball is one of TV’s greatest talents, and she paved the way for women in the industry, all while making the world howl with laughter.

Why Women Kill (2019-2021)

From Marc Cherry, the creator behind Desperate Housewives comes Why Women Kill, a pitch-black comedy series that explores three very different women experiencing infidelity in their marriages, and how this eventually leads them to commit murder. These women all live in the same Pasadena home but in different decades: Beth Ann Stanton (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a ’60s housewife, Simone Grove (Lucy Liu) is an ’80s socialite, and Taylor Harding (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) is a present-day lawyer.

Though the series was sadly canceled after two seasons, those who appreciate Cherry’s soapy and stylish sensibilities will get a lot out of Why Women Kill.

Freaks And Geeks (1999-2000)

Freaks and Geeks only ran for a single season on NBC, with only 12 of the 18 produced episodes actually airing. Nonetheless, the series has gone on to secure cult status and is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential shows of the past 25 years.

The show, which featured two main story arcs, focused on siblings played by Linda Cardellini and John Francis Daley and was praised for its more realistic portrayal of teens in high school instead of the more Hollywood-friendly shine that other series included. It finally gained recognition when it was rebroadcast in its entirety on ABC Family and eventually moved to streaming services.

Ghosts (2021-Present)

Adapted from the acclaimed original British series, Ghosts had a slow rise to popularity while airing live on CBS. Nevertheless, the blend of modern sitcom shenanigans with the stories of several ghosts from different time periods trapped in a property with a young living couple eventually won audiences over.

Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar give great performances in the series as the couple who inherit a rundown estate full of the titular bothersome and eccentric ghosts. Ghosts has been renewed for a third season, suspected to arrive later in 2023 – highlighting its continued success.

Key & Peele (2012-2015)

Although Key & Peele is most famous for brilliantly simple sketches like “Substitute Teacher” and “East/West College Bowl”, there’s a lot more to the show than mispronouncing silly names. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s well-observed comedy provides a biting analysis of contemporary social concerns like racism, inequality, and politics. In many ways a spiritual successor to Chappelle’s Show, Key & Peele also exhibits the titular pair’s flair for the cinematic, with impressive big-budget sketches satirizing alien invasion and horror tropes.

Best Crime TV Shows On Paramount+

Tulsa King (2022-Present)

Proof that Taylor Sheridan’s talents extend beyond the world of cowboys, Tulsa King is a gripping organized crime thriller. Sylvester Stallone plays Dwight Manfredi, a Mafia capo who is sent from New York to Oklahoma to set up a criminal base of operations.

The series relies on Stallone’s brooding performance as the titular character as he navigates the brutal criminal underworld while also struggling to make a new life for himself after 25 years in prison. Following in the footsteps of Tony Soprano, Manfredi is a compelling and charismatic antihero who serves the story well.

Mayor Of Kingstown (2021-Present)

In the vein of Sons of Anarchy, or even The Sopranos, Mayor of Kingstown examines what it means when family and crime are inextricably tied to one another. Jeremy Renner shines in the lead role of Mike McLusky, who inherits the criminal family enterprise after playing second fiddle to his brother.

Set in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan, “Mayor” McLusky acts as a go-between for law enforcement officers and the criminal element, attempting to maintain order among the different factions. Another show courtesy of Taylor Sheridan, Mayor of Kingstown is a wildly entertaining crime thriller.

Twin Peaks (1990-1991)

Unquestionably one of the weirdest TV shows of all time, the David Lynch and Mark Frost-created Twin Peaks is also one of the best TV shows on Paramount+. What starts as FBI agent Dale Cooper’s quest to uncover the truth about the murder of Laura Palmer evolves into a surreal journey of supernatural discovery.

The titular town holds many secrets and many dangers, providing the perfect canvas for David Lynch’s signature brand of strangeness. While only the original Twin Peaks series is on Paramount+, rather than the 2017 Showtime revival, the iconic 90s hit remains a must-watch.

CSI Franchise (2000-Present)

Available Seasons: 25+ across 4 series | Episode Runtime: 40-64 minutes

Cast: William Peterson (Gil Grissom), Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), David Caruso (Horatio Caine)

While crime procedurals and detective shows have been popular for decades, CSI perfected the format for a 21st-century audience. The franchise, which features shows set in Las Vegas, New York, and Miami, focuses on investigators who combine visits to crime scenes with forensic work in labs.

While some of the technology and plot twists may require a certain suspension of disbelief, it is all inspired by real work done by crime scene technicians. Like other popular crime procedurals of the era, CSI focuses on character relationships as much as crime, giving the show more than individual mysteries of the week to drive it. The Las Vegas set series also saw a revival on Paramount+, further highlighting the franchise’s enduring popularity.

Criminal Minds (2005-2020)

CBS has a reputation for producing popular police procedurals, and Criminal Minds is arguably the jewel in the crown. Sporting a case-of-the-week format for most episodes, Criminal Minds focuses on the work of the FBI’s behavior analysis unit, mostly their hunts for serial killers and other violent psychopaths.

The show ended after 15 seasons in 2020 but received a revival series in Criminal Minds: Evolution, also on Paramount+. Focusing on darker subject matter than many of its competitors, Criminal Minds is a pulpy, undeniably entertaining crime show.

NCIS Franchise (2003-Present)

Available Seasons: 30+ across 4 series | Episode Runtime: 39-44 minutes

Cast: Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs), Scott Bakula (Dwayne Pride), LL Cool J (Sam Hanna), and Vanessa Lachey (Jane Tennant)

One of the longest-running crime procedurals, NCIS‘s slightly niche setting belies its popularity. Unlike many contemporary competitors, the show follows investigators who deal specifically with crimes connected to the military.

The New Orleans set spinoff concluded in 2021 and the Los Angeles spinoff concludes in 2023, but the flagship series and NCIS: Hawai’i are still going strong, highlighting the franchise’s staying power. Crossovers between the shows allow for an immersive storytelling experience for fans of serials instead of a by-the-numbers case-of-the-week format.

Related: Is Showtime Free With Paramount+? Subscription Plans, Explained

Best Animated TV Shows On Paramount+

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996)

The original and standard-bearer Turtles cartoon can be enjoyed as part of a Paramount+ subscription, as the first two seasons of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arrives more than 35 years after it debuted. Taking a lighter tone than the original TMNT comics that inspired it, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains the reason hordes of Turtles fans fell in love with the sprawling media franchise. Featuring stellar vocal performances – particularly from James Avery as Shredder – and most of the story beats fans hold most dear, it’s the most wholesome of binge-watch candidates.

SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-Present)

An animated classic that transcends its seemingly childish premise, SpongeBob SquarePants earns its place on a list of the best TV shows on Paramount+. SpongeBob and friends have been on the air and under the sea for an astonishing 20+ years, thanks to the show’s surprisingly daring and genuinely hilarious comedy.

While more recent episodes often fail to be as subversive as the early years, SpongeBob is by no means a show only kids will enjoy watching.

Best Horror TV Shows On Paramount+

The Stand (2020-2021)

Based on one of Stephen King’s most acclaimed novels, The Stand is an apocalyptic thriller made all the more pertinent by recent events. The show focuses on the aftermath of a global pandemic – making it a fascinating watch in a post-COVID world.

A miniseries for TV adapted the book once in the 1990s, but this version features even more involvement by King. He actually penned a new ending for the story that works to tease the future of the characters and fixes complaints fans have had in the past. The series received mixed reviews when it first aired, but still stands tall as part of King’s legacy on screen.

Best Sci-Fi TV Shows On Paramount+

Halo (2022-Present)

Based on the wildly popular sci-fi shooter games of the same name, Halo is further proof that video game-to-screen adaptations can be successful. As in the original games, the show revolves around a future conflict between humanity and the alien Covenant, with super soldiers like Master Chief featuring on the front lines for the human forces.

Although the show takes some liberties with the source material, the impressive action sequences more than make up for the changes, with season 1 laying the groundwork for what could be a more recognizable story arc in future installments. With season 2 already confirmed, Halo could yet prove a stellar genre hit for Paramount+.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

One of the most important and influential TV series of all time, The Twilight Zone remains daring and thought-provoking decades after its release. The unsettling stories ponder major scientific mysteries like the size of the universe, or tell singularly horrific tales that warn of the dangers of technology, acting as a precursor to shows like Black Mirror. With an iconic format and chilling theme song, The Twilight Zone is essential viewing for every sci-fi fan.

Star Trek Franchise (1966-Present)

When it comes to sci-fi, few franchises are more immediately recognizable than Star Trek. Starting in 1966 and still going strong thanks to Paramount+, Star Trek has had an immeasurable impact on science fiction and the wider world of TV and cinema, with dozens of cross-genre directors, showrunners, and acting talents counting it as a key influence. Paramount+ offers new content like Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Prodigy, alongside classics like the 1966 Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek Series Available On Paramount+:

• Star Trek: The Original Series
  (1966-1969)

• Star Trek: The Animated Series
  (1973-1974)

• Star Trek: The Next Generation
  (1987-1994)

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
  (1993-1999)

• Star Trek: Voyager
  (1995-2001)

• Star Trek: Enterprise
  (2001-2005)

• Star Trek: Discovery
  (2017-Present)

• Star Trek:
  Short Treks
  (2018-Present)

• Star Trek: Picard
  (2020-2023)

• Star Trek: Lower Decks
  (2020-Present)

• Star Trek: Prodigy
  (2021-Present)

• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
  (2022-Present)