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 Plus 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 Plus will likely continue to develop original content, but these Paramount Plus shows will stand the test of time, whether they’re ongoing or have been over for a decade or longer.
Penny Dreadful (2014)
3 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Mystery, Action & Adventure
Cast
Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton
Created by
John Logan
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)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Dave Annable
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
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)
1 Season
Genre
Crime, Drama
Cast
Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Savage, Max Casella
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
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.
The Legend of Korra (2012)
4 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Janet Varney, David Faustino, P. J. Byrne
Created by
Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
As a sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra had a steep hill to climb. The series is definitely more divisive than its predecessor, but that’s in part because of the bold, smart choices the show takes to avoid being a retread of Avatar. The show follows Korra, an older avatar who is very much into the idea of doing the job. Unlike her predecessor, she faces a number of threats over the course of her story, and the show is more about the ways in which she learns and grows from each of the villains that she faces. The Legend of Korra is more complicated than Avatar, and ultimately, that’s a good thing.
Evil (2019)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi
Created by
Michelle King, Robert King
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 investigating events that initially seem to have a supernatural dint 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.
The Good Fight (2017)
6 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Sarah Steele
Created by
Phil Alden Robinson, Michelle King, Robert King
A bonkers sequel to The Good Wife, which was once a prestige hit on CBS, The Good Fight is much wackier and zanier, but it also feels more finely tuned to the moment we’re living in. Whereas most series only glancingly refer to events in the real world, The Good Fight dove into current events with both feet. The series tells the story of Diane Lockhart, who, after Trump is elected president, joins a largely Black Chicago-based law firm and begins working to make the world a better place. It’s a series about the madness of modern America and one that can sometimes seem as unhinged as the world really is. It’s all the better for that mania.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)
3 Seasons
Genre
Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Olivia Hack, Zach Tyler, Mae Whitman
Created by
Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Although it aired originally on Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s debut on Netflix led to a renewed appreciation for the animated TV series. That appreciation was entirely deserved. Avatar, which tells the story of a young boy who wakes up after 100 years in an iceberg to discover that the world has been ravaged, is a beautiful coming-of-age story with weighty ideas about responsibility, honor, and what it means to be a hero. It’s set in one of the most inventive worlds in the history of American animation, and all of its characters are thoughtfully written and performed. Avatar is one of the best TV shows on any platform.
Survivor (2000)
44 Seasons
Genre
Reality
Cast
Jeff Probst
Created by
Mark Burnett, Charlie Parsons
It may be more than 20 years old now, but the formula of Survivor is still one of the sharpest out there. That’s in large part because the reality series is based entirely on how people interact with one another. They form and break alliances, and performing well on the show is as much about catering to your relationships as it is about any physical feats of strength. Perhaps the best thing about Survivor, though, is that there are countless hours of it to pour through on Paramount Plus, because the show has regularly filmed two seasons a year for 20 years. It’s a great TV show about what it takes to survive not just on a deserted island, but in a small society filled with other people.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
4 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure
Cast
Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman
Created by
Alex Kurtzman, Bryan Fuller
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)
11 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves
Created by
Peter Casey, David Angell
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)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Dave Chappelle
Created by
Dave Chappelle, Neal Brennan
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)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Mystery
Cast
Sheryl Lee, Mädchen Amick, Kimmy Robertson
Created by
David Lynch, Mark Frost
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
Cast
Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Darren Mann
Created by
Taylor Sheridan
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
Cast
Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush
Created by
Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
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
Cast
Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nélisse
Created by
Bart Nickerson, Ashley Lyle
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.
What shows are coming to Paramount Plus in December?
December 1
- SpongeBob Twas the Night Before SpongeMas Special
December 2
- Robbie the Reindeer*
December 4
- The Price Is Right at Night Christmas Week*
December 6
- Digman! (Season 1)
- Deliciousness (Season 3)
- Ryan’s Mystery Playdate (Season 4)
December 8
- Ghosts UK* (Season 2)
December 10
- A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop*
December 13
- Love & Hip Hop: Miami (Season 4)
December 15
- The National Christmas Tree Lighting*
December 17
- Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration Concert Special*
December 22
- The 25th Annual a Home for the Holidays*
December 23
- Frosty Returns*
December 27
- The 46th Annual Kennedy Center Honors*
December 31
- New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash*
*All Paramount Plus with Showtime subscribers can live stream CBS titles via the live feed on Paramount Plus. Those titles will be available on-demand to all subscribers the day after they air live.
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