Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
To book a spot on this list, a TV series needs to do one of three things: hold a Rotten Tomatoes (RT) critical and/or audience score that's greater than 70%, be one of the most-streamed shows on the platform, or meet both criteria. As more and more brilliant Paramount Plus series make their debuts on the streamer, we'll increase the RT rating threshold to ensure that only the best ones are added to this list. Oh, and if you're curious why some entries have an image instead of a trailer, it's because a teaser isn't available to embed from YouTube.
The best Paramount Plus shows are found by sorting through the streaming platform’s vast library. Luckily for you, we’ve already done that, with shows spanning the gamut of genres including cult classic comedies, adult animations, Western dramas, romantic dramedies, and much more. Indeed, it’s Paramount Plus’ ability to offer not only fan favorites, but their own original content, that makes it one of the best streaming services around.
Of course, the epic rebranding from CBS All Access to Paramount Plus has had a part to play in the platform’s growing success but, by also offering a lot of content to viewers, it’s certainly found a way into our homes and hearts. So, whether it’s something old or something brand new, here are the best Paramount Plus shows to stream today.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-Y7 (US); U (UK); PG (Aus)
RT score: 100% (critics); 99% (audience)
Before Netflix’s live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) – read our review of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender to see if it's any good – the fantasy action series found its origins on Nickelodeon as a widely-adored animation. It’s due to this intense love of the show from fans that it got a live-action in the first place. Three seasons of ATLA ran on TV in the 00's telling the tale of 12-year-old Aang, an Avatar capable of bending the four elements, and the last survivor of his nation, the Air Nomads. Unfortunately, as another nation, the Fire Nation, want to rule over all four nations that exist, they seek and strive to hunt down the Avatar to destroy them.
It’s a heavy-hitting animated series as far as animated series go, and while there’s many fantastic characters including Aang’s friends; Soka, Katara, and Toph, it’s the narrative arc that follows exiled Fire Nation prince, Zuko, that captures the hearts of many fans.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Seasons: 7
Age rating: 15 (UK); PG (Aus)
RT score: 85% (critics); 92% (audience)
There’s nothing quite like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The premise of the iconic teen series follows high schooler Buffy Summers, who busily navigates school life and the day-to-day dramas of being a teen. Oh, while also hunting and slaying vampires and demons at the same time… because what any teen needs on top of surging hormones and homework is a bunch of ghouls chasing them down.
The show is critically-acclaimed for daring to go where a lot of shows wouldn’t. We’re talking horror tropes twisting their way through every episode, the exploration of sexuality, a celebration of feminism with Buffy at the fore, and all while ensuring engaging narrative arcs and an excellent cast that you won’t soon forget.
(NB: Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn't available on Paramount Plus in the US. You can watch it on Hulu instead.)
Cheers
Seasons: 11
Age rating: TV-PG (US); 12 (UK)
RT score: 87% (critics); 95% (audience)
While the jovial theme tune that marks a new episode of sitcom, Cheers, may well be enough to keep you engaged for 11 seasons of the show, the simple premise, star-studded cast, and wonderfully real sitcom will surely do it. Cheers is also just the name of the bar where everybody knows each other from the owner Sam (Ted Danson) to the cocktail waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman) to postman Cliff (John Ratzenberger) to, eventual spin-off character of his own success, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer).
It’s the friendships and even relationships that form between this cast of everyday characters living their lives in a bar in Boston that is amusing and captivating to watch over almost 300 episodes. It’s the laughs shared between the characters, and their viewers, that makes it one of the best Paramount Plus shows that rings as delightfully watchable now as it did in the 80s and 90s.
(NB: Cheers is not available on Paramount Plus in Australia. You can watch it on Foxtel instead.)
Yellowstone
Seasons: 5
Age rating: 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 84% (critics); 76% (audience)
While Yellowstone still lives exclusively on Peacock in the US, it’s now available on Paramount Plus in the UK, as well as one season available in Australia. So, it can finally join its prequel, also featured in our best Paramount Plus shows, 1883. Yellowstone is where it all began following the Dutton family and their impressive ranch in Montana. With such wealth and land though comes both fighting within the family and battles outside of the family as the battle to control the land surges on.
Unfortunately, though Yellowstone is most widely-known as Kevin Costner’s epic Western drama, he recently revealed he won’t be returning to his iconic role as rancher, John Dutton for the final part of season 5. Some good news for fans though is that Paramount Plus has announced the release date for Yellowstone season 5 part 2.
(NB: Yellowstone is available to stream on Peacock and Paramount Network in the US).
Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); TBC (Aus)
RT score: 78% (critics); 93% (audience)
From the director of Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan who joins as executive producer for Lawmen: Bass Reeves alongside David Oyelowo, who also stars as the show’s titular character, Bass Reeves. Based on the real life figure who became the first African American deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi River, Lawmen: Bass Reeves shines a light on his incredibly heroic tale.
The Paramount Plus original has vastly received praise for Oyelowo’s performance, with TV Fanatic saying: “He plays Bass as proud but never smug, compassionate but never a pushover.” And for such a portrayal, it finds itself firmly seated in the best Paramount Plus shows with eight episodes to stream right now.
Knuckles
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-PG (US); 12 (UK); PG (Aus)
RT score: 75% (critics); 70% (audience)
With a record-breaking Paramount Plus debut, Knuckles, the red Echidna of the Sonic franchise, has proven exactly why it deserved its very own TV show. Quickly becoming one of Paramount Plus’ most watched shows, Knuckles embarks on a journey to teach Deputy Wade Whipple how to be a Echidna warrior to win… a bowling tournament.
Set between 2022's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 coming later this year, it’s family-friendly fun continued with Idris Elba reprising his voice acting role. In true Sonic fashion, Doctor Robotnik is always hot on his tail, however short and hairless it may be. With a pretty impressive RT score, critics like the Guardian call it: “Ludicrous, hilarious and actually rather moving.” We wouldn’t expect anything less from the lovable gaming franchise.
Yellowjackets
Seasons: 2
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 96% (critics); 57% (audience)
In 1996 a team of New Jersey high school soccer players is traveling to Seattle for a national tournament when their plane crashes deep in the Canadian wilderness. The surviving team members have to fend for themselves for 19 months, during which time the group splits into rival clans and descends into savagery, going full Lord of the Flies in the process. In the present day, the survivors have made new lives for themselves, but the ordeal they endured as teenagers is about to come back to haunt them, as the narrative flips between the two time periods.
Sharp, witty, and with a killer soundtrack, Yellowjackets is great TV, but a word of warning: critics, desensitized bunch that they are, adored the show, but it’s gruesome stuff, and not for the faint-hearted.
Halo
Seasons: 2
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 80% (critics); 61% (audience)
Halo spent more than a decade in development as a feature film, with a script by Alex Garland, and Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp attached to direct at various points. The world-conquering video game franchise eventually found its way onto our screens in 2022, via a nine-episode TV season.
The series is set in the year 2552 and centers on John-117/Master Chief, a towering genetically-engineered supersoldier who leads humanity’s fight against an alien threat known as the Covenant. After Master Chief and Silver Team – the squad he leads – defeat an elite Covenant scouting party on the planet Madrigal, the group discovers a mysterious object that could hold the key to ending the Human-Covenant war.
A pricey endeavor for Paramount with a budget of over $90 million for the series, the show is certainly impressive in scale, and boasts a cast including Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Bokeem Woodbine and Natascha McElhone. Even so, we weren't enamored with Halo season 1, which we said had an identity crisis.
Colin From Accounts
Seasons: 2 (only season one available on Paramount Plus currently)
Age rating: TV-MA (US)
RT score: 100% (critics); 81% (audience)
Colin From Accounts, which is only viewable on Paramount Plus in the US right now, follows two strangers brought together by the eponymous Colin – an injured dog – in this highly acclaimed comedy series from Australia. Husband-and-wife team Harriet Dyer and Patrick Bramall write and star in this story about medical student Ashley and microbrewer Gordon moving in together to look after a sick pooch neither of them owns.
It’s brilliant but don’t just take our word for it. Colin From Accounts is rated 100% fresh among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while the Guardian has described it as “unfailingly funny, honest, acute and kind, with uniformly understated but pitch-perfect performances”.
The Curse
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 13+ (Aus); TBC (UK)
RT score: 93% (critics); 42% (audience)
Uncut Gems writer/director Benny Safdie is the co-creator of a Paramount Plus drama series that revels in making you squirm. Poor Things Oscar nominee Emma Stone stars as one half of a married couple (the other half is played by the other co-creator, Nathan Fielder) trying to launch a reality TV show (called Fliplanthropy) about their lives in New Mexico. As their attempts to celebrate their own acts of generosity annoy the local community, however, the couple start to wonder if they might be the victims of the titular curse…
Thanks to its many moments of extreme awkwardness, The Curse won’t be to everyone’s taste. But if you’re a fan of cringe comedy such as Curb your Enthusiasm, this is likely to be right up your street.
Frasier
Seasons: 12 (including 2023 revival)
Age rating: TV-PG (US); 12 (UK); PG (Aus)
RT score: 95% (critics); 94% (audience)
Paramount Plus is the home of all 11 seasons (that’s 264 episodes) from the original run of Frasier, as well as the 2023 revival.
The show follows Kelsey Grammer’s psychiatrist Frasier Crane, who leaves Boston and the regulars at Cheers (also available on Paramount Plus), and returns to his hometown of Seattle to begin a new chapter as a radio phone-in host. Once there, he reconnects with his father (John Mahoney) and younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce), and sets out to build a new life.
Still as witty and sparkling as the day it first aired in 1993, if you’re in the market for a new sitcom, there’s a lot to enjoy. The new run of episodes see Dr Crane returning to Boston to reunite with his son Freddy, played by Jack Cutmore-Scott. Frasier was revived on Paramount Plus in October 2023, and has been well received by audiences with an 80% RT score.
Tulsa King
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
RT score: 79% (critics); 91% (audience)
The first season of Tulsa King was the highest-rated series debut on cable in 2022, so it's no surprise that it's already been renewed for a second season. It's a gangster drama with a genuine superstar in the lead role: Sylvester Stallone is Dwight "The General" Manfredi, an ageing mobster recently released from prison and with no intention of going straight.
This isn't your usual mob story. When Dwight returns to New York, ready to pick up where he left off, he finds there's no place for him, so he's sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he wastes no time finding new associates.
Tulsa King has been described as a "dramedy", because while the main story is pretty dark there's a bleak sense of humor in the writing, the violence is often cartoonish and Stallone gets plenty of wisecracks. It's one of the best performances from Stallone (who's the subject of one of the best Netflix documentaries) in many years, a mix of swagger and vulnerability that demonstrates his considerable acting chops. Season 2 arrives on September 15.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-PG (US); PG (UK); M (Aus)
RT score: 80% (critics); 88% (audience)
Disney Plus has Star Wars and Marvel, and Max has DC, so what does Paramount Plus have?
The answer is Star Trek. While you can’t enjoy the classic or The Next Generation movies on the platform (they’re currently enjoying some shore leave over on Max), you can boldly watch every TV series except kids’ show Prodigy, making Paramount Plus a Trekkie’s dream come true.
Pick of the bunch is arguably the show that started it all in the ’60s, in which Kirk, Spock and the rest of the Enterprise crew seek out new life and new civilisations over three highly influential seasons. But which Trek is your number one probably depends on when you were born, as there’s plenty to enjoy in ’80s/’90s spin-offs The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager – and the new crop of Star Trek shows discussed below…
Star Trek: Picard
Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 89% (critics); 57% (audience)
Patrick Stewart returns to the final frontier for the first time since disappointing 2002 movie outing Star Trek: Nemesis, as we meet Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard at the end of the 24th Century, 14 years after his retirement from Starfleet. Living a quiet life on his family vineyard, his newfound peace is destroyed when he is sought out by a mysterious young woman who has strong connections to his past – sending him on an adventure involving Lt Cmdr Data's heritage, and classic villains the Romulans and the Borg.
The first season is an up-and-down affair, as is the follow-up, in which Jean-Luc leads his new crew on a time-traveling mission back to 2024. In its third year, however, Star Trek: Picard really finds its groove, as the classic Next Generation crew are reunited for a spectacular final mission. It's arguably the greatest season of TV in Trek history, and the jewel in the crown of a 21st century revival that includes stablemates Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and animated comedy series Lower Decks.
Twin Peaks
Seasons: 3 (including Twin Peaks: The Return)
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); M (Aus)
RT score: 78% (critics); 92% (audience)
David Lynch’s genre-defying, reality-bending and hugely influential detective drama is still an absolute must-watch. On the face of it, Twin Peaks is a simple whodunnit, as Kyle MacLachlan’s FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to assist local Sheriff Harry S. Truman's (Michael Ontkean) investigation into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).
However, within the first few minutes of the show’s feature-length first episode, you’ll quickly realize this is a detective drama like nothing else – and that Twin Peaks is a town like no other. Trippy, esoteric, mind-bending and impossible to take your eyes off, Twin Peaks is well worth an investment more than three decades after its first broadcast. 2017 follow up Twin Peaks: The Return is also available on Paramount Plus and has received an impressive 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Offer
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 18 (UK); M (Aus)
RT score: 57% (critics); 96% (audience)
Paramount's lavish Hollywood drama received a mixed reception on its 2022 release, but if you're drawn in by the story of how mafia classic The Godfather made the journey from book to big screen, you'll find plenty to enjoy in The Offer.
Michael Tolkin’s 10-episode show re-tells the making of Francis Ford Coppola's legendary gangster movie from the perspective of its ambitious producer, Albert S. Ruddy. Top Gun: Maverick's Miles Teller stars as Ruddy with Ted Lasso's Juno Temple, Matthew Goode, Giovanni Ribisi and Dan Fogler among the supporting cast.
The Good Wife
Seasons: 7
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 12 (UK); M (Aus)
RT score: 93% (critics); 91% (audience)
One of the most-beloved dramas of the last 20 years, The Good Wife ran for seven highly acclaimed seasons from 2009 to 2016. The series follows Alicia Florrick (E.R.'s Julianna Margulies), a lawyer whose life is turned upside down when her state's attorney husband (Sex and the City's Chris Noth) is sent to prison for political and sex scandals. Having spent the previous 13 years as a stay-at-home mother, Alicia returns to work to provide for her family.
Each episode of this legal drama sees Florrick and her team tackling a different case or dilemma, but it's the drama of her life – and that of her colleagues – that makes The Good Wife a captivating watch. With 156 episodes available, there’s plenty to get stuck into here, but audiences could not get enough of the show, hence…
The Good Fight
Seasons: 6
Age rating: TV-14 (US); M (Aus)
RT score: 95% (critics); 66% (audience)
After The Good Wife ended, CBS instantly pursued a spin-off, this time focusing on Alicia Florrick's colleague Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), who was eyeing up a comfortable retirement until a financial scam took away her life savings. Forced back to work, Diane joins her former employee, Cush Jumbo’s Lucca Quinn, at Reddick, Boseman, & Kolstad, a prestigious African-American-owned firm with a growing reputation.
The show, which also stars Rose Leslie, Erica Tazel, Michael Sheen, Delroy Lindo and Sarah Steele, keeps The Good Wife's case of the week formula but feels lighter than its predecessor, with episodes freer to take flights of fancy and strange tangents. It's still utterly compelling – and there's now six seasons to indulge in - although currently only available on Paramount Plus in the US and Aus.
Wolf Pack
Seasons: 1
Age rating: MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 44% (critics); 86% (audience)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar joins forces with Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis for this adaptation of Edo van Belkom's Wolf Pack book series. The plot follows a pair of teenagers wounded when a California wildfire awakens a supernatural creature. It's only when the full moon rises that they – along with two other kids – realize they are connected by the blood and bite of a werewolf.
Despite the presence of fantasy royalty among the cast and crew, critics weren't impressed with Wolf Pack, giving the show a mere 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. An audience score of 86% suggested there's plenty for fans of teen-based supernatural angst to enjoy, though the show was cancelled in January 2024. Wolf Pack is now only available to watch in Australia, although you can stream it on Apple TV Plus in the UK.
1883
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 89% (critics); 83% (audience)
Although, as we previously mentioned, the Paramount Network's behemoth Yellowstone isn’t on Paramount Plus in the US yet due to an exclusive deal with Peacock, its prequel 1883 is available. Whereas Yellowstone follows the Dutton family in modern times, this show follows the story of how the Duttons came to own the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch. Set, as you might imagine, in 1883, we follow the Duttons as they leave Tennessee, journey to Fort Worth, Texas, and join a European immigrant wagon train heading towards their eventual home. Sam Elliott leads the way, with LaMonica Garrett and country music royalty Tim McGraw and Faith Hill among the supporting players.
A second Yellowstone prequel – the Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren-starring 1923 – is also available on the streamer, while series creator Taylor Sheridan (the man behind Sicario and Wind River), has yet another show on Paramount Plus...
Mayor of Kingstown
Seasons: 3
Age rating: TV-MA (US); 18 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 51% (critics); 89% (audience)
MCU regular Jeremy Renner commands this drama, following the trials and tribulations of the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, a town in the punishment business: it has seven prisons within a 10-mile radius, some for men and some for women.
Renner plays Mike, a one-time felon, who now works with his brother Mitch (Kyle Chandler), the eponymous "Mayor of Kingstown". The pair are fixers, working between police officers, prison guards, local crime syndicates and the inmates. As with all of Sheridan’s work, it’s rough and very tough, but the episodes fly by all the same.
SEAL Team
Seasons: 6 (only three seasons available in UK)
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 71% (critics); 83% (audience) for season 1 only
David Boreanaz – best known for playing Angel in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Seeley Booth in Bones – is front and center of this long-running action drama. Boreanaz plays Jason Hayes, leader of Bravo Team, a sub-unit of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, and the most elite unit of Navy SEALs around.
Each episode brings a new and dangerous mission somewhere in the world, as the team face various and constant threats. As you might expect, this is quite a chest-thumping drama, but it’s full of action and adventure and delivered with real scale.
Freaks and Geeks
Seasons: 1
Age rating: TV-14 (US)
RT score: 100% (critics); 96% (audience)
Before they became two of Hollywood’s biggest players, producer Judd Apatow and director Paul Feig came together for Freaks and Geeks - currently only available on Paramount Plus in the US. Their 1999 comedy-drama series also launched the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and Linda Cardellini as they chronicled the lives of students at McKinley High.
Mostly we follow Cardellini's Lindsay Weir, a maths prodigy who decides to start hanging out with a group of burnouts, something her friends can’t understand. Along the way, Weir and her new gang go through all the usual teen ups and downs, chemical highs and hungover lows. The show only lasted one season, but thanks to its dedicated fanbase, it’s become a cult watch in the decades since its first broadcast.
Evil
Seasons: 4
Age rating: TV-14 (US); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 96% (critics); 86% (audience)
Evil, which is only available on Paramount Plus in the US and Australia right now, comes from Robert and Michelle King, the powerhouse showrunning team behind The Good Wife and The Good Fight. For this drama though, they venture into supernatural territory.
In a classic, X-Files-esque team-up, we follow a skeptical forensic psychologist who is forced to team up with a trainee Catholic priest and a technology contractor when they're sent to investigate purported supernatural incidents in each episode. The show stars Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi and Kurt Fuller, with the Kings running the show.
Criminal Minds
Seasons: 17 (US) / 15 (UK/Aus)
Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus)
RT score: 46% (critics); 87% (audience) for season 1 only
Criminal Minds is only rivaled by NCIS and CSI for longevity, so there are a whopping 17 seasons to wade through. But, if you’re looking for something to lock in for a good long stretch, then you can’t go far wrong when it comes to comforting procedurals.
Criminal Minds follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, and use their profiling skills to investigate a different crime in each episode. Over the years, the likes of Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Aisha Tyler and Adam Rodriguez have all taken key roles along the way.
For more Paramount Plus coverage, read our guides on the best Paramount Plus movies or how much a Paramount Plus subscription costs.
