Best Paramount Plus TV Shows
What to watch with a Paramount Plus Subscription
Once Viacom and CBS rebranded the existing service into Paramount+, it made waves and garnered a reported user base of over 32 million in 2021. With live news and sports, the platform adds a lot through proprietary brands such as MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon as well as the Paramount Network and Paramount Pictures studios.
We now take a look at some of what’s on the offer, with a focus on the best TV shows you can catch there. Let’s dig into what you definitely shouldn’t miss with a Paramount Plus subscription.
1883
Premiered on December 19, 1883 is a sequel to Paramount Network’s Yellowstone which has seen considerable success between 2018 and 2021. 1883 originally aired ten episodes and was to be followed by a Yellowstone prequel 1932 but it’s been confirmed Paramount+ ordered additional episodes in February.
Indeed, the cast led by Sam Elliott and Tim McGraw got critical acclaim as the series makes for a great addition to the franchise. 1883 focuses on the Duttons as they take on a dangerous journey west through the Great Plains to Oregon and eventually Montana. While the storytelling has shortcomings too, it’s well worth the time as a ticket to the time long gone.
Why Women Kill
Talking about tickets to an era long gone, Why Women Kill offers a great fusion of three of them. The series delves into stories of killings with three different women in the spotlight, including a 60’s housewife, an 80’s socialite, and a 2010s lawyer. The series got great scores with audiences, with a 91% average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and 89% of Google users liking it.
Dark comedy-drama in nature, it’s suspenseful, often surprising, and rather entertaining too. Why Women Kill runs for two seasons and has been renewed for Season 3 in late 2021. Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste offer subtle and appealing performances that left us wanting more, so it’s certainly good news.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Paramount Plus really capitalizes on its Star Trek franchise and Lower Decks is the latest example. It’s the franchise’s first animated series since the 1970s and Star Trek: The Animated Series (see reviews), which was enough to attract the fandom by itself.
Created by Mike McMahan, credited as one of the writers behind Rick and Morty, it takes a humorous approach to the lives of lower deckers on one of Starfleet’s least important ships.
It can be found on Amazon Prime but has been trending on the best TV show torrent sites as well, which speaks volumes. Star Trek: Lower Decks really is a fun insight into life at USS Cerritos in 2380, conveyed by quality voice acting and solid animation. It’s not for Trekkies only either, so we can wholeheartedly suggest checking it out regardless of your preferences.
Picard
Picard’s much more serious portrayal of what Star Trek has to offer has been well-received by critics, but Trekkies have a hard time with many assumptions. Regardless, Sir Patrick Stewart’s performance in what shapes to be a show of Jean-Luc Picard later life is remarkable.
It was first aired in January 2020 as Discovery kept receiving a very mixed bag of reviews. Set 18 years after Star Trek: Nemesis where Picard still laments the loss of Lieutenant Commander Data and faces shadows of his former life through an encounter with Dr Agnes Jurati.
Detroiters
Detroiters first caught our eye on Comedy Central and it was a real disappointment seeing the show cancelled in late 2018. Still, it offers 20 episodes of pure fun and IMDb lists it confidently among the best two-season comedies to stream. Witty and often described as deliberately stupid, the show has soul and charm to back it up.
Created by Zach Kanin, Detroiters stars Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson as two best friends making low-budget ads, aspiring to climb the ranks in the industry. Well-matched leads and delightful storytelling make for a great sitcom that gets even better in Season 2, which made it all the more of a shock to see it cancelled back in the day.
Halo
On to one of the newest and hottest additions to Paramount+, Halo saw its first episode aired in March. With a critically acclaimed and beloved game behind it, Halo was bound to attract attention and so it did. The military sci-fi series is loosely based on the franchise with over two decades under its belt, but does it do justice to it?
It’s hard to say just yet and while it feels like no more than a decent start for Halo fans, the series truly shows glimpses of hope too. While it derives from the original story quite a bit, Halo is very entertaining so far and the story of Master Chief has the potential to become Paramount’s flagship.
The Classics
Paramount+ has classics for every day watching too and these are obviously led by Star Trek and everything the franchise has to offer. However, it does not stop there. Fan favourite and 37 Primetime Emmy Awards-winner Fraiser brings witty humour to the table while you can get more blunt laughter with Jackass too.
To name a few more, the platform also features Chris Rock’s hit sitcom Everybody Hates Chris as well as Dave Chappelle’s acclaimed Chappelle’s Show. Both promise hours of entertainment while Freaks and Geeks (with a star-studded cast to be) serve as one of the many one-season wonders.
Final Thoughts: Is It Worth the Money?
While Paramount Plus attracts a lot of attention for its access to live news and sports, TV shows are plentiful and certainly make for a rock-solid viewing experience. With classics as well as up-and-coming shows, there’s always something to look forward to.
The originals do feel like a hit and miss but the huge library based on many brands Paramount owns is a well-rounded product. It’s thus bound to satisfy your needs for a monthly fee of $9.99 or a yearly subscription of $99.99.