NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service only launched a few years ago with The Office being the obvious flagship series, but the situation has changed a lot. Much like Netflix is becoming a stand-up comedy standout, no streaming service is currently better at serving up classic TV series with fresh additions.
Here are the best Peacock shows you can watch now.
Last updated on February 17, 2023.
1. SNL
Year: 1975-Present
Cast: Various
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 48 seasons
Created by: Lorne Michaels
Trailer: Watch here
Saturday Night Live is four decades into its run for a reason: the sketch comedy follows a classic formula that is uninterrupted by a rapidly changing world. While everyone has their favorite era of SNL (it usually depends on when you grew up) and it can be hit or miss, it’s reliable entertainment that introduced the entertainment business and the world to some of the greatest comedians including (but certainly not limited to) Martin Short, Will Ferrell, Bill Hader, and Kate McKinnon.
2. Cheers
Year: 1982-1993
Cast: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 11 seasons, 275 episodes
Created by: Glen and Les Charles, James Burrows
Trailer: Watch here
The heart-warming but sharp comedy series is as comforting as it is clever. The series, which dominated NBC primetime throughout the ’80s, follows a group of eccentric regulars at a Boston bar and its equally eccentric employees. A lot of sitcoms feel of their time, with pop culture references you have to Google to understand if you weren’t alive, too young, or simply don’t remember. Cheers looks a lot like the ’80s with its costumes and hairstyles, but the jokes feel just as fresh as they did when the original series aired.
3. Parks And Rec
Year: 2009-2015
Cast: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Seven seasons, 125 episodes
Created by: Greg Daniels and Michael Schur
Trailer: Watch here
What started as a riff on The Office but with a lady boss became, by its second season, one of the best network comedies of all time. The series explores the mundanities of working at city hall in the small, strange town of Pawnee, Indiana.
4. Friday Night Lights
Year: 2006-2011
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch, Michael B. Jordan
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Five seasons, 76 episodes
Created by: Peter Berg
Trailer: Watch here
A television show about a football team had no right to become one of the best television shows of the Golden Age and one of the best of all time. Among a group of prestige programming including The Sopranos and Mad Men, this little football show kept up in terms of quality, because it was always more about people and relationships than it was about the sport. It will make you cry buckets, and you won’t even be mad about it.
5. The Office
Year: 2005-2013
Cast: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Nine seasons, 201 episodes
Created by: Greg Daniels
Trailer: Watch here
Gen Z’s favorite comedy is a favorite for a reason. The sitcom that launched the single-cam revolution features one of the greatest performances ever from Steve Carell as the horrible but somehow sweet boss Michael Scott, with a sprawling cast of comic geniuses that worked like comedy magic together.
6. Law and Order: SVU
Year: 1999-Present
Cast: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 24 seasons, 525 episodes
Created by: Dick Wolf
Trailer: Watch here
Even if you’ve never seen SVU, you probably know about Benson and Stabler. The crime procedural following cases in a Special Victims Unit in New York City is ideal for every kind of viewing: one episode at a time, a massive binge, while you’re working, or when you just want to sit down and pay attention to something.
7. Columbo
Year: 1968-2003
Cast: Peter Falk
Genre: Mystery
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 69 episodes
Created by: Richard Levinson and William Link
Trailer: Watch here
Ahhh, Columbo. As soon as you see that long beige coat, his thick cigar and hear him saw, “just one more thing” you will feel relief. On this sort of procedural, Detective Columbo catches killers by, for lack of better words, annoying the sh*t out of them. The series spans decades, and the first pilot, “Murder by the Book,” was directed by none other than the master, Stephen Spielberg.
8. Yellowstone
Year: 2018-Present
Cast: Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley
Genre: Drama, Western
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Five seasons, 47 episodes
Created by: Taylor Sheridan and John Linson
Trailer: Watch here
Everyone (a.k.a., everyone’s dad) is talking about Yellowstone for a reason: it’s like a contemporary western Game of Thrones. The neo-western starring Kevin Costner, which follows the dysfunctional Dutton family who has owned the Yellowstone Ranch (the largest ranch in Montana) for generations is filled with water-cooler talk-worthy moments of bloodshed and betrayal, if only there were water coolers anymore. I suppose group chats are the new water coolers?
9. That ’70s Show
Year: 1998-2006
Cast: Topher Grace, Larua Pripon, Mila Kunis, Wilder Vadleramma
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Eight seasons, 200 episodes
Created by: Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, Mark Brazill
Trailer: Watch here
This Fox-period sitcom is about a group of teenagers in the 1970s who spend the majority of their time hanging out in Eric Forman’s basement. It’s getting a ’90s reboot over at Netflix featuring some of the O.G. cast, so it’s the perfect time to catch up or revisit.
10. Poker Face
Year: 2023
Cast: Natasha Lyonne
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 10 episodes
Created By: Rian Johnson
Trailer: Watch here
After taking the detective film genre by storm with Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson set his sights on TV with his new series Poker Face. Starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, the series is a throwback to old Columbo-style, mystery of the week TV episodes. Thanks to her gift/curse for telling when anyone is lying, Charlie is on the run and moving from town-to-town after landing on the wrong side of a ruthless Las Vegas casino owner. Along the way, she can’t help but solve a few murders as a slew of guest stars populate this highly addictive new series.
11. Girls5Eva
Year: 2021-Present
Cast: Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, Renée Elise Goldsberry
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 16 episodes
Created by: Meredith Scardino
Trailer: Watch here
The comedy from executive producer Tina Fey about 40-something women who reunite their late 1990s/2000s girl group after decades apart gets bolder and weirder as it goes along. Although the girl group Girls5Rva is fake, the show, which calls back to the strange period of time that was Y2K, feels weirdly nostalgic. The original songs are better than most of the songs that win Oscars.
12. Bel-Air
Year: 2022-Present
Cast: Jabrai Banks, Cassandra Freeman, Jimmy Akingbola
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA tk
Runtime: One season, ten episodes
Created by: Morgan Cooper, Malcolm Spellman, TJ Brady, and Rasheed Newson
Trailer: Watch here
Bel-Air is the most Peak TV show to ever Peak TV (in a good way). The series started off as a short film that reimagined The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sitcom as a serious drama. Lo and behold, the edit is now a dramatic television series that dives into class and race, and makes Will’s culture shock upon moving from West Philly to Bel-Air more dramatic than comedic.
13. 30 Rock
Year: 2006-2013
Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Seven seasons, 138 episodes
Created by: Tina Fey
Trailer: Watch here
Former SNL writer Tina Fey’s meta NBC comedy about writing a late-night sketch comedy for NBC is a classic, known for its idiosyncratic characters and rapid pace: there are jokes almost every single second, maybe even more than that, but we won’t do the math. The series was the perfect satire for the strange time that was the late aughts/early 2010s, blending political commentary with pop culture commentary, all wrapped up in an NBC show that very frequently made fun of NBC and capitalism.
14. A Friend Of The Family
Year: 2022
Cast: Jacke Lacy, Colin Hanks, Anna Paquin
Genre: Drama, Crime
Runtime: One season, 9 episodes
Created by: Nick Antosca
Trailer: Watch here
In this crime drama based on a true story, the Broeberg family lives an idyllic American life until their daughter is kidnapped twice over a two-year period. Continuing his turn into darker characters after The White Lotus season one, Jake Lacy stars as the next door neighbor Robert Berchtold, who happens to be her captor.
15. Chucky
Year: 2021
Cast: Zackary Arthur, Jennifer Tilly, Devon Sawa
Genre: Horror
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 8 episodes
Created By: Don Mancini
Trailer: Watch here
In the follow-up to the classic Child’s Play horror series, Chucky stars the titular murder doll as he goes on a killing spree in a small New Jersey town after he purchased by a 14-year-old boy named Jake (Zachary Arthury) at a yard sale. There’s just one small problem, Jake is being blamed for the murders and who’s going to believe him that the real killer is a doll? Even worse, Chucky seems to be corrupting his new owner and doing his best to cultivate a new partner in crime in this thrilling update to the horror franchise.
16. We Are Lady Parts
Year: 2021
Cast: Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela, Juliette Motamed
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, 6 episodes
Created by: Nida Manzoor
Trailer: Watch here
This subversive, rowdy British comedy featuring great music and quick jokes (30 Rock style) follows a punk band called Lady Parts. Every member of the band is a Muslim woman. As the band seeks commercial success, they also face challenges both personal and cultural.
17. Dr. Death
Year: 2021-Present
Cast: Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Christian Slater, Alec Baldwin
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, 8 episodes
Created by: Patrick Macmanus
Trailer: Watch here
Based on a podcast based on a true story, teen heartthrob Joshua Jackson of Dawson’s Creek delivers an unsettling performance as a doctor who purposely botches his patients, and ends up killing two in the process. The anthology series will return for a second season starring Mandy Moore and Édgar Ramirez.
18. The Thing About Pam
Year: 2022
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Judy Greer, Josh Duhamel
Genre: Crime, Dark Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, six episodes
Created by: Jenny Klein
Trailer: Watch here
Renée Zellweger is having an absolute blast playing Pam Hupp, who gets caught in a scheme to murder her best friend. The show is shockingly comedic in tone for a series about a murder based on a true story, which may not work for everyone.
19. The Resort
Year: 2022
Cast: William Jackson Harper, Christin Milioti, Skyler Gisondo, Debby Ryan
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 8 episodes
Created By: Andy Siara
Trailer: Watch here
In The Resort, a young couple (William Jackson Harper and Christin Milioti) take an anniversary trip to the Yucatan where they find themselves tangled in a bizarre unsolved mystery that puts their marriage to the test. Packed with Scooby Doo vibes and solid acting from Harper and Milioti, along with one heck of a supporting cast, The Resort delivers both a compelling mystery and a darkly comedic examination of the disappointment of time.
20. Angelyne
Year: 2022
Cast: Emmy Rossom, Hamish Linklater, Alex Karpovsky
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: One season, five episodes
Created by: Allison Miller
Trailer: Watch here
In the mid-’80s, Los Angeles billboards experienced a takeover. The blonde bombshell Angelyne covered nearly them all. This series starring Emmy Rossum tells Angelyne’s story and implies that she invented being famous for the sake of being famous. Kim Kardashian owes a debt.
21. The Amber Ruffin Show
Year: 2020-Present
Cast: Amber Ruffin
Genre: Comedy, Late night
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three seasons, 57 episodes
Created by: Amber Ruffin
Trailer: Watch here
Amber Ruffin’s appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers were so good that she got her own show. The show follows the classic format of a late-night show with monologues, sketches, and interviews with incredible guests including Wanda Sykes and John Oliver. Ruffin suits the host role naturally and her sweet but cunning persona makes the show unique.
22. Saved By The Bell
Year: 2022-2021
Cast: Haskiri Velazquez, Mitchell Hoog, Mario Lopez, Mark Paul-Gosslear
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Two seasons, 20 episodes
Created by: Tracey Wigfield
Trailer: Watch here
Revivals and reboots premiere every day, but none of them were as charming as Saved by the Bell. California governor Zach Morris gets criticized for closing low-income schools in the state. His response? Bringing those students into better performing schools in higher-income areas including his alma mater, Bayside High. The newcomers of a new generation bring their own style and tone to the show, which dips into nostalgia but is not reliant upon it.
23. La Brea
Year: 2021
Cast: Natalie Rea, Zyra Gorecki, Jon Seda
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 2 seasons
Created By: David Appelbaum
Trailer: Watch here
La Brea kicks off with a massive sinkhole opening in the titular tarpits and sucking everything from buildings to Los Angeles residents into its gaping maw where a primeval world of mystery awaits. Starring Natalie Zea (Justified) as a mom just trying to get her and her son back to the surface, La Brea definitely scratches that Lost itch for anyone looking for a wild premise that only gets crazier as the show goes on. Secret organizations, dinosaurs, giant holes in the ground, we mentioned Natalie Zea, right? La Brea practically has everything.
24. Suits
Year: 2011-2019
Cast: Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht, Meghan Markle, Rick Hoffman
Genre: Drama, Legal
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Nine seasons, 134 episodes
Created by: Aaron Korsh
Trailer: Watch here
Come for a pre-royal Meghan Markle, stay for the dramatic but never too serious law firm drama. Suits is smart, fun, occasionally (enjoyably) dumb, and calls back to USA’s “characters welcome” era, which is sorely missed.
25. One Of Us Is Lying
Year: 2021-Present
Cast: Annalisa Cochrane, Chibuikem Uche, Marianly Tejada
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Two seasons, 16 episodes
Created by: Erica Saleh
Trailer: Watch here
In this teen drama/murder mystery based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, five teens go to detention, but only one comes out alive. All four survivors claim innocence, but all of them have their own motivations to kill the deceased. Unchanged: In this teen drama/murder mystery based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, five teens go to detention, but only one comes out alive. All four survivors claim innocence, but all of them have their own motivations to kill the deceased.
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