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 June 8, 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 Recreation
Year: 2009-2015
Cast: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt
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. 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.
10. Mrs. Davis
Year: 2023
Cast: Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen
Genre: Science-Fiction, Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 8 episodes
Created By: Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof
Trailer: Watch here
In the wild sci-fi series, Mrs. Davis, Betty Gilpin stars as Sister Simone, an exiled nun hellbent on destroying a powerful AI named, you guessed it, Mrs. Davis. With her ex-boyfriend roped into her mission, Sister Simon sets off on a quest filled with religious relics, secret societies, tragic pasts, and an underground resistance movement that’s fighting to free a populace that’s maybe not all that interested in being liberated. This inventive, head-scratching series comes from Tara Hernandez and Lost writer Damon Lindelof, who’s coming in hot from his critically acclaimed Watchmen miniseries.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Year: 2013
Cast: Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Andre Braugher
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 8 seasons
Created By: Dan Goor, Michael Schur
Trailer: Watch here
Boasting one of the best comedy ensembles of all time, Brooklyn Nine-Nine focuses on Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and the detectives of the 99th Precinct as they adapt to the new leadership of incoming police chief Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher). Together, this tight group of friends hilariously navigate crimes, personal problems, and the inner-workings of the NYPD as they grapple with life as a cop. It’s not your usual spin on the police genre, but that’s what makes Brooklyn Nine-Nine so great and one of the most recommend binge watches out there.
14. New Girl
Year: 2011
Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfeld, Lamorne Morris
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 7 seasons
Created By: Elizabeth Meriweather
Trailer: Watch here
After a bad breakup, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) moves into an apartment with the directionless bartender Nick (Jake Johnson), the looks-obsessed corporate bro (Schmidt), and the struggling pro athlete Winston (Lamorne Morris). Their dysfunctional group dynamic sets the stage for New Girl, which quickly earned its place alongside shows like Friends as one of the top comfort sitcoms that’s perfect for bingeing. The show really hits its stride in Season 2 as the shared apartment life of Jess, Nick, Schmidt, and Winston really starts to gel, and a TV romance for the ages starts to bloom.
15. 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.
16. A Friend Of The Family
Year: 2022
Cast: Jake Lacy, Anna Paquin, Colin Hanks, Lio Tipton, McKenna Grace
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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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 Peacock original 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.
20. Bupkis
Year: 2023
Cast: Pete Davidson, Edie Falco, Joe Pesci
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 8 episodes
Created By: Pete Davidson, Judah Miller, Dave Sirus
Trailer: Watch here
Described as a “heightened fictionalized version” of reality, Bupkis follows the life of comedian Pete Davidson as he moves back home to Staten Island and attempts to juggle the demands of his career, family, mental health, and love life that never fails in creating a tabloid frenzy. Starring Edie Falco as his mom, Amy, and Joe Pesci as his grandfather, Joe, Bupkis also has no shortage of cameos as famous faces like Jon Stewart and Steve Buscemi show up to navigate this surreal, and hilarious take on all things Pete Davidson from the man himself.
21. Vanderpump Rules
Year: 2013
Cast: Lisa Vanderpump, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Raquel Leviss, Tom Schwartz, Scheana Shay
Genre: Reality
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 10 seasons
Created By: Alex Baskin, Douglas Ross, Lisa Vanderpump
Trailer: Watch here
In this highly-addictive spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules follows the young chaotic lives of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant staff at Sur. The colorful cast is never short at drama as their love lives often intermix and create tabloid-fodder headlines that are impossible to resist. Even after 10 seasons, and counting, cast members like Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss continue to blow up social media with their messy lives that make Vanderpump Rules a dishy sensation for reality TV fans.
22. The Ark
Year: 2023
Cast: Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie
Genre: Science-Fiction
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 12 episodes
Created By: Dean Devlin, Jonathan Glassner
Trailer: Watch here
In The Ark, a new science fiction series from veteran TV creator Dean Devlin set 100 years in the future, the crew of the Ark One spacecraft find themselves in a catastrophic situation with only one year left to reach their destination. While navigating massive damage to their ship as well as heavy casualties, what’s left of the remaining crew must set aside their differences and work together if they want to survive in the far out reaches of space.
23. 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.
24. Top Chef
Year: 2006
Cast: Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons
Genre: Cooking, Reality
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: 20 seasons
Trailer: Watch here
When it comes to the creme de la creme of cooking reality TV series, nothing compares to Top Chef. For 20 seasons it’s been a powerhouse in the world of culinary competition as 15 contestants are brought in and tasked with creating amazing dishes all while being carefully scrutinized by some of the best chefs and restauranteurs in the world. Hosted by Padma Lakshmi and featuring Tom Colicchio as the head judge, Top Chef is a supremely addictive journey into the world of cooking. The series has spawned several spinoffs, but there’s something special about the original series that will you keep coming back to the table for more.
TIE: 25. Longmire
Year: 2012
Cast: Robert Taylor, Lou Diamond Phillips, Katee Sackhoff
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 6 seasons
Created By: Hunt Baldwin, John Conveny
Trailer: Watch here
Based on the Walt Longmire novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson, Longmire stars Robert Taylor as the gruff, titular sheriff as he does his best to mete out justice in Absaroka County. Haunted by the death of his wife, Walt forges through his increasingly modernized surroundings as he refuses to own a cell phone and prefers the old school methods of being a Wyoming lawman. Over the course of this modern Western, Walt will lock horns with power-hungry forces from all directions as he tries to protect his hometown the only way he knows how: With grit, determination, and a rifle.
TIE: 25. Chicago P.D.
Year: 2014
Cast: Jason Beghe, Patrick Fluegler, LaRoyce Hawkins
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: 10 Seasons
Created By: Dick Wolf, Matt Olmstead
Trailer: Watch here
In this series from TV legend Dick Wolf, Chicago P.D. follows Sergeant Hank Voight as he leads the elite Intelligence Unit as it tackles some of the city’s worst crimes. The unit faces everything from drug trafficking, organized crime, high-profile murders, and more. However, the criminal justice system is changing around them and so is the socio-political climate of Chicago, which forces the seasoned Voight to adapt and find new ways to police the city he loves.
