Originally known as CBS All Access, Paramount Plus has emerged as a stronger player in the streaming arena by offering content from CBS and Paramount Pictures. And apart from making already-popular movies and TV shows available, the streaming service has launched a couple of great original shows and revival series, and is notably the streaming home for Star Trek.
The best Paramount Plus originals are a mix of all of those things. Some of the content was acquired for the streamer after removing it from Paramount-owned networks. Others were created for the platform to begin with. What the best Paramount Plus original shows all have in common, however, is a desire to tell a well-crafted story with incredibly talented casts.
20 Behind The Music (2021 - 2022)
In the late 1990s, VH1 gave the network audience a deep dive into some of music's biggest icons. From pop groups like The Bangles to rockers like Metallica, the series covered a huge variety of artists that made a mark on the music industry. Paramount Plus revived the series in 2021. The series featured brand-new episodes, but also remastered versions of VH1 originals, ensuring that music fans could get the most out of the program. Featuring LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, New Kids On The Block, and more, Behind the Music has become one of the best Paramount Plus exclusives.
19 Tell Me A Story (2018 - 2020)
In Tell Me a Story, popular fairy tales are reimagined as dark thrillers set in the modern world, with season featuring a different ensemble cast. Fables and fairy tales have been told time and time again, so the choice to reimagine them as darker sagas is a smart move. The tales told in Tell Me a Story all head in familiar directions, but they still come with their own interesting twists. The cast is strong too, consisting of experienced actors who handle their scenes with poise.
18 The Stand (2020 - 2021)
The second time the Stephen King novel has been adapted for the screen, the massive story became a Paramount Plus original series. With The Stark adapted for the streamer instead of network television, it allows for a stronger rating (TV-MA), making the content closer to the dark and brutal nature of King’s original story. The Stand also has a pretty stellar cast with Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail and James Marsden as Stu Redman amongst some stellar newcomers. While it’s very difficult for any King adaptation to be as beloved as the novel itself, The Stand succeeds in capturing King’s magic.
17 The Challenge: All-Stars (2021 - )
The Challenge: All-Stars is spinoff of the popular reality game show The Challenge, and features some of the best previous contestants. The idea was pitched on social media by former contestant Mark Long and soon became a reality. Like the original show, The Challenge: All-Stars thrives on the grit of the cast members. The games feel much more intense since, at the center of the action, are those who really know what they're doing. There are a couple of new challenges too, a direction that ensures the proceedings don't feel too repetitive.
16 Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies (2023 - )
Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies is the prequel series to the movie musical Grease that no one knew they wanted. It’s definitely one of the best Paramount Plus originals to debut in 2023, blending modern sensibilities with a 1950s story the same way Grease did when it was made in the 1970s.
The music and choreographed sequences are fantastic, and the series strives to have much better representation than the original movie, highlighting the lives of immigrant families, Black students in predominately White neighborhoods, and more. While Rise of the Pink Ladies tries to do a lot in a short time, which can overwhelm the audience, overall, it’s a great addition.
15 iCarly (2021 - )
The original iCarly series aired on Nickelodeon, capturing a time when teens and tweens were just getting into vlogging. In the current day, social media influencers are everywhere, which means the landscape is very different from when Miranda Cosgrove first played the character — which is exactly the point the series makes.
It reunites most of the original cast (though Jennette McCurdy’s comedic talent is sorely missed) to explore what life is like for Carly as an adult, and just how she would stay relevant in an increasingly “online” world. iCarly also adds more adult storylines to the show, focusing on the dating lives of the main cast, making it more like an adult sitcom and thus allowing its original audience to grow up with the show.
14 Wolf Pack (2023 - )
When Wolf Pack was originally announced, many thought it was simply going to be an extension of the Teen Wolf universe. Despite Jeff Davis being creatively in charge of both shows, that’s not the case. The series takes a whole new look at werewolf mythology.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to the world of supernatural TV as an arson investigator in Wolf Pack. A wildfire appears to wake up a supernatural entity, and when it does, a few teenagers are turned into werewolves, having to learn about their new skills while being hunted alongside those who are born werewolves. It’s a dark thriller that keeps fans wondering who the villain is and just what’s in store for the main characters. Wolf Pack became a surprising standout among the Paramount Plus originals in 2023.
13 RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (2012 - )
Paramount+ is the third network to host the RuPaul’s Drag Race spinoff. It began its TV journey on Logo before moving to VH1 and ultimately, Paramount Plus. All of that schedule shifting could have lost the show viewers, but the loyal audience has been following it since the beginning. The series brings together those drag queens who had standout performances in the original series to compete again.
Each episode consists of a challenge being issued to the queens and the queens up for elimination having to “lip-sync for their lives” by the end of the hour. Because the show brings together all-stars from the original series, sometimes different challenges will revamp previous challenges seen in RuPaul's Drag Race. In the end, the winner gets a cash prize and is memorialized in the Drag Race Hall of Fame.
12 Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020 - )
The adult animated series follows the support crew of the fictional starship USS Cerritos with events set in the year 2380. It's the first Star Strek animated show since the hit '70s offering, Star Trek: The Animated Series. Star Trek: Lower Decks is one of the best Star Trek shows because it differentiates itself from everything else in the franchise by taking a comedic approach to its events. Fans will specifically love how the characters mock many of the franchise tropes. In that regard, the series manages to be a piece of commentary while still remaining canon.
11 Interrogation (2020)
Based on the real-life story of Bruce Lisker, Interrogation follows a young man who is wrongfully charged with murdering his mother. Each episode focuses on a specific interrogation. Multiple elements make Interrogation a solid true-crime show. It doesn't rush to solve the case for the viewer. It instead presents them with facts and leaves it at that, giving them a chance to be their own detective on the couch. Second, the episodes can be watched in any order, making Interrogation an easy show to jump in and out of. Best of all, it has a really cataclysmic finale.
10 School Spirits (2023 - )
Cobra Kai’s Peyton List stars in School Spirits, which was developed alongside a graphic novel of the same name. As episodes dropped on a weekly basis, School Spirits quickly proved itself as one of the best Paramount Plus originals to delve into the murder mystery genre.
The series follows List’s Maddie in ghost form as she tries to figure out who took her life and just why she’s stuck at her high school. She meets another group of students who all perished on the school grounds but is surprised to find that she can still communicate with her very alive best friend (Kristian Flores) who tries to help figure out what happened to her. The mystery is full of surprising twists that are hard to see coming.
9 The Game (2021 - )
Like a lot of Paramount Plus originals, The Game actually got its somewhere else. In this case, it was a 2006 series that aired on the CW before finishing its run on BET in 2015. In 2021, Paramount+ revived the series with original star Wendy Raquel Robinson in the lead as a sports manager. The Game examines the life of Black Americans in the sporting arena, from a Black female sports manager rising through the ranks to the disparity between how Black players are treated in the world of professional football.
8 Evil (2019 - )
Though Evil’s first season aired on CBS in 2019, season 2 made the move to Paramount Plus. The supernatural drama combines elements of shows like Supernatural with an investigative procedural. Its well-crafted stories and impeccable acting make it one of the best Paramount Plus original shows. Evil stars Katja Herbers as a skeptical forensic psychologist who teams up with Mike Colter’s Catholic seminarian and Aasif Manvi’s technological expert to research supernatural incidents. The show balances the skepticism with the belief perfectly.
7 Star Trek: Discovery (2017 - 2024)
Star Trek: Discovery helped to launch the CBS All Access platform before it became known as Paramount Plus. It was the first new Star Trek series in over a decade when it premiered, and helped to usher in a whole new era for the franchise.
The series was consciously crafted to be a diverse representation of humanity and the fictional alien species it presents. From the protagonist being a woman of color (Sonequa Martin-Green) and eventual captain to the debut of the first gay couple (Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz) and the first non-binary character (Blu del Barrio) in a Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery has been groundbreaking while still telling science fiction stories in the same way the franchise is known for.
6 Why Women Kill (2019 - 2021)
Three women who all lived in the same mansion in different decades find themselves having to worry about the infidelity of their partners. Events in all three tales lead to murder. Why Women Kill doesn't always have strong subplots, but it's very stylish, reminding fans of some of the best shows set in the swinging '60s, particularly thanks to its eye-catching costumes. But the series isn't all camp, as themes of feminism and sexual orientation are greatly explored too.
5 Criminal Minds: Evolution (2022 - )
When it comes to revivals, prequels, and sequels, Paramount Plus is a resounding success. Criminal Minds: Evolution continues the Criminal Minds series that ended after 15 seasons on CBS. It picks up a few years after the original show with most of that cast returning, and because it’s on a streamer instead of network television, it's allowed to be a little grittier and a little more realistic in its portrayals of the members of the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit.
Some of the best episodes of Criminal Minds are part of the revival series. The show follows the BAU as they combat overreach and a lack of funding to do their jobs. It also sees them follow mostly one long mystery rather than many smaller ones as each of the cases they take on is actually connected. It’s easily the best mystery series among the Paramount Plus originals.
4 Mayor Of Kingstown (2021 - )
The McLuskey family, the power brokers of Kingstown, strive to benefit the most from the prison system as well as a very corrupt town. And as they do so, they face unforeseen challenges. Lead actor Jeremy Renner's strong performance keeps the show riveting even when events veer off to slower-paced territory. And apart from just being an entertaining crime thriller, Mayor Of Kingstown isn't just one of the best shows about family empires; it also incorporates sensitive themes such as corruption and systematic racism. The show is also notable for its witty one-liners.
3 Star Trek: Picard (2020 - 2023)
One of the most popular Star Trek characters, Jean-Luc Picard, has his own self-titled show that sees him trying to come to terms with the death of one of his friends. Events are set in the year 2399.
The best thing about Picard is Patrick Stewart, who makes a triumphant return after starring in some of the best Star Trek projects. He doesn't disappoint, reminding viewers that actors of his caliber are few. The series also takes more of a slow-burn approach compared to other content in the franchise and this results in stories being deeper and more meaningful.
2 The Good Fight (2017 - 2022)
The Good Fight, a spinoff to the hit CBS show The Good Fight is Paramount Plus' (then CBS All Access) first-ever original scripted series. It centers around high-powered lawyer Diane Lockhart losing her savings and being forced to start fresh at a new firm. The Good Fight isn't just an ordinary legal drama. It impresses by incorporating plenty of social commentary about issues like fake news, online bullying, and sexual harassment. Lessons on how to maneuver office politics are also given indirectly. More importantly, current events are always incorporated into the storylines.
1 1883 (2021 - 2022)
The Yellowstone prequel explains how the Dutton family from the original show came to own such a huge chunk of land. 1883 is one of the best Paramount Plus originals, not just for its high quality, but because it can be enjoyed even by fans who are yet to watch the original shows. Creator Taylor Sheridan makes a strong case for why the Western genre ought to be popularized once again. 1883's stellar cast includes country music superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.