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The best Star Trek series, ranked

Ready to settle in and watch some Star Trek episodes? Since there are so many, we’ve ranked all of the different series to help you get started on your quest.

Star Trek is one of the greatest franchises ever created. If you're new to the world of transporters and holodecks, you have so much wonderful content to catch up on — of course, some would say too much content.

Since there are over 850 episodes and counting (all of which you can stream on Paramount+ ), watching all of Star Trek can be more difficult than fighting a Gorn in the desert. To make things easier for you to get started, we've ranked every series (besides the short-form series Short Treks ) of this long-running franchise. Some of these choices were a bit daunting to play favorites with, but, like Jim Kirk, there's no belief in the no-win scenario.

Without further ado, here's our list of every Star Trek series ranked from worst to best.

11. Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)

Star Trek: Picard was meant to be like comfort food to fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation . And whether fans were turned off by the changes in franchise direction with shows like Discovery or just wanted to see Patrick Stewart back in action, Paramount clearly thought this show would be almost universally beloved.

That didn't happen . The warm and fuzzy feeling of seeing a few familiar faces in the first season evaporated because of an often-confusing plot about androids. The second season continued this confusion with a time-travel story that often bordered on incoherence. While many Star Trek shows take a few seasons to hit their stride, it was shocking that so much of this relatively short series was seemingly created with "make it so-so" in mind.

10. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1974)

If you're in the right mood (or you've been sipping on some Saurian brandy), Star Trek: The Animated Series has some wacky entertainment value. Any given episode had the writers throwing in stories like a giant version of a beloved character. And the animators threw some fun curveballs, including making the embodiment of evil into a shirtless hottie that would make even shirtless Kirk jealous.

However, this animated show was often caught between two very different worlds. It wasn't fully a return to the (relatively) grounded exploration of space, science, and morality of The Original Series . And it didn't fully lean into the chaotic possibilities of a cartoon world (something Lower Decks would later handle much better). So, while more and more elements of The Animated Series have become canonical thanks to shows like Discovery , and it's fun to hear the voice acting of the Original Series cast, this cartoon is one that all but the most hardcore fans can skip.

9. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

Despite what you might have heard, Star Trek: Enterprise is not a bad show. It just didn't start as a very good show. The series was tragically canceled after the fourth season, which was arguably when it had just begun to hit its stride (thanks in part to longer story arcs and a really fun glimpse into Trek 's popular Mirror Universe).

At the end of the day, Enterprise is a show best enjoyed by Star Trek fans that like to pore over the Memory Alpha wiki and familiarize themselves with Trek minutiae. As a prequel show, it laid the groundwork for everything from Starfleet policy to alien interactions that other shows explore in more detail. If you don't have a shot at winning any Star Trek trivia contests at your local bar, it's still worth watching how captivating Scott Bakula can be in the captain's seat.

8. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–present)

Star Trek: Prodigy was very difficult to rank. Unlike the other two Trek cartoons, this series was explicitly designed for younger audiences. Paramount clearly wants to use this show as a gateway for these younger fans to explore the wider world of Star Trek , but there are enough elements (most notably the return of Kate Mulgrew , reprising her role as Captain Janeway via a holographic form) to keep veteran franchise fans invested.

Ultimately, your enjoyment of this series will be largely dependent on how much you enjoy animated/YA entertainment. If nothing else, you should check out the first two episodes of this show to see just how beautiful the CGI animation can get.

7. Star Trek: Discovery (2017–present)

If Enterprise is the Star Trek show cut off too soon, Discovery may very well be the first Star Trek show to outlive its welcome, though it will end after its fifth season . There are many things the show gets right, from nifty effects to quirky characters to amazing casting (seriously, Sonequa Martin-Green is electrifying whenever she is on screen).

The show veers from a disjointed-but-interesting first season to a mesmerizing second season, which gets a real shot in the arm by introducing Captain Pike (played by the inimitably charming Anson Mount ) and Spock (played as a perfect homage to Leonard Nimoy by Ethan Peck). Later seasons, however, prove that the series can't get away from galactic-level threats, and character drama begins overriding plot development enough that we want to slingshot around the sun and return this series to its earlier roots.

6. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)

Like many Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager had a rocky beginning, and it was often overshadowed by the excellent Deep Space Nine . Ironically, Voyager dramatically improved with what could be a cynical casting stunt: adding the alluring Jeri Ryan (constantly wearing a catsuit, no less).

Though it really looked like a desperate ratings stunt, Ryan turned the reformed Borg Seven of Nine into the most interesting character on the show. And, despite their alleged clashes behind the scenes, the actress helped to elevate every scene she shared with Kate Mulgrew. Between the new cast member, improved writing, and Mulgrew being nothing short of a damned icon, Voyager soon became appointment television, and it's definitely worth binge-watching for modern audiences.

5. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–present)

Lower Decks is an impressive show for many reasons, including the fact that its execution elevates its initial premise, which focuses on the lives of the lower-level staffers aboard the starship. Because showrunner Mike McMahan previously wrote for Rick and Morty and the animation takes its cues from the cartoon adventures of Rick Sanchez, many fans may have assumed Lower Decks would simply be " Star Trek meets Rick and Morty ."

Thankfully, that's not the case. Aside from animation similarities, the main element these two cartoons have in common is a breakneck, borderline chaotic pace. But as entertaining as it can be, Rick and Morty is an often nihilistic show with gags revolving around how nothing really matters. Lower Decks , however, is a lighthearted series that serves as the cure to modern Trek . If you've dismissed other contemporary series such as Discovery and Picard because they are grim, violent, and serious, Lower Decks is a wonderfully lighthearted alternative that is never afraid to poke fun at its own franchise.

4. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a truly pleasant surprise to fans of the franchise. Set years before Captain Kirk sat in that famous chair, we see Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount reprising the role) lead the U.S.S. Enterprise into bizarre adventures alongside some familiar characters (Ethan Peck returning as Spock, for example) and a few new ones.

Part of what helps this show shine is that it marks a return to episodic Trek in that every installment is a self-contained adventure as opposed to other newer series like Discovery and Picard , which build entire seasons around a single plot. The characters all ooze with the same swashbuckling charm of The Original Series characters, and we can't wait to see more of their adventures. We also can't wait to see more of Anson Mount's amazing hair (arguably the most awesome practical effect in the franchise).

3. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

Star Trek: The Next Generation has the dubious honor of being the first Trek show where veteran fans warn against new fans starting at the very beginning. Early episodes ranged from stupidly horny (planetary inhabitants in the episode "Justice" were barely wearing scraps of clothing) to ridiculously racist ("Code of Honor" may very well be the worst Star Trek episode ever made). Many of these problems stemmed from the fact that despite being called "The Next Generation," the show was trying to recreate The Original Series (right down to using some of the same writers and shamelessly reusing scripts from the scrapped Star Trek: Phase II series).

As fans like to joke, the show got better as Commander Riker's beard got longer. Season 2 was a major improvement, which was then usurped by season 3, which brought in new uniforms, new sets, and Michael Piller to head up the writing team. Just like that, TNG embraced its differences from its famous forerunner (Picard was cerebral whereas Kirk was impulsive, Data yearned for emotion whereas Spock detested it, and so on). At last, the gamble paid off, and the next generation of this franchise ushered in the next generation of Star Trek fans.

2. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)

What can we say about The Original Series that hasn't been said already? Gene Roddenberry successfully fused science fiction with American pioneer spirit to create his vision of this " Wagon Train to the stars." The episodes were both fun and thought-provoking in equal measure, and William Shatner as Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, among many others, turned in performances that seared themselves into our collective pop culture consciousness.

The Original Series offered social commentary about racism, imperialism, and (often to Spock's annoyance) the human condition. And the blend of big acting, ambitious sets, and poignant plots helped this show become something truly transcendent. The OG Star Trek shaped not only the future of the franchise but television itself, and it's not hard to see why it continues to win over new generations of fans year after year.

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

Placing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the top spot is perhaps a contentious decision. However, this series did more than measure up to the quality of The Next Generation (a lofty feat in and of itself). The show also made a number of storytelling and production choices that have helped DS9 seem more relevant in recent years than ever before, including tackling issues about race, religious fundamentalism, and war on a regular basis.

Perhaps the main way DS9 feels so pertinent is that the show broke the longstanding Trek rule of making only standalone episodes. As the powers that be focused more on creating their next show, Voyager , DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr was able to get away with creating long story arcs and frequent episode callbacks. The end result of this is that Deep Space Nine is the first of the pre-streaming era Trek shows that is perfect for binge-watching.

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Set Phasers to Stream: Here’s Every ‘Star Trek’ Show and Movie You Can Watch on Paramount+

By Sage Anderson

Sage Anderson

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

From low-budget romps to high-energy blockbuster films,  Star Trek  has become one of the most influential sci-fi franchises of all time. While  Trek  has decades worth of TV, film, and animated iterations that might rival  Star Wars , it also has its own unique legacy and long-time, passionate cult following (and merch ).

With the release of  Star Trek : Discovery in 2017, the Trek television universe has become one of the highlights of original programming on  Paramount+ . Unlike Kevin Feige ‘s aggressive rollout of new shows for Phase Four of the  Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+,  Paramount+  has done particularly well with releasing short series over the past few years for this newest wave of  Star Trek . Helmed by Alex Kurtzman, series like  Star Trek: Lower Decks  and  Picard  have pushed the boundaries of what can be done with the universe’s canon in their first seasons so far.

How Can I Watch Paramount+ Free Online?

When you sign up for a Paramount+ subscription , you can actually choose between two plans to watch Paramount+ online. Pricing for Paramount+ plans include Essential (with limited commercials) for $5.99/month, or ad-free with Showtime for $11.99/month. But if you’re still not sure about committing to a full subscription, you can always stream Paramount+ for free with a 7-day free trial . Currently enrolled in university? Students can also get 25% off your subscription if you provide an “edu” email address (one of many  streaming discounts for students online ). Check out the latest Paramount+ deals here .

Buy Paramount+ Free Trial

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What  Star Trek TV Shows Are Available on Paramount+?

Premiering on September 8, 1966 on NBC-TV,  Star Trek  brought in a new era of programming for the science fiction genre. Though it wasn’t a critical success at the time it aired, with all 79 episodes of the original series running in syndication, a devoted fan base grew. Decades later, there are eight TV series with hundreds of episodes, all currently streaming now on Paramount+.

• Star Trek: The Original Series  (1966-1969)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  (1973-1974)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation  (1987-1994)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  (1993-1999)
• Star Trek: Voyager  (1995-2001)
• Star Trek: Enterprise  (2001-2005)
• Star Trek: Discovery  (2017-Present)
• Star Trek:  Short Treks  (2018-Present)
• Star Trek: Picard  (2020-Present)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  (2020-Present)
• Star Trek: Prodigy  (2021-Present)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-Present)
• Star Trek: Section 31  (TBA)
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  (TBA) 

What  Star Trek Movies Are Streaming on Paramount+?

Unfortunately, while Paramount+ may be home to most of the films featuring the cast of the Original Series, many other Trek  films are hosted on other streaming services.

Here are the  Star Trek movies streaming on Paramount+, and where to stream the rest of the Star Trek  films not available on their platform.

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture  (1979)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  (1982)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock  (1984)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  (1986)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier  (1989)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country  (1991)
• Star Trek: Generations (1994)
• Star Trek: First Contact  (1996)
•   Star Trek: Insurrection  (1998)
• Star Trek: Nemesis  (2002)
• Star Trek  (2009)
• Star Trek Into Darkness  (2013)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)
• Building Star Trek  (2016)  —  Documentary
• Woman In Motion  (2021) — Documentary 
• Trekkies 2  (2004) — Documentary 

How to Watch Every Star Trek Movie and Show In Timeline Order

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• Star Trek: Enterprise  (2151-2161)
• Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1 and 2  (2255-)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2255-) 
• Star Trek: The Original Series  (2265-2269)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series  (2269-2270)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture  (2273)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  (2285)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock  (2285)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home  (2286/1986)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ( 2287)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country  (2293)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation  (2364-2370)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  (2369-2375)
• Star Trek Generations  (2371)
• Star Trek: Voyager  (2371-2378)
• Star Trek: First Contact  (2373/2063)
• Star Trek: Insurrection  (2375)
• Star Trek: Nemesis  (2379)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  (2380)
• Star Trek: Picard  (2399-)
• Star Trek: Discovery Season 3  (3155?)
• Star Trek: Short Treks  (2239-3300 Prime Timeline)

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• Star Trek Beyond  (2263 Kelvin Timeline)

Every Star Trek Series Coming To Paramount+ This Year (And Beyond)

• Star Trek: Picard (2023) 
• Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 (2023)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2(2023) 
• Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 (2023)  
• Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 (Late 2023) 
• Star Trek: Section 31  (TBA)
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy  (TBA)
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 (TBA)
• Star Trek: Lower Decks  Season 5 (TBA)

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The best Paramount Plus Star Trek shows, plus a look at the shows to come

Published on July 1, 2021

Since September 1966, the Star Trek universe has become one of the biggest entertainment franchises of all time. While others — particularly Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe — are perhaps more popular, it was Star Trek that led the way decades ago. Its legions of fans would not let this low budget three-season series disappear. This has led to 13 feature films, six additional live action TV series, and even an animated series, with more to come.

While there have been lots of Trek feature films, most people associate Star Trek with its many TV series incarnations. While you can find some Star Trek shows on platforms like Hulu and Netflix, Paramount Plus (previously known as CBS All Access) is the place to go if you want access to every Star Trek show. 

Read more : Paramount Plus – Everything you need to know

The reasons why Star Trek has lasted this long as a major mainstream franchise are varied. Its many popular characters are one reason, along with its main themes of exploring space, cooperation with a variety of races and species, and more. It’s sometimes hard to believe that that it all started on a small Hollywood soundstage in late 1964, when the first of two pilots for the original series started filming.

With that in mind, here are the best Paramount Plus Star Trek shows you can stream right now. We will also take a look at all the announced Paramount Plus Star Trek shows that are planned for the future. You can sign up for the service at the link below, with a seven-day free trial.

Best Paramount Plus Star Trek shows:

Deep space nine.

• The Next Generation
• The Original Series
• Lower Decks
• The Animated Series

Editors note: We will update this post when new Star Trek shows on Paramount Plus are officially launched and completed.

This might be a surprising choice for some people, including some fans. However, in our humble opinion, Deep Space Nine deserves this top spot on our best Star Trek shows list. It was the first Trek series with a black lead actor. Until Star Trek: Picard came along, it was also the only Trek series that wasn’t centered on a single starship. Being set on a remote space station allowed this series to go in different directions compared to other Trek series. It took on a ton of themes that actually make it relevant to watch today, including diversity, the use of misinformation in society, and much more.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Newer Trek fans might remember that when TNG first debuted way back in 1987, it got slammed by fans, mostly because it didn’t star the actors and characters of the original series. It took nearly three years for the show to find its own voice. For the rest of its run, TNG helped expand Star Trek beyond its base of TOS Trekkies. It presented us with great characters like the human-aspiring android Data, the complex Klingon Worf, and especially the level headed, but still determined, Captain Picard. TNG expanded the Trek universe by introducing us to its best alien villains, the Borg, along with making the Klingons more than just a violent warrior race. It still holds up today.

Star Trek: The Original Series

The Original Series will always hold a special place in the hearts of many long time Star Trek fans, if only because it was the first one out of the gate. Back in 1966, serious science fiction on television was found on anthology shows like the original The Twilight Zone (also on Paramount Plus) and The Outer Limits. TOS was the first adult sci-fi series with a recurring cast and setting. The look of the original U.S.S. Enterprise, and the many planets on its travels, definitely has a dated look (even with the remastered visual effects). However, the stories (at least from the first two seasons) still hold up, and Leonard Nimoy’s performance as Spock still stands out above the crowd.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

While there have been comedic episodes in various Star Trek series, Lower Decks is the first full-blown situation comedy set in this universe. Created by major Trek fan Mike McMahan (a former writer for Rick and Morty and the co-creator of Solar OPPOsites for Hulu ), this series examines the characters who are on board the U.S.S. Cerritos during the TNG/DS9/VOY era. The twist is the main characters of this show are not the captain or the bridge crew of this ship, but a group of lower-ranked crewmen who still have to deal with various alien and internal issues. While this series is a little mixed, Trek fans will likely smile, and even laugh out loud, when they watch this show. It’s extremely faithful to the source material but still manages to make fun of the franchise with a wink in its eyes. You can check out its second season on August 12, 2021.

Star Trek: Picard

The latest live action Trek series was something of a mixed bag in its first season. On the plus side, Sir Patrick Stewart is excellent as always, playing an older version of his TNG character. Picard remains a character who always searches for the truth in any situation, no matter how painful that truth might be. His main task is to find out the secret of a woman who apparently is an artificial being but just doesn’t know it yet. Isa Briones plays this character Dahj with both a wide-eyed innocence as well as terror (in fact, she plays multiple characters, but that’s going into spoiler territory). The visual effects of this series are the best ever made for a Trek TV show as well. On the downside, it takes far too long for this series’ story to actually get underway, and quite frankly there are lots of characters to keep up with that we don’t really care about. Hopefully, for Picard’s second season in 2022, we will get a more focused storyline, fewer characters, and more on Picard himself.

The idea behind this series was a good one; push a Federation starship into a region of space that had never before been explored, with no backup from any other Starfleet vessels. It promised us new things to see in the Trek universe, and also a chance to see how Federation values would be tested when the crew didn’t have anyone to answer to. Unfortunately, while there are a number of good Voyager episodes to watch, this series basically turned into “The Next Generation: Phase Two.” It was (mostly) the same old stories and situations we have seen before (indeed, there were more than a few episodes that connected directly with TNG). Despite excellent performances from Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway and Robert Picardo as the ship’s holographic doctor, Voyager was a missed opportunity.

This was the first of the live-action Paramount Plus Star Trek shows. Discovery is supposed to take place roughly a decade before the adventures of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in The Original Series. However, we have to wonder why the creators and producers of this show decided on this particular timeline for this series. It just feels like they used a dartboard, and the “10 years before TOS” was the section that was hit by the dart. As a result, Discovery feels like a mix of old Trek references and new storylines and formats. It just doesn’t jell well.

That’s not to say the show is all bad. Sonequa Martin-Green does an excellent job playing the rebellious Starfleet officer Michael Burnham. She has to learn some lessons herself even as she has to earn the trust of the crew of the Discovery. Jason Isaacs is excellent as Discovery’s mysterious captain Lorca and Doug Jones does his usual terrific performance, under lots of makeup, as the alien Saru. In the second season, we get treated to Anson Mount, who plays Christopher Pike, the Enterprise’s captain before Kirk, and he makes us believe in heroic Starfleet leaders again. Ethan Peck is also introduced as a young Spock, and he does an admirable job.

At the end of the second season, we saw the Discovery time-warping 900 years into the future. Free from having to meld its storylines into previous Trek continuity, Discovery told a story of a galaxy that no longer is governed by the Federation. That’s because an event in the past destroyed most of the galaxy’s dilithium crystals, which are needed for most ships to travel at warp speed. The season is devoted to figuring out what happened during “The Burn”, how to reverse its effects and restore the Federation. While it’s an improvement, the show still doesn’t have the rawest of the original series or the sense of wonder that TNG has. It will be interesting to see how the show evolves again during its upcoming fourth season.

This show seemed like a bad idea from the start. A show that takes place 100 years before Kirk and Spock, and even before the formation of the Federation? It seemed like something that could have been done in a movie, or at most a mini-series. In the end, Enterprise was an even more watered-down version of TOS and TNG, although it did get somewhat better in the final two seasons of its four-season run. Scott Bakula is always good, and he does the best that he can as Captain Archer, but this show, with the exception of a few episodes, is mostly not worth your time.

Star Trek: The Animated Series

A few years after TOS was canceled, Filmation got the rights to create a Saturday morning animated series based on the original show, with most of the cast returning to voice their roles. It was an admirable effort, with some episodes written by many of the writers of TOS. In the end, this series is more of a curiosity than anything else. It looks and feels even more dated than the live-action series in terms of visuals, and the restrictions of Saturday morning cartoons kept the storylines from being as good as the original show. This is yet another missed opportunity.

New Star Trek series on Paramount Plus

Paramount Plus will be the exclusive home to at least three new Star Trek series. 

Strange New Worlds

This is a planned spinoff of Discovery that will take place onboard the original U.S.S. Enterprise, just a few years before Captain James Kirk takes command. Anson Mount will return as Captain Christopher Pike, as well as Ethan Peck as the young Ensign Spock, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One. This show will hopefully learn from the lessons of Enterprise and Voyager, with a mix of cool new encounters combined with some nods to the TOS era. There’s no release date yet for this series.

Originally set to debut on the Nickelodeon cable channel, this will now be a Paramount Plus Star Trek series. It’s also the first Trek show that was created specifically for kids. The 3D animated show will center on a group of children who find an abandoned Starfleet ship, and decide to take it and go on adventures on their own. Kate Mulgrew will return to voice her Voyager role of Captain Janeway in this series, or rather a hologram version of Janeway. There’s no word on when Prodigy will debut.

This is yet another planned Discovery spin-off, this time focusing on the mysterious, and sometimes evil, Federation agency known as Section 31. Michelle Yeoh, who played the Mirror Universe leader Emperor Georgiou, is expected to be the lead for this series. You may remember that Emperor Georgiou, after crossing over to the main universe, joined Section 31. There’s still no launch date for this series.

That’s our look at the current and new Star Trek series on Paramount Plus.

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Which Star Trek Shows Are on Paramount+

With five new Star Trek series coming within the year, Paramount+ carries almost the entire franchise. Here's a list of the Trek shows on the service.

Paramount+ is all in on Star Trek , as indicated by the five shows premiering or releasing new seasons in the next six months. It's wisely making earlier Trek series widely available – the five live-action shows produced before 2004 can be found on Netflix, Amazon and Hulu among others – as driver for the new content on their pay site. That makes a lot of Star Trek easily accessible, but not all of it, and with at least a dozen series – plus 13 movies – in the franchise, it’s a lot to sort out.

Paramount+ has the entirety of the various TV series on its service -- though the three Kelvinverse movies are still missing -- which simplifies the equation for subscribers. It’s an impressive list, comprising 50-plus years of pop culture in the same fictional universe and all of the vast social changes reflected along with it. A list of them is presented here in chronological order.

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Star Trek (The Original Series), 1967-1969

Creator Gene Roddenberry described the concept as “ Wagon Train to the stars;" a ship in the far future, exploring space and coming to the aid of distant planets. It was a new idea in that it endeavored to tell intelligent science fiction stories aimed at adults rather than the derivative children’s fare that comprised sci-fi television in the 1950s.

It took a colossal effort – with an unprecedented two pilots – and it was cancelled after only three seasons and 79 episodes. But the concept came through. The shows were great, bolstered by a cast of characters who felt more like a family than a ship’s crew, and as reruns played in syndication, viewers discovered its quality.

Star Trek: The Animated Series, 1973-1974

The initial burst of fan interest from The Original Series induced NBC and Gene Roddenberry to develop a Saturday morning follow-up: 30-minute animated shorts that continued the adventures of the Enterprise . Most of the original cast came back to voice their roles, as did the writing staff with Original Series stalwart DC Fontana overseeing the scripts.

The series suffered from cheap animation and often silly storylines, but it included a few gems; notably the Fontana-penned Season 1, Episode 2, “Yesteryear” which established a great deal of the canon surrounding Spock’s childhood.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1987-1994

A second Star Trek live-action series, tentatively titled Star Trek: Phase II , had been in the works since the late 1970s. The live-action Star Trek films of the 1980s necessitated changes which eventually resulted in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It featured an entirely new crew and was set 100 years after the events of The Original Series and the movies.

In the process, it firmly established that Star Trek was more than just Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, and though it struggled in its early years, it soon found its footing and today is often ranked above The Original Series  as far as fan favorites go.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 1993-1999

“The middle child” between The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager was poised to take advantage of the Trek Renaissance of the late '80s and early '90s. It made some bold choices and earned its share of controversy from fans who felt it detracted from Roddenberry’s vision.

It was set on a space station rather than a starship, for starters, and its stories often involved moral compromise and realpolitik, as well as an interstellar war against a new enemy. Its darker tone helped distinguish it from the other Trek series it ran concurrently with, and with Avery Brooks’ Captain Sisko and his family, the show broke new ground for representation on television.

RELATED: Star Trek Theory: Benedict Cumberbatch's Villain Wasn't ACTUALLY Khan

Star Trek: Voyager, 1995-2001

Billed as a return to “classic” Trek themes of exploration and alien life, Voyager served to launch a nascent TV network for Paramount: UPN. Its title spaceship was thrown across the galaxy, stranded thousands of light years from the nearest outpost, and forced to rely on a mixed crew of Starfleet officers and Maquis fugitives to get home.

It featured an array of high-concept standalone stories, as well as a host of new villains. It was topped by a series of extended storylines about the Borg, fleshing out Trek’s sinister space zombies in surprising ways as well as introducing fans to the beloved Seven of Nine.

Star Trek: Enterprise, 2001-2005

Enterprise arrived at the end of the Trek Renaissance. It sent the franchise back to the early days before the founding of the Federation, depicting humanity’s early efforts at space travel and first encounters with such species as the Klingons and the Andorians.

From the beginning, it was bested by problems out of its control, including a premiere scant weeks after the events of September 11 and a shake-up in the corporate offices that ultimately killed the series well before its time. It created a long hiatus for Star Trek TV shows, but like the original series, time allowed it to find a place of respect among the fans.

RELATED:   Star Trek Theory: The Borg Aren't Trying to Destroy Humanity - It's Worse

Star Trek: Discovery, 2017-Current

The first new Star Trek series in over a decade began on the CBS All Access streaming service, which was renamed Paramount+ in 2021. Set a decade before the events of The Original Series , it depicts a Federation starship equipped with a unique propulsion system and engaged in threats against the Federation.

It embraced the multi-episode story arcs similar to that of Deep Space Nine , with each new season entailing an overarching threat or complication in need of solving. It’s also the first Trek series to feature a woman of color in the series lead. Three seasons have aired thus far, with a fourth scheduled to premiere later this year.

Star Trek: Short Treks, 2018-2020

Short Treks was a series of vignettes appearing alongside Star Trek: Discovery, intended to help introduce the new era in the Federation’s history and give viewers an idea of how the show would work.

Each episode ran between eight and 18 minutes, and each one was intended as a standalone story, ranging from the funny to the heartbreaking. It provided the universe with some depth and flavor, as well as serving as a bridge between the second season of Discovery and the premiere of Picard.

RELATED:  The Best Star Trek Podcasts to Follow

Star Trek: Picard, 2020-Current

The success of Discovery fueled an increase in streaming subscriptions, which in turn prompted a steady stream of additional Star Trek content. That began with 2020’s Picard , picking up the titular character 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis.

Though he remains the focus of the series and other Next Generation characters have a cameo, it’s not strictly a sequel to The Next Generation , as Picard assembles a new crew outside of Starfleet’s chain of command to address a mystery surrounding the Romulans and artificial intelligence. A second season is slated for release in 2022, featuring the return of John De Lancie’s mischievous deity Q.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, 2020-Current

In its own way, Lower Decks might be the most daring show Star Trek has ever produced; a half-hour animated comedy from the co-creator of Rick and Morty , with adult themes and content. Inspired by a Next Generation episode of the same name, it shifts attention away from the bridge staff and focuses on the lowly underlings of a Federation starship . It pokes fun at some of the sillier and more illogical corners of the Trek universe, though always with the affection of true fans. A second season is slated to begin on Aug. 11.

KEEP READING:  EXCLUSIVE: Star Trek Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green Explains The Challenges of Michael Burnham

Star Trek: Every Live Action Series on Paramount Plus, Ranked

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One Underrated MCU Series Deserves a Second Chance More Than Others

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Star Trek has been a science fiction television phenomenon since 1966. Over the past 50-plus years, Star Trek has produced eight live action series, 13 movies, and three animated series. Each series has tackled sensitive subjects during the time they were released. Some have done remarkably well, while others have faltered.

The television series are all available on Paramount Plus. But not every one is going to appeal to all viewers. Sometimes the enjoyment of the series is generational, while other factors may also affect one's enjoyment. But, still, there is a plethora of options for fans of the science fiction franchise.

8 Discovery

The very first series produced exclusively for Paramount Plus brought Star Trek back to the masses. Star Trek: Discovery follows the crew of the starship Discovery during a time after the foundation of the Federation, but before the days of Captain James T. Kirk. The series has had its ups and downs, while introducing familiar elements like the Mirror Universe and Commander Spock.

RELATED: Star Trek: Inconsistencies Between The Old And New Shows

The show is often criticized for being "woke," (in other words, featuring a diverse cast of characters, much like the original series). However, the biggest flaw of this series is its uneven storytelling. Its best stories have been found to capture the viewers' attention, while others falter. Many call season two the best season, and the characters introduced in that season even spawned a spinoff series. But, its worst stories can be described as disappointing at best.

7 Enterprise

While this series definitely has its diehard fandom, much like Discovery , Star Trek: Enterprise is a mixed bag when it comes to storytelling. The series follows the escapades of Captain Jonathan Archer and the very first Enterprise crew as they launch the initial space exploratory mission.

Seasons one and two follow a crisis-of-the-week format that had some great episodes, but plenty of duds as well. Plus, the Temporal Cold War storyline could appear at incredibly unusual times. However, season three's season long story arc about the Xindi attack and Starfleet response was strong storytelling. And, the move to three-episode story arcs in season four helped the show feel different from its predecessor. However, the show's theme song continue to divide Star Trek fans.

The continuing journeys of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in days long after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation is another divisive series. Patrick Stewart's performance as Picard remains strong more than two decades after his original run ended. And guest spots from The Next Generation cast members have been welcomed by viewers, including an appearance by Wil Wheaton as a version of the Traveler.

RELATED: Star Trek: Things Strange New Worlds Does Better Than Discovery & Picard

But the storytelling again creates a problem. Many fans don't like Picard's arc after leaving Starfleet and working with the Borg. Some will never be able to accept Alex Kurtzman's view of Star Trek . Others may not like a disillusioned Picard, much like many Star Wars fans didn't like the disillusioned Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi . This is a show with more strengths than weaknesses, but the weaknesses may be too glaring for some to overlook.

5 The Original Series

The series that started it all struggled to find its audience in the 1960s, but thanks to syndication and reruns, it became the cultural phenomenon that allows for this article to be written. Pitched as a Wagon Train to the stars, The Original Series became Gene Roddenberry's way of sneaking social commentary past the censors.

The Original Series boasts some really strong episodes, including the acclaimed "Space Seed" which helps set up the events of the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . It's got strong acting and very good writing. But much like its message, it helped spawn something bigger and better.

4 Strange New Worlds

Revisiting the time just before The Original Series has played out well for the Paramount Plus exclusive series. Strange New Worlds follows the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike and his crew aboard the Enterprise. Pike was the intended Captain of the Enterprise in the unaired pilot of The Original Series. It's a nice full circle moment.

Pike and this version of Spock were introduced in season two of Discovery before getting their own command for Strange New Worlds . Many viewers say this series, above all others on Paramount Plus, feels the most like the original Star Trek .

Taking Starfleet out of the Alpha quadrant and into the Delta quadrant, Star Trek: Voyager takes the format from The Original Series and gives it a new spin. This time a Starfleet crew is stuck with a group who tried to commandeer their vessel as they all try to get back home.

RELATED: Star Trek: Voyager – The Best B’Elanna Torres Episodes

It introduces the first female captain, Kathryn Janeway, as well as the first Borg crew member, Seven of Nine. It has some of the strongest acting and some of the strongest writing of the spinoff series. But, at times, it can still feel derivative of the series that came before it.

2 Deep Space Nine

The only Star Trek series to be set at a space station instead of on a starship, Deep Space Nine flips the formula on space travel by having the travelers come to the crew rather than the crew be the travelers. It also takes an interesting look at the Prime Directive, as the station's Captain Benjamin Sisko becomes far more involved in the actions of alien races than Kirk or Picard before him.

Deep Space Nine tackles even more sensitive themes than previous series. It takes a more in-depth look at war and conflict, and also tackles the pros and cons of organized religion. Much like Discovery , there's a good chance Deep Space Nine would be labeled "too woke" if it were made today, because of the issues it tackles.

1 The Next Generation

Far more than just a feel-good romp through space, The Next Generation perfectly tackles the idea of a space exploration and how Starfleet can seek out new life while not interfering. It allows for greater growth than Deep Space Nine due to the ship being the primary location.

The Next Generation updated and expanded the goal of The Original Series while being able to more flawlessly execute its mission than Voyager . It was Patrick Stewart at his best and, arguably, the best cast of characters Star Trek has produced. The one complaint against it might be that it was too perfect and not flawed enough.

MORE: Underrated Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes

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'Halo' and 11 more must-see sci-fi shows on Paramount+

If you are craving more sci-fi after watching Halo , you won’t need to look far.

The long-awaited adaptation of the famous video game series Halo   has finally arrived, and Paramount+ will play home to this new entry in televised science fiction. If you really get into the adventures of Master Chief and want more sci-fi afterwards, the good news is that you’ll be covered. You'll barely have to push a few buttons on your remote to finish the fight. 

Paramount+ is littered with science fiction, mostly because it is slowly becoming the sole streaming home of the entirety of the Star Trek franchise. Trek shows both old and new have a home there, and very soon it will be the only place where fans can boldly stream. From Pike to Picard, Paramount+ has it all, and it is going to be a necessary addition for fans. 

There’s more than just Trek to be found, but if we’re going through all of the must-see science fiction shows on the service (which we’re about to do), then the Star Trek franchise is going to dominate the list. There’s no way around that. 

Want to keep your space adventures going after Halo gets you all excited? Here are our picks for must-see sci-fi shows available to stream on Paramount+. Let’s fly. 

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Credit: Paramount Television /Courtesy Everett Collection

It’s not just our favorite Star Trek series, it’s our favorite science fiction show. The ongoing drama of Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko (Avery Brooks) broke new ground on a number of levels, one of which being that the show gradually became serialized. It turns into a giant tale with a definitive beginning, middle, and end. With ongoing themes of religion, terrorism, war, and racism, Deep Space Nine goes into much darker territory than any other Trek series. A brilliant core cast and an army of recurring characters adds to the genius, and it also features the greatest action sequences that the franchise has ever produced. 

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

For that classic “sci-fi encounter of the week” magic, look no further than the episodic adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise D. From “The Best of Both Worlds” to “Darmok,” this series always deconstructed specific issues in classic fashion. Every episode is worth watching at least once, but some of them are the stuff that sci-fi dreams are made on. Seasons 3 and 4 especially have runs of non-stop bangers that we never get tired of. This one streams in HD, so you'll be able to see just how beige the bridge truly is. 

3. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1968)

To see where all of Trek began, and where televised sci-fi got a serious shot in the arm, go back to the beginning and watch the original Star Trek series. The version that the service has is the “remastered” version which features updated effects, but the stories and the acting (sometimes hammy, it’s part of the charm) haven’t changed at all. Some episodes aren’t entirely pleasant, but once again, when the magic hits, there’s nothing else like it. The friendship of James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley) began here, and the series is almost always at its best when the three of them are going at it. 

4. Twin Peaks (1990-1991)

This show isn’t strictly sci-fi, but then again it isn’t strictly anything, is it? There are definitely sci-fi elements woven in, so we’re counting it. David Lynch and Mark Frost’s two-season cult classic is one of the weirdest shows you’ll ever watch, and that’s before you get to the insanity that is Twin Peaks: The Return . That follow-up series is not on the service (it's on Showtime), but the original series is available on Paramount+. Things are fantastic until they aren’t; somewhere in the middle of Season 2 you’ll wonder what the hell happened to the show. It has a good ending though, with the mysterious doors of the red room left wide open for more. Kyle MacLachlan and the often-addled denizens of Twin Peaks are waiting for you. While watching, remember: you’re not losing your mind, the show is making these choices on purpose. 

5. Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

Credit: CBS via Getty Images

For a Trek series that is sometimes episodic and sometimes serialized, take a trip with Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew. The USS Voyager becomes trapped on the other side of the galaxy, and the show follows a long trip home. Because of this, fans are introduced to many species and situations that are brand new to the franchise. It’s not all new all the time, though, as the show eventually brought in the Borg. They also added former drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) to the main cast. Mulgrew is always brilliant as Janeway, and her ongoing relationship with Seven is one of the best parts of the series. There’s also a holographic Doctor, played to perfection by Robert Picardo. Time for a briefing with Neelix! 

6. Star Trek: Discovery (2017-)

This series is still running, but there are four seasons waiting for you. It’s an entry in modern Trek , and it is one that some fans immediately dismiss. That's too bad, because it's a fantastic show. It starts strong, goes on an upward trajectory, and then Seasons 3 and 4 truly take us into a brave new world. There are many things about the show that differ from the norm (the main cast isn’t the bridge crew, the lead isn't the captain at the start, etc), but accept those differences, and the riches within will reward you. Sonequa Martin-Green wonderfully anchors it all as Michael Burnham, and her relationship with Saru (Doug Jones) is an ever-evolving highlight. The series takes on issues that are happening right now , which is what Trek always has, and always will, excel at. 

7. Star Trek: Picard (2020-) 

Now in Season 2, this relatively new entry to the canon features an older Picard (Patrick Stewart) and a mostly new roster of characters. What is the 25th Century like, past the TNG era and the TNG films? Come and take a look. The first season did a lot to give meaning and purpose to the hasty end of the TNG films, and the second season has started with a bang. Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) is a main character now, and there are plenty of returning characters from various series of Trek past. Beyond all of the returns and nostalgia, this is a show about legacy, aging, and learning to deal with them both. It really doesn’t matter who you are or how long you’ve lived; "we’re all still working on it."

8. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-)

Credit: CBS

Wanna have some fun? This animated Star Trek comedy is like a warm bath of comfort that already has two seasons in the roster. It takes a look at (and hilariously mocks) parts of the franchise that are often glossed over. What do people usually use the holodecks for? Who has to clean all of… that … out? Does the bridge crew have long discussions about conference room chairs when they decide to change them up? The answer to that last question is yes. Tawny Newsome is joy itself embodied in a human being, and she leads a perfect cast as Ensign Mariner. Whether you get every deep-cut reference or you just want to laugh at a silly space show and know nothing about the franchise at all, you’ll enjoy yourself. Some of us may have this series running on a constant loop. Warp me! 

9. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-)

Another piece of new Trek , this is the first series in the franchise to be directed at a younger audience. It’s animated, but in an entirely different style from Lower Decks . It might be made for kids, but it’s a show that everyone can (and will) love. Kate Mulgrew returns as Janeway in holographic form, and she leads a new team of youngsters who know nothing of the Federation. If you know nothing about Star Trek , then you can learn right along with the characters on this show. You’ll be up to speed in no time, because this series functions as a perfect boarding ramp to all things Trek . It’s great for longtime fans too, as the episode “Kobayashi” made very clear. 

10. The Twilight Zone (2019-2020)

This updated version of the classic series has two seasons of one-off tales to tell. Not all of them are great, but all of them do feature Jordan Peele (who also co-developed the reboot) in the narrator role and it’s worth it for him alone. Of all of the many anthologies that came running after the success of Black Mirror , this is one of the better ones. As we’ve said, some installments are better than others, but that’s the case with most anthologies. The episodes we like best are the ones that are entirely new, and aren't full retreads of episodes that the classic series already did. Your mileage may vary, but it’s more than worth your time. 

11. Salvation (2017-2018)

An asteroid is going to hit the Earth, and two seasons of this series feature mankind’s attempts to stop the event. It’s not as cynical as some asteroid-based entertainment has recently been, and not as silly as others that may (or may not) have featured drillers in space. There’s a great deal of political maneuvering here, some of it pays off, and that's before the series gives everyone a giant smack in the face with what turned out to be its final episode. The story wasn’t finished, and unless the gods really want another season, it won’t be. This is a shame, because it was obviously headed to another level of excitement. It’s hard to recommend a show that is just going to leave you high and dry, but the performances of Jennifer Finnigan and Santiago Cabrera (now on Star Trek: Picard ) make it worthwhile anyway. 

All of these series, including  Halo,  are now streaming on Paramount+.

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The 25 Best Paramount+ Original Series, Ranked

Remember when Paramount+ was CBS All Access (first launched in 2014)? Well, since the rebrand in 2021, the streaming service has only grown—and keeps doing so!

Where else will you find not one or two but multiple (and more still to come!) new Star Trek series, starting with  Discovery and bringing back an icon in  Picard ? Or Taylor Sheridan shows beyond  Yellowstone , both in and out of that world? There are even a couple of CBS shows that made the move over to become Paramount+ originals in recent years, like Evil and SEAL Team . And while there are more than a few on this list that have been canceled (and might not even be available to stream on the service anymore!), we remember them fondly.

Below, find our top 25 Paramount+ original series. Let us know what you think of the ranking and which shows from the streamer would make your list in the comments section below.

The Twilight Zone

You’ll have to hit up Freevee to watch it nowadays, but  Jordan Peele ‘s 2019 reboot of  The Twilight Zone  originated at Paramount+, so it counts. The new master of sci-fi horror served as both creator and host of the show’s two seasons, which showed the utmost respect to Rod Serling ‘s  original vision  but brought the new stories well into the 21st Century (and sometimes beyond). Some of the segments are terrifying, some are hilarious, but all are undeniably eerie. They’re also brimming with Easter eggs for fans of the original series to dive into, and there are some masterclass performances to be found from TV favorites like  Topher Grace ,  Jurnee Smollett ,  John Cho ,  Rhea Seehorn ,  Ethan Embry , and so many more. — Amanda Bell

Tell Me a Story

Where fairy tales meet scary stories to tell in the dark, this horror anthology thriller reimagines some of your favorite childhood tales and sets them in modern-day New York City. From “Little Red Riding Hood” to “Hansel and Gretel,” this subversive series tackles themes of love, loss, greed, and murder. Despite it being an anthology, the series well balances the interweaving of its various characters as well as its modern takes on tales as old as time. Some familiar favorites can be found in the cast as well from Sex and the City ’s Kim Cattrall to Black Mirror and Into the Woods actor Billy Magnussen . All we can say if you dare to watch is: Don’t bring the kids. —Katie Song

Joe Pickett

Originally hailing from Spectrum, the series shifted to Paramount+ for its second (and, unfortunately final) season. The series followed the titular game warden (played by Michael Dorman ) who is based on the character from C.J. Box’s books. Set in Wyoming, the series serves up small-town charm juxtaposed with intense wilderness-set crime scenarios. — Meaghan Darwish

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-head

Returning in 2022, the ‘90s classic saw the titular animated duo back and being dumber than ever. Created by Mike Judge , he also lends vocals to the cartoon characters who remain a classic for a reason. — Meaghan Darwish

Brought back from the beloved 2006 series , The Game follows the game of football through a closer look at the challenges the Black community still faces today, from racism and wrongful convictions to mental health and family. Starring Wendy Raquel Robinson as Tasha Mack, the “momager” of the show’s lead quarterback, The Game has captivated audiences for nearly two decades as the characters must bare and protect their souls at the cost of, well, the game. While the show was not renewed for a third season, the first two are considered almost a continuation of the first series, offering both old and new fans a deeper look into the world of these complex players. —Katie Song

The former Nickelodeon series got a grown-up revival as Miranda Cosgrove , Nathan Kress , and Jerry Trainor reprised their roles as the titular Carly, Freddie, and Spencer. Now dealing with he challenges of adulthood, they continue to put on webcasts with a more mature angle. Despite the show’s renewed success, it was cut short after three seasons. — Meaghan Darwish

Why Women Kill

From the mind of Desperate Housewives ’ Marc Cherry , this anthology series ran for three seasons and followed women across different decades as they dealt with infidelity and other betrayals. Lasting for two seasons, the casts for this anthology included Allison Tolman , Lucy Liu , Lana Parilla , and more. — Meaghan Darwish

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

Fan outrage saved this series from being erased for good after Paramount+ canceled it less than one month after its Season 1 finale aired in 2023. It’s now available to watch on DVD. The smart and addictive songs of this Grease spinoff are earworms (“Crushing Me” became a viral sensation thanks to TikTok), and the choreography snagged the series two Emmy nominations post-cancellation. Any lovers of musical theater will thoroughly enjoy this well-crafted production. — Kelli Boyle

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Based on the real historical figure, this 2023 series finds the nuances and humanity of Bass Reeves, the first Black deputy U.S. Marshall in the upper Midwest Territory. Set in the 1870s, Lawman: Bass Reeves boasts smart writing, immersive sets, and fantastic performances from actors David Oyelowo , Lauren E. Banks , Demi Singleton , Dennis Quaid , and more. The eight-episode season has texture, fitting for the setting of a gritty Western, bouncing back and forth between Reeves’ domestic life as well as his professional one. For viewers looking for their next great Western adventure, we suggest you saddle up. — Katie Song

This ambitious series based on the video game and starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief is action-packed, full of mystery and adventure, and something that new fans can enjoy as well. (It also touches on themes like identity and finding purpose.) One of the big things that had people talking right from the start was Master Chief removing his helmet (and so early!). It’s because the show follows his journey that it’s something anyone can enjoy, though video game fans will enjoy the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout. — Meredith Jacobs

Mayor of Kingstown

Tackling the ever-important issue of America’s carceral state, Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Within a 10-mile radius, the city boasts 7 prisons with 20,000 prisoners behind their walls – just to paint how bleak the picture really is. The first two seasons are praised for strong performances and a twisted script, brought to you by Yellowstone writer Taylor Sheridan. Starring Jeremy Renner , Hugh Dillon , Dianne Wiest , Tobi Bamtefa , and more, this series holds intentional conversations with its audience while still wrapped up in a compelling narrative that almost rings as if The Wire and Prison Break had a crime thriller baby. —Katie Song

Everyone has heard of The Godfather , but have you heard the story behind the making of it? This 10-episode limited series from 2022 features an all-star cast including Miles Teller , Juno Temple , Giovanni Ribisi , Matthew Goode , and more. —Meaghan Darwish

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars

Not only does All Stars turn in some of the best fashion on TV, but it’s also one of the funniest hours of television available week after week as talented drag queens (all formerly eliminated competitors from RuPaul’s Drag Race ) fight to win the crown and cash prize bestowed by the Queen of Drag, RuPaul , who now has a record-setting seven Emmy wins under his belt as host of this franchise. Don’t miss the All Stars all-winners season, Season 7, which crowned the queen of all queens in 2022. — Kelli Boyle

This comedy makes me laugh just like the original did. Kelsey Grammer reprises the titular role, with his character now back in Boston, trying to repair his relationship with his son ( Jack Cutmore-Scott ‘s Freddy) and now teaching. Original series stars like Peri Gilpin and Bebe Neuwirth have already appeared, and there’s the possibility of others (the executive producers haven’t ruled out Cheers cast members either!) going forward. There’s even another slow-burn romance to track. And Frasier and his old friend Alan ( Nicholas Lyndhurst ) together? Gold.  — Meredith Jacobs

Rabbit Hole

Listen, I loved seeing Kiefer Sutherland back on television , and I couldn’t stop watching this show not just for him and the rest of the cast—including Charles Dance , Meta Golding , Enid Graham , Jason Butler Harner , and Rob Yang —but also because it had me second guessing what was real and what wasn’t until the very end . With reveal after reveal in the finale, I—as was Sutherland !—was very game to go down the rabbit hole once again, but while that wasn’t in the cards at least the series left me with some answers. — Meredith Jacobs

The perils of Westward expansion leave little room for levity in the first Yellowstone spinoff, but fans love the wild spirit at the center of the tale: Elsa Dutton ( Isabel May ). The eldest child of James and Margaret Dutton (played by real-life couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ) carries the limited series as she comes of age on the Great Plains. Her fate decides where the Duttons settle in Montana in this Yellowstone origin story filled with natural disasters and human struggle, which also features a standout performance from Sam Elliott as he leads a wagon train across the country. — Kelli Boyle

The Challenge: All Stars

MTV ‘s competition show just keeps expanding, with the original version continuing with varying themes each season, but it’s this one on the streaming service that I love to watch. It brings back legends to compete , and there’s just something special about seeing Challengers who have proven themselves back in the game and reuniting with fellow competitors (especially when they return after years ). Plus, even though they should know what to expect, what continues to make The Challenge a hit is that there’s always a twist to come. I come for the challenges and eliminations, can’t help but get hooked on the drama, and stay to find out who will walk away victorious time and time again. — Meredith Jacobs

Criminal Minds: Evolution

It didn’t take long for the team of profilers of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) to get back to doing what they do best: solving oftentimes disturbing cases and catching serial killers in a sequel series. Starting with its first season on the streaming service (and coming back for more!), Joe Mantegna (Rossi), A.J. Cook (JJ), Kirsten Vangsness (Garcia), Aisha Tyler (Tara), Adam Rodriguez (Luke), and Paget Brewster (Prentiss) all reprise their roles from the original series. And yes, there are cases-of-the-week, including ones with things I’d rather never think about again (like the UnSub who severs spinal cords), but what makes Evolution stand out is the introduction of the season-long Sicarius, eerily played by Zach Gilford . I may never look at Matt Saracen the same way!  — Meredith Jacobs

This military drama (which started off its run on CBS ) is about more than the team’s missions or what happens in the time away from home, though these characters do bring that back with them. It’s about the characters, their losses, and what they’re going through as a result of what they do on those missions (such as the effects of TBIs and PTS), and that is what makes the show as powerful as it is. Led by David Boreanaz , the cast also includes Neil Brown , A.J. Buckley , and Toni Trucks (I still miss Max Thieriot ‘s Clay!). — Meredith Jacobs

Star Trek: Discovery

One of the best character journeys on television in recent years is Michael Burnham’s ( Sonequa Martin-Green ), from mutineer and someone no one wanted on Discovery to its captain who has her crew’s respect. Discovery is the Star Trek show that launched the franchise’s newest group of programming (on the streaming service), and the success of all the others is owed to it. Propelling the crew into the future at the end of Season 2 results in a reset of sorts, one that has allowed for bigger missions with implications across the Federation (and beyond). From fan-favorite couple Stamets ( Anthony Rapp ) and Culber ( Wilson Cruz )—one of Trek ‘s best romances—to the real sense that this crew is a family to key relationships at every turn (especially Michael and Doug Jones ‘ Saru) to representation across the show, it will certainly be remembered long after it ends with the upcoming fifth season . — Meredith Jacobs

The Good Fight

Take what you love about The Good Wife , move it to streaming, bring in Audra McDonald to star alongside Christine Baranski , and it’s a recipe for another success from Robert and Michelle King . Then add in Cush Jumbo , Delroy Lindo , Michael Boatman , Sarah Steele , Nyambi Nyambi , Charmaine Bingwa , John Slattery , Andre Braugher , and more, and you have something that’s not just any other legal drama. Over its six seasons, it tackled important political and social issues, including the Me Too movement, online harassment, and fake news. — Meredith Jacobs

Star Trek: Picard

Let’s be honest: There’s no way I wasn’t going to love however Sir Patrick Stewart returned to Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard (he’s just so good!), so fortunately, his series was satisfying. The highlight is, of course, the reunion of The Next Generation cast— LeVar Burton , Michael Dorn , Jonathan Frakes , Gates McFadden , Marina Sirtis , and Brent Spiner —in the third and final season. But the new characters, played by Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd , are just as intriguing as well, making me hope that they could return in another series in the future.— Meredith Jacobs

1883 revealed how the Duttons arrived in Montana. 1923 reveals how they continued the legacy amid the struggles of the Great Depression. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren are the performances to watch, but it’s the sweeping romance between their nephew, Spencer Dutton ( Brandon Sklenar ), and his English noble love, Alexandra ( Julia Schlaepfer ), that gives the best narrative. Love at first sight leads to a dangerous adventure as the couple tries to make it back to Montana to help save the family ranch. It’s the best romance of Taylor Sheridan’s Western franchise (sorry, Beth and Rip!). — Kelli Boyle

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

This is easily one of the most entertaining shows on right now, and it is all thanks to how much fans loved Anson Mount , Rebecca Romijn , and Ethan Peck as Pike, Number One, and Spock in Discovery Season 2. Now, Strange New Worlds takes them and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise on new adventures each week as they explore, you know, the title of the show, and nothing is too out there. The fairytale episode? Just the start. Not only is there a crossover with the animated Lower Decks , but Strange New Worlds has a first for Star Trek : a musical episode that was one of our picks for Best Episodes of 2023 . Plus, with Uhura ( Celia Rose Gooding , a Best Performance of 2023 ) and Kirk ( Paul Wesley ) also part of the show, there are hints to what’s to come as well.  — Meredith Jacobs

Another CBS-turned- Paramount+ series, this thriller certainly found its home on the streaming service (and I’m not ready to say goodbye!) with scares, humor, and Mike Colter playing a priest (yes, really). The series will have you guessing what’s real and what’s not, unable to look away when it comes to a demon baby, fear elevators, and absolutely love everything about the central trio— Katja Herbers ‘ Kristen, Colter’s David, and Aasif Mandvi ‘s Ben. Add in Michael Emerson as the chilling Leland, Christine Lahti as Kristen’s mom with her own agenda, Andrea Martin as a nun, and Kurt Fuller as Kristen’s psychiatrist (with a disturbing way of dealing with writers’ block ), and you have Robert and Michelle King’s best series. I’m really going to miss it (though maybe not Kristen’s kids as much as the rest). — Meredith Jacobs

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The best Paramount Plus shows: 21 terrific series to stream in May 2024

Let us guide you through the best Paramount Plus shows

Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

Recently, we decided to replace the man image for this guide's entries with their season 1 trailers (from legitimate sources were possible). That way, you can see whether these shows are worth watching. 

However, given how old some of the following shows are, certain YouTube trailers aren't available for these series. Where this is the case, we've used a trailer for season 2, 3, and so on, which contain spoilers for these shows, so watch them at your own risk. Where no trailer is available, we've kept an entry's original main image.

The best Paramount Plus shows make up an extensive slate of TV genres including cult classic comedies, Western dramas, adult animations, and many more. The streaming landscape is extremely competitive and to become one of the best streaming services , it’s been important for Paramount Plus to not only offer a library full of fan favorites, but to forage boldly into the world of releasing original content that keeps viewers hooked.

As such, Paramount Plus has become a hub housing reruns of iconic shows, as well as being a launchpad for brand-new shows exclusive to Paramount Plus and paving the way for spin-offs, prequels, and the confidence for the streamer to dip into different genres. So, whether it’s old or new you're after, here are the best Paramount Plus shows to stream today.

Seasons: 1 Age rating: TV-PG (US); PG (UK/Aus) RT score: 75% (critics); 72% (audience)

With a record-breaking debut for Paramount Plus, 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, Dr. 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.

Ark: The Animated Series

Seasons: 1 Age rating: TV-14 (US); TBC (UK/Aus) RT score: N/A (critics); 52% (audience)

Ark: The Animated Series is based on the video game, Ark: Survival Evolved . Even if you’ve not played the game, it’s still a story to behold. Much like Halo featured later in our list. Ark follows Helena Walker, a palaeontologist, resurrected on The Island. She finds herself surrounded by prehistoric beasts armed only with her knowledge, and must quickly learn to navigate this mysterious world whilst determining why she’s there in the first place. An impressive voice cast lends itself to this game-turned-TV series with Michelle Yeoh, Russell Crowe, Elliot Page, Gerard Butler, Jeffrey Wright, and more in the line-up.   

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IGN gives the first season praise for having  “a stunning score, an intriguing world, and fluid action choreography” with aggregator scores still coming in for its official Rotten Tomatoes score. It’s part one of the first season for now, with seven more episodes promised later in the year.

Yellowjackets

Seasons: 2 Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus) Rotten Tomatoes (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.

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. 

Colin From Accounts

Seasons: 1 (2 seasons available, but only the first on Paramount Plus currently) Age rating: TV-MA (US) RT score: 100% (critics); 94% (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 aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes , while the Guardian has described it as “unfailingly funny, honest, acute and kind, with uniformly understated but pitch-perfect performances”.

Seasons: 1 Age rating: TV-MA (US); TBC (UK/Aus) RT score: 94% (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.

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.

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 now the subject of one of the best Netflix documentaries ) in many years, a mix of swagger and vulnerability that demonstrates his considerable acting chops. 

Star Trek: The Original Series

Seasons: 3 Age rating: TV-PG (US); PG (UK); M (Aus) RT score: 80% (critics); 89% (audience)

Disney Plus has Star Wars and Marvel , Max has the DC franchise and the Harry Potter movies, and Paramount Plus has Star Trek . While you can’t enjoy the classic or 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.

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.

Seasons: 1 Age rating: TV-MA (US); 18 (UK); M (Aus) RT score: 57% (critics); 95% (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); 65% (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.

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 via. Apple TV Plus in the UK.

Seasons: 1 Age rating: TV-MA (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus) RT score: 89% (critics); 83% (audience)

Although the Paramount Network's behemoth Yellowstone isn’t on Paramount Plus 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 1932 – 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: 2 Age rating: TV-MA (US); 18 (UK); MA15+ (Aus) RT score: 42% (critics); 90% (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. Following Renner's near-fatal snow plow accident in January 2023, season 3 was delayed, but returns on June 2.

Seasons: 6 Age rating: TV-14 (US); 15 (UK); MA15+ (Aus) RT score: 71% (critics); 84% (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.

Seasons: 3 Age rating: TV-14 (US); MA15+ (Aus) RT score: 96% (critics); 85% (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: 16 (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 16 seasons (324 episodes) 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 .

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot .

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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I am a Paramount Plus apologist. I know — going by subscription numbers alone — that I have to be because people do not subscribe to the streaming service at the same rate as Netflix or Amazon Prime, but I spend more time in the Paramount Plus app than the other two. It’s got older shows like Star Trek , Frasier , and Avatar: The Last Airbender , and newer splashy shows like... everything Taylor Sheridan produces and Frasier . It has a whole mess of football (American) and football (the rest of the world), and while bigger brands like Netflix are only now experimenting with live TV, Paramount Plus has been doing it from the get-go and doing it really well.

It is, I think, my desert island streaming service.

A lot of new shows aired on the service this year. These are some of the best to check out if you’ve recently picked up Paramount Plus or are trying to justify getting it so you can catch up on all the Star Trek you missed.

Star Trek: Picard

It will come as no surprise that this is at the top of the list . While the first two seasons were uneven with occasional cerebral moments of Star Trek or joyous moments of nostalgia, season 3 is just a really exciting space adventure, really fun Star Trek , and enough fan service to feed the most die-hard The Next Generation fan. It makes up for every sin of its preceding seasons while also setting up one of the most exciting Star Trek spinoffs in ages. I really cannot wait for the adventures of Captain Seven of Nine on her Enterprise.

Taylor Sheridan programming seems to be half of what’s available on Paramount Plus, and that makes sense when you remember Yellowstone is a monster hit. But of all the shows he’s making, 1923 with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren has to be my favorite. The series is a Yellowstone prequel chronicling the Duttons’ lives during a moment of extraordinary transition in the west. Sheep farmers and ranchers wage war on horseback with Tommy guns, while the heir to the family travels across the continent of Africa with his new British heiress bride to help the family fight its new war. It’s violent and goofy, but also one of the most entertaining adventure shows on TV right now.

School Spirits

This show feels like an American webtoon brought to life. It’s about a teen girl, Maddie Nears, who wakes up dead and trapped at her school. She has to try to solve her own murder with the help of the other ghosts living in the school, including a football star who died in the ‘80s (and now the stadium is named after him), a queer kid who died from a peanut allergy (and then had to watch his living classmates ruthlessly mock him), and a furious teen beatnik murdered by her guidance counselor. The show has a surprising streak of heart in it, with plenty of twists, turns, and high school romance. Curiously, you can watch the first season both on Paramount Plus (its original home) and Netflix.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

If you’ve never watched Star Trek and have been looking for a place to start, Strange New Worlds is for you. This is a prequel to the original Star Trek, so there are some characters you may recognize, like Spock and Uhura (and occasionally Kirk!), and lots of other new characters you’ve never met but whom you will instantly adore. This show is blessedly episodic in a world where most shows treat each season as one very long movie, which means it can do really fun one-off episodes — like this year’s crossover with Lower Decks or its excellent musical. It’s months later, and I’m still humming along with Spock’s smooth tenor.

Between Cheers and Frasier, Frasier Crane is one of the longest-running characters in TV history. So it’s hard to blame Kelsey Grammer for returning to the role. In a world where any old show can get a sequel there’s plenty of chances for Frasier to lose that honor. This new show has Frasier back in Boston and trying to maintain a relationship with his son even as he grieves his father, Martin Crane (John Mahoney, who played Martin, passed away in 2018). It doesn’t have the same sparkle as the original show — which seemed to catch lightning in a bottle with its blend of farce and wit — but it’s a nice diversion, helped along by a heaping dose of nostalgia.

Special Ops: Lioness

This is another Taylor Sheridan show with a stacked cast. This time Zoe Saldana is a CIA officer who specifically works with young women spies to infiltrate terrorist organizations through the networks of wives and daughters. The show, which also stars Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, takes itself entirely too seriously and can be a bit too jingoistic for my taste. Yet this is also a Taylor Sheridan joint and that man really knows how to make highly entertaining adventure shows. So it takes itself real serious — but is almost always compelling.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

What if the kinder episodes of Rick and Morty were combined with Star Trek ? That’s Lower Decks . Now in its fourth season, this animated comedy is packed with heart, aliens, big sci-fi stories, and more Star Trek references than a fan forum. Its fourth season found the main cast of ensigns finally getting those coveted promotions and starting to grow up, and it frequently turned into a gentle rumination of what its like to move further along in your professional career — all while still doing the kind of really fun science fiction that live-action shows could never pull off.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

And let’s close this out with one final Sheridan joint. This one is about Bass Reeves, one of the most famous US marshals of the American frontier, and the first Black deputy marshal west of the Mississippi. David Oyelowo produces the show and plays Reeves with a steady fury. It’s a fascinating portrayal at the center of a more rote Western that is trying to navigate the myth of Reeves while setting him in a world that feels oddly post-racism in a way reality absolutely was not. I find myself frequently struggling to understand who the audience for this show is — but the performances at the center of it are terrific.

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Inside the ‘Star Trek’ Universe of New Shows and Kids’ Fare on Paramount Plus

By Adam B. Vary

Adam B. Vary

Senior Entertainment Writer

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The “ Star Trek ” Universe is making its permanent home on Paramount Plus , including the premiere of the latest “Trek” iteration, the animated kids series “Star Trek: Prodigy,” ViacomCBS announced during its Investors Day presentation on Wednesday.

Originally conceived for Nickelodeon, “Prodigy,” from Kevin and Dan Hageman (Netflix’s “Trollhunters”), will now premiere on the streamer later in 2021. After its 10-episode run has concluded there, the show — about a coterie of alien kids who commander a seemingly abandoned Starfleet vessel — will air again on the linear Nickelodeon channel. The network also released a first look at the bridge crew from the show, highlighting that none of the main characters on “Prodigy” will be human, a first for a “Trek” series.

The move is part of a wider official strategy of placing every current and former “Trek” TV series on Paramount Plus, including new seasons of “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Lower Decks” which are also set to premiere in 2021.

“It does speak to having a franchise that is unique to Paramount Plus, and we’re very excited about that,” Paramount Plus programming chief Julie McNamara tells Variety. “There is a kind of franchise strategy, which is the notion that if you execute new versions of this really strong IP that you have well, you’re going to drive people across the paywall.”

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Along with “Prodigy,” “Discovery” and “Lower Decks,” Paramount Plus is also in active production on the second season of “Star Trek: Picard,” and the new series “Star Trek: Brave New Worlds.” It’s the largest expansion of the “Trek” franchise since its inception in 1966, but unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and recent plans for the expansion of the “Star Wars” franchise on Disney Plus, don’t expect these “Trek” series to be unfolding within a closely knit storytelling universe.

“We’re aiming to have our shows feel unique and different from each other,” Alex Kurtzman, the overall executive producer for the “Star Trek” Universe, tells Variety. “We want to give everybody a reason to watch each show.”

While fans will see “interconnectedness” within the shows, Kurtzman says, there aren’t plans to tell a single cohesive story. “That’s a lot of fun, but our goal is not to make it so insular that if you haven’t seen the show you’re lost when you watch another show,” he says.

Kurtzman and McNamara say there are still “conversations” about a new “Star Trek” series around Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou and the mysterious Section 31, and there are other “Trek” shows in development that haven’t been previously announced. But they emphasized that the current five-series slate will likely not expand further until at least one of the shows runs its course.

“We’re very careful about curating the pacing — the number of shows at any given time — and what those shows are, so that we make sure that it’s always exciting when there’s a new track show coming out,” says McNamara. The rough schedule, she says, is to debut “a new ‘Trek’ a quarter” on Paramount Plus.

“Whether there’s a show that comes up that feels additive and we should add that into the mix, or waiting for attrition of another ‘Trek’ show, we feel good about where we are,” she says. McNamara said that by “attrition,” she means either a “Trek” show “aging out” naturally, or — in an allusion to 80-year-old “Picard” star Patrick Steward, “perhaps an older lead is only committed to a certain number of seasons and and therefore we move on from that.”

Specifically with “Prodigy,” McNamara says another factor that contributed to the decision to move the show to streaming involved data from Paramount Plus’s predecessor, CBS All Access, that showed subscribers who watched “Trek” shows also watched Nickelodeon’s animated series “The Legend of Korra.”

“It seemed very wise for us to access both the ‘Star Trek’ fan base that’s already on the platform and also kids,” she says. “Those are the two groups that you want to reach.”

At the same time, ViacomCBS didn’t want to lose the opportunity to use “Prodigy” to entice a new generation to become “Star Trek” fans, which drove the decision to re-air the show on Nick.

“It’s a great way to expose children to ‘Star Trek,’ who may be on Nickelodeon to watch other franchises,” said McNamara.

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Holly Hunter to Lead Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Paramount+

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Paramount+ is beaming up Holly Hunter for a special assignment. The Academy Award winner has been tapped to lead the new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , TVLine has learned.

“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius,” co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau say in a statement. “To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across the board brilliance leading the charge on Starfleet Academy is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of  Star Trek .”

Starfleet Academy marks the fifth live-action  Star Trek  series (and seventh  Trek  series overall) to debut on the streamer. Production is set to begin later this summer.

Your thoughts on Hunter’s new role at Starfleet Academy? Drop ’em in a comment below.

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So not Mary Wiseman (Tilly)? The fanbase would rather have more Lower Decks and Legacy. Way to listen to the fans, Paramount. I wonder why the company is failing?

I still feel confident Tilly will be there as an instructor. There’s no way she’d be a captain/chancellor yet so this news doesn’t cause a conflict. I do echo your comment that we want more Lower Decks though!

Legacy, real life trek rather than cartoons.

Please don’t speak for the “fanbase”. It’s utterly impossible for you to know the feelings or wishes of the “fanbase”. As a fan from the 60’s I have never seen a consensus of what the fans what or like.

And let’s be clear there is nothing either signifying Tilly is in or not in the show. But let’s also be clear we have no way of knowing what the fanbase feels about Tilly. And let’s also be clear. Lower Decks ratings aren’t in the same range of Discovery, whose rating aren’t in the same range of SNW. And as for Legacy we have some information on what Picard could get. But we have no data at all on how a Legacy show would do.

There are people who probably like Tilly and others who don’t, the way it works with most Trek characters. I’m with the latter, and the less she’s in Starfleet Academy, the more likely I will watch it.

I hope that Mary Wiseman (Tilly) is at least one of the instructors, even if she is not the lead…

Yeah, most Trek shows are really ensemble pieces, rather than a show with a traditional “lead.” And I imagine that the cadets will ultimately be the main the focus, rather than the teachers. Holly Hunter is the lead in that she’s the biggest name attached to the project, not necessarily the biggest part in the show.

I was coming to comment the same thing. It’s the perfect set up. And the time of announcing the show was right around when her character was going to the academy to teach, if I recall correctly. I really hope she’s on the show.

Whoa! This is unexpected and very cool casting. I still don’t know if I’ll watch if it ends up being super YA-focused, but this definitely makes me more interested.

Perfection!

I like Holly Hunter, so I can see this. I was REALLY hoping Amanda Plummer would be willing to don a Starfleet uniform and be part of this new show, though. She was SOOOOOOOOOOO good in Picard and if willing to commit to a longer-term role, could have been amazing as a new character in Academy.

Amanda Plummer was great, but it would be sort of weird to have her back so soon as a different character (and obviously she can’t return as the same character)

Agreed. Star Trek isn’t a property in which, once an actor appears in a canon role, they’re locked into only playing that character from then on (e.g., Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Diana Muldaur, William Campbell, Phil Morris, Charles Napier, etc.). However, having Amanda Plummer play another role so soon after playing Vadic in “Star Trek: Picard” season 3 (during 2023) would be jarring.

I have to add that Holly Hunter was very funny on Mr. Mayor so I hope her new role allows for a lot of fun asides, levity, and other light moments. She can do drama, for sure, but also do funny!

I was coming on to say that she was my favorite part of “Mr. Mayor.” I will watch this just because of her casting. I have loved her in everything she acts in.

When in the Star Trek universe will this take place – during the time of Strange New Worlds, after the events of ST: Picard, or during the time of Discovery? Just curious since the when makes a big impact on potential characters (or even crossovers).

It’s been confirmed to be set in the Discovery time period

Pre or post time travel?

Post time travel… 32nd century. There’s been a few questions to discovery cast interviews if they would be interested in a appearing in the spin off

Holly Hunter? I’m all in!

Arghhhh…so didn’t want to watch this. But the power of HH compels me….

Does anyone know what led to the cancellation of Lower Decks?

With almost all shows, there is one primary factor. In this situation possible two. But in both cases it’s money.

For most shows, you get cancelled because you aren’t generating enough revenue versus your costs. Now in some cases, its you are earning profit, but the profit expectation is being meet. This is typically the case of examples in broadcast tv, where you are sandwiched between two extremely successful shows,. You get good enough ratings to earn a profit, but are performing dramatically lower then your companion programming. So you get cancelled as they try and create something that delivers a closer level of performance.

Now the 2nd possibility and far less common but is a possibility due to Paramounts overall financial issues. Is that it’s seen as not necessary to have X number of Trek shows on the air to keep the people subscribed who primary subscribe just for Trek related programming. They get a lot of data on this that we the public never see. So if they think they can retain a good chunk of the Trek subscribers with 2 shows instead of 3 or 4. They can use that money saved, to create shows that can appeal to other people. Its how you try and keep increasing your subscriber base.

I’m intrigued by this casting. Ms. Hunter is a great actress who will bring the required gravitas to the role of the Captain/Chancellor.

It all depends now on who plays the cadets…

Can’t wait, I’ve been a trekie for almost 60 years, loved every show and movie out there, I believe the Holly and crew will an outstanding addition to the Federation and to Trek fans everywhere.

Excellent News. Holly Hunter is going to be great and the show will be a smash?

Holly Hunter could be a brilliant choice! I’ll be cautiously optimistic.

Paramount has been trying to do a Starfleet academy show since the DS9/Voyager day’s.

Interesting… I hope this show gets made but with the fate of Paramount and especially Paramount Plus hanging by a thread… i won’t keep my fingers crossed.

Why in the heck does every season of new Trek have to have some over arching looming threat that everyone has to deal with. Can’t we just do a season of minor stuff in each episode.

Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks are basically that

I worship Holly and will watch anything with her in it.

I am not interested in the above.

So Starfleet Academy 90210, gotcha. Makes sense. I mean they exploited every opportunity out of the corpse that once was Star Trek so doing something like this was probably inevitable.

Fans wanted Legacy not this….Picard’s finale set up a new exciting Legacy spin off and everyone wanted it but all you do us come up with this? Not good enough.

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 9

Here we are then, just two episodes away from the very end of "Star Trek: Discovery," but we'll save the nostalgic look back over the last six years, eight months, one week and two days for next week. And no doubt there will be some kind of emotional farewell at the end of next week's installment, but just how cringeworthy that will be remains to be seen. 

Best non-cancellation last episode of a TV sci-fi show ever, in the "Five Seasons or More" category? Well, it certainly isn't " Enterprise ," sadly, and let's face facts, it's got to be the " The Next Generation " episode "All Good Things" (S07, E25) with "Unending," the "Stargate SG1" episode (S10, E20) in second place. 

And as we've seen, the quality of writing on this fifth and final season of "Discovery" has picked up, arguably an improvement the last three seasons, but unquestionably over the last season, which was the switching off point for many who had given "Discovery" the benefit of the doubt for so very long. And, despite this installment, entitled "Lagrange Point," being directed by Jonathan Frakes, it's not terrible. 

Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial  

Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Discovery and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.

While Frakes has some excellent examples of episodic television under his belt, including "Falling Skies," "The Orville" and even "V," plus both "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine" and "First Contact" of course, he has also helmed a few episodes –— almost always of "Star Trek" — that are...well, the sci-fi TV franchise equivalent of the Roger Moore Bond movies. And let's leave it at that. 

Not knowing more about the writing and production procedure employed on "Discovery," it's hard to know if the writers know what director will be assigned to which episode and whether or not they therefore cater for that individual, or if the director just takes the script and alters it as much or as little as they like. That's ultimately what contributes to the often-seen inconsistency that we talked about a week or so ago.

This week, a few select members of the command crew of the USS Discovery attempt to infiltrate a Breen dreadnought. And to be perfectly honest, after having watched the epic "Orville" episode "Krill" (S01, E06) it's a little hard to take this somewhat clichéd tactical approach seriously. But, for the most part, it's carried off with too much of a hitch. 

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The Breen have successfully snuck in under the nose of the USS Discovery and half-inched the Progenitors Puzzle. You know, like Belloq in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and we get to see them attempting to open the final clue, a little like the wonderfully hilarious slaves-get-killed-horribly-first approach that was used to great affect in "The Mummy." Missed opportunity there for a couple of really creative and horrific sacrificial deaths Frakes. Being dragged into an unknown dimension just wasn't unpleasant enough. Also, Wilhelm Scream?!

That said, there is some nice, creative choices of edits and a Starfleet commendation should be awarded to whichever writer championed a line of dialogue where Captain Rayner (Keith Rennie Callum) finally tells Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) to shut up . Sure, some fans adore her innocent, bumbling, comedy relief-style appeal, but it's not always conducive to Every Single Scene. 

And finally, breaking news this week as, according to The Hollywood Reporter , longtime "X-Men" producer Simon Kinberg is in talks to produce a "Star Trek" movie franchise for Paramount. Toby Haynes, who directed episodes " Andor " is on board to direct the new feature, with Seth Grahame-Smith writing the script. The project is said to be set decades before the events of the dreadful 2009 movie that was directed JJ Abrams, likely around modern times.

It is said to involve the creation of the Starfleet and humankind’s first contact with alien life. This is music to the ears of all fans who believe that keeping Trek ridiculously far flung into the future is an awful, awful idea. Also, someone other than Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman calling the shots is an excellent, excellent idea. 

And while this period in Trek history is so very interesting as we saw in the vastly underrated "Enterprise," it does feel like everyone either wants to fast forward into the future or slam the franchise into reverse and go all the way back...but always, always leapfrogging over the most underutilized period, which is "The Wrath of Khan" movie era: Monster Maroons, Admiral Kirk, the USS Excelsior ... and all of that unexplored wonder. 

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and every other episode of every " Star Trek " show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US, while "Prodigy" has found a new home  on Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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Netflix’s Eric, Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale, and more new TV this week

Plus: The end of Hulu’s Under the Bridge, Hacks season 3, and more

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Share All sharing options for: Netflix’s Eric, Star Trek: Discovery’s series finale, and more new TV this week

The week has barely started (if you’re in the U.S. and reading this on the Monday holiday: even less so!), and already there’s a whole lot of TV to get through.

With any luck, the long weekend gave you some time to catch up with things — after all, as our summer preview is any indication, there’s only gonna be even more coming soon. But while a bunch of new stuff might be coming up, there’s plenty to watch this week alone. Under the Bridge and Hacks are both wrapping up really strong seasons, while shows like Pyramid Game and We Are Lady Parts are just ramping up.

Here are all the best new TV premieres and finales this week.

New shows on Netflix

Genre: Drama miniseries Release date: May 30, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Abi Morgan Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann, and more

Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a puppeteer happily living and working in 1980s New York City. Then, his 9-year-old son goes missing on the way to school, plunging Vincent into a dark, volatile depression. Vincent believes his son will come back if only he can get Eric, a monster based on a drawing his son did, to the screen.

Genre: Teen show Release date: May 30 Based on the book by: Holly Smale Cast: Emily Carey, Sarah Parish, Emmanuel Imani, and more

Harriet (Emily Carey) is just another geek trying to get by in high school, even if it means brushing off some mean girl bullies to do it. But everything changes when — against the odds and Harriet’s wishes — she finds herself scouted to be the next hot supermodel.

New shows on Hulu

The veil season finale.

Genre: Spy thriller Release date: May 28 Showrunner/creator: Steven Knight Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan, Josh Charles, and more

The stage is set in London for a deadly attack. But Imogen (Elisabeth Moss) and Adilah (Yumna Marwan) are also on the move. And with Imogen keeping her master plan secret from even us, it seems likely that this attack could go either way.

Under the Bridge finale

Genre: True-crime mystery Release date: May 29 Showrunner/creator: Samir Mehta, Quinn Shephard Cast: Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and more

There’s nothing about the murder of Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) that feels easy to swallow, and it’s a testament to Under the Bridge that the show has been able to balance the complexities of that reality in its seven episodes so far. Now, it’s coming to a close — one that no doubt will carry the weight of every ounce of tragedy in this story.

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Hacks season 3 finale.

Genre: Comedy Release date: May 30 Showrunner/creator: Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Jean Smart, and more

It’s all happening for Deborah (Jean Smart), now that she finally got her dream of hosting a late-night show. Only suddenly, there’s some last-minute doubt: Will Ava (Hannah Einbinder) be allowed to come along for the ride?

New shows on Paramount Plus

Pyramid game.

Genre: Thriller Release date: May 30, with all 10 episodes Showrunner/creator: Choi Sui Cast: Bona, Jang Da-a, Ryu Da-in, and more

Seong Su-ji is a new student at the Baekyeon Girls’ High School, and everything is already feeling like a fight for survival as she battles bullies and studies alike. And then she’s introduced to a new ranking system that lets people secretly vote for who they think should be a class outcast. Now, Su-ji has to decide whether to keep going along (and possibly accepting the violence that comes with it) or else lead an uprising against this shadowy “Pyramid Game.”

Star Trek: Discovery series finale

Genre: Star Trek Release date: May 30 Showrunner/creator: Akiva Goldsman Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, and more

The end of an era! By which I mean not only the season we got of 900 years in Star Trek’s future, but also Discovery , which wraps up this Thursday. It’s the end of the first Star Trek show of the modern era, and is free in a way Star Trek hasn’t been in a long, long while , all while paving the way for more Trek to come.

New shows on Peacock

We are lady parts season 2.

Genre: “Yeah, I’m in a band” teen comedy Release date: May 30, with all episodes Showrunner/creator: Nida Manzoor Cast: Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, and more

We Are Lady Parts is back and ready to record their debut album. Which means it’s the perfect time for more bandmate shenanigans — including battling a rival Muslim band, playing a festival, exploring your “villain era.” All that and Malala Yousafzai is supposed to show up sometime this season!

New shows on Apple TV Plus

Loot season 2 finale.

Genre: Comedy Release date: May 29 Showrunner/creators: Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard Cast: Maya Rudolph, Joel Kim Booster, Nat Faxon, and more

The Wells Foundation — and Molly (Maya Rudolph), the billionaire woman who runs it — are nearing their greatest success yet. Which, of course, means reality is about to come crashing in with some major personal decisions. How will the dust settle in the season 2 finale?

New shows on Showtime

Couples therapy season 4.

Genre: Documentary series Release date: May 31, with one episode; on-air premiere at 10 p.m. EDT on June 2 Showrunner/creator: Dr. Orna Guralnik Cast: Real-life couples in therapy

It’s a new season of Couples Therapy, and an all-new cast of couples to undergo real therapy with Dr. Orna. The result will be unpredictable — couples therapy, after all, is about figuring yourselves out together, not necessarily saving the relationship. The good news? It will most likely be cathartic, one way or another.

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The start of a new month is a good time to take stock of streaming bills. There are so many streaming services now, and paying for all of them really adds up. Americans now pay an average of $46 a month for streaming services, according to Forbes — or a hefty $552 a year.

Luckily, it's really easy to save money on streaming by churning services, which entails canceling and signing up again later when the big, buzzy shows return.

For June 2024, I would cancel Paramount Plus. While it's a great service, with a deep library of originals and classic titles, this month's lineup is lackluster: no NFL , few must-see weekly episodes, and no tempting movie additions. While two major original series are returning, you can always catch up by resubscribing next month. Here's why I would recommend canceling Paramount Plus in June 2024.

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Looking over Paramount Plus' monthly "View From the Peak" preview for June 2024 isn't particularly inspiring. While library content adds to a streaming service's value proposition, originals are what draw in and retain users. Unfortunately, Paramount has few enticing originals this month.

The headliner is "Mayor of Kingstown" season 3, which sees Jeremy Renner return to the screen following his near-fatal snowplow accident on New Year's Day 2023. The Marvel star is back in good form in the Taylor Sheridan drama after breaking more than 30 bones and undergoing multiple surgeries. 

As Mike McLusky, the unofficial leader of a town where the main business is incarceration, he has new problems on his hands, like a recently arrived Russian mob boss and a drug war raging inside and outside prison walls. His attempts to keep the peace among all the factions are threatened by a familiar face from his past.

The other major Paramount Plus original this month is "Criminal Minds: Evolution" season 2, which continues the revival of the long-running CBS procedural.

In the wake of season 1's shocking finale, the FBI's elite team of profilers investigates the deadly mystery of Gold Star. As the conspiracy unfolds, the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) runs into an unexpected complication when serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) negotiates a deal that transfers him to federal custody in their own backyard.

As much as we want to cheer on Renner's recovery, neither "Mayor of Kingstown" nor "Criminal Minds: Evolution" — or even both — are truly must-see TV. Also, both will be dropping episodes weekly, so you would need to pay for two or more months to watch the entire season. Better to cancel Paramount Plus for now, then resubscribe later and binge the whole thing. 

CBS shows are done for the season

One of the best things about Paramount Plus is access to CBS shows as they air. You can either watch episodes the next day or view them live if you get the premium Paramount Plus With Showtime tier. 

But most CBS shows have finished their seasons. That includes "Survivor," "NCIS," "Ghosts," "Fire Country," "Tracker," "FBI" and "The Amazing Race."

In June, CBS is mostly airing reruns. They've also got a few specials on the schedule, like the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on June 7 and the 77th Annual Tony Awards on June 16. Their big summer show, "Big Brother ," doesn't premiere until July. And if you want to watch any of the above, you can watch CBS for free the old-fashioned way — with a TV antenna . 

The ad-supported Paramount Plus essential tier is $6 (the ad-free Showtime tier is $12). That may not sound like a lot but churning out various streaming services throughout the year can save you over $100. Spend it on holiday shopping or a treat for yourself.

Star Trek: Discovery comes to an end

The final episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" airs on May 30, which had a pretty good 5-season run. This last season has seen the crew race around the galaxy to discover the progenitor's technology, which was used to create life all over the universe — and which could be used to opposite ends if it falls into the wrong hands. 

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 5 isn't scheduled to air until later this year, and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" isn't expected to air its third season until 2025, so unless you want to binge "Picard" or older series, there's nothing new for Trekkies.

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Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.

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One of Star Trek's Most Enduring Villains Was Created by a Paramount Exec

Resistance is futile.

The Big Picture

• One Paramount executive thought the Borg were boring, resulting in the creation of the Borg Queen as an iconic character.
• The Borg Queen appears in multiple Star Trek series, using manipulation and vulnerability to become a compelling villain.
• In the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard , the Borg Queen returns with manipulative tactics to assimilate humanity through Picard's son, Jack Crusher.

The Star Trek franchise has so many iconic villains that it might be difficult for some fans to choose their favorite. Starfleet's crews are constantly encountering both new and old enemies while exploring the galaxy and meeting new civilizations. The Next Generation 's Q ( John De Lancie ) is one of the biggest tricksters in the galaxy , while Deep Space Nine 's Cardassian war criminal Gul Dukat ( Marc Alaimo ) is constantly stirring up something, and Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Maltabán ) simply wants to take over the world. Time and time again, the bad guys that always seem to pop up are the Borg. Although they seem like a simple hivemind collective, their recurring presence in the franchise reveals them to be so much more, and viewers have seen what can happen when they're given their individuality or how they react under pressure. During the filming of the Next Generation movie Star Trek: First Contact , however, one Paramount executive thought a particular change was needed to give the Borg a specific face — and it was a change that made an impact on the franchise moving forward.

Star Trek: First Contact

The Borg travel back in time intent on preventing Earth's first contact with an alien species. Captain Picard and his crew pursue them to ensure that Zefram Cochrane makes his maiden flight reaching warp speed.

According to The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams , edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Paramount's Jonathan Dolgen thought the Borg were boring and amounted to little more than zombie robots; they needed some kind of voice other than being mindless drones, and what's a hive without its Queen? So, screenwriter Brannon Braga did a substantial rewrite to include a character that would come to be known as the Borg Queen ( Alice Krige ). Dolgen, it's been reported, was a huge Star Trek fan and often put in his two cents about which episodes he liked, which apparently paid off big time. His suggestion spiraled into the creation of this iconic character who always has a habit of popping up when we least expect her.

Where Have We Seen the Borg Queen in Star Trek Before?

In First Contact , the Borg travel back in time to stop scientist Zefram Cochrane ( James Cromwell ) from discovering warp speed, which leads to humanity's first encounter with the Vulcans, which in turn allows for the deeper exploration of space and the eventual founding of the Federation. As a villain, the Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige in First Contact , is so different from other Borg introduced in The Next Generation ; she is sexual and emotional, making her prone to trickery and manipulation, even though she is a master at both herself. She brings a sense of vulnerability to the Borg, despite being a slinky, devious monster, which makes her the perfect foil for Jean-Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ), first in First Contact and then later on when the character reappears in Star Trek: Picard . She toys with people around her and convinces them to join her Hive. She has this special fondness for Picard and will do anything to convince him to join the collective. He's like a trophy she needs to collect for her mantle. Even though we thought she perished at the end of First Contact , she has this nasty habit of popping up again and again.

She's also a notable villain in Star Trek: Voyager , after Seven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan ) is liberated from the Borg. As a power-hungry leader obsessed with finding perfection and evolving the Borg into the ultimate race, Queen can't stand that a Borg drone has escaped and been disconnected from the Hive and does everything in her power to manipulate and bring Seven of Nine back to the collective. After Voyager blasts some severe hits on the Borg, they also deliver a neurolytic pathogen they believe kills the Borg Queen — but that's proven wrong when she appears once again in Star Trek: Picard.

'Star Trek: Picard' Introduces Another Side of the Borg Queen

The Borg Queen returns in Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard (voiced by Krige and portrayed physically by Jane Edwina Seymour ) in an attempt to create a new collective after she cannibalizes her drones to sustain herself. While she's clearly become a more narcissistic, manipulative, and conniving villain with many puppets, she's especially good at getting under Picard's skin. In a new twist, she has been grooming Picard's only son, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speelers ) — who is connected to the Borg because of Picard's connection to the Hive during his brief time as Locutus — seducing him to help assimilate all humanity and become a weapon of mass destruction. Jack is the key to the Borg's evolution as an unintended consequence of what happened to Picard when he was briefly assimilated.

This looming threat to his son leads Picard on an emotional journey where he must figure out how to get Jack back before it's too late. By working with the Enterprise crewmates he's been reunited with, he also discovers what it means to be a father and how much of a connection he wants with his son. In Picard 's final season, the crew's mission becomes about rescuing Jack Crusher, who the Queen has assimilated as Vox of Borg , and finally thwarting her once and for all.

However, despite Starfleet's repeated attempts to eliminate her, the Borg Queen always returns. Her resilience and persistence are critical aspects of her character, making her a formidable and compelling antagonist. She embodies everything Starfleet opposes, presenting a constant threat and a significant element in the franchise. While her ability to endure, even after seemingly insurmountable setbacks, is a testament to her strength and tenacity, her relentless pursuit of perfection ultimately becomes her downfall as she plunders the galaxy, looking for the next race to add to her collective.

Star Trek: First Contact is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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Jazwares Signs Master Licensing Agreement With Paramount Global for Avatar: The Last Airbender

Plus North America Multi-Contract Deals for All-New Costumes and Accessories Featuring Some of Paramount Global’s Biggest Properties Including Dora, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek, and Yellowstone

Jazwares, one of the world’s leading toy companies, and Paramount Global, a leading global media, streaming and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide, today announced that they have inked multi-contract deals to release a robust slate of top-of-the-line toys, costumes, and accessories based on some of the entertainment giant’s most iconic properties.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529685386/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

As part of the new agreement, Jazwares will hold global master rights to produce figures, toy vehicles, dolls, plush, and playsets for Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. In a multi-contract collaboration, Jazwares will also possess North American rights for costumes and accessories for Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise and hit Paramount entertainment properties, including Dora, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek and Yellowstone . The Paramount and Jazwares portfolio has an expected retail set in 2025.

“Joining forces with Paramount combines the world’s most beloved entertainment franchises with Jazwares’ unparalleled ability in authentically translating IP across toys and costumes like nobody else in the industry,” said Judd Karofsky, Executive Vice President, Jazwares. “This is an amazing collaboration for Jazwares – to expand our portfolio with some of pop culture’s most iconic stories and characters into products we know fans are going to love.”

“Jazwares has a proven track record of taking culture-defining brands – like Avatar: The Last Airbender and other Paramount franchises – and creating outstanding products for consumers to connect with,” said Lourdes Arocho, Senior Vice President, Consumer Products & Experiences, Paramount. “We are eager to get these product lines of toys and costumes into the hands of fans everywhere.”

About Jazwares

Jazwares, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading global toy manufacturer with a robust portfolio of owned and licensed brands. Founded in 1997, Jazwares celebrates imaginative play with a progressive focus on identifying new and relevant trends to transform into high-quality products for consumers of all ages. Jazwares engages consumers through innovative play experiences with popular brands such as Squishmallows™, Pokémon™, Hello Kitty™, Star Wars™, Disney™, BumBumz™, and Adopt Me™. In addition to toys, offerings include virtual games, costumes, and pet products. Headquartered in Sunrise, Florida, Jazwares has offices worldwide and sells its products in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.jazwares.com and follow us on LinkedIn , X , Instagram , and Facebook .

About Paramount Consumer Products

Paramount Consumer Products oversees all licensing and merchandising for Paramount (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by a diverse slate of consumer brands, Paramount Consumer Products’ portfolio is based on content from platforms including Paramount+, CBS (including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), cable networks (including MTV, Nickelodeon and Showtime), and Paramount Pictures. Additionally, the division operates Paramount Game Studios. With properties spanning animation, live-action, preschool, youth and adult, Paramount Consumer Products is committed to creating the highest quality product for some of the world’s most beloved, iconic franchises. To view our range of consumer products and Paramount branded apparel, visit ParamountShop.com .

TM & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. © 2024 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bret Ingraham Jazwares [email protected]

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240529685386/en/

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Join Us for a Paramount+ Consider This FYC Event with Creatives from ‘Frasier,’ ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Bass Reeves,’ and More

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IndieWire and Paramount+ are proud to announce a Consider This FYC event to take place in Los Angeles on June 8, featuring Kelsey Grammer, David Oyelowo, and Matt Bomer, plus creators and talent from “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “A Gentleman in Moscow,” “Colin from Accounts,” “Fellow Travelers,” “ Frasier ,” and “Lawmen: Bass Reeves.”

Emmy voters and guild members can request an invitation to attend here.

“Consider This Live is essential to our growing collection of creator- and artisan-driven live events that include IndieWire Honors and Pass the Remote ,” said Dana Harris-Bridson, senior VP and Editor-in-Chief of IndieWire. “We’re proud to celebrate the Paramount+ lineup.” Related Stories 2024 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Talk Series 2024 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

“We’re thrilled to bring back Consider This Live exclusively with Paramount+,” said IndieWire SVP & Publisher James Israel. “We have an eclectic group of creators and cast that represent such a great range of shows for a fantastic event.”

Kelsey Grammer is a TV legend, one of the most honored performers in the history of the medium with a total of six Emmy wins, including four for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Dr. Frasier Crane on “Frasier.” Those four wins tie the all-time record for the most Emmy wins in the Best Actor in a Comedy Series category. His revival of the character on Paramount+’s “Frasier” in 2023 was a welcome return for the legions of fans he’s earned across decades. 

David Oyelowo is one of the most acclaimed actors of the past decade. His performance as Martin Luther King in “Selma” is one of the most revered of the 21st century. And with “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” he’s helping tell the story of a Black hero whose story has shockingly not been told with this depth before now.  Matt Bomer has created incredibly distinctive characters in TV and film for the past 15 years, from “White Collar” and “Doom Patrol,” to “Magic Mike.” He earned a Golden Globe win and an Emmy nomination for his performance in HBO’s adaptation of “The Normal Heart” in 2015. With “Fellow Travelers,” he’s helping bring to life an important chapter of American history, about how McCarthyism intersected with anti-LGBT discrimination in the 1950s. Playing a State Department employee carefully guarding the truth about his sexuality, Bomer received a Critics Choice Television Award nomination for the role. 

Read the full lineup below. And request an invite here.

Starting at 10:00am PT, and running until 2:30pm PT.

“Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Attending Talent: Alex Kurtzman, EP Jason Zimmerman, VFX Supervisor

“A Gentleman in Moscow” Attending Talent: Ben Vanstone, Writer, EP, and showrunner Jacqueline Fowler, Hair & Makeup Designer

“Frasier” Attending Talent” Kelsey Grammer, EP/Actor Chris Harris, EP/Writer Joe Cristalli, EP/Writer James Burrows, EP/Director Glenda Rovello, Production Designer

“Fellow Travelers” Attending Talent: Matt Bomer, EP/Actor Ron Nyswaner, EP/Creator/Writer Daniel Minahan, EP/Director Paul Leonard-Morgan, Composer

“Colin from Accounts” Attending Talent: Harriet Dyer, EP/Creator/Writer/Actor Patrick Brammall, EP/Creator/Writer/Actor

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