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Peacock launched in mid-2020 largely on the promise of showing you reruns of The Office—but it also brought the power and checkbook of NBCUniversal to bear to create some solid original content (“creating” being, in some cases, a euphemism for “importing”).
Even though the library of Peacock Originals is still relatively small, it shows an impressive amount of diversity, not just in terms of style and genre, but in the people the stories are about, from an all-Muslim punk band to an Indigenous cultural center. Here are 20 of the best shows that are exclusive to Peacock.
The Day of the Jackal (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
Cinematic in scope, this new adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth novel is buoyed by rather brilliant casting: Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a cold and steely international assassin pursued by MI6 operative Bianca Pullman—she’s played by Lashana Lynch, putting her experience as the new 007 in No Time to Die to good use. I’m not sure there’s anything here we haven’t seen in countless other spy thrillers (including, of course, the 1973 and 1997 film adaptations), but the performances and production values are top-notch, with each episode playing out like a tense mini-movie. You can stream The Day of the Jackal here.
Poker Face (2023 – , two seasons)
After co-creating and starring in one of Netflix’s best original series, Russian Doll, Natasha Lyonne pulls a similar trick over here on Peacock. Poker Face, with Lyonne as pretty much the only regular character, pays tribute to Columbo in its mystery-anthology format: one-time cocktail waitress Charlie Cale, on the run from a ruthless casino magnate, travels the backroads of North America and encountering murder pretty much everywhere she goes. Fortunately, Charlie has an uncanny ability to tell when people are lying, as well as a very handy penchant for finding under-the-table work. Like Columbo, the audience is given all the details of the murder up front, and so the mystery isn’t whodunnit so much is how is Charlie going to solve it? Knives Out’s Rain Johnson created the series, and directs a few episodes, and the show has a style and a sense of humor that are recognizable, and welcome. Lyonne’s self-effacing, no-bullshit persona is perfect here, and she’s well-matched with a top-tier array of guest stars. You can stream Poker Face here.
Traitors (2023 – , renewed through season five)
The American take on a British series (based on a Dutch series), this wildly addictive reality show throws a bunch of celebrities together in a Scottish castle and marks a few of them as secret traitors, known only to the audience. The “faithful” players are tasked with finding the scoundrels before they walk off with an ever-growing communal prize pot. Cheering and jeering the contestants for their strategy and/or lack thereof is a lot of fun, and host Alan Cumming is a deliciously catty master of ceremonies with the best style on television. (Peacock offers the show in UK, Australia, and New Zealand flavors as well.) You can stream Traitors here.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)
Nearly 25 years after it began, and a decade after The Best Man Holiday, this miniseries reassembles most of the original cast in their middle age, and what a cast: Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, and Melissa DeSousa are all back, even joined briefly by Monica Calhoun, who played Mia before her character’s untimely death. It’s a thrill to see these titans of the ’90s Black rom-com (not one of whom has aged a single freaking day) all together once more. After the first two episodes pick up threads leftover from the film series, the show dives into the daily lives and struggles of our old friends. You can stream The Best Man: The Final Chapters here.
Twisted Metal (2023 –, two seasons)
The most brutal show on the Peacock block stars Anthony Mackie as John Doe, and is based on the ‘90s era vehicular combat games that your parents probably hated (it’s a lot of wild, demolition-derby style action involving smashing and/or blowing up your opponents). The show does what it says on the tin, roviding plenty of frenetic car-on-car action (and car-on-semi, car-on-hearse, -ice cream truck, etc.). The show’s creators worked to build out its world over two seasons with mixed success, but season two seems to be an improvement, and Anthony Mackie is an effective anchor for the chaos; he’s joined by an impressive supporting cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Neve Campbell. Cars go boom, mostly, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want—it’s the show for the 15-year-old gamer inside all of us. You can stream Twisted Metal here.
Apples Never Fall (2024)
Liane Moriarty’s novels have been adapted successfully in the past: HBO’s Big Little Lies draws from one of her books, as does Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. This miniseries follows the Delaney family, whose four siblings are forced to confront their dark family history following the disappearance of their mother Joy (Annette Benning)—a disappearance in which their father, Stand (Sam Neill), is a person of interest. Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, and Georgie Flood also star. You can stream Apples Never Fall here.
We Are Lady Parts (2021 – , two seasons)
A comedy import from across the pond, Lady Parts stars Anjana Vasan as Amina, a nice Muslim girl whose only goals are to finish her schooling (she’s working on a microbiology Ph.D.), and to settle down with a husband. All of which comes into question when she meets Saira, Ayesha, Bisma, and Momtaz—the women who make up the title punk band. The show’s creator, Nida Manzoor, co-wrote the original songs in the show, and the result is, perhaps, the best original soundtrack a sitcom has ever had. More than that, the show is funny, buoyed by great performances from Vasan and the other leads. There’s also a natural tension that the show smartly dives into: the members of an all-female, all-Muslim punk band are naturally outsiders in almost every circumstance; even within the group, the women have very different goals in life—guitarist Amina is a shy nerd whose nerves lead her to vomit at the drop of a beat, and her new role in this band is a challenge to her own image of herself, as well as to societal and family expectations. There are currently two seasons streaming, with no word on whether or not we’ll see a third. You can stream We Are Lady Parts here.
Mrs. Davis (2023)
Just a science fiction action comedy about a nun married to literal Jesus on a quest to save the world from the title’s artificial intelligence by finding the Holy Grail alongside her ex-boyfriend. So, yeah, there’s a lot going on in Mrs. Davis—sometimes a little too much, if I’m being honest. But Betty Gilpin holds everything together as Sister Simone, playing it straight in an extremely over-the-top world. It’s refreshing to see a show that’s so unafraid to take big swings, and it works much more often than it should. Though it was cancelled after one season (join the club, Mrs. Davis), it ends reasonably well, and, like co-creator Damon Lindelof’s HBO series Watchmen, would probably be best served by remaining a one-and-done. You can stream Mrs. Davis here.
Bel-Air (2022 – , renewed for a fourth and final season)
Though the first season had promise but earned mixed reviews, the Fresh Prince reboot really came into its own in its second and third seasons. It’s jarring for fans of the beloved original to tune in to find a straight drama with the same premise—one that often leans into heavy realism. Jabari Banks plays Will Smith, a 16-year-old from West Philadelphia who gets movin’ with his auntie and uncle in Bel-Air following a gun charge and a run-in with a local drug lord. Banks is charismatic and believable, bringing a ton of personality to a show that occasionally veers down dark alleys. You can stream Bel-Air here.
Based on a True Story (2023 – 2024)
We’re definitely in Only Murders in the Building territory here, with a true crime enthusiast and armchair detective starting a podcast based on a series of local killings. The twist here is that Ava Bartlett (Kaley Cuoco) and her husband, Nathan (Chris Messina) realize that they know the serial killer they’re investigating (Tom Bateman), and realize that they’re sitting on a goldmine. Instead of turning him in, they’ll make a podcast about him (don’t worry: they’re not really meant to be likable). The show takes a while (nearly too long) to finds its voice, but once it does, it’s becomes a solid satire of capitalism and fame culture, going to dark places in considering what our true-crime obsessions really say about us. You can stream Based on a True Story here.
One of Us is Lying (2021 – 2022, two seasons)
Another murder mystery series, this time based on a young adult novel from Karen M. McManus. Here it’s a group of five high schoolers who show up to detention, only to have one of them die of what at first appears to be an allergic reaction. One of the students, Simon, runs a blog that reveals everyone’s secrets, and when it starts to look like murder, there are an awful lot of suspects. The premise isn’t wildly original, but it’s a solid, effectively twisty-turny mystery series that dovetails surprisingly well into its second season. You can stream One of Us is Lying here.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2024)
Adapted from the Heather Morris novel, itself based on a true story, Tattooist follows Lali and Gita (Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak, with Harvey Keitel as an older Lali), who meet as prisoners during the Holocaust. Lali is given the task of tattooing numbers on the arms of prisoners, a job which grants him a small bit of privilege and room for his romance with Gita to develop, even amid the inhuman horrors surrounding them. You can stream The Tattooist of Auschwitz here.
The Lost Symbol (2021, one season)
By this point, we know what to expect with these Dan Brown adaptations: “Symbologist” Robert Langdon will put his hyper-specific skillset to use in uncovering a conspiracy the likes of which are rarely encountered by academics. And archaeologists don’t often come across lost arks and temples of doom, so this is a realm of disbelief that we’re perfectly content to suspend, especially following the Ron Howard/Tom Hanks movie series that began with The DaVinci Code. That team adapted three of the five books, but skipped this one for some reason, and so here we are: a new Robert Langdon, now played by Succession’s Ashley Zukerman, on the hunt for his kidnapped mentor as part of a mystery that’s tied up with the Freemasons. It’s talky, rather overly so, but works as a polished mystery that will absolutely appeal to fans of the films. You can stream The Lost Symbol here.
John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise (2021)
I was born in Chicago in the years just following the John Wayne Gacy murders, the facts of which weren’t kept from my extremely impressionable young ears. So, you know…not big into clowns, and I have a slightly fraught relationship with the true crime genre. There’s a bit more going on in director Rod Blackhurst’s true crime docuseries, though, than just wallowing in Gacy’s gruesome crimes. While the common (and not inaccurate) image of Gacy is as someone who ingratiated himself with victims by performing as a clown, there’s more to the story than that. His volunteer work, his role as the head of a contracting business, as well as involvement in local politics seemed to obscure his intentions, and kept both police and the media from digging as deeply as they should have into his criminal record. Almost as disturbing as the crimes themselves is the extent to which we can be taken in by someone who meets all our expectations of an upright citizen. You can stream Devil in Disguise here.
Rutherford Falls (2020 – 2022, two seasons)
Writer and producer Sierra Teller Ornelas joins Ed Helms and Michael Schur (The Office) for a warm and delightful sitcom with an unexpected premise: Helms plays Nathan Rutherford, a descendent of the guy whose statue has a prominent spot in town. His best friend is Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), who runs the local cultural center for the (fictional) Minishonka tribe. The two are on completely different sides of the big issues that arise when the mayor wants to take down the old statue (mostly because it’s in a bad spot and cars keep running into it), but work to maintain their friendship anyway. It’s a big-hearted show that isn’t afraid to get into complicated conversations, buoyed by the record number of Indigenous writers on staff, as well as Ornelas herself: In addition to her writing credits for shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore, she’s a sixth-generation Diné weaver, and that perspective is a huge part of the show’s success. You can stream Rutherford Falls here.
Saved by the Bell (2020 – 2021, two seasons)
Look. You probably already have a sense if this is for your or not. Surprisingly, though, Saved by the Bell has is more successful than some of the other recent reboots of YA-skewing, family friendly sitcoms from back in the day (RIP Punky Brewster). Rather than bring back the old cast and coasting on nostalgia, the reboot introduces an entirely new generation of teens and lets them have their own lives and adventures, with humor that’s a bit smarter and more self-aware than the original show managed. Of course, plenty of the old gang (meaning: almost everyone) show up here and there, so you Gen-Xers and elder Millennials won’t be totally left wanting. The show’s post-second-season cancellation was a disappointment. You can stream Saved by the Bell here.
Dr. Death (2021, miniseries)
The docudrama, based on a true crime podcast which was, in turn, an investigation into the story of the real-life Dr. Christopher Duntsch, is at least as terrifying as the story of John Wayne Gacy in Peacock’s documentary on that serial killer. Duntsch, played here by Joshua Jackson, was a wildly overconfident but dangerously incompetent surgeon who maimed or killed the overwhelming majority of his patients in incidents that, according to investigators, were entirely avoidable. The series dramatizes the events that lead up to the revocation of his medical license, long after alarms had been raised about his record, as well as heavy substance abuse. The well-acted show asks exactly the right questions: Why was he able to get away with it for so long, and how did so many people and employers fall for his carefully crafted facade in the face of his horrific track record? You can stream Dr. Death here.
The Capture (2019 – , two seasons)
There are several imports on this list; Peacock is just too new to have a large stable of homegrown shows, but they’ve managed a handful of impressive acquisitions. In this British series, a young, ambitious detective with the London police department is tasked with the investigation of a soldier who’d only recently been exonerated for a war crime, but who seems to have turned around and assaulted and then kidnapped his lawyer (well, OK, his barrister). There’s plenty of police procedural drama and international intrigue, but the show has a slightly different target: it’s looking at the dangers of our reliance on CCTV surveillance, and on the dangers of a widespread assumption that cameras don’t lie. London is one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world, so there’s a particularly British point of view here, but the issues will be recognizable to anyone who’s spent time in any major city. No word yet on a potential third season. You can stream The Capture here.
Killing It (2022 – , two seasons)
With this show about a wide array of grifters and con artists and a cash-strapped bank security guard who hopes to change his fortunes by killing snakes, Peacock has produced one of the sweetest, most surprisingly humane shows in a TV landscape full of much darker stories. At the outset, Craig Foster (Craig Robinson) loses his job after his brother robs the bank that Craig works for. If you’re in need of cash in the state of Florida, what else are you gonna do but hunt pythons? Craig, with no experience whatsoever, teams up with an Uber-driver friend (Claudia O’Doherty) to cash in on a state-sponsored contest. The show approaches even its sleaziest characters with empathy, and while it’s not the funniest comedy on streaming, it’s smartly written and bound to squeeze your heart like a python. You can stream Killing It here.
Those About to Die (2024)
Roland Emmerich is one of the primary names behind this short-lived series, which gives you a sense of the vibe: It’s big, loud, frequently obvious—but also an awful lot of fun. It plays as a soap opera set during the opening days of the Roman Colosseum under Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins). While the emperor’s sons struggle for dominance, the proprietor of Rome’s largest betting tavern, Tenax (Iwan Rheon) forms an unlikely alliance with Cala (Sara Martins), a black Numidian. She came to Rome in pursuit of her children, taken into slavery by Roman soldiers, and there’s nothing she won’t do to secure their safety. You can stream Those About to Die here.
