10 Shows to Watch on Paramount+

We’ve officially entered summer, and a new week means new things to watch. For your viewing pleasure, I bring you a mix of classics from the 80s and 90s, hits of the 2010s, and even a little Australian sitcom that makes for an excellent quick binge.

Here are 10 Paramount+ series you need to binge this week, June 23, especially since some of these shows have new seasons arriving before the end of the year.

10

Colin from Accounts

I’m so glad this show turned up on Paramount+, otherwise I might not have ever had the pleasure of knowing Colin from Accounts.

On a beautiful, sunny day, a guy stops his car for a girl in a crosswalk. Said girl sheepishly flashes the guy and gives a smile as she walks by—enough to distract anyone, right? As Gordon (Patrick Brammall) eases off the brake pedal, he hits an unseen dog crossing the road, and thus is the foundation for this most underrated sitcom, courtesy of Australia.

Ashley (Harriet Dyer), of course, stops and runs back, and she and Gordon sort of co-adopt the dog, whom they name Colin from Accounts, then they take turns nursing him back to health. The more time they spend together, the more they fall for one another. Eventually, everything about their relationship revolves around the dog.

Colin from Accounts is one of those shows where you tune in for the cute dog but end up staying for the authentic, well-nuanced, raunchily funny courtship of a charmingly imperfect couple.

9

Billions

Wealth, influence, and power often behold the best drama, and when you throw corruption into the mix, you’ve got a delectable four-course meal on your hands.

Set in New York, Billions follows the war between shrewd U.S. Attorney Chuck Roades (Paul Giamatti) and super-powerful, ambitious hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis). Axe’s aggressive tactics continue to draw Roades’ attention, and as Roades gears up to go after Axe, a collision course looms, as each uses his own smarts and influence in this high-stakes game of predator versus prey. It’ll have you salivating to see how it plays out.

Expect an emotional, exhilarating ride out of this one: The show is more than just a narrative about money and power. Pay attention to the detailed character development, the razor-sharp dialogue, and how the storytelling techniques keep you hanging on every word.

Billions was inspired by real-life federal prosecutions of financial crime. The character of Roades is based on Preet Bharara, who served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan from 2009 to 2017. His 2013 prosecution of hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen loosely influenced the first season of Billions, while the Salomon Brothers’ 1991 manipulation of U.S. Treasure bonds inspired the second.

8

Freaks and Geeks

In one of the most honest portrayals of high school life pre-21st century (minus anything from John Hughes), Freaks and Geeks is a TV show that ended way too early, despite its critical acclaim and eventual cult status. It’s also a solid example of why not to ignore a canceled TV show.

Growing up in the 80s, there were two kinds of outsiders in school: the freaks (burnouts) and the geeks (academic nerds). Freaks and Geeks follows smart student Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) as she rebels and starts associating with the freaks, while her younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) navigates his challenges as a freshman geek.

The widely-acclaimed cool-kid comedy blew my mind as a kid. It’s ridiculously relatable and captures all the awkwardness, anxieties, and uncertainties of adolescence, with a heavy focus on the humor and heartbreak that accompanies being a teenager.

Expect to see a cast full of future legends like Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, Ben Stiller, Ben Foster, Rashinda Jones, Lizzy Caplan, Leslie Mann, and Shia LaBeouf, all in their prime. Once you experience their young skills in Freaks and Geeks, dive into some of their later work and compare how far they’ve come.

7

Cheers

Since we’re throwin’ back to the 20th century, I can’t miss the opportunity to highlight one of the best of the 80s and 90s!

Cheers is the name of a Boston pub where locals, regulars, and bar staff alike share their days, lives, and experiences. It’s “where everybody knows your name,” and for Gen-Xers like me, the theme song is one we grew up hearing every single day.

Starring Ted Danson, the series follows the life of Sam Malone (Danson), a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, who now owns and (soberly) runs Cheers, the coziest bar in the city. His life is forever changed when the beautiful, intelligent, snobby Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), who’s recently estranged from her fiancé, winds up working for him as a waitress, but her actual job is to bicker with him, and we love it.

As we watch their love story unfold, we also meet the rest of the family: sarcastic waitress Carla (Rhea Perlman), beer-slurping accountant Norm (the late George Wendt), know-it-all letter carrier Cliff Claven (the late John Ratzenberger), ruthless corporate careerist Rebecca (Kirstie Alley), freelance head shrink Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammar), and the simple-minded, good-hearted Woodrow Huckleberry Tiberius Boyd (Woody Harrelson), to name a few.

Cheers is one of those old-school, feel-good sitcoms of the simpler days that, no matter what your age, will leave you with something to ponder and much to appreciate. Simply put, it’s perfect.

6

The United States of Tara

She’s got a creative mind, a husband, two kids, and multiple personalities. While her life is beautiful and never dull, Tara (Toni Collette) never knows what or who to expect out of it in this uniquely smart comedy series from Diablo Cody.

The United States of Tara is about a suburban housewife, mother, and artist living with dissociative identity disorder, a condition that causes her to shift between multiple personalities without notice. Does it keep her on her toes? Yes. Does it keep her family on theirs? You bet.

In the beginning, Tara has three personalities: “T,” a flirty teen; Buck, a beer-guzzling Vietnam vet with a violent streak; and Alice, a perfect TV mom right out of the 1950s. As the series progresses, four more alter egos emerge—one being a violent alter named Bryce and another being Tara’s five-year-old abused self, Chicken.

Did these personalities develop out of trauma? Yes. Is this series worth exploring? Absolutely.

Aside from the humor, The United States of Tara offers a compelling look at dissociative identity disorder (DID) and its effects on family dynamics. Moreover, this is one of Toni Collette’s best, most unpredictable performances.

5

Joe Pickett

Based on the book series of the same name, Joe Pickett is a slow-burn Western following a dedicated game warden (Michael Dorman) as he and his family wade through the shifting socio-political climate of a small rural town of Saddlestring, which is on the verge of economic collapse.

Set against the backdrop of Wyoming’s rugged landscape, Saddlestring is beautiful and charming. It’s also corrupt and dangerous, as Joe finds out when a murder victim winds up on his doorstep. Now, the Picketts find themselves embroiled in a giant conspiracy, and that’s the last place they want to be.

Joe Pickett offers an appealing blend of mystery and outdoor adventure wrapped in a neo-Western about an underestimated hero. As most Westerns tend to do, this one also explores contemporary issues and challenges faced by those living in rural America.

Expect an authentic setting, hefty social commentary mixed with character-driven storytelling, and strong female characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this binge!

4

Everybody Loves Raymond

Based on the real lives of comedian Ray Romano and showrunner Phil Rosenthal, Everybody Loves Raymond follows the day-to-day life of Raymond Barone (Romano), a sportswriter for Newsday living on Long Island with his family.

The show focuses on Ray’s interactions with his family, which includes his wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton), and their three kids, his lovable but overbearing parents, Marie (Doris Roberts) and Frank (Peter Boyle), and a jealous brother named Robert (Brad Garrett).

Everybody Loves Raymond was (and still is) known for its relatable portrayal of family life, which prides itself on the humor it derives from the misunderstandings and eccentricities of individual characters and their attempts to navigate their relationships.

Whether it be because of Ray’s dry sarcasm and inability to take things seriously, Robert’s bitter, envious, and cynical outlook (and constant bickering with and efforts to one-up Ray), or Marie’s mothering tactics, this series is one of those sitcoms you can watch repeatedly, and the episodes will keep getting funnier every single time.

3

Ink Master

In an age of reality competition overload, there’s one series that’ll always have my undivided attention: Ink Master. I love a good tattoo, but more than anything, I love to watch a talented artist work on a human canvas. While the series could use less focus on scripted drama, it’s still a major attention-getter.

For the unfamiliar, Ink Master gathers 10 of the best tattoo artists on the planet each season to battle it out in head-to-head challenges. Their mad skills are then judged by renowned artists and enthusiasts, who, over time, have evolved from old-school greats such as Chris Nuñez and Oliver Peck to new school masters DJ Tambe, Ryan Ashley, and Nikko Hurtado.

While formerly hosted by Dave Navarro, today the hit reality series is hosted by Joel Madden. Season 16 crowned its new master in December 2024, and season 17 is currently in production.

Now is the perfect time to binge all 16 seasons and familiarize yourself with the artistic evolution of Ink Master. I mean, summer is tattoo time, is it not?

2

The Agency: Central Intelligence

Starring Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere, The Agency: Central Intelligence is a character-driven espionage thriller focusing on CIA covert operative Martian (Fassbender).

After six years, Martian is recalled from an undercover assignment in Ethiopia to the London Station and tasked with re-integrating into civilian life. Additionally, he’ll also be navigating a new, high-stakes international mission.

His return (and cover) is complicated by the reappearance of the love he left behind, Sami (Jodie Turner-Smith), and, as a result, Martian finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place with inherent conflicts between his personal relationships and professional obligations.

The Agency is great at emphasizing the complexity and precision of espionage, taking careful strides to showcase the tradecraft and psychological aspects of the spy world, as opposed to relying solely on spy action sequences.

Expect to explore themes of political and international intrigue, love and deception, and the psychological toll of espionage, as well as the moral dilemmas faced by those who operate in the shadows. Fassbender delivers a great performance, as usual, with his intrigue and intensity propeling the story.

1

Tulsa King

Sylvester Stallone has taken on a lot of good roles over the course of his career, but Dwight “The General” Manfredi is his best of late.

From writer/creator Taylor Sheridan comes Tulsa King, an almost-but-not-quite gritty crime drama series about a New York mafia capo (Stallone) who is released from prison after a 25-year stint, only to be exiled to Tulsa by his boss. When Manfredi realizes his crime family has no plans for him, he builds his own criminal empire with the help of some unlikely associates.

Now, I’m no crime boss, but I’ve seen enough of these shows to know that one cannot just set up shop in new territory without first attempting to make nice with the bosses already in place. Manfredi learns this the hard way.

Naturally, as Dwight and his crew stake their claim, they face threats from back home, from the Kansas City mob, and from a powerful local businessman.

With an all-star cast that includes Frank Grillo and Dana Delaney, Tulsa King explores the consequences of actions while trying to keep families safe, as well as the conflicts that come with building and maintaining an empire. There’s a major theme of redemption floating throughout the series, along with some awesome celebrity cameos.

In addition to its engrossing storyline blended with action, drama, and humor, Tulsa King has secured itself as another Sheridan hit. Now is the time to familiarize yourself with Dwight’s journey, personality, and attitude, because the series returns soon with its third season.

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Whether you’re revisiting an older series, catching up on fresh seasons, or experiencing a new Paramount+ original, there is plenty to keep you entertained on this streaming service full of hits. It’s also one of this entertainment enthusiast’s favorite platforms!