10 Paramount+ Series You Need to Binge This Week

Paramount+ has been making an effort to compete against streaming giants like Netflix and Hulu. I must say, I’m rather impressed. Not only does it offer great bingeable original content, but it’s also a hub for various cable networks, including CBS, Nickelodeon, and Showtime.

With so much content to choose from, it can often be overwhelming to decide what to watch, much less binge for a weekend. Luckily for you, I’m here to help with that.

10

Matlock

If you haven’t watched this reboot of the 1986 courtroom classic, you might want to hop right on that. Starring the inimitable Kathy Bates as our titular character, Matlock follows brilliant septuagenarian Madeline “Matty” Matlock as she emerges from retirement to rejoin the workforce in search of justice for the death of her daughter, who fell victim to the opioid epidemic. She uses her unassuming demeanor and clever tactics to secure a job at the very law firm she believes hid evidence that could’ve saved her daughter’s life.

Matlock is critically acclaimed and maintains a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the original series; you don’t need to. This reboot forges an entirely new path with a fresh female perspective and is full of intriguing mysteries and clever twists. Plus, Bates gives an award-winning performance that you won’t want to miss.

9

Hell On Wheels

Hell On Wheels is one gritty Western that’ll have you glued to your TV screen. The Civil War is over, but former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) can’t leave the past behind him; he’s plagued with flashbacks of his family’s murder at the hands of Union soldiers. As he sets out in search of their killers, he finds himself smack-dab in the middle of westward expansion, in the lawless melting-pot town of Hell on Wheels, amid the building of the transcontinental railroad.

This gritty Western explores the lives of individuals in this melting-pot town and is full of action, vengeance, and love, making for gripping viewing. It also stars Colm Meaney, Common, Robin McLeavy, Jake Weber, and Christopher Heyerdahl.

8

Tulsa King

Tulsa King is quite a big deal for Sylvester Stallone: It’s his first leading role in a scripted television series. Stallone stars as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a 75-year-old American mafia caporegime recently released from a 25-year stint in prison for murder. When his former boss dies and the new boss exiles him to Tulsa, Oklahoma, Manfredi realizes his mob family isn’t who he thought they were. Thus, he sets out to build his own criminal organization, and this time, he isn’t taking nonsense from anyone.

You’ll fly through the first two seasons of Tulsa King. Both feature engaging, light-hearted plots and entertaining characters, and with season three dropping later this year, now is the time to acquaint yourself with this Taylor Sheridan/Paramount+ gem.

7

Evil

Evil is one of the most entertaining, enlightening, and exploratory dramas grounded in religion and skepticism I’ve ever seen. When supernatural events increasingly plague their community, the Catholic Church hires two skeptics, forensic psychologist Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) and technology contractor Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), and priest-in-training David Acosta (Mike Colter), to investigate them.

There is a backlog of unexplained mysteries for the team to crack, which include miracles, demonic possessions, and other extraordinary occurrences.

The hit series features quirky characters and searches for logical explanations before labeling events as supernatural. It also examines the origins of evil as they exist along the line between faith and science. Don’t expect it to take itself too seriously. While you might hit a point where premises feel silly, that’s your cue to start looking at things from a psychological perspective, and that is what’s fascinating.

6

Lioness

Another Taylor Sheridan hit, Lioness features an all-star cast that includes Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, James Jordan, and Robyn Lively.

Inspired by a real-life CIA program, Lioness follows Joe (Saldaña) as she heads up an undercover team of female operatives known as Lionesses in the war on terror. The series focuses on her struggle to balance her work life with her personal life. As she trains these women to infiltrate and disrupt terrorist organizations, she can’t fight her urge to be part of the action. She’s rough, she’s tough, and she’s all-commanding.

Lioness is full of action-driven storylines, and season two brings so much combat, it’ll leave you breathless. While everyone gives fabulously strong character performances, Saldaña gives the most outstanding performance of her career. That alone makes this Paramount+ series a must-watch.

5

Landman

Secure the land and manage the people: That’s what a landman’s job is, and it’s not as easy as it sounds. Landman is a modern tale of fortune-seeking wildcat billionaires and roughnecks in the oil industry, particularly in the boomtowns of West Texas.

Billy Bob Thornton stars as Tommy Norris, a crisis executive working to bring his company to the top of the industry during a fuel boom so big, it has begun reshaping the climate, the economy, and geopolitics. Our story follows Norris as he negotiates complex land deals, polices his team of drillers, deals with family shenanigans, and navigates the dangers of the oil field and those fighting for their own pieces of land.

You’ll love the dialogue, the quality, the characters, and the intensity of the show, which places Thornton and his drastically stereotyped wife and daughter as the source of levity. The real story here, in my opinion, centers on Norris’s son, who experiences a character arc so engrossing, the rest seems superfluous… but it’s not.

Landman is funny and dramatic, with themes of greed, morality, environmental preservation, and good men trying to do a good job. Its all-star cast also includes Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, James Jordan, Ali Larter, Colm Feore, and Andy Garcia.

4

MobLand

MobLand might be my favorite new crime drama series of 2025. Starring Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine, and Geoff Bell, the series focuses on rival crime families, the Harrigans and the Stevensons, as their battle for control of the criminal underworld escalates into a grisly, full-blown war. The story follows Harry Da Souza (Hardy), a street-smart “fixer” for the Harrigans, as he navigates the muddy waters of gang warfare while protecting Harrigan family interests and his own.

This compelling crime drama is riddled with secrets, lies, and bombshells, in addition to award-worthy performances and more intense action than you can shake a stick at. It’s mysterious and violent, and you’ll develop love-hate relationships with certain characters, particularly with the Harrigan matriarch, played by Helen Mirren. She and Tom Hardy deliver masterful performances.

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3

Mayor of Kingstown

Mayor of Kingstown is one of the best thrilling crime dramas streaming today (and believe me, I keep a running list). Its focus is on one of America’s most important contemporary issues: the prison system.

The series follows the McLusky family in Kingstown, Michigan, where the only thriving industry is the business of incarceration. The McLuskys attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has (or knows) neither, and they pay hefty prices to do so. Jeremy Renner is Mike McLusky, the unofficial mayor of the city, who spends his time working as a mediator of sorts between the legal world and the criminal world.

Created by Taylor Sheridan with Hugh Dillon, the series tackles themes of systemic racism, inequality, corruption, and identity as defined by a harsh environment. Renner is the hero helping drive the story to dark, intense places, while struggling to find balance in his emotions that keep bubbling to the surface. Mayor of Kingstown will shock you, break your heart, and motivate you. It’s an absolute must-see.

2

1923

1923 is a Yellowstone prequel that takes us back to the early generations of the infamous Dutton family. The real origin story begins with 1888, which is also on Paramount+, but 1923 brings the family into the early 20th century as they navigate new challenges in Montana during westward expansion, including Prohibition, economic hardship, and devastating drought.

The series sees Jacob and Cara Dutton (Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren), who are the great-great-grand aunt and uncle to Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III in Yellowstone. 1923 primarily centers on Spencer Dutton, John’s great-grandfather, who, after serving in World War I, chooses to become a big game hunter in Africa and develops an iconic reputation. Most of 1923 is about the family waiting for his return as metaphorical wolves invade the ranch.

1923 is the epitome of a well-written Western, full of love, hate, death, and survival. By the second season, you’ll be glued to your TV screen in frustration and anticipation of what’s about to happen. The series was so successful that another spinoff is in the works, so stay tuned for more Dutton drama.

1

The Dexter Franchise

Arguably, the Dexter franchise is one of the most bingeable, successful, and critically acclaimed shows in television history, and its spinoffs have been highly anticipated too.

The original series follows the life of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), an expert blood spatter analyst with the Miami Metro Police Department by day and a vigilante serial killer—who only takes out other killers—by night. It’s as brilliant and witty as it is bloody and creepy.

Its ten-episode sequel, Dexter: New Blood, was released in 2021 and follows Harrison (Jack Alcott), Dexter’s son, as he sets out in search of his father. Its ending left fans thirsty for even more, so prequel series Dexter: Original Sin takes us back to 1991 Miami and chronicles Dexter’s time around his mother’s murder, up to his internship at Miami Metro P.D. On top of that, Dexter: Resurrection arrives soon, serving as a sequel to New Blood.

We’re still not done, though, as a prequel spinoff to the original series is in production. It will focus on the origins of the notorious Trinity Killer, played by John Lithgow. And, after the success of Original Sin, there are rumors of a spinoff centered on Dexter’s brother, Brian, who went on to become the Ice Truck Killer in the original series. So, stay tuned, because the Dexter-verse is rapidly expanding.

Paramount+ is full of shows to binge, no matter your personal taste, and this list should help get you started. However, if some of my choices aren’t your jam or you want more, don’t worry.

Check out sitcoms Ghosts, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, and The Neighborhood, dark comedy Why Women Kill, true crime adaptation Happy Face, the mysterious Yellowjackets, and sci-fi favorites Halo, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

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