Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, is steadily gaining TV shows and becoming more of a formidable force in the content wars. The platform contains a hefty selection of Universal properties in an attempt to rival other brand-exclusive streaming content, such as Disney+ and HBO Max. As time goes on, larger chunks of Peacock’s library are becoming exclusive to the service, as well, giving consumers more incentive to subscribe. Peacock has two tiers of payment: the first level is Premium, which gives subscribers access to the full Peacock library but still contains ads. In order to get an ad-free experience, subscribers must pay for Peacock Premium Plus, a model that resembles Hulu’s tiered plan.
For now, not all of Peacock’s offerings are exclusive to the service. However, as NBCUniversal makes plans to let streaming rights lapse on rival platforms, Peacock’s hold on exclusive content may grow tighter. The service has already become the only place to watch The Office and Parks and Recreation. Though well-known titles like 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Superstore are available on other platforms, newly aired episodes of NBC shows will premiere on Peacock the day after their cable debut. Peacock has a lot of quality shows to offer TV fans.
Saturday Night Live (1975 – )
Saturday Night Live has had its ups and downs throughout its gargantuan 46-year history, but every single high and low of the classic late-night variety show is available to watch on Peacock. This means that fans can see everything from Eddie Murphy’s original “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood” sketches to Mike Meyers’ “Wayne’s World” skits to the original 1975 cast that included Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, and Chevy Chase. But while SNL is a beloved sketch show, it’s also had an incredibly uneven run. Some seasons hit their pop-culture commentary out of the park, and others fall flatter than flat. At least with Peacock, fans can find their favorite episodes and rewatch them as much as they want.
Warehouse 13 (2009 – 2014)
Warehouse 13 is one of the most underrated science fiction shows to come out of the 2000s. Part of the programming on the streamer that originated on the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy), Warehouse 13 is a masterful blend of comedy, drama, science fiction, and police procedural. It takes the idea of secret government facilities and ponders whether they could store “magical” historic artifacts. It also asks how the life of H.G. Wells (who almost got a spinoff series) might have been different if the writer was a woman. The what-ifs are part of what makes the show great, and why its inherently binge-able.
Chucky (2021)
It’s tough to sell a horror concept on television, and many shows have tried and failed. But Chucky has the benefit of the Child’s Play franchise to back it up. The show features cast members from the original movies as well as new faces to tell a whole new story that connects all that came before. It’s a great love letter to fans of the renowned murderous children’s toy, but even those who haven’t seen every Child’s Play movie in the franchise can watch the show without being completely lost. It’s a classic franchise for a reason.
Modern Family (2009 – 2020)
The documentary style of Modern Family lends itself well to following around a large dysfunctional family. The audience gets to watch the kids grow up, understand sibling banter, and see hear-to-heart talks between parents and kids that somehow manages to be full of heart and humor. The show has the delicate balance of storylines that a lot of ensemble casts strive for, but can’t always achieve, and everyone gets the chance to have the spotlight. The only thing that would make Modern Family better would be if Sarah Hyland’s Hayley Dunphy got an ending deserving of her character. The final season didn’t make everyone in the audience happy, but the seasons leading up to it are comedic gems. Its 22 Emmy wins (and 85 nominations) are proof of that.
Superstore (2015 – 2021)
Anyone who has ever worked in retail or shopped in a store can appreciate Superstore, as it’s a rare workplace comedy where even the most exaggerated storylines feel true to life. On the surface, it would be easy to say each of the characters are typical comedic stereotypes, but they all have more depth than that. The best aspect of the series is the way it explores all the different relationships among those characters – both romantic and friendly. It might not be exclusive to Peacock, but it’s definitely one of the best casts of sitcom characters the streamer has to offer.
Dance Academy (2010 – 2013)
Peacock doesn’t offer a ton in the way of teen drama TV shows. It caters more to those who love mysteries, but it does have a hidden gem that is actually an Australian teen series. Dance Academy follows a group of teens vying for competitive spots in the cutthroat world of ballet. There are soapy elements to the show, but the stellar acting from the cast sells the audience on the storytelling. Dance Academy offers a nice escape from the thrillers and darker content on the streamer and is a must-watch for anyone who loves teen dance-themed dramas.
If a television series is a musical, it usually means the show is performance-based. But that’s not the case with Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. The titular character, played by Jane Levy, begins to hear people’s innermost thoughts and emotions, but not by reading their minds. Instead, it’s like they’re singing to her. It’s a unique premise for a show, and other series that have used similar ideas have only had it work for an episode or two. Here, it’s a lasting concept that made the cancelation of the show truly heartbreaking for the audience, but they can relive it on Peacock as often as they want.
30 Rock (2006 – 2013)
For those who want to know just how TV production works, especially on a long-running series like Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock is a great, albeit satirical, look at just that. That said, those wanting something completely realistic won’t want to turn to 30 Rock for that, but it definitely has its laughs nailed. In fact, 30 Rock is one of the best TV shows about making a TV show, even with all of its inaccuracies, although it did run for significantly fewer seasons than the show that provides its inspiration in SNL. With a standout cast that includes Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan, and Alec Baldwin though, it’s hard to go wrong.
Columbo (1971 – 2003)
Generally speaking, TV detectives are a dime a dozen, and this means that there is something for everyone when it comes to crime procedurals in modern television. But this is actually where Peacock excels compared to other streamers. When it comes to crime and detective series, it has the classics, the modern takes, the sitcoms, and the thrillers. Columbo is one of these classic detective shows. It won 13 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes over the course of its lengthy run, and it wasn’t in the 45-minute procedural format of today. Instead, the episodes were movie-length, giving the audience a full story to explore. It began airing in 1971, and the specials continued periodically after the series ended, right up until 2003. The enduring popularity of the series has many believing Columbo (Peter Falk) is the best TV detective of all time.
Battlestar Galactica (2004 – 2009)
Battlestar Galactica started as a one-season television show in 1978, but the name didn’t start to get serious recognition until its 2004 remake. The original series is a campy Cold War-era adventure, but the remake is considered the definitive Battlestar Galactica experience. Created by Ronald D. Moore, known for his work on the classic Star Trek series The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, Battlestar Galactica, set to have another long-awaited reboot, explores a devastating war between humans and the Cylons, robots who have turned on their creators, as the survivors travel between space colonies. Said to be an allegory for a post-9/11 world, the series is dark, thought-provoking science-fiction beloved by many fans of the genre.
Bates Motel (2013 – 2017)
The Psycho prequel that no one knew they ever wanted is another Peacock exclusive. The Bates Motel series explains how Norman Bates, played by Freddie Highmore (who aughts kids will recognize from Tim Burton’s remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), moved into his titular hotel and got to murdering his unfortunate victims. But the real strength of Bates Motel comes from Vera Farmiga’s layered performance of Norman’s mother Norma, whose characterization is more complicated than most people probably think it is, considering her most well-known moment in pop culture is of her skeletal corpse.
The Law & Order Franchise (Various)
The hugely popular cop procedural media franchise has a chunk of its most prominent material available to watch on Peacock. This includes the last eight seasons of the original Law & Order‘s 20-season run, the past 21 seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and all 10 seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In addition, the most recent Law & Order series, a serialized spin-off of Special Victims Unit called Organized Crime, is also available on the service.
Murder, She Wrote (1984 – 1996)
Like Columbo, the quotable Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is considered one of the best TV detectives of all time. Whereas Columbo’s movie-length mysteries were a touch harder-edged, Mrs. Fletcher’s were considered “cozy” murder mysteries thanks to her living in a small New England town and writing murder mysteries about her experiences. There’s no profanity, no gore, and rarely foul language. Murder, She Wrote somehow manages to be a warm and fuzzy series that makes the audience feel good while they watch a woman solve murders.
Parks And Recreation (2009 – 2015)
As in the case of The Office, Peacock let the rights to Parks and Recreation expire on other streaming services so it could become the exclusive home of the show. Both shows have extremely high rewatchability value for their comforting, easygoing humor. Parks and Rec, in particular, glows with optimism, its characters growing into supportive and empathetic people while they work within the hurdles of local government bureaucracy. Initially pitched as a spinoff of The Office, Parks and Rec grew into a classic TV series in its own right.
Poker Face (2023 – )
Peacock has debuted a lot of original content since it launched, and one of those series is from the mind of Rian Johnson. Poker Face stars Natasha Lyonne as a woman who can always tell when others are lying. That skill gets her into trouble, but it also means that she’s able to see through the lies people feed her to unravel mysteries other people can’t. Lyonne’s performance drives the show just as it did in her previous series, Russian Doll. Both shows prove she’s been severely underutilized in movies in the past.
Cheers (1982 – 1993)
In 1982, the audience just wanted to go where everybody knew their name. Now, they can because all 200+ episodes of the sitcom, set in a small bar run by Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson in one of his best roles, are available to stream on Peacock. The vast majority of the series takes place on the same set – the aforementioned bar. While there are some characters who come and go over the course of 11 seasons, most of the main cast stays intact that entire time, which is a huge feat for a long-running series like Cheers. Its 28 Emmys are also a testament to the quality. Of course, the show also led to the spin-off series Frasier, which is also a successful show getting a sequel series of its own.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013 – 2021)
A sitcom instead of a police procedural, Brooklyn Nine-Nine goes a long way in making TV detectives be more than stoic puzzle-solvers. Here, the characters are allowed to be vibrant and eccentric like they would be in other workplace comedies, but the workplace just happens to be a police station. The show also has some great central relationship storylines, Halloween heists, and some of the best cold opens in television history. Having it binge-able on Peacock is a great incentive for subscribers to the platform.
The Office (2005 – 2013)
NBCUniversal’s ultimate power move was holding the exclusive streaming rights to The Office once they expired on Netflix. Now, one of Netflix’s most-watched television shows ever is only available to watch on Peacock. The streaming service heavily advertised its acquirement for good reason. Over 15 years after its debut, The Office is still ingrained in pop culture for widely popularizing the single-camera, mockumentary style that influenced later sitcom television. So many of the best sitcoms on Peacock that premiered on television later owe a debt to The Office.
Psych (2006 – 2014)
The cult comedy series about Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best friend Gus solving crimes together was one of Peacock’s first major acquirements upon the service’s launch. Psych centers around Spencer, a detective with a near-superpowered photographic memory, and although the series came to an end in 2014, its dedicated fanbase has only helped the show grow in popularity since its departure. Creator Steve Franks has since brought his characters back to television screens in movie form. Psych 2: Lassie Come Home was available to watch on Peacock’s launch day and was undoubtedly a major incentive for those who followed the show to subscribe. A third film, giving Gus (Dulé Hill) the spotlight, also premiered on Peacock.
Yellowstone (2018 – )
This sleeper-hit Western drama about a family of ranchers who face encroaching forces seeking to take over the ranch property somewhat surprisingly turned into a massive hit. The premiere episode was the most-watched debut for any series on the Paramount Network, including under its former Spike name, and in 2018, Yellowstone was the most-watched scripted show on basic cable. Taylor Sheridan, critically acclaimed writer of the thrillers Sicario and Hell or High Water, and John Linson of Sons of Anarchy fame, are both no strangers to the Western genre.
Dr. Death (2021 – 2023)
One of Peacock’s newest additions to its original programming, Dr. Death is a bone-chilling twist on the true-crime format that subs in medical professionals in place of law enforcement. Joshua Jackson stars as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a twisted neurosurgeon who goes on a malpractice rampage in the halls of the hospitals that are inattentive and neglectful enough to employ him. The show is based on the critically acclaimed podcast of the same name and deftly compares the malignant incompetency of both Duntsch and medical-legal bureaucracy.
The Carol Burnett Show (1967 – 1978)
Fans of variety shows and sketch comedy will find a lot to love in The Carol Burnett Show. It’s more even-keeled than SNL, and it features some legendary performers. In addition to Burnett herself, the show employs Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, and more in some of the most ridiculous sketches to ever appear on television. Over the course of its 11 years on television, the show won 25 Emmys. The highly successful Mama’s Family was even inspired by sketches from the show.
Parenthood (2010 – 2015)
Jason Katims is known for crafting exceptional family TV dramas like Parenthood, but not all of them make it to the 100-episode mark. Parenthood, about multiple generations of the Braverman family, is one of the few that did, and it’s available to stream in its entirety on Peacock. The show is definitely a tear-jerker though as it deftly combines heartfelt storylines with humor and a unique family dynamic. It also boasts Lauren Graham, Mae Whitman, Craig T. Nelson, and Dax Shephard among its impressive talents.
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 – 1966)
Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore have some of the best comedic timing – and chemistry – in TV history. That’s what makes their show so delightful, even more than 60 years after it premiered on television. One of the unique aspects of the show, despite it following a fictional TV writer (Van Dyke), is that the actual writers for the show would incorporate things that happened to the actors in real life into their storylines. Entire episodes are based around a funny anecdote from Van Dyke or Moore, which might be why they were able to play to the material so well.
Friday Night Lights (2006 – 2011)
Friday Night Lights might just be one of the most critically lauded but criminally under-watched shows of all time. The storylines and performances are praised by everyone who watches it, but during its run, the show remained on the verge of cancelation at all times because it couldn’t bring in the big ratings NBC wanted for it. Despite that, the authenticity of the performances from Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, and Taylor Kitsch turned heads. The show also helped launch the careers of Michael B. Jordan and Zach Gilford. It’s an underrated gem and easily the best television show that Peacock has to offer among its thousands of hours of streamable content.
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