NBCUniversal gave it its all when it launched its Peacock streaming service in mid-2020. One thing it did was get the exclusive US streaming rights to a number of popular TV series. As a result, there are many good Peacock TV shows to be streamed and watched on the service. We decided to limit the number to our top 10 best peacock shows.
Continue reading: Peacock – All you need to know
As you can see, there is a great mix of shows, from classic TV mysteries to more recent sitcoms and dramas. We narrowed our list to the best Peacock TV shows that were scripted. We did not include any of the reality, news, sports or talk shows on the service. We also didn’t include any of the programs recently added by the WWE Pro Wrestling Organization. Since Peacock includes a free subscription tier (with ads), we’ll be indicating on each show listing if they are available for free and which ones are available with a paid Peacock Premium subscription ($ 4.99 per month with ads, $ 9.9 per month without ads)).
With that said, here are some of the best peacock shows. You can register for the service at the following link:
Best peacock shows
Editor’s note: This list will be updated as more Peacock TV shows are added to the service.
The office (USA)
The first two seasons for free – seasons 3-9 on Peacock Premium
The UK version of the Office may come first, but this workplace sitcom became a worldwide phenomenon when the US version was introduced. The Dunder Mifflin Paper Company became one of the most recognizable fictional companies in history when we looked at their employees at their headquarters in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The show is based on the idea of a documentary crew supposedly working on a film with these staff as they often speak directly to the camera.
The Office’s nine seasons showed the ups and downs of both the people and the company, often in funny situations. We’ve seen store manager Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, go from a disgusting and sometimes abusive boss to a truly loving authority figure. We saw the romance blossom between receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and paper salesman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski). We also saw all of the show’s other supportive players in their element, from the assistant to the regional manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and his many, many eccentricities to the congested accountant Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) to the lovable and Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner), somewhat socially incompetent. In fact, there are so many regular and recurring characters on this show that are memorable that we couldn’t list them all here. Check out the show and see for yourself. It is definitely one of the best Peacock TV shows out there.
Peacock Premium members can also watch the third season of the Office with extended scenes (superfan episodes).
Parks and recreation
The first two seasons for free – seasons 3-7 on Peacock Premium
Originally developed as a spin-off for The Office, Parks and Recreation was a separate show with no direct reference to the previous series. Both shows are workplace comedies and both use the idea of a documentary crew filming the characters all the time. Parks and Recreation is a bit brighter, however.
In contrast to the strong offices of Dunder Mifflin, the offices of the Park and Recreation division of Pawnee, Indiana feel warmer and more welcoming. The characters are also more approachable, led by assistant director Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). While laughing at the characters from The Office, you might not want to meet them in real life. In contrast, you’ll definitely want to be friends with many of the characters from Parks and Recreation.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
Available for free on Peacock all seasons
Almost no one thought restarting a 1970s sci-fi series and an obvious Star Wars rip-off was a good idea. Ronald D. Moore, who previously wrote for Star Trek: The Next Generation, thought differently. His reinterpretation of this series is clearly based on a post-9/11 world where humanity is almost completely wiped out by the Cylons, a robot race that humans actually created themselves. The last remaining humans try to flee in a fleet of ragships, but the Cylons pursue them. Worse still, there are some Cylons who look human and hide in the fleet.
The show is dark and bluish at times, but it also shows the confidence of humanity. It also shows that villains like the Cylons are also shades of gray. Oh, and it has some of the best sci-fi space battles ever shown in film. This is one of the best peacock shows and certainly one of the most creative science fiction pieces out there. You can also check out the original miniseries that served as the basis for the reboot, as well as the stand-alone film The Plan.
Law and order: SUV
The first two seasons for free – seasons 3-22 on Peacock Premium
There are tons of procedural TV shows to watch, but this is perhaps the best of the bunch. It is certainly the longest with 22 seasons and counts. This spin-off of the original law and order is focused on solving sex crimes, and many of these shows were torn from breaking news events by the time they first aired. It may be difficult to see at times, but luckily the officers and prosecutors of the Special Victims Unit are interesting to see, led as always by Mariska Hargitay’s appearances as Officer Olivia Benson.
Yellowstone
First episode free – all other episodes on Peacock Premium
Recognition: Paramount Network
After a decade-long career as one of the greatest movie stars, Kevin Costner courageously decided to become the leading actor in a television series. He made a home run with this melodrama in the wilderness of Wyoming. He plays John Dutton, the head of a huge cattle ranch that is constantly being attacked by politicians, land developers, and others. His family members are also sometimes at odds with him and with each other. It’s a fun adult soap opera with a great setting. It’s definitely not for children either. It’s also one of the best Peacock TV shows.
Columbo
Available for free on Peacock all seasons
The 1970s were a wasteland for high quality television drama. There were tons of cop shows, medical series, and really bad science fiction shows. One of the few TV dramas that is still very entertaining today is Columbo. This is mainly due to Peter Falk’s performance as the title character. He is a Los Angeles Police Department detective who frequently solves murders related to the rich and famous. This show is also notable for its formula of showing us the killer and how he or she committed the crime before Columbo shows up. It’s great fun when we watch the seemingly clumsy and socially backward detective questioning the suspect with his trademark: “Oh, just one more thing. . . ”Line. As it always turns out, Columbo is indeed highly intelligent and intuitive, and always gets his killer. It is without a doubt one of the best peacock shows.
In addition to streaming the older episodes of Columbo from the 1970s, Peacock has the younger seasons from the late 1980s to 2003. You can also watch the original 1968 film, Prescription Murder, which served as the pilot for the series.
Downtown Abbey
Available for free on Peacock all seasons
Like Yellowstone, Downton Abbey is a melodrama about a very wealthy family who live in a large house in the country. However, Downton Abbey is set in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century as we see the country’s class system in full swing. While the family “upstairs” lives in fancy clothes and deals with many different problems, the employees “downstairs” also have their own lives and problems. It’s a bit adored but also fun to watch and one of the best Peacock TV shows around.
Mr. Mercedes
The first two seasons for free – Season 3 on Peacock Premium
Based on a series of Stephen King novels, this dark mystery series revolves around a retired police officer who is struck by an incident early in his career. A person driving a Mercedes drove into a crowd and killed 16 people. The cop is up against another insane killer who claims to be the one who drove this car. This show was first shown on DirecTV’s exclusive Audience channel, which meant almost no one had seen it originally. Fortunately, this mystery thriller can be viewed in its entirety as one of the best Peacock shows.
Brooklyn Nine Nine
All seasons on Peacock Premium
There have certainly been sitcoms in the past that focused on the police. However, none of them are as fun as this long-running show. While we have a talented cast here, Andy Samberg does an excellent job as nominally leading the show, a great detective who also has a healthy sense of humor. This sometimes brings him into conflict with his commanding officer, played by Andre Braugher. You can now watch all seven seasons, and the eighth and final season will be streamed weekly on Peacock after the episodes aired on NBC.
Saved by the Bell (2020)
The first three episodes are free – the remaining 7 episodes are on Peacock Premium
Peacock has a small number of exclusive series to date (many of which are imports from the UK, Australia and Canada). Believe it or not, however, the best original series to date could be this reboot of the classic kids sitcom. Yes, the show still takes place at the fictional Bayside High School, but the series is much more adult than its predecessor. It addresses many real and current youth issues, including the quality of the education they receive. It’s also funny when we see the current number of students interacting with many cast members from the original series.
Thank you for looking at our list. These are just some of the best Peacock TV shows, and we’ll be adding more to this list in the coming months.