Beyond original TV shows and the live feature, Hulu boasts an overflowing movie library. We picked the 25 best movies Hulu has to offer.

If you thought that Hulu was the streaming service only for watching FX shows the morning after they premiere, think again. From newer hits to must-see classics, Hulu has a solid list of movies waiting just a few clicks away. Here are the 25 best Hulu movies right now.

Last updated on May 12, 2023.

25. Deep Water

Year: 2022
Cast: Ana de Armas, Ben Affleck, Tracy Letts, and Lil Rey Howery
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 115 minutes
Director: Adrian Lyne
Trailer: Watch here

Divisive? Yes. This thriller is dripping wet with divisiveness, but where else are you going to get your 1990s sleaze fix nowadays? To wit, this psychological marriage thriller brought Adrian “Fatal Attraction” Lyne out of a 20-year retirement, and while it’s not nearly as steamy as his previous work, it offers up a lot of the same bodily motions. Melinda and Vic have a unique matrimonial union: they stay together for the kids, and Melinda gets all the lovers she wants. Sadly (and predictably), Vic gets more than a little jealous, and one-night stands go a little missing. But is Vic really to blame? And if he is, and Melinda is into it, is that super duper weird? Affleck channels big Gone Girl energy, and his work alongside de Armas will challenge you not to yuck someone else’s yum.

Watch it on Hulu

24. Boston Strangler

Year: 2023
Cast: Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, and Chris Cooper
Genre:True Crime, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 112 minutes
Director: Matt Ruskin
Trailer: Watch here

We’ve entered an era where major news stories from a half-century ago can be given the glossy Spotlight treatment, using the past to illuminate how we feel about the present. In the case of this explosive film by writer/director Matt Ruskin, it’s the terror-filled reign of the Boston Strangler. Or, more specifically, reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole connecting the dots and uncovering how badly the police department is handling the serial killer. Naturally, they’ve got to watch their backs with a guy out there killing women, but they’ve also got to navigate the patriarchal stubbornness of institutions protecting themselves instead of dealing with a genuine danger to the public. This is another incisive look at two fearless, competent journalists riding a chilling undercurrent of murder.

Watch it on Hulu

23. Rosaline

Year: 2022
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Kyle Allen, Sean Teale, Minnie Driver, Bradley Whitford, and Christopher McDonald
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 95 minutes
Director: Karen Maine
Trailer: Watch here

As most everyone in a high school literature class might remember (or be plagued by), Rosaline is the “immature” love that Romeo sloughs off in order to pursue the forbidden hottie he spied across the crowded party. Real mature. Now, she gets her due in an excellent romantic comedy that injects some well-trod Shakespeare with Dever’s deadpan and scorned woman revenge. It’s a genuine delight with 2020’s sarcasm stuffed into gorgeous period costumes, utilizing the most familiar love story in the Western canon to let us imagine how the side characters must have felt when the spotlight drifted away from them.

Watch it on Hulu

22. Hellraiser

Year: 2022
Cast: Jamie Clayton, Odessa A’zion, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, and Zachary Hing
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 121 minutes
Director: David Bruckner
Trailer: Watch here

It’s usually easy money to bet against a horror remake, especially one as revered as Clive Barker‘s 1987 gore masterwork. However, this is one time you’d lose your wager and at least a pound of flesh. Proving that his V/H/S and Southbound horror shorts were no fluke, Bruckner imbues this reimagining with profound reverence for the original while making the new breed its own thing. That largely means dropping the beloved video nasty saturation for the slick polish of high-tech filmmaking, giving the Hannibal treatment to scenes of exquisite torment. This time around, it’s a young woman trying to solve what happened to her brother after he gets nicked by the blade inside a hellish puzzle cube that summons otherworldly sadists. As a bonus, Jamie Clayton absolutely owns as Pinhead.

Watch it on Hulu

21. Hell Or High Water

Year: 2016
Cast: Ben Foster, Chris Pine, Dale Dickey, Katy Mixon, Gil Birmingham, and Jeff Bridges
Genre: Neo-Western, Crime, Mystery
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
Director: David Mackenzie
Trailer: Watch here

In case you weren’t sure about it, robbing banks with a chaotic neutral partner is not a great idea. That’s what Toby has to put up with while stealing FDIC-insured money with his hyped-up brother Tanner. Their sibling dysfunction is the bad news. The badder news is that two Texas Rangers are on their trail, but Toby and Tanner are doing all the marauding for a good reason: to save the family farm from disclosure by using the bank’s money to pay what they owe. Mackenzie’s direction is confident and potent, but screenwriter Taylor Sheridan is the one who used the success of the film to launch an emergent career of crafting your dad’s favorite modern movies. It’s revitalized the genre enough that Yellowstone would not exist without it.

Watch it on Hulu

20. The French Dispatch

Year: 2021
Cast: Owen Wilson, Benecio del Toro, Tilda Swinton, Henry Winkler, Saoirse Ronan, Ed Norton, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, and everyone else in every Wes Anderson movie
Genre:Comedy, Drama, Anthology
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Director: Wes Anderson
Trailer: Watch here

It’s 1975, and the revered(?) editor of The French Dispatch dies, leaving behind instructions to print a temporary final issue containing his obituary and four investigative new stories. Enter the typical Anderson cast of dozens portraying idiosyncratic figures modeled off of real-life writers and art dealers and other firmly Anderson-esque types. We’re almost three decades into Anderson refining his style, making what amounts to the same movie every outing while also experimenting wildly. It’s a little surprising he hasn’t attacked an anthology like this until now, but the structure works wonders for his aesthetic, spinning a series of fantastical and humane yarns with the brakes broken off the side-car-attached motorbike as it races through the fictional French countryside.

Watch it on Hulu

19. On The Count Of Three

Year: 2021
Cast: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 89 minutes
Director: Jerrod Carmichael
Trailer: Watch here

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael commits his directorial debut to this darkly funny drama about two best friends who make a suicide pact that goes off the rails over the course of one day. Carmichael plays Val while Christopher Abbott plays his buddy Kevin. Both men are disillusioned with their lives, struggling with mental health issues and past traumas. They make a deal to kill each other but before going through with the act, they live out their final day by sowing all kinds of chaos and doing a bit of good along the way.

Watch it on Hulu

18. The King’s Man

Year: 2021
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, and Daniel Bruhl
Genre:Spy, Action, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 131 minutes
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Trailer: Watch here

Wisely pivoting away from the 1990s-set uproarious action of its predecessors, this installment breathes new life into the breakneck, irreverent series by shifting back to the most secretive secret service’s inception. Situating itself in historical events, the film features an aristocrat launching a spy network, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that incited World War I, and the mad wonder of Rhys Ifans as Rasputin. It’s as ridiculous and shocking as the first two films, with Matthew Vaughn once again providing the kind of smart debauchery that sneaks its way into polite society because of how well its dressed. Naturally, it also satisfies that itch to see some truly heinous people save the world as only they can.

Watch it on Hulu

17. I, Tonya

Year: 2017
Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Caitlin Carver, McKenna Grace, Julianne Nicholson, and Paul Walter Hauser
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Biopic
Rating: R
Runtime: 119 minutes
Director: Craig Gillespie
Trailer: Watch here

In 1994, professional figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked after practice, presumably with the intent to make her physically incapable of competing in the U.S. Championships. Screenwriter Steven Rogers was inspired to write I, Tonya after interviewing beset figure skater Tonya Harding and her attach-plotting ex-husband Jeff Gillooly to discover that both had very, very different views on how the infamous scandal all went down. The result is a gonzo ride through identity, the lengths the ego will go to defend itself, and the ultimate question of how the public chooses to believe or not believe rumors about celebrities. Margot Robbie is dynamite (as is the rest of the cast including Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney). She was also four when the scandal broke and grew up in Australia, so she had no idea that it was based on real events until after reading the script.

Watch it on Hulu

16. The Meg

Year: 2018
Cast: Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi,
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 minutes
Director: John Turteltaub
Trailer: Watch here

Cinema could always use a few more big dumb shark movies and this Jason Statham-starring thriller delivers on every promise of the genre. There are scientists exploring deep sea caverns that they have no business messing with. There’s a stoic, grumpy hero tasked with saving humanity. There’s an obtuse wise-cracking billionaire providing some comic relief. And then there’s the film’s central antagonist, a water-dwelling monster so massive, so deadly, you almost walk away impressed by the havoc it wreaks.

Watch it on Hulu

15. The Town

Year: 2010
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, and Pete Postlethwaite
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Director: Ben Affleck
Trailer: Watch here

Four Charlestown-bred BFFs plan one last heist at Fenway Park, while one of their number starts to have a conscience and a budding romance with a bank teller who they took hostage during a clunky robbery attempt. Ben Affleck’s second outing as a director is a muscular, mature crime drama that showed a clear path forward from the excellent Gone Baby Gone to the Oscar-worthy Argo. It was proof of his staying power as a director, as well as a leap forward for almost all the other actors involved, minting stars and statue-holders from up-and-comers. It also had the distinctive honor of premiering at the very baseball field that the crew planned to rob in the movie.

Watch it on Hulu

14. Fresh

Year: 2022
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs, Charlotte Le Bon, Andrea Bang, Dayo Okeniyi, and Brett Dier
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 114 minutes
Director: Mimi Cave
Trailer: Watch here

This delightful terror from Mimi Cave has a lot of the markings of a rom-com: the struggling single 20-something fed up with dating apps, the loving best pal with harsh truths, and the meet cute with the handsome guy who’s a little rough around the edges. When lovelorn Noa hits it off with the dashing Steve (can a “Steve” be “dashing”?), it should be a matter of time before they’re in rom-com heaven, except for the hard left turn into horror town. If you think you know what happens, you’re probably only about 34% correct as this terrific film twists and turns down a dark rabbit hole filled with excellent surprises.

Watch it on Hulu

13. Nightmare Alley

Year: 2021
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, Rooney Mara, and David Strathairn
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 150 minutes
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Trailer: Watch here

Guillermo del Toro has emerged as the rightful heir to Hitchcock without all the personal baggage. He’s a wondrous filmmaker with a boundless imagination, and his love for genre means that he’s a loving encyclopedia in front of the page and behind the camera. In Nightmare Alley, Cooper plays a carnival-trained psychic pitching himself to the wealthy and powerful in order to move up in the world. When his act has devastating consequences, he spirals into a psychological fit of despair, but he’ll have to fight his depression while trying not to lose everything else he’s got.

Watch it on Hulu

12. Spencer

Year: 2021
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Jack Nielen, Freddie Spry, Jack Farthing, and Stella Gonet
Genre: Drama, Biopic
Rating: R
Runtime: 117 minutes
Director: Pablo Larrain
Trailer: Watch here

From The Crown to a handful of documentaries, there’s been a burst of renewed interest in Princess Diana. With all that competition, it’s difficult to say who’s crafted the definitive performance, but in Spencer, which stars Kristen Stewart, she certainly gave it her all in this laser focused drama. Unlike other projects that want to tell the full story or capture Princess Diana as a symbol for something larger, Spencer homes in on one Christmas in 1991 when she contemplates seriously divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the royal family. How do you weight a choice like that? It’s a stirring film, made outstanding by Stewart’s humane take on the real-life role.

Watch it on Hulu

11. Crimes Of The Future

Year: 2022
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, Scott Speedman, Kristen Stewart, and Lihi Kornowski
Genre: Horror, Drama, Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: David Cronenberg
Trailer: Watch here

How many ears is too many ears? In this new work by body horror master David Cronenberg, Mortensen plays a performance artist who has his organs removed in each foray only to have new ones grow back due to an experimental genetic process. It’s a (not so far off) future where computers interface with body implants, but these performances push the boundaries of thought and taste even for this plastic surgery numbed crowd. Originally planned for 2003, this long-gestating project has been through many incarnations and is absolutely worth the wait. It’s one of the best films of 2022, raising more questions than it answers and offering a potentially prescient look into one possible direction for body modification.

Watch it on Hulu

10. Black Swan

Year: 2010
Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder, and Barbara Hershey
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Trailer: Watch here

In 2008, Aronofsky released The Wrestler, a drama about a has-been looking for one last taste of pure perfection in the ring. He followed it up with a companion story about a ballerina seeking the same. Nina Sayers is a young dancer in the world-renowned New York City Ballet, striving to score the lead role in a performance of Swan Lake while managing an infantilizing, over-protective mother and a frenemy who may or may not want to take Nina’s place. It’s a phantasmagoria of obsession and the violent lengths some might go to in order to reach an artistic pinnacle.

Watch it on Hulu

9. Triangle Of Sadness

Year: 2022
Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Buric, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, Jean-Christophe Folly, Amanda Walker, Oliver Ford Davies, and Sunnyi Melles
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 147 minutes
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Trailer: Watch here

The less said about the plot of this wealthy-skewering black comedy the better, because it’s jaw-dropping surprises are worth staying in the dark. Suffice it to say that a famous couple and a bunch of richie rich types are on a private luxury cruise where things do not go according to plan. In addition to a Best Picture nomination, Triangle of Sadness has earned a slew of Oscar nominations and awards, primarily for its performances and its deft satire of people who should be taxed into oblivion. Funny and shocking, it makes a wonderful companion to The White Lotus.

Watch it on Hulu

8. Rye Lane

Year: 2023
Cast: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Runtime: 82 minutes
Director: Raine Allen-Miller
Trailer: Watch here

The story behind this modern-day rom-com isn’t especially revolutionary, but the comedic chemistry between its two leads and the fresh direction from Raine Allen-Miller elevate it to one of the better comedies we’ve seen this year. David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah play Dom and Yas, two people reeling from devastating break-ups who meet at a market in South London. They decide to help each other heal from their romantic troubles in increasingly funny ways before realizing they just might have a connection of their own.

Watch it on Hulu

7. The Shape Of Water

Year: 2017
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Stuhlbarg
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Fish-Based Romance
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Trailer: Watch here

Another beautifully weird del Toro flick, The Shape of Water forced the Academy Awards to reckon with the forbidden love between a woman and some kind of fish monster. There’s just no way that del Toro wasn’t inspired to make this film by his time working on Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies, but instead of diving headlong into superhero action, he chose romance. Sally Hawkins plays a mute custodian working at a secret government lab where the humanoid amphibian thing (Doug Jones, naturally) swims around and, ultimately, learns to fall in love. Sadly, the government isn’t super into these two being together, so they have to race against the powers that be in order to secure their fishy future.

Watch it on Hulu

6. Nomadland

Year: 2020
Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Bob Wells, Peter Spears, and a cast of dozens
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Chloe Zhao
Trailer: Watch here

Shortly after her husband dies, Fern loses her job at a gypsum plant and dumps all of her savings into a van so she can finally see the country. Boy does she see it. This film is largely a showcase of Frances McDormand‘s peerless acting talents, as well as a series of interwoven vignettes about the weird Americans you meet on the road. All of it is wrapped inside a drama about how hard it is to be poor in the United States, viewing through Fern the limited choices people get to make when they have to navigate without a safety net. It’s easy to see why it won Best Picture at the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, and the Indie Spirit Awards.

Watch it on Hulu

5. Bridesmaids

Year: 2011
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Director: Paul Feig
Trailer: Watch here

It’s hard to believe now, but back in the mid-aughts, there were questions as to whether women could pull off raunchy comedy. This film, written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, set those doubts to rest. Wiig plays the messy, flawed heroine Annie, a down-on-her-luck baker trying to support her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) who’s about to get married. The build-up to the wedding is complicated by Lillian’s new friendship with the wealthy Helen (a terrific Rose Byrne), a couple of wild bridesmaids (Melissa McCarthy is the stand-out), and Annie’s own financial/relationship troubles. Come for the cringy Jon Hamm sex scenes and quotable one-liners, stay for a bit of bathroom humor so funny, so gross, once you see it you’ll be referencing it for years to come.

Watch it on Hulu

4. Prey

Year: 2022
Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, Julian Black Antelope, Stefany Mathias, and Bennett Taylor
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 100 minutes
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Trailer: Watch here

Just as he took Cloverfield in an intimate, powerful new direction, Dan Trachtenberg has reimagined the slumping Predator franchise into something fresh, ground-level, and fun as hell. Leaping hundreds of years back from our first Schwarzenegger-soaked encounter, Prey focuses on young Comanche healer Naru (Amber Midthunder) who wants to be a warrior. She gets her chance when the iconic alien hunter tries to take out her tribe. Filled with fantastic performances, great special effects, and more depth than a Predator film maybe deserves, it’s the truly refreshing late-franchise film that wins by being serious about being different than what came before.

Watch it on Hulu

3. Pig

Year: 2021
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Brandy the Pig, Adam Arkin, Nina Belforte, Gretchen Corbett, and David Knell
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Rating: R
Runtime: 92 minutes
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Trailer: Watch here

Rob Feld is a truffle hunter living in an isolate cabin in Oregon. He’s attacked, and his prized truffle pig is stolen, launching him on a challenging quest to get it back. While everyone was making gags about Cage being an unhinged actor, he made this raw, quietly profound story (in between performances that are, let’s not joke, truly unhinged). The point is that Cage has absolutely phenomenal range that has only broadened and deepened with age. Think of this as Okja meets John Wick without all the gunplay.

Watch it on Hulu

2. Palm Springs

Year: 2020
Cast: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher, Camila Mendes, June Squibb, Meredith Hagner, and Tyler Hoechlin
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Rom-Com, Mystery
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
Director: Max Barbakow
Trailer: Watch here

Groundhog Day was so good at what it did that the idea of a repeated-day plot seemed impossible for years. That’s changed recently, with a handful of inventive, successful movies (like Happy Death Day) which spun the concept into new territory. Palm Springs hits that sweet spot beautifully, dumping two wedding guests into an endless time loop that challenges them to break loose, live honestly, and solve the mystery of why they’re perpetually at an annoying reception 90 minutes from Los Angeles. Samberg and Milioti are a killer pair here, ignoring Bogey and Bacall-style chemistry for more sardonic flair that nonetheless makes you want to root for them as individuals and as a romantic team. It’s also funny, strange, and very sweet.

Watch it on Hulu

1. Dunkirk

Year: 2017
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy
Genre: Drama, History
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 106 minutes
Director: Christopher Nolan
Trailer: Watch here

Christopher Nolan delivers yet another action epic with this World War II retelling of the Battle of Dunkirk. The film is split into multiple timelines — a narrative device that doesn’t always work — to tell the story of a legion of Allied soldiers under siege by the German military near the end of the war. Most of the drama comes in trying to evacuate the masses of young men before they can be picked off by the enemy’s fighter planes but Nolan also gives us a glimpse of the psychological devastation war can wreak on those who survive it.

Watch it on Hulu

Paramount+ recently stacked its lineup even more with the Showtime add-on. Here are the best shows of the package.

Streaming is a hopscotch game of services where the show you love will probably jump off the platform you pay for before you get a chance to finish it. Such is the horror of modernity. On the bright side, it also means that combining the right streaming services can act like a cheat code for gaining access to a bunch of cool, diverse series.

One of those cheat codes is getting Paramount+ with the Showtime add-on, ensuring you get prestige programming alongside network TV shows. Here are the 25 best Paramount Plus shows and the best show on Showtime you can watch.

Last updated on May 12, 2023

30. Mayor Of Kingstown

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Hugh Dillon, Tobi Bamtefa, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Derek Webster, Hamish Allan-Headley, Aidan Gillen, and Kyle Chandler
Genre: Crime Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-2: 20 episodes
Created By: Taylor Sheridan, Hugh Dillon
Trailer: Watch here

What’s more important: rules or peace? You can’t have both in Kingstown. Luckily, the “Mayor” Mike McLusky knows this, but that doesn’t mean that bending the rules or keeping the peace is simple in a town where the most popular occupation is prison guard. McLusky and his family stand in the middle of the street gangs, prisoners, guards, and the cops, attempting to keep all hell from breaking loose. The series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan starts in the pressure cooker and refuses to leave, featuring some of Renner’s finest work as the unflappably tough figure with the dubious honor of running the town.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

29. Penny Dreadful

Year: 2014-2016
Cast: Eva Green, Reeve Carney, Timothy Dalton, Rory Kinnear, Billie Piper, Harry Treadway, Helen McCrory, and Josh Hartnett
Genre: Gothic Horror, Drama, Dark Fantasy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-3: 27 episodes
Created By: John Logan
Trailer: Watch here

On the one hand, one more outing for Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein (the doctor and the monster!) seems a little stale, but Logan found the sweet spot for bringing them to modern life. A dark warning masquerading as an invitation, the series was exquisite in both its look and its storytelling, leaning a bit into horror but mostly growling with a smile on its face. Set in 1891 London, it features an American showman gunslinger who is hired by an enigmatic woman and a wealthy adventurer to rescue his daughter from a dark creature. It makes the most of familiar Gothic favorites, and Eva Green might be having the most fun of her career.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

28. Who Is America?

Year: 2018
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen
Genre: Political Satire
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 7 episodes
Created By: Sacha Baron Cohen
Trailer: Watch here

Arriving in 2018 for only one season, it’s easy to see Who Is America? as Sacha Baron Cohen‘s hyper-specific response to the United States electing Donald Trump as president. Returning after a long hiatus to the ambush comedy that launched his career, the characters he crafted for this series seem almost designed to be disbelieved, trying to get caught in the lie by his targets and being disappointed every time that they don’t see through his mask. From a far right conspiracy theorist to an ex-Mossad anti-terrorism expert, you could understand why he probably wanted interview subjects to push back on his wild character’s plan to arm children for “safety” but they didn’t, so we’re left to laugh while weeping.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

27. Rabbit/Hole

Year: 2023
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Meta Golding, Enid Graham, Rob Yang, Charles Dance, Walt Klink, and Wendy Makkena
Genre: Spy Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Trailer: Watch here

For fans of spy thrillers or those simply trying to reconnect with their dads, Kiefer Sutherland has got the show for you. In Rabbit/Hole, he plays a corporate spy who’s framed for murder and tumbles into a dizzyingly twist conspiracy. It’s a bit like 24 if Jack Bauer were having a good time instead of grousing about still being at work. Sutherland is magic in the role, pulling together the competing tones of Very Serious Action and Super Silly Plot Complications with veteran skill. With all the other self-serious spy thrillers out there, it’s refreshing to see one that knows how to have fun.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

26. The Stand

Year: 2020
Cast: James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard, Greg Kinnear, Amber Heard, Jovan Adepo, Odessa Young, Owen Teague, Henrique Zaga, Brad William Henke, Nat Wolff, and Irene Bedard
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Disaster, Fantasy Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 9 episodes
Created By: Josh Boone, Benjamin Cavell
Trailer: Watch here

It’s just bad luck that this new adaptation of Stephen King‘s magnum opus doomsday novel landed in 2020. After almost a year of Covid, it hit a little too close to home, and maybe it does still, but for those brave enough, it’s an excellent version of the story. As with the seminal ’90s mini-series starring Gary Sinise, this version follows a group of survivors of a humanmade plague as they’re drawn either to a Godlike figure or the Devil himself, setting up the dominoes for an epic battle of good against evil for the soul of humanity. M-O-O-N: that spells pandemic horror.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

25. Evil

Year: 2019 –
Cast: Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Maddy Crocco, Skylar Gray
Genre: Crime Drama/Horror
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 3 (30 episodes)
Created By: Michelle King, Robert King
Trailer: Watch here

A dynamic that’s not unlike the central pair in the The X-Files surfaces in this series that questions where evil originates, and if that’s more from science or from religion. A priest-in-training dives into unexplained mysteries in the Catholic Church with the help of a skeptical female mental health professional. In the process, the show glides through exorcisms, hauntings, and miracles. Can logic or the supernatural prevail more? Therein lies the issue.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

24. Homeland

Year: 2011-2020
Cast: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, David Harewood, Diego Klattenhoff, Jamey Sheridan, and Mandy Patinkin
Genre: Spy Thriller, Political Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-8: 96 episodes
Created By: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa
Trailer: Watch here

More than any other espionage thriller, Homeland captured the zeitgeist of the Iraq War era, showcasing both the bravery of individual agents as well as recklessness and questionable moral allegiances. As far as single seasons go, the first is one of the best in television history, pitting the potentially paranoid CIA agent Carrie Mathison against the war hero Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody who may or may not be part of a terrorist plot that threatens the highest levels of government. It was a weekly dose of sweaty palms that is now bingeable in case you need to keep your heart rate elevated for hours on end.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

23. Æon Flux

Year: 1991-1995
Cast: Denise Poirier, John Rafter Lee, and Julia Fletcher
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Avant-Garde, Experimental Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-3: 21 episodes
Created By: Peter Chung
Trailer: Watch here

Part of the Liquid Television lineup back in the day, Aeon Flux was the show you watched before you knew what the F in WTF stood for. Æon Flux is a Barbarella-like secret agent who wears a black bikini and heavy weapons, hailing from a city of nihilism and anarchy in perpetual war with a rigid totalitarian city. Flux’s eternal mission is to bring the city down by targeting its ruler. A glorious cyberpunk ballet, the cartoon series was unique in its German Expressionistic look and its gutsy experimentalism. All of that was sanded down for a questionable live-action film starring Charlize Theron, which never stood a chance of bringing the gonzo world of this weirdo show to full fruition.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

22. 1923

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, and Timothy Dalton
Genre: Western
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Taylor Sheridan
Trailer: Watch here

It’s impossible to turn on Paramount+ while escaping Taylor Sheridan. He’s the Shonda Rhimes of the streaming channel, spinning off massive successes off his massive successes. 1923 is just one of them — a branch from the Yellowstone tree taking us back to bust decade Montana where the Dutton family weathers economic downturns, prohibition, conflicts at the local Catholic boarding school, and men who want to do them harm. If you want to understand how good this show is, just take a look at the cast list. Ford and Mirren are fantastic, and while it was meant to be a one-off, a second season was ordered because fan response was so strong.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

21. 1883

Year: 2021-2022
Cast: Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen, James Landry Hebert, and Noah Le Gros
Genre: Western, Period Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 10 episodes
Created By: Taylor Sheridan
Trailer: Watch here

Seriously. You can’t escape Taylor Sheridan. In the other spin-off from Yellowstone, we go back even further in time to the Dutton ancestor James Dillard Dutton as he puts the Civil War behind him in order to help a wagon train out of Texas heading for Oregon. The journey is as dangerous as the computer game promised. McGraw and Hill both more than hold their own against seasoned actors, including Sam Elliott who, of course, is contractually obligated to star in every western ever made. For good reason. It’s a harrowing series about sacrificing in order to make a better life, wallpapered with gorgeous vistas and fantastic cinematography.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

20. Californication

Year: 2007-2014
Cast: David Duchovny, Natascha McElhone, Madeleine Martin, Evan Handler, Pamela Adlon, and Madeline Zima
Genre: Comedy Drama, Sex Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-7: 84 episodes
Created By: Tom Kapinos
Trailer: Watch here

Hank Moody is an alcoholic writer who is super sad that his trenchant niche novel has been converted into a wildly popular (and soulless) movie. He’s also having a rough time with his ex-girlfriend/love of his life marrying a fancy Los Angeles publisher and his teenage daughter pulling away from him because of his terminal inability to make good choices. Aided by his deplorable agent, Hank tries to clean up his life, but it’s not exactly a linear process. Sophisticated and filled to the brim with sex and excess, David Duchovny rocked the role with a constant stream of devil may care vibes and the wink of a possibility that this slime ball was somehow redeemable.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

19. Tulsa King

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Max Casella, Domenick Lombardozzi, Vincent Piazza, Garrett Hedlund, and Dana Delaney
Genre: Crime Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 9 episodes
Created By: Taylor Sheridan
Trailer: Watch here

Another barn burner from Taylor Sheridan, he’s hit upon a novel crime idea by sending a mafioso into Oklahoma not in the witness protection program, but as the lead in fresh territory for his criminal bosses to exploit. Stallone is pitch perfect here playing the gray haired mobster Manfredi who refused to rat and is rewarded by being sent to the middle of nowhere. Unlike other tough guy figures, he’s given full license to be funny, quipping constantly and dispensing old school crime boss wisdom alongside murderous one-liners. That attitude, alongside the absurd clash between Manfredi’s fish-out-of-water NYC sensibilities and the legal weed world of Tulsa, sets it apart from other crime dramas.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

18. Your Honor

Year: 2020-2023
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Hunter Doohan, Hope Davis, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Michael Stuhlbarg, and Carmen Ejogo
Genre: Legal Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-2: 20 episodes
Created By: Peter Moffat
Trailer: Watch here

Told over two white knuckle seasons, Cranston stars as a respected judge in New Orleans whose son kills another boy in a hit and run accident. Courageously, the judge wants his son to turn himself in and face the music, but he changes his tune when he learns that the boy his son killed is the child of a mafia kingpin. It’s the kind of situation where a rock and a hard place would be a sincere upgrade, and once again, Cranston proves he’s unstoppable as the upright figure driven to immoral measures when the going gets tough. Gorgeously shot, the Showtime series is a riveting drama from start to shocking finish.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

17. Criminal Minds

Year: 2005 –
Cast: Matthew Gray Gubler, Kirsten Vangsness, A.J. Cook, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster, Aisha Tyler
Genre: Procedural/Crime Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 16 (324 episodes)
Created By: Jeff Davis
Trailer: Watch here

Matthew Gray Gubler hasn’t surfaced yet in the Evolution leg of this series (exclusively available on Paramount+), but the good news is that there are already sixteen other seasons of the principle series for fans to feast upon in repeated fashion. This show, of course, is one of several procedurals that continue to capture the hearts and minds of viewers. These elite FBI profilers, known as the Behavioral Analysis Unit, never rest, it seems, while they attempt to understand predatorily motivations and stop future potential crimes through the art of so-called “mind hunting.” In the Evolution series, serial killers of the pandemic take central stage. Yikes.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

16. Murder In Big Horn

Year: 2023
Cast: Documentary Figures
Genre: Documentary, True Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 3 episodes
Created By: Razelle Benally, Matthew Galkin
Trailer: Watch here

This vital docuseries from Galkin and Benally is a different kind of true crime story. Instead of inventing unnecessary twists and turns, it seeks to tell the frustratingly straightforward story of an epidemic of murdered and missing indigenous women laced with the maddening official responses that doubt there’s any real problem. It’s the kind of necessary narrative that will have you alternative between clenching your fists and crying, but it’s miles away from “homework viewing.” The stories they’ve unearthed through conversations with locals, including family members of missing young women, are fascinating, often tragic, and invaluable to hear.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

15. Halo

Year: 2022-present
Cast: Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Charlie Murphy, Jen Taylor, Bokeem Woodbine, and Natascha McElhone
Genre: Military Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 9 episodes
Created By: Kyle Killen, Steven Kane
Trailer: Watch here

Finally a serious version of Red vs Blue! Based on the wildly popular video game series, Halo brings Master Chief to live action reality, pushing the superhuman soldier through the paces of fighting the aliens of The Covenant and questioning whether maybe his superiors are, you know, not totally great either. The show ignores some of the elements of the game and its subsequent novels, but it offers clear cut sci-fi action that has set the stage for future seasons to bust out of the tropes and shine. Schreiber is clearly in his element voicing the grizzled living weapon and the inclusion of Jen Taylor voicing Cortana brings some legit connective tissue to the video games.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

14. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Year: 2005 – 2008
Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman
Genre: Animation/Adventure
Rating: TV-Y7-FV
Seasons: 3 (62 episodes)
Created By: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Trailer: Watch here

This Nickelodeon series will appeal to many generations and revolves around the four nations that represent the four natural elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Special beings known as the Benders can control their own particular element, but all four elements can be mastered by the Avatar. In this series, a tribe discovers that the missing Avatar is among them, and now, Aang must use his abilities to truly become the master that he was intended to be.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

13. Daria

Year: 1997-2002
Cast: Tracy Grandstaff, Wendy Hoopes, Julian Rebolledo, Marc Thompson, and Alvaro J. Gonzalez
Genre: Adult Animation, Teen Drama, Comedy, Satire
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: Season 1-5: 65 episodes
Created By: Glenn Eichler, Susie Lewis Lynn
Trailer: Watch here

Thankfully escaping the orbit of Beavis and Butt-head, Daria Morgendorffer got her own show to be as sarcastic and cynical as she wanted to be. No offence to B&B — they’re just wildly different shows, and Daria deserved room to breathe. Fortunately, we got 5 seasons of this exaggerated suburban landscape where Daria skewered all things bright, sunny, and popular in the ’90s. Amid the sea of sparkly lip gloss and football pads, Daria is still a counterculture icon. Jaded and hilarious, she’s earned pop cultural immortality that she would probably despise.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

12. Yellowjackets

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Christina Ricci, Sammi Hanratty, Juliette Lewis, and Sophie Thatcher
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 10 episodes
Created By: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson
Trailer: Watch here

In 1972, the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 plane crashed in the remote Andes, and the survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism as a means to survive the inhospitable climes until they could be rescued. Yellowjackets asks what would happen if the plane had been filled with teenage soccer players. Jumping back and forth between the wilderness and the present day, the series is a taut thriller tinged with the unfolding mystery of what really happened out there when the girls’ plane went down. Is it as simple as they made it sound in the press, or does it get a lot stranger? (Hint: you already know the answer.) Anchored by rock-star performances by Lynskey and Lewis and Ricci and the young crew, it’s earned its spot as a TV phenomenon for good reason.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

11. Nathan For You

Year: 2013 – 2017 Unchanged: Year: 2013 – 2017
Cast: Nathan Fielder
Genre: Reality/Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 4 (25 episodes)
Created By: Nathan Fielder
Trailer: Watch here

Before Nathan Fielder truly unsettled the world with The Rehearsal‘s higher (and even more awkward) stakes full of manipulation, he warmed up with this assortment of satirical pranks. At times, this series is so cringeworthy to watch that, well, it is hard not to look away from the small-business scenarios. Yet Fielder keeps viewers hooked despite any discomfort, and it’s worth doubling back for a refresh of this deranged yet innovative series.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

10. Frasier

Year: 1993-2004
Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin, John Mahoney, and Moose The Dog and Enzo The Dog
Genre: Sitcom
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: Season 1-11: 264 episodes
Created By: David Angell, Peter Casey, David Lee
Trailer: Watch here

Yes, you hear the blues a’callin’. It’s inevitable. The pull of one of the most successful sitcoms of all time was, inexplicably, about a posh psychiatrist doling out radio advice in Seattle. The Cheers spin-off found a winning formula in affably pompous Frasier butting heads Odd Couple style with his domestic beer-swilling, retired cop father. Naturally, his effete brother Niles and dad’s daffy line-in physio Daphne are key to the mix, as well as his deadpan genius producer Roz. It’s difficult to see the show working without any of them because they made up a bizarre family that squabbled, had each other’s backs, and occasionally got into vaudeville-esque hijinks. A welcome antidote after watching so much TV-MA.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

9. I Love Lucy

Year: 1951-1957
Cast: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, and Richard Keith
Genre: Sitcom
Rating: TV-G
Runtime: Season 1-6: 180 episodes
Created By: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz
Trailer: Watch here

Speaking of comic antidotes, there’s nothing like going back to the classics. It’s a true gift that every episode of I Love Lucy is available on Paramount+ because it rings that nostalgia bell whether you watched its original run or stayed up slightly late to catch it on Nick At Nite. The show features wife and husband comedy team Ball and Arnaz with Lucy trying her best to get into trouble in every episode, usually by ignoring completely practical advice. After more than a half-century, its proven both its staying power and timelessness — the jokes as fresh today as they were in the black and white era.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

8. The Good Wife

Year: 2009-2016
Cast: Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Graham Phillips, Makenzie Vega, Josh Charles, and Christine Baranski
Genre: Legal Drama, Political Drama
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Season 1-7: 156 episodes
Created By: Robert King, Michelle King
Trailer: Watch here

The Kings’ series is an institution ripe for a rewatch (or long overdue for you to see). Jumping off the cliched image of the humbling politician admitting to an affair to a packed press conference with his trapped doting wife holding his hand as a measure of public support, the show featured a woman who refused to play nice. After her husband is jailed for a sex scandal-tinged corruption charge, Alicia Florrick emerges from being a stay-at-home mother to rejoin the ranks of litigation to provide for her two children. The Good Wife deftly jumped between Florrick’s personal woes and the weekly courtroom challenges she faced with courage and smarts, all while touting an impressive list of guest stars and recurring actors.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

7. Shameless

Year: 2011 – 2021
Cast: Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White
Genre: Dramedy
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 12 (134 episodes)
Created By: Paul Abbott, John Wells
Trailer: Watch here

The U.S. version of the Gallagher family lasted one season longer than its U.K. predecessor, and we received laughter and tears and more laughter before all was said and done. Fiona left the building one season before her siblings, and the show never recovered. Yet viewers will always enjoy revisiting how Fiona held the group together even when they drove her nuts. Tragic Lip and chaotic Carl were only a few of the character highlights, and incredible guest stars like Dermot Mulroney and Katey Sagal were icing on the Chicago South Side cake.

6. Reno 911!

Year: 2003-2009
Cast: Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Carlos Alazraqui, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Mary Birdsong, Ian Roberts, and Joe Lo Truglio
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-8: 124 episodes
Created By: Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver
Trailer: Watch here

It’s a comedy miracle that this weird, wonderful parody of Cops exists. Throughout seasons of the most taboo jokes possible, the underlying philosophy of the series is that these Reno cops are profoundly inept. It’s the comic well from which all the funny stuff flows, and the cast nails it straight to the ground every time. It’s outrageous and singular, and fans of Party Down and I Think You Should Leave who, somehow, haven’t checked this out should spare some binge time to connect with their comedy ancestors. Beyond its peerless humor, this Comedy Central show pulls off the impossible of having every cast member be the MVP of every episode.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

5. The Chi

Year: 2017-present
Cast: Jason Mitchell, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Jacob Latimore, Alex Hibbert, Tiffany Boone, Yolonda Ross, and Armando Riesco
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-5: 50 episodes
Created By: Lena Waithe
Trailer: Watch here

It’s easy to accidentally binge shows these days, but it’s genuinely difficult to stop watching The Chi. The series from Waithe and Common is a web of daily lives on the South Side of Chicago all affected in different ways by a dramatic series of events. It doesn’t feel quite right to call it a drama because it encompasses the totality of human experience through the eyes of its ensemble — from risky first loves to challenging jobs to the struggles of poverty and a lack of good choices. With fantastic performances throughout, the show is deeply humane and finds incredible joy in each of its vibrant, compelling characters.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

4. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Year: 1993-1999
Cast: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig, Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, and Nicole de Boer
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: Season 1-7: 176 episodes
Created By: Rick Berman, Michael Piller
Trailer: Watch here

There’s no doubt that Star Trek is having another fantastic Renaissance with a handful of shows spanning styles and tones, and while you’re enjoying the haunting Picard and hilarious Lower Decks, you should make time to return to the greatest Star Trek series of all time. Set on a space station jointly administered by Starfleet and Bajorans — who were previously brutally occupied by Kardassians — the show took the typical Trek formula and cast of characters but had room to let their stories breathe because they weren’t constantly rocketing off to a new planet to meet new aliens. As such, it had a lot to say about Colonizing, freedom fighters and terrorists, religious faith, and duty, yet still found some time to play baseball, too.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

3. Dexter/Dexter: New Blood

Year: 2006-2013/2021-present
Cast: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz, Erik King, Lauren Velez, David Zayas, James Remar, C.S. Lee, John Lithgow, Julia Stiles, and Jimmy Smits
Genre: Crime Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Dark Comedy, Police Procedural
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-8: 96 episodes/Season 1: 10 episodes
Created By: James Manos Jr./Clyde Phillips
Trailer: Watch here

Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter technician/serial killer in Miami who loves his sister, excels at work, and kills people with decent regularity. The good news is that he was brought up with a moral code, so he sticks with murdering murderers. The police don’t seem too enthusiastic about that as an excuse, so he’s under constant threat of being discovered by the very people he shares a breakroom with. This series hit hard when it premiered, and it continues to shock, particularly because of its aggressive performances and ability to place Dexter in impossible situations that he juuuuuuuust manages to squeak out of. Most of the time. It eventually went delightfully off the rails, and the revival series New Blood clearly decided that staying grounded was overrated. It remains a guilty beach read in TV form.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

2. Chappelle’s Show

Year: 2003-2006
Cast: Dave Chappelle, Charlie Murphy, Donnell Rawlings, and Paul Mooney
Genre: Sketch Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-3: 28 episodes
Created By: Dave Chappelle, Neal Brennan
Trailer: Watch here

The GOAT that was too good to last. At first glance, there’s nothing groundbreaking about the structure of the sketch series. Dave Chappelle would do some standup and introduced some pre-recorded sketches to a clapping audience — but that standup, and those sketches, changed television. From Charlie Murphy‘s hilarious tales of Hollywood life to the Racial Draft to a very different look for Wayne Brady, Chappelle’s Show dared to push boundaries and go where other shows simply weren’t even thinking about going.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

1. Billions

Year: 2016-present
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Asia Kate Dillon, Kelly AuCoin, and Corey Stoll
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1-6: 72 episodes
Created By: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin
Trailer: Watch here

What whip-smart series about prosecuting the super-rich for fraud just got a new injection of relevance? This one! Koppelman, Levien, and Sorkin’s original series offered a hip jab against the uber-wealthy, treading that balance beam that allows us to salivate in envy at the lifestyle while deeply, deeply wishing they would get taken down. Based on several real-world fraud cases, the inciting storyline focuses on U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades’ attempt to nail charming hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod for doing a bunch of illegal stuff in order to make and secure his billions. Unsurprisingly, the minds behind Ocean’s 13 and Rounders inject an incredible sense of cool alongside the twisting back stabs and reversals of massive fortune. Watch it for the clever drama, but be sure to take notes on some hot restaurants to check out for your next NYC visit.

Watch it on Paramount Plus

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from J. Cole, Lil Durk, Russ, and more.

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from J. Cole, Lil Durk, Russ, and more.

The talk of this week might have been Janelle Monae’s racy pre-album release antics, but hip-hop don’t stop when it comes to new music. Releases this week included Killer Mike’s twin videos for “Don’t Let The Devil” and “Motherless” and Baby Tate’s “Hey Mickey!” remix with Saweetie. Meanwhile, Moneybagg Yo announced his mixtape release date, while Diddy and Jermaine Dupri finally nailed down a date for their Verzuz battle.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending May 12, 2023.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Deante’ Hitchcock — Once Upon A Time

The Atlanta rapper burst onto the scene in 2020 with the stellar debut, Better. Since then, he’s kept busy, dropping the Every Day The 14th EP, writing on P-Valley, and practicing his pen with a string of fierce freestyles. His life has changed in a variety of ways, giving him plenty of material for his comeback.

JasonMartin FKA Problem — I Owe Myself

Compton rapper Problem has gradually gotten more and more personal with his music, so a name change shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone (it’s also more SEO-friendly, which this writer certainly appreciates). That trend continues on I Owe Myself, his first release of the latest chapter in his life and career.

Russ — Chomp 2.5

Russ rewinds on his latest, tapping into the lyrical energy of his first Chomp EP after turning Chomp into a full-length release in 2021. The difference this time is the lack of guests, letting Russ take center stage on one of his own projects once again. After all, he often boasts that he’s self-made (to a point), so it’s important to celebrate the person (mostly) responsible for his success.

Singles/Videos

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — “MVP” Feat. G-Eazy

As the NBA Playoffs roll on, A Boogie contributes this motivational single to ESPN’s coverage, with some help from one of the Bay Area’s highest-profile stars (who is probably happy to have his voice driving the Golden State Warriors’ comeback against the Lakers).

Chase B — “Ring Ring” Feat. Quavo, Travis Scott, Don Toliver & Ty Dolla Sign

Three of rap’s most prominent melodic voices offer their assistance as DJ/producer Chase B launches his bid for solo stardom. Ty Dolla Sign brings the icing to the cake, running the anchor leg with a soulful bridge that finishes the moody track strong.

IDK — “What’s That?” Feat. Saucy Santana & Jucee Froot

Full disclosure: I’m a superfan of the Michael Jackson sample from De La Soul’s “Breakadawn.” That this song uses that beloved classic as a foundation is already an unfair advantage, but then IDK sets himself apart from the masses of his peers by sharing his platform with a pair of boundary-pushing performers that I’ve been championing for a while now. It’s a win in my book.

Lil Durk — “All My Life” Feat. J. Cole

After teasing the long-awaited track for some weeks, Durk and Cole’s collaboration doesn’t disappoint. If Durk wants to make the full swing to positive messaging, I say “f*ck the haters on Twitter.” Anyone who’d rather see you self immolate for their entertainment instead of using your platform to uplift your community is a dickhead and doesn’t deserve your creativity or passion.

Lil Tecca — “Need Me”

Before Luh Tyler, there was Lil Tecca, the previous owner of the “coolest teen in rap” title. He might have aged out of that illustrious stature, but the cool factor hasn’t dissipated at all. He actually does something interesting with his sample of Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” and sounds as comfortable as he ever has on the mic.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘I think it was the incorrect social group,’ she joked.

During Grimes’ recent appearance on Julia Fox and Niki Takesh’s podcast, Forbidden Fruits, the musician shared a hilarious tale about an encounter she had with Fox’s acting role in 2019’s Uncut Gems.

“Okay, by the way, I have such a funny story where I was with my kids’ grandma. And I had no context. My dad was just like, ‘Uncut Gems is a really good movie.’ And yeah, I caused quite a bit of havoc,” Grimes said. “And accidentally showed a bunch of like 12-year-olds Uncut Gems.”

For those unaware of the movie, it centers around a chaotic diamond salesman, played by Adam Sandler, and Fox plays the character’s mistress.

“I just want to say you did an amazing job, and my experience of watching that film is like, really…” Grimes added.

“With a bunch of twelve-year-olds,” Takesh replied. Grimes also reiterated that “grandma” was there too.

“Yeah, they definitely were horrified,” Fox chimed in.

“Not because they hated it, but I think it was the incorrect social group,” Grimes responded, as the three laughed throughout.

At another point during the podcast, Grimes also discussed her thoughts about cancel culture and her recent push for AI in music.

Check out the clip of Grimes’ story about showing some tweens Uncut Gems above.

In it, she does some squats and other workouts as part of her continued fitness push.

Megan Thee Stallion is recruiting all her fans to join her in the gym after posting a new video to Instagram — which finds her doing exactly that.

A lot of the exercises include an emphasis on her butt, as she is filmed doing various squats and other movements — including using a stairclimber. She also takes some time to hydrate with what appears to be workout shakes.

Megan also included some short clips of her twerking in the montage, just to show how well the workout payoff has been for her.

“Should i drop a HOTTIE BOOTCAMP,” she captioned.

“Yesssss I’m tryna get like you,” one fan answered.

Others replied on the route of noting some of the suggestive nature and shots in the video. “i neva wanted to be a pair of shorts this bad,” another commented.

Back in 2021, Megan announced the creation of her Hottie Bootcamp, which would include her sharing workout updates with her followers. It also doubles as a journey to better her health, as she told Health.com. “This journey is not necessarily about losing weight but about me getting healthier in general and seeing how I can transform my body in the healthiest way possible,” she shared.

Check out Megan Thee Stallion’s workout video above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Richard Jefferson decided to goof around with JJ Redick while the pair were on the call for Game 6 of Heat-Knicks.

The Toronto Raptors‘ search for a new head coach took an interesting twist this week, as it was reported that the team held an interview with ESPN analyst J.J. Redick about potentially filling the vacancy. It is unclear if anything has happened beyond that, but the report gave a glimpse into just how wide of a net Toronto is trying to cast in its quest to find a replacement for Nick Nurse.

While the team continues to go through its process, Redick continues to do media work, whether that’s his podcast, TV appearances or what he has going on Friday night. Redick, Richard Jefferson, and Ryan Ruocco are ESPN’s booth for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks. During the first quarter, Jefferson decided to goof around while on the broadcast, as he waited for Redick to explain something that happened before calling him “coach.”

Ruocco saying he knew that Jefferson wouldn’t be able to resist this and Redick apparently missing it the first time around were both terrific. Redick, of course, has never been a coach in his post-playing days, as he went from the NBA right into what has been a pretty successful media career.

The pop star received one of the rapper’s records when he was nine.

Ed Sheeran recently stopped by The Howard Stern Show to chat about his new album, Subtract. During their interview, Sheeran also shared a unique story about how a certain rapper’s album helped him overcome a stutter as a child.

Specifically, it was Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP that helped him out. Sheeran received it as a gift when he was nine and found he stuttered less when performing along to the songs. (According to NME, he was also in speech therapy at the time.)

“[My uncle] just said to my dad, ‘This guy is the next Bob Dylan. You gotta let him listen,’” he said. “And by learning that record – and rapping it back to back to back to back – it cured my stutter.”

Sheeran was so impacted that he’s even told this story to Eminem throughout the time that they’ve known each other. He even joined the rapper on stage last year during Em’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.

“I think it’s different with Eminem because he is quite reclusive, doesn’t see or meet that many people,” Sheeran added. “I’ve known him now six years and we’ve done three songs together, I’ve played with him twice onstage. He’s another person I really relate to, as he lives in his hometown still and has his eco-system around him.”

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

However, the recent song is about his relationship with his current fiancée, Margaret Qualley.

When Lana Del Rey dropped her recent album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, fans immediately were interested in the meaning behind the song, “Margaret.” Del Rey had written it about her friend and collaborator, Jack Antonoff, and particularly his fiancée Margaret Qualley.

One line also caught some people’s attention, as Del Rey sings, “I mean, join the party / By the way, the party is Dec. 18.” This led to possible speculation that Antonoff and Qualley were either 1. already married or 2. were planning that date as their eventual wedding.”

However, Qualley did a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, where she confirmed that December 18 was not her planned wedding date.

“I am not,” Qualley said. “[Lana] was kind enough to not put my real wedding date in the song. But I love that song so much. It makes me feel like I’m living in a dream. She’s my favorite poet. I adore her.”

Antonoff has also shared a similar sentiment about the song, while on stage as the two performed it during a concert for his band Bleachers. “One day I met Lana in the studio in California, and she said, ‘Let’s write a song about your fiancée,’ and I said ‘Okay,’ and I thought she was joking, and she wasn’t,” he said.

Here’s hoping we find out what party is ever happening.

The band’s demo versions are currently available on streaming platforms.

Grandaddy is giving fans a treat with a special 20th-anniversary edition of their 2003 album, Sumday. This new set, dubbed Sumday Twunny, will include the original LP, a disc of demos from the original album, and a collection of “rarities and B-sides,” per a press release.

“After many years of hammering away at writing and recording as Grandaddy, Sumday seems to be the center of it and where it all peaked. To the journalists we were, ‘On the verge of greatness, underrated, overlooked, unsung.’ It was a tumultuous and exciting time for us for sure. Also very exhausting,” member Jason Lytle said.

Fans can currently stream the demos on all plaforms and the physical version arrives this fall.

View the cover art and complete tracklist below.

Sumday
1. “Now It’s On”
2. “I’m On Standby”
3. “The Go In The Go-For-It”
4. “The Group Who Couldn’t Say”
5. “Lost On Yer Merry Way”
6. “El Caminos In The West”
7. “Yeah Is What We Had”
8. “Saddest Vacant Lot In All The World”
9. “Stray Dog And The Chocolate Shake”
10. “O.K. With My Decay”
11. “The Warming Sun”
12. “The Final Push To The Sum”

Sumday: The Cassette Demos
1. “Now It’s On”
2. “I’m On Standby”
3. “The Go In The Go-For-It”
4. “The Group Who Couldn’t Say”
5. “Lost On Yer Merry Way”
6. “El Caminos In The West”
7. “Yeah Is What We Had”
8. “Passed Out In A Datsun”
9. “Stray Dog And The Chocolate Karaoke”
10. “O.K. With My Decay”
11. “The Warming Sun”
12. “The Final Push To The Sum”

Sumday: Excess Baggage
1. “Derek Spears”
2. “The Town Where I’m Livin Now”
3. “Dearest Descrambler”
4. “My Little Skateboarding Problem”
5. “Now It’s On” (Recorded for the Colin Murray Show on BBC Radio 1)
6. “Gettin’ Jipped”
7. “Build A Box”
8. “Trouble With A Capital T” (Muzak Version)
9. “Sure It Worked”
10. “Running Cable At Shiva’s”
11, “Emit Anymore”
12 “I No How You Feel”
13. “The Rugged And Splintered Entertainment Center” (A Gospel Hymn)

Sumday Twunny is out 9/1 via Dangerbird Records. Find more information here.

Brunson’s outstanding night ended with turnover.

The New York Knicks’ season came to an end on Friday night in Miami. Despite racing out of the gates and leading by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, New York was unable to beat the Heat in their building, as Jimmy Butler and co. punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 96-92 win.

The Knicks kept getting close in the fourth quarter but never found themselves able to wrest the lead away from Miami. With less than a minute remaining and New York trailing by six, they needed a miracle that somehow came, as Gabe Vincent inadvertently clocked Jalen Brunson while the Heat were trying to inbound the ball, which was given as a Flagrant 1.

After Brunson made both free throws and Josh Hart scored on the ensuing possession, New York needed a stop to get the ball back with a chance to tie. They got it, gave the ball to Brunson, and let him take it up the floor. He got himself into some trouble by dribbling into the corner, where he was trapped by Jimmy Butler and Max Strus.

With a pass to Hart a little too risky, Brunson tried dumping it off to a cutting Julius Randle. But the ball was unable to get to him, as Miami forced a turnover that let them seal a win.

It is a brutal way for this game to end for Brunson, as he was nothing short of magnificent on the night — the team’s prized offseason acquisition had 41 points on 14-for-22 shooting with four rebounds and three assists in 45 minutes of work. He’s almost certainly the main reason the future’s so bright in New York, but his final moment during his debut season in the Big Apple is one he’s going to want back.