While most people know that they can go to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and find a wide variety of television shows to watch, sometimes you just can't find something good there. With such a big focus on these streaming services and other newer ones like Peacock and Discovery+, many forget that premium television networks like Showtime and Starz are fantastic places to find good series worthy of binge-watching. In particular, Showtime is an underrated channel with a true variety of original programming to fit anyone's taste, no matter what they are looking for. Don't want to dig through their whole catalog looking for the best they have on offer? Here are the greatest shows to watch on Showtime right now.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows to watch on Netflix and Hulu or the best shows to binge-watch across all platforms.
Editor's note: This article was updated August 2023 to include Couples Therapy.
Yellowjackets (2021-present)
Created by: Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis
In 1996, a plane carrying a high school girls soccer team to the national championship crashes in the Canadian wilderness. These young women have to learn how to survive for months until they are finally found. In the present day, a few of the survivors are still struggling to put that traumatic situation behind them. When one of them mysteriously winds up dead, they start to wonder if they will ever be able to move on from the wilderness. Yellowjackets moves between the past and present of these characters to methodically unveil the present-day mystery and reveal the potentially supernatural elements that influenced the team’s survival. This addictive thriller will leave you craving new episodes to find out what really happened out there and who is bringing the past back to haunt the survivors. — Brynna Arens Watch on Showtime
Couples Therapy (2019-present)
Creator: Eli Despres, Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman
Cast: Orna Guralnik, Virginia Goldner, Kirkland Vaughans
Couples Therapy is a deeply engaging series that follows the sessions of couples on the brink of separation as they are guided through their issues by psychoanalyst and therapist Orna Guralnik. Each season follows three to four couples and presents their cases in raw, unfiltered discussions in which the viewers get a full view into their lives and the dynamics that cause friction between them. The series is not just entertaining — it is a fascinating peek into the difficulties of maintaining long-term relationships, and it presents a mirror through which audiences can use to understand their own patterns that may be holding them back from a healthy relationship. – Tauri Miller Watch on Showtime
Happyish (2015)
Creator: Shalom Auslander
Cast: Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, Sawyer Shipman
Despite the naming convention, Happyish doesn’t take place in the Blackish Television Universe. In fact, it's a whole different type of comedy that takes a darkly satirical look at the pursuit of happiness through the mundane life of a depressed middle-aged man. Steve Coogan (Philomena) and Kathryn Hahn (Wandavision) lead this underrated show that explores the themes of aging out of your profession, balancing work with family, and feeling sexy in a world that tells you you’re disgusting without their products. With only one season, the show is a quick watch that’s bingeable in a few days, but it manages to pack in a lot of heart and relatable moments in its 10-episode run. Watch on Showtime
Your Honor (2020-2023)
Creator: Peter Moffat
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Amy Landecker, Hunter Doohan
Starring the award-winning Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, Your Honor is a hard-hitting drama about choices, morality, and justice. Adapted for American audiences by Peter Moffat, Your Honor is based on an acclaimed Israeli series. The show pointedly explores the principle of a New Orleans judge (Cranston) as he is confronted by his convictions when his son is responsible for a hit-and-run accident directly involving a known organized crime family. Supporting Cranston is an undeniably talented cast, including Hope Davis (Succession), Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Hunter Doohan (Wednesday), showcasing the tensely thrilling dialogue of a gripping story. – Yael Tygiel Watch on Showtime
George & Tammy (2022-present)
Creator: Abe Sylvia
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, David Wilson Barnes, Walton Goggins, Kelly McCormack
Through a romance-focused biopic, George & Tammy explores the country superstars’ famed love story and rise to musical royalty. Starring Michael Shannon as George Jones and Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette (who was dubbed the “First Lady of Country Music”), George & Tammy chronicles the power couple over the years. Creator Abe Sylvia focuses the limited series on the complications of their enduring love as well as how their turbulent relationship inspired some of the most beloved country music of modern history. Supported by a great cast, including Walton Goggins (Ant-Man and the Wasp) and Kelly McCormack (A League of Their Own), George & Tammy explores the highs and lows of this heartbreaking love story with a wonderful country soundtrack. – Yael Tygiel Watch on Showtime
American Gigolo (2022-present)
Creator: David Hollander
Cast: Jon Bernthal, Gretchen Mol, Lizzie Brocheré, Leland Orser, Rosie O'Donnell
Jon Bernthal (The Punisher) stars in David Hollander’s sexy crime drama American Gigolo. A modern revision to the iconic 1980 Richard Gere film, the series provides a darker look at sex work and a deeper investigation into the mystery behind the wrongful incarceration of Julian Kaye (Bernthal). After over a decade in prison, Julian must confront his new life, which sees him working as an escort in Los Angeles while struggling to uncover the truth that landed him in jail. Bernthal’s performance, supported by a tremendous cast, both intrigues and entices, building longevity that’s sure to keep eyes glued to the screen for seasons to come. – Yael Tygiel Watch on Showtime
The First Lady (2021)
Creator: Aaron Cooley
Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Gillian Anderson
Starring an impeccable cast of award winners, The First Lady is a first-of-its-kind series exploring the East Wing of the White House where the women behind the leaders of the free world participate, out of view, in historical moments. The First Lady reveals previously undisclosed stories of different dynamic First Ladies as they assist, brainstorm, and support American Presidents. Featuring flawless performances from Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, The First Lady is a groundbreaking series about some of America’s most complex and charismatic hidden heroes. – Yael Tygiel Watch on Showtime
I Love That for You (2022-present)
Creators: Vanessa Bayer, Jeremy Beiler
Cast: Vanessa Bayer, Molly Shannon, Jennifer Lewis
Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer shines in the uproarious comedy I Love That for You, which she co-created with writer Jeremy Beiler (SNL). Bayer plays Joanna Gold, a childhood cancer survivor who uses her leukemia to win a dream job as an on-air presenter for a home shopping network. I Love That for You is packed with a cast of comedy royalty, including another SNL veteran Molly Shannon, Jennifer Lewis (Black-ish), and Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, Fargo). With each of the characters so diversely unique, I Love That for You is able to elevate the modern cringe style of humor, making a trend into something that will be both entertaining and relevant for generations to come. – Yael Tygiel Watch on Showtime
We Need to Talk About Cosby (2022)
Director: W. Kamau Bell
It’s not a subject that anyone wants to talk about, really, but it needs to be discussed. W. Kamau Bell, known for his shows Totally Biased and United Shades of America, bravely dives into the life of Bill Cosby by interviewing victims, former co-stars, commentators, journalists, and therapists about the downfall of one of America’s favorite people. It is very uncomfortable and depressing, but an important topic that should continue to be a dialogue. Bell handles it about as well as it can as he, himself, is truly confused as to how to feel about the man he grew up admiring along with the rest of the country. — Jennifer McHugh Watch on Showtime
Billions (2016-present)
Created by: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin
Cast: Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff
The Showtime series Billions pits two heavyweight actors, Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti, against each other in a battle of wits and wile. The show premiered in 2016 and currently has five seasons, with a sixth to premiere in January 2022. Lewis plays the character Robert "Bobby" Axelrod, a hedge fund manager with riches and influence who becomes the target of Giamatti's U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Chuck Roades. Unfortunately for Chuck, he's got his work cut out for him, as Bobby maintains a pristine façade as a generous, straitlaced man who fell into some good luck and now makes billions. Billions also stars Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades, Chuck's wife and one of Bobby's best employees. Wendy is strong and self-serving, and she doesn't intend to back down from her career even as her husband is gunning for her boss. The series has been a critical success and is recognized as the first American television show to include a non-binary character, played by non-binary actor Asia Kate Dillion. Watch on Showtime