Now that basic channels (like NBC’s Peacock and CBS’s CBS All Access) are a part of the streaming wars—they’ve got exclusive rights to their popular shows. Super-fans of The Office and Parks & Recreation can only legally stream this show (as part of a subscription service) for hours upon hours on Peacock. Or, and hear me out, you could take this subscription as an opportunity to try some of their platform-exclusive, original content.
Peacock, in particular, has a slew of creative comedies and dramas that are must-sees and I’ve compiled them here for you! While I love The Amber Ruffin Show, this list will be dedicated to scripted series (so no documentaries either). These are shows we love at The Mary Sue and ones well received by critics and audiences online.
We Are Lady Parts
In collaboration with Channel 4, this British show follows five young Muslim women in their struggling punk band “Lady Parts.” The band of misfits already has a frontwoman (Sarah Impey as Saira), drummer (Juliette Motamed as Ayesha), bassist/backing vocalist (Faith Omole as Bisma) and a manager (Lucie Shorthouse as Momtaz) but are in search of a strong lead guitarist. That’s where the main character (Anjana Vasan as Amina) comes in. As a shy, microbiology PhD student dreaming of love, she’s too busy to join this band. And yet… what if? This show is a fun time and a must for anyone that ever dreamed of joining a band.
Rutherford Falls
Life-long best friends Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) and Reagen Wells (Jana Schmieding) find their friendship tested when a crisis over space erupts in their quiet, small town. Stacking road accidents force the mayor (Dana L. Wilson) to start the removal process of Nathan’s ancestor’s statue. While Reagen feels for her friend, she also has consistently struggled for space and attention funding to the Minishonka Nation cultural center for her people. Rutherford Falls also stars Michael Greyeyes, Jesse Leigh, and Dustin Milligan.
Bel-Air
From the concept of a reboot to the casting, everyone was apprehensive from the jump but this ended up being fairly well-received (minus the bigots). Because of this show’s history, I need to put this upfront that even in the end it wasn’t universally loved amongst Black media critics. While some found it a nuanced look at Black boyhood and reimagining, others saw this as another example of Hollywood’s limitation on creating Black stories. What is it about? A young Philly kid moves in with wealthy members of his family and into the life of the elite of Bel-Air. Same as before “a story all about how [his] life got flipped turned upside down.”
A.P. Bio
Before coming to Peacock for seasons three and four, A.P. Bio started on NBC. After disgraced Harvard philosopher, Jack (Glenn Howerton), must take residency in the home of his recently passed mother in Toledo, Ohio, Jack lands a temporary job as an Advanced Placement Biology class substitute for a local high school. He expects to do nothing but get revenge on former colleagues. However, the student’s desire to learn (and get that college credit from passing the A.P. exam) and a super enthusiastic principal (Patton Oswalt) make not doing any work very difficult.
Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, and Jean Villpique play fellow teachers at first serve as the audience stand-in shaking their heads in disbelief. As the series progresses, we get more time with the delightful trio and their lives get fleshed out. While the show has a shaky start and the shock value wears off pretty quickly, the heart of the show is the community around him—including the students who are too many to name.
Dr. Death
This is based on the true crime podcast and the real story of Dallas-based medical professional Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Experiencing a flourishing career as a respected surgeon, everything goes array after a string of deaths and maiming on the operating table. Dr. Death stars Joshua Jackson, Christian Slater, and Alec Baldwin. This show is not for the squeamish but is those for very interested in supporting a show with an all-woman directing team.
(featured image: Laura Radford/Peacock)
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