7 best Peacock shows you’re not watching
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Peacock has been flying high for the past year, thanks to clever originals like Poker Face and an enviable library stocked by the oldest surviving film studio (Universal) and multiple television brands of long-standing (NBC, Bravo, USA and Syfy).
Yet, while Peacock ranks as one of our picks for the best streaming services in the market, it's not as high-profile as rivals like Netflix or Max. Many new Peacock shows arrive with very little fanfare, while older titles gather dust in the back catalog.
That's why we've rounded up some of the best Peacock shows you're (probably) not watching right now. They range from a workplace comedy to a fantasy crime drama to a reboot of a teen classic. Check out our recommendations, in alphabetical order, and get streaming!
A.P. Bio
A workplace comedy set in a school — no, this isn’t Abbott Elementary, which has deservedly received gushing praise and accolades in the past few years. A.P. Bio hasn’t gotten as much acclaim, though it’s also very funny and features a great cast.
Glenn Howerton (of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame) stars as disgraced Harvard philosophy professor Jack Griffin, who is forced to return to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio and pick up work as a high school teacher. He decides deploy his students’ smarts and internet skills in petty feuds with his foes, including the much put-upon Principal Durbin (Patton Oswalt).
Genre: Comedy
Seasons: 4 (42 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Watch now on Peacock
The Best Man: The Final Chapters
In 1999, The Best Man proved that there was a significant audience for funny, engaging films about Black people. The hit was followed by the 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday. This limited series continuation wraps up the story of Harper (Taye Diggs), Candy (Regina Hall), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Jordan (Nia Long), Lance (Morris Chestnut), Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan) and Murch (Harold Perrineau).
Longtime bachelor Quentin is finally tying the knot, so the friends are gathering for the occasion. Meanwhile, Harper’s book Unfinished Business is getting made into a movie, which may cause as much drama as it did when first published.
Genre: Comedy/drama
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch now Peacock
The Bletchley Circle
In addition to its originals and NBCUniversal catalog titles, Peacock also licenses content, like this excellent ITV drama that also aired on PBS. It combines mystery, spy thrills, historical references and feminism into an absorbing whole.
Susan Gray (Anna Maxwell Martin), Millie (Rachel Stirling), Lucy (Sophie Rundle) and Jean (Julie Graham) met while cracking German military codes at Bletchley Park during World War II. Seven years later, they have returned to their ordinary — and frankly boring — lives. When Susan learns of a string of murders in the London area, she sees a pattern that inspires her to contact the other women. The police prove unhelpful, so they decide to solve the crimes themselves.
Genre: Mystery drama
Seasons: 2 (7 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
Watch now on Peacock
The Carmichael Show
Jerrod Carmichael is one of the hottest comedians working today, thanks to his Emmy-winning special Rothaniel, Emmy-nominated hosting of Saturday Night Live and hosting the Golden Gloes earlier this year. But before all of that, he co-created and starred in this little-seen, short-lived sitcom based on his family.
Carmichael plays a fictionalized (and at the time, straight) version of himself, Jerrod, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina near his brother (Lil Rel Howery), mother (Loretta Devine), father (David Alan Grier) and estranged wife (Tiffany Haddish). Their big personalities collide and crash in spectacular and funny ways, which Jerrod and girlfriend Maxine (Amber Stevens West) must navigate.
Genre: Comedy
Seasons: 3 (32 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Watch now on Peacock
Grimm
If you’re into fantasy crime-solving (and shows like The Witcher), dig into this six-season NBC drama that aired from 2011 to 2017. It’s got an appealing lead in David Giuntoli, a scene-stealing sidekick in Silas Weir Mitchell, romance, mystery, humor and, of course, creatures.
Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt (Giuntoli) is descended from a line of Grimms, guardians charged with keeping the peace between humans and mythological creatures called Wesen. After Nick learns of his heritage, he's drawn into cases involving Wesen, who often resemble animals like foxes, pigs and jackals. Nick can’t do it alone, though, and he relies on partner Detective Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby), and his wolflike Wesen friend Monroe (Mitchell).
Genre: Fantasy police procedural
Seasons: 6 (123 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Watch now on Peacock
Saved By the Bell
Everything is getting rebooted, when nothing really needs to be. But sometimes, rarely, a reboot turns out to be worth it — when the new version builds on and puts a novel spin on the old, while honoring it at the same time. That’s the case with Saved By the Bell, Peacock’s reboot/sequel series, which is a delightful balance of nostalgia, earnest storytelling and sly self-awareness.
Original cast members, including Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, make welcome appearances, but it’s the younger, more diverse generation that really stands out. And it’s genuinely laugh-out-loud funny (the new theme song is terrible, though).
Genre: Comedy
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Watch now on Peacock
We Are Lady Parts
A show that can put a smile on your face is a true gem, one that should be cherished and proudly displayed. We Are Lady Parts is a diamond in the Peacock rough that’s well worth unearthing. The British comedy is sweet, hilarious and irreverent, and features some legit bops. It highlights an underserved group, Muslim women. And these Muslim women like to rock!
Microbiology student Amina (Anjana Vasan) figures she’ll follow the standard route of getting married and having a family. But when she is recruited to play lead guitar in an all-female Muslim band, Amina begins to consider other dreams. The only (and admittedly big) problem is that she has terrible stage fright. She’ll have to overcome that, cultural norms and peer pressure to become a rock goddess.
Genre: Comedy
Seasons: 1 (6 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Watch now on Peacock
