The 13 best Peacock original series you can stream in 2023

NBCUniversal’s streamer Peacock is still a relatively new player in the streaming game. But it’s put out some good original content already, with original shows punching above their weight every week. With lots of streaming services to wade through, we thought we’d make it easy for you by pointing you to the best Peacock original series you can watch now.

Original content has become one of the best ways for streaming services to stand out in the pack. Licensed titles come and go, and they might be available in a competitor’s library. But original series and movies are something you can build a brand around, like Netflix’s The Crown, or Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian.

Maybe one of these 13 standout titles can do that for Peacock. So, read on for the best Peacock original series. And if you aren’t already a member, you can sign up for the service by hitting the button below.

Best Peacock original series

Poker Face (2023-ongoing)

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 47-67 minutes per episode
• Creator: Rian Johnson
• Main cast: Natasha Lyonne, Benjamin Bratt, Pedro Hollywood, Simon Helberg, Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco, Larry Brown
• Genre: Crime/mystery
• Ratings: 7.9 – IMDB / 99% – Rotten Tomatoes

Natasha Lyonne stars as a woman on the run from some dangerous men. She has an uncanny ability to tell when anyone is lying, and she puts her skill to good use, helping solve murders and mysteries everywhere she goes while trying to lay low.

From Knives Out director Rian Johnson, Poker Face feels like a classic whodunnit, with standalone episodes and a mystery-of-the-week format. It’s a great choice for anyone who misses classics like Columbo and Murder, She Wrote.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Dr. Death (2021-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 44-63 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Patrick Macmanus
• Main cast: Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Christian Slater, Alec Baldwin, AnnaSophia Robb
• Genre: Drama/crime
• Ratings: 7.6 – IMDB / 92% – Rotten Tomatoes

One of Peacock’s higher-profile originals, Dr. Death tells the story of a neurosurgeon whose colleagues begin to notice disturbing patterns among his patients’ health outcomes. The more they dig into his past, the clearer it becomes that this man is a danger to those around him.

Based on a true story and a podcast of the same name, Dr. Death tells us from the jump that Dr. Duntsch has done something wrong — we first see him in prison. The series goes backwards from there to give us a clearer sense of what he did, how he got away with it for so long, and how he was found out. It’s a chilling look at a twisted mind and one of the best Peacock original series. Fans of Netflix’s The Good Nurse should definitely check it out.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

We Are Lady Parts (2021-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 24 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Nida Manzoor
• Main cast: Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Faith Omole, Lucie Shorthouse
• Genre: Comedy/musical
• Ratings: 8.2 – IMDB / 100% – Rotten Tomatoes

We Are Lady Parts is a hilarious and thoughtful series about an all-female Muslim punk band in England. Geeky music teacher Amina suffers from uncontrollable anxiety and stage fright leading to bouts of diarrhea and vomiting if she’s ever onstage. That doesn’t stop the band Lady Parts from recruiting her as their new lead guitarist though.

We Are Lady Parts originally aired on Channel 4 in the UK. And it’s a Peacock original series in the US. The show presents the band finding their voice together, navigating cultural differences, and rocking out. Once you start, it’s hard to stop watching.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

One of Us Is Lying (2021-2022)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 44-52 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Erica Saleh
• Main cast: Annalisa Cochrane, Chibuikem Uche, Marianly Tejada, Cooper van Grootel, Mark McKenna
• Genre: Mystery/teen/drama
• Ratings: 6.8 – IMDB / 89% – Rotten Tomatoes

It’s the first day of high school, and five unlucky seniors find themselves already serving detention. But only four make it out alive, and they’re the only suspects in the death of their classmate.

Referencing everything from The Breakfast Club, to Gossip Girl, to 13 Reasons Why, One of Us Is Lying is a solid teen drama. Everyone has something to hide, and it’s a joy to find out what. It’s easily one of the best Peacock original series.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

The Amber Ruffin Show (2020-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 30 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Amber Ruffin
• Main cast: Amber Ruffin
• Genre: Late-night/talk show
• Ratings: 5.5 – IMDB / 100% – Rotten Tomatoes

In 2020, Peacock launched The Amber Ruffin Show, a huge critical hit that blends monologues and sketch comedy, hosted by the talented and hilarious Amber Ruffin. It’s hands-down one of the best Peacock original series.

Anyone who’s watched Late Night with Seth Meyers likely knows the singular talent of Amber Ruffin. A writer on the storied NBC late-night talk show since 2014, the comic has been an on-air personality with Meyers in recent years. Recurring bits like Jokes Seth Can’t Tell and Amber Says What have been standouts of the show. Thankfully, the folks at NBCUniversal were wise enough to recognize Ruffin’s talent and gave her a show of her own.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Rutherford Falls (2021-2022)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-14
• Runtime: 26 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Ed Helms, Michael Schur, Sierra Teller Ornelas
• Main cast: Ed Helms, Jana Schmieding, Michael Greyeyes, Jesse Leigh, Dustin Milligan
• Genre: Comedy
• Ratings: 6.7 – IMDB / 96% – Rotten Tomatoes

In a small town, two longtime best friends with very different relationships to the town’s history find themselves on different sides of controversy. All of it tied to the town’s past and relationship to the Indigenous Minishonka Nation.

America’s dark and shameful legacy of racism and those who wish to defend and even celebrate it doesn’t seem like the greatest set-up for a half-hour comedy. And yet, Rutherford Falls goes there, and goes there well. With a writer’s room full of Indigenous comedy writers, the show is both laugh-out-loud funny and intelligent in its treatment of very serious subject matter. It doesn’t hit you over the head with its themes. But it also doesn’t let you ignore the very real basis for its unfolding conflict. Fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place will likely enjoy it.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Mrs. Davis (2023)

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 48-60 minutes per episode
• Creator: Damon Lindelof, Tara Hernandez
• Main cast: Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen, Chris Diamantopoulos, Elizabeth Marvel, Katja Herbers, Tom Wlaschiha
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction
• Ratings: 7.3 – IMDB / 91% – Rotten Tomatoes

In the near future, a nun wages war on a sophisticated AI that has the world in its thrall. Teaming up with her ex, Sister Simone goes on a globe-trotting adventure that pits religion and technology against each other.

Silly, smart, poignant, and darkly hilarious, Mrs. Davis is a terrific meditation on life, faith, and technology. By refusing to take itself too seriously, it allows for an anarchic satire of our times. A must-watch for fans of Black Mirror, Severance, and Devs.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Girls5eva (2021-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 30 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Meredith Scardino
• Main cast: Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, Renée Elise Goldsberry
• Genre: Comedy/musical
• Ratings: 7.2 – IMDB / 96% – Rotten Tomatoes

Girls5eva is a satirical send-up of 90s girl bands and of growing into middle age. The members of the pop group Girls5eva, now 40-something women off living their lives after fame, reunite when their hit single is sampled by a popular hip hop artist. Can they make a successful comeback after years off the stage and airwaves?

While the show finds a lot of humor in the ways the four women have changed over the years and have moved in different directions, it also grounds its story in real bonds between them. They all clearly care about each other, and their reunion is genuinely moving. It doesn’t hurt that the whole thing is hilarious too, which is why it also made our list of the best Peacock comedies.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

MacGruber (2021-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 30 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Will Forte, Jorma Taccone, John Solomon
• Main cast: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe
• Genre: Comedy/action
• Ratings: 7.2 – IMDB / 85% – Rotten Tomatoes

With the fate of the world at stake, MacGruber reteams with his trusted partners Vicki St. Elmo and Dixon Piper to tangle with his mortal foe Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth.

The Saturday Night Live MacGuyver spoof is back more than 10 years after his feature film outing. Featuring performances by Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Sam Elliott, Laurence Fishburne, and Billy Zane, the Peacock original is hilarious and sure to please the fans. If you enjoy action comedies like Our Flag Means Death or The Orville, you’ll want to take a look.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Queer as Folk (2022)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 49 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Stephen Dunn
• Main cast: Fin Argus, CG, Jesse James Keitel, Ryan O’Connell, Johnny Sibilly, Devin Way, Cameron Hathcock
• Genre: Drama
• Ratings: 5.8 – IMDB / 80% – Rotten Tomatoes

The new Queer as Folk is set in New Orleans. It follows a group of queer friends reeling from a shooting at a local queer nightclub called Babylon. As the season progresses, they bond and juggle relationships, grief, addiction, and more.

A reboot of the classic queer Showtime drama that ran from 2000 to 2005 (and was itself a remake of the British series of the same name), Queer as Folk is among the best original Peacock shows. Sadly, it was cancelled after just one season, but you can catch that season exclusively on the streamer.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Killing It (2022-ongoing)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 28-32 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Dan Goor, Luke Del Tredici
• Main cast: Craig Robinson, Claudia O’Doherty, Rell Battle, Scott MacArthur, Stephanie Nogueras
• Genre: Comedy
• Ratings: 7.2 – IMDB / 89% – Rotten Tomatoes

In Killing It, Craig Robinson plays a would-be entrepreneur aiming for the American Dream and consistently falling short. His latest plan involves teaming up with his Uber driver to win a snake-hunting contest. It’s one of the funniest and best Peacock original shows.

After stealing scenes in The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Robinson gets to shine with his own starring role in this rags-to-riches sitcom from Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator and Parks and Recreation producer Dan Goor and Brooklyn Nine-Nine producer Luke Del Tredici.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Save Me (2018-2022)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 46-51 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Lennie James
• Main cast: Lennie James, Suranne Jones, Stephen Graham, Jason Flemyng, Susan Lynch
• Genre: Mystery/drama/thriller
• Ratings: 7.7 – IMDB / 100% – Rotten Tomatoes

A British drama starring Lennie James, who wrote and created the series, Save Me follows a man looking for his estranged daughter, who has been abducted. As he reconnects with his ex, who initially thinks he might have something to do with the disappearance, Nelly becomes invested in finding a daughter he barely knows.

The mystery alone makes Save Me worth watching. But great performances and a deep look at one man and the communities he belongs to make this an engrossing drama. It feels at times like we’re encroaching on deeply intimate moments between real people. That makes Save Me a powerful drama as well as a compelling whodunnit. And one of the best Peacock original series too. If you enjoy British mysteries like Luther, Wallander, and Broadchurch, you should definitely give it a try.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Angelyne (2022)

What you need to know:

• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 42-52 minutes per episode
• Director/Creator: Allison Miller
• Main cast: Emmy Rossum, Hamish Linklater, Martin Freeman, Lukas Gage
• Genre: Drama
• Ratings: 5.9 – IMDB / 87% – Rotten Tomatoes

In the 1980s, mystery woman Angelyne drew attention in Los Angeles with her billboards positioned all over the city of Los Angeles. Seated atop her signature pink corvette, the busty blonde bombshell was impossible to ignore. But she was also very enigmatic, carefully protecting her public image. In the 2010s, a reporter sets out to find out who the true Angelyne was and is.

Based on the life and story of the real 1980s LA proto-influencer Angelyne, Peacock’s miniseries Angelyne is among the best on the streamer. A textbook example of fact sometimes being stranger than fiction, featuring terrific performances.

Ready to watch? You can find the show right here on Peacock.

Those are our picks of the best Peacock original series you can stream right now.

The streamer is adding new titles to their library of originals all the time. We’ll be sure to update this list as more great titles become available.