The 15 Best Showtime Original Series

One of the first premium cable channels, Showtime launched way back in 1976, but didn’t begin airing its own original scripted programming until the early 1980s. Even then, though, Showtime wasn’t the place to go if you were looking for premium TV shows the way it is today. That didn’t begin until the late 1990s, when it kicked off with a series of sci-fi and horror originals that included TV versions of movies like “Poltergeist” and “Stargate,” comedies like “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” and anthologies like “The Outer Limits.”

In the decades since, however, Showtime has become famous for its high-quality originals, and with the advent of streaming, that reputation has only solidified, as the network continues to deliver some of the best shows on television in every genre. In fact, Showtime is responsible for so many all-time greats that classics like “The L Word,” “Californication,” and “Weeds” aren’t even among its best. Think you know which Showtime series ranks highest? Read on to find out, as we present a list of the 15 best Showtime original series.

Led by one of the most charismatic lead actors on TV, “Nurse Jackie” isn’t your typical medical drama, nor even your average medical comedy. Instead, it’s an oddball mix of “Scrubs” and “ER,” with Falco in the title role as Jackie Peyton, a nurse at All Saints’ Hospital. Determined to help her patients any way she can, Jackie isn’t afraid to break the rules to save lives, especially in a system that doesn’t seem to prioritize doing so. And she does it while also dealing with her own personal demons.

Thanks to Falco’s charming performance, Jackie is a quick-witted, sarcastic nurse who isn’t always so easy to get along with. But her bitter exterior belies a broken woman. Never afraid to go into dark territory where humor can take the edge off, “Nurse Jackie” tackles serious social issues and explores the many real problems we face in a dysfunctional health care system. Ultimately, it’s a show that’s even better than the sum of its parts, and one of the most binge-worthy medical shows of all time.

Cast: Edie Falco, Eve Best, Merritt Wever

Creators: Liz Brixius, Evan Dusnky, Linda Wallem

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 41

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Where to Watch: Philo

When a TV show becomes a huge hit in Britain, it can often make its way to Hollywood with an American remake. Some turn out great, some turn out terrible. “Episodes,” meanwhile, chronicles the trials and tribulations of such a show. In it, we meet Sean and Beverly Lincoln, a British couple who created one of the UK’s biggest comedies, and who are now trying to recreate it for American audiences. To their chagrin, producers have forced them to cast “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc as their series lead.

Steven Mangan and Tamsin Greig star as the husband and wife team who relocate to Los Angeles and find themselves British fish in American waters. But it’s Matt LeBlanc who steals the show as a heavily fictionalized version of himself, who — despite having good intentions — always seems to be causing trouble. The series ran for five seasons, but somehow never gets the attention it deserves as one of Showtime’s best comedies ever.

Cast: Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig, Matt LeBlanc

Creator: David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 80

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

Showtime has a penchant for the best dramas and comedies, but when they put the two genres together they deliver solid gold. Case in point, “The United States of Tara,” starring Toni Collette as Tara Gregson. Gregson isn’t the only role Collette gets to play, though, because her character is suffering from dissociative identity disorder, more commonly (if incorrectly) referred to as “multiple personalities.”

Like a comedic version of the Incredible Hulk, Tara’s other personas emerge during times of stress. Those personalities are wildly different, too, ranging from a rowdy teenager to a drunken war vet, and even a borderline animal named Gimme. It all makes for a wickedly dark comedy, with Collette delivering not just one, but a whole horde of impressive performances that will have you laughing, gasping, and crying in equal measure.

Cast: Toni Collette, John Corbett, Brie Larson

Creator: Diablo Cody

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 36

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

“The Affair” is a drama that kicks off just as you’d expect from the title: With a married couple dealing with an affair. The series centers on the very married Noah Solloway, who gets involved in a steamy romance with Alison Lockhart (Ruth Wilson), a waitress at a local diner, while on vacation. But Alison is dealing with her own problems, as she is still grieving over the death of her son.

What seems like it could be a run-of-the-mill romantic drama becomes something truly intriguing thanks to the show’s ability to tell parallel stories from different perspectives. The use of dueling narratives allows us to see the same events as they are interpreted in vastly different ways by those around them. This not only serves as a unique storytelling device, but makes us question who is right and who is wrong — particularly fascinating when there’s also a murder mystery to solve.

Cast: Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, Joshua Jackson

Creator: Sarah Treem, Hagai Levi

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 53

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

In the late ’90s, future “Doctor Who” showrunner Russell T. Davies created the groundbreaking drama “Queer as Folk” in his native U.K. (launching the career of Charlie Hunnam before “Sons of Anarchy”). Just a year after its debut, the series was brought to American shores and remade by Showtime, and the resulting remake proved to be every bit as pioneering as its U.K. counterpart.

“Queer as Folk” is the rare TV series with a cast of LGBTQ characters, especially unusual for its day, just a year or so after “Ellen” got canceled because its star came out as a lesbian. While it hasn’t been without its controversy and criticism from within LGBTQ community, it explored issues that few had ever seen discussed so frankly on American television. And it’s not just the trailblazing nature of the show that makes it great — it’s also one of the best all-around dramas of the 2000s, chronicling the dramatic ups and downs in the lives of a group of young people just trying to survive adulthood.

Cast: Michelle Clunie, Thea Gill, Gale Harold

Creator: Ron Cowen, Daniel Lipman

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 83

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% (audience)

Where to Watch: Paramount+

Gritty crime dramas are a dime a dozen, so it takes something special to separate itself from the rest of the field. While Amazon has “Bosch” and Paramount+ has “Mare of Easttown,” for Showtime it’s “Ray Donovan,” starring Liev Schreiber as a big city fixer involved in LA’s dirtiest dealings. 

Based in Hollywood, the titular Mr. Donovan is employed by any number of high-profile clients, from actors and producers to famous athletes and media moguls. His job? To make sure that any activities that could get his wealthy clients in trouble — either with the law or with the press — are quickly covered up and swept under the rug. And that often means doing some serious dirty work. Of course, the real problems Donovan faces are with his criminal father, who has just been released from prison after a lengthy stint behind bars. A crime drama with family angst, not to mention plenty of action, “Ray Donovan” has it all.

Cast: Liev Schreiber, Jon Voigt, Eddie Marsan

Creator: Ana Biderman

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 82

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

Another British favorite brought across the pond, “Shameless” is a gritty family sitcom, to coin a previously nonexistent genre term. It revolves around the wild misadventures of the Gallagher family, an out-of-control group of misfits and losers led by the hard-drinking Frank, a loudmouthed, blue collar malcontent who is raising (well, kind of) five kids and one baby all by himself.

To make ends meet, Frank is always involved in some scheme or petty crime, never afraid to break the law or screw over even those closest to him. At the same time, his kids are running amok, taking after dear old dad. It’s a raucous comedy with plenty of edge, the kind of gutter trash that sinks so low at times that it goes well past the bounds of good taste in its quest to get a laugh. And get a laugh it did, for an impressive 11 seasons, though the British original still managed a handful more episodes.

Cast: William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan

Creator: Paul Abbott

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 134

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

Where to Watch: Netflix

“Escape from Dannemora” seems to have flown under a lot of radar when it was released in 2018 on Showtime. And it’s surprising, because it features a star-studded cast led by Patricia Arquette, Benicio del Toro, and Paul Dano. A seven-episode miniseries directed by comedian Ben Stiller, it dramatizes the remarkable true story of a daring jailbreak that made international headlines just three years earlier.

In 2015, at the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, two convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, made a dramatic escape with a little help from a lovelorn prison guard named Joyce Mitchell. They tunneled their way through a wall, into a drainage pipe, and out from behind the walls of a maximum security prison, in a stunning jailbreak that mystified authorities while drawing comparisons to “The Shawshank Redemption.” And “Escape from Dannemora” captures it all in the best prison break series since “Prison Break.”

Cast: Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Benicio del Toro

Creators: Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 7

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Where to Watch: Netflix

“Nurse Jackie” might be the best medical comedy on Showtime, but “Masters of Sex” takes the crown for medical drama. A period piece that takes place in the 1950s and ’60s in St. Louis, “Masters of Sex” follows the life of Dr. William Masters (Michael Sheen), who is a different kind of medical professional. Rather than practice traditional medicine, he is a sex researcher. With his assistant Virginia Johnson (Lizzie Kaplan), Dr. Masters studies human sexuality in the burgeoning field of sexology at a time when discussions about what goes on in the bedroom were limited to the back pages of underground pornography.

Johnson, however, quickly becomes much more than Masters’ assistant, becoming his partner both professionally and personally. Together, they study the human physiological responses to sex, and their work is highly controversial, forcing them to use unconventional methods — like conducting studies at a local brothel, and becoming participants in their own research. Though full of salacious sex and steamy romance, what makes the series so captivating is that it’s based on a true story and inspired by a 2009 biography of the real William Masters and Virginia Johnson.

Cast: Michael Sheen, Lizzie Kaplan, Caitlin FitzGerald

Creator: Michelle Ashford

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 46

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime ($)

Inspired by classic horror magazines referred to as “penny dreadfuls,” the 2014 series “Penny Dreadful” reimagines those pulpy stories in an entirely new way. At the center of the series is Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), a supernatural investigator living in 19th-century London. She possesses the ability to communicate with the dead, but is more than just a medium. Set in a world where some of horror’s most famous literary icons are very real, Ives’ adventures see her crossing paths with the likes of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankstein’s monster.

Among the best horror TV shows of all time, “Penny Dreadful” is a weekly procedural of sorts, with Ives battling evil alongside Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), who is desperately searching for his missing daughter, Mina. A stunning horror-thriller, “Penny Dreadful” is hard to define, mixing riveting mystery with chilling tales of the supernatural, and the result is a show that is hard to top, in horror or any other genre. 

Cast: Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Josh Hartnett

Creator: John Logan

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 27

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

Part legal drama, part boardroom crime caper, “Billions” turned the world of business into one of the best dramas of the 2010s. Led by Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti, the series centers on Charles “Chuck” Rhoades, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who spends his days hunting down white collar corporate criminals, from the architects of organized crime to big business embezzlers. 

In pursuing corporate criminals, however, Rhoades often becomes just as morally bankrupt as his enemies, and the series explores themes of power, greed, and corruption — not to mention society’s disturbing obsession with wealth. Of course, Rhoades’ biggest target is shady billionaire Bobby Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis. Their intense rivalry sits at the heart of the series as each tries to topple the other in a chess match of move and countermove, with boardrooms as their battlefield.

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Maggie Siff, Damian Lewis

Creator: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Andrew Ross Sorkin

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 84

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

Plenty of celebrated authors have had their works adapted to the screen, but their novels are typically fictional adventures of extraordinary heroes. Author Edward St. Aubyn is unique, though, in that his novel series was based on his own life, revolving around wealthy Englishman Patrick Melrose, who grows up in an abusive household, with his disturbing experiences as a young man haunting him into adulthood.

A five-episode miniseries, “Patrick Melrose” stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, and he’s the perfect man to play the imperfect Patrick. More than just a mere troubled soul, Melrose has few redeeming qualities, with decades of trauma taking their toll, and he finds himself struggling with addiction. 

A passion project for Cumberbatch, the British thespian is at his very best, giving a startling performance that makes for captivating viewing. The character and the series is a stinging satire of the aristocratic bourgeois and its depraved excesses. 

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hugo Weaving

Creator: David Nicholls

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 5

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime ($)

The CIA thriller “Homeland” caught fire in 2011, a riveting series where geopolitics and the horrors of war collide. Led by Claire Danes as CIA field agent Carrie Mathison, the series follows a dedicated intelligence operative who will do whatever it takes to protect the country from the world’s worst terrorists. A bold, action-packed series with high-stakes drama, “Homeland” has the guts to question the very nature of espionage work, as the heroes are often shown to be just as morally questionable as their enemies. 

Assigned to a counterterrorist task force, Mathison soon zeroes in on a former Delta Force soldier named Nicolas Brody (Damian Lewis), who she becomes convinced is working for the enemy as a sleeper agent. Lauded for its jaw-dropping suspense and impressive performances from its cast, “Homeland” is peak television. Running for nine seasons, it’s not just one of Showtime’s best dramas — it might be the best thriller that has ever aired on television.

Cast: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damien Lewis

Creators: Howard Gordon, Alex Sansa

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 96

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Where to Watch: Disney+

A dark, twisted crime drama that spawned its own franchise, “Dexter” follows the exploits of Dexter Morgan, a police forensics expert who moonlights as a serial murderer. An unlikely hero, Morgan has a twisted compulsion to kill. But with a strict moral compass, he focuses his efforts on the most vile criminals he can find, abducting rapists, murderers, and other serial killers to satiate his bloodlust.

Based on the series of novels by author Jeff Lindsay, “Dexter” sees its eponymous ‘hero’ on a journey of self-discovery, learning more about himself as the bodies pile up. But nobody in his life knows the truth about who he really is, and amid his frequent killings, Morgan must also evade the efforts of the Miami PD — his own colleagues — who are hot on his trail. After a stellar six-season run, Morgan returned for two sequels, “Dexter: New Blood” and “Dexter: Resurrection,” which might be even better, while the prequel “Dexter: Original Sin” is also not to be missed.

Cast: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter

Creator: James Manos Jr.

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 96 / 136

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%

Where to Watch: Paramount+

In 1990, celebrated director David Lynch came to television and crafted “Twin Peaks,” perhaps the most mystifying TV series of all time. Entrancing both critics and audiences, the series was ostensibly a murder mystery led by oddball FBI agent Dale Cooper, but quickly evolved into what can only be described as an abstract painting come to life — a surrealist dreamscape that throws television convention out the window. Regarded among the best TV shows ever made, “Twin Peaks” received a sequel season on Showtime in 2017, and somehow, it arguably bested the original.

Set 25 years after the events of the 1990 series, “Twin Peaks: The Return” does the impossible, expanding on the dreamlike netherworld of “Twin Peaks” in ways most legacy sequels can only hope to achieve. Hailed as one of the greatest shows of the 21st century, there’s not enough praise to be dumped on the series that could do it justice. A taut thriller, mind-bending sci-fi, and chilling horror all wrapped in a layer of the absurd, there is truly no other show like it, and no description can do it justice — you must experience it for yourself.

Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Michael Horse

Creator: David Lynch

Rating: TV-MA

Episode Count: 18

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Where to Watch: Paramount+