Looking for a TV show you can sink your teeth into this weekend? One that doesn’t take a ton of commitment and that you can binge a pile of episodes of in one sitting, maybe even the whole darn lot?
If you’re a Paramount+ subscriber, I’ve got three shows for you that will fit nicely into your weekend viewing lineup. They include a revamped take on those green heroes in a half-shell, another reimagining of a classic sci-fi institution, and the prequel to a more recent classic series in-the-making. Let’s go.
3
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem movie was a box office smash in 2023, so it made a whole lot of sense to continue the canon by turning the gorgeously animated film into a cool series on Paramount+. Set just two months after the events of the film that saw our green, half-shelled heroes Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo take on a crew of New York City mutants, the episodic Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tracks the sewer dwellers as they juggle high school drama with saving the city.
With their wise rat father Splinter (who only speaks “vermin” in the series because Jackie Chan didn’t sign on) watching over them and reporter April O’Neil lending a hand, too, each 20-ish minute episode features two fun tales told by one of the brothers. Many of the film’s voice actors reprise their roles in the series, including all the turtles, Ayo Edebiri as O’Neil, Pete Davidson as Rod, and Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, to name a few. The jokes are fast and punchy, the ninja action is fun and fierce, and the pizza is cheesy, making the show a great stopgap between movies (the next one is slated for 2027). I love the animation style in this series (and the movie, too), as it reminds me of the slick and creative style from the Spider-Man animated films (Across the Spider-Verse actually has several scenes worked on by Titmouse, the animation studio behind the Tales).
All twenty episodes of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles across both seasons are available to stream on Paramount+.
2
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
I have to be honest here: not counting the excellent animated Lower Decks, I haven’t really watched a Trek series since The Next Generation until I fired up the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And I’m so glad I did. I was a fan of the Captain Pike character played by Bruce Greenwood in 2009’s Star Trek motion picture with Chris Pine (not in the same universe, I know), and I love the energy and charisma that Anson Mount brings to the role in SNW.
But let’s step back: A direct prequel to The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows the crew of the famed U.S.S. Enterprise before Captain James T. Kirk takes the helm for his five-year mission. On board are up-and-coming crewmembers you may recognize, like Spock, (Ethan Peck) and Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), and other key teammates like Pike’s Number One, Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn).
Similar to other Trek series, SNW’s stand-alone, mission-based episodes align with the Enterprise’s mission to “chart the stars, push the boundaries of what is known and what is possible,” and to “seek out new life and go where the aliens are.” The Emmy-nominated series is visually stunning with creative and clever conundrums the crew must face, and features fun cameos from actors like Patton Oswalt. Critics love the series, with Rotten Tomatoes rating it at 94%. All three seasons are available to stream on Paramount+.
1
1923
You can’t think about Paramount+ without thinking of Taylor Sheridan. The prolific actor-turned-screenwriter has delivered hit after hit for the streamer, including Tulsa King, Landman, and, oh right, Yellowstone. In October, Sheridan announced that he’ll be jumping ship to NBCUniversal in 2028, but don’t worry, thereare still acres and acres of good drama to watch, including 1923, one of two active spinoffs of the Dutton family drama (with four more on the way).
I suppose I should have started with the other Yellowstone prequel, 1883, but as a huge fan of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, I couldn’t resist. 1923 is set around 40 years after the Duttons staked their claim on what is now known as the sprawling Montana ranch, Yellowstone. These Duttons (Jacob and his iron-willed wife, Cara, played by Ford and Mirren) face many of the same challenges their heirs will face—tycoons like Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and rival herders like Banner Creighton (Game of Thrones’ Bron Jerome Flynn), trying to take their land, kill them, or both. But they also have to contend with the tribulations of the time, like Prohibition and the looming Great Depression.
1923’s period setting makes for an even grittier atmosphere for the show’s two seasons, and the casting of Ford (the definition of gruff) as Jacob is an outright bullseye. But it’s Mirren who shines brightest as the utterly terrifying firebrand matriarch, who may or may have been training for her similar role in MobLand. 1923 is a worthy prequel to Yellowstone, if you’re looking for a fix.
Paramount+ is a nice, sharp arrow to have in your quiver of streaming services for its broad spectrum of TV series that come from several sources, such as CBS, Showtime, and more. But we know it’s a daunting task digging through it all for something good to watch, and we want to help with these weekend roundups of suggestions.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
3
If you enjoy CBS offerings, you’ll want to subscribe to Paramount+. You get access to hit shows like Star Trek and Yellowstone, as well as a variety of SHOWTIME content.