‘30 Rock’ (2006–2013)

Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are pure magic in a show that has so many jokes per minute it’s almost impossible to catch them all. Inspired by Fey’s time as a writer on Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock follows Liz Lemon (Fey), the harried head writer of a comedy variety show called TGS, and her business-obsessed boss and mentor, Jack Donaghy (Baldwin). The show brilliantly satirizes corporate culture, the entertainment industry, and where the two intersect. (Jack’s job title in the pilot episode is “Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming,” for example.) 

Liz attempts to balance her career and her love life, as well as the completely absurd antics of the stars of TGS. Narcissistic and clueless Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) and unstable man-child Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) constantly make Liz’s life difficult, but with help from Jack and ebullient NBC page Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), Liz manages to keep the show running.

‘Poker Face’ (2023–Present)

This comedy murder mystery series follows the Columbo format of “inverted” murder mysteries. Each episode begins with a murder, and the audience gets to follow along as tough-talking protagonist Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) attempts to put the clues together. Charlie doesn’t particularly want to be a detective — in fact, she’s on the run from the mob enforcer (Benjamin Bratt) who’s trying to kill her because she witnessed a crime — but it’s hard to avoid unraveling mysteries when you’re a human lie detector. 

Charlie has an uncanny and foolproof ability to sense when someone is lying, as well as a strong sense of morality. As she drives across the country, it seems she always manages to find a body, as well as a series of lies about how it got there. Rian Johnson, creator of Knives Out, created this “whodunnit” series, which is returning for a second season in May 2025.

‘Community’ (2009–2014)

Joel McHale stars as Jeff Winger, a slick and narcissistic lawyer who lied about finishing his bachelor’s degree. When Jeff’s law firm finds out about his deception, he is disbarred and forced to finish undergrad at Greendale Community College. Community starts out as a fairly simple story of a group of strangers who form a study group at Greendale, but it quickly became known for the way it parodies other television and film genres. For example, “Contemporary American Poultry” is a Goodfellas-style episode about chicken fingers, while “Pillows and Blankets” is a documentary about a pillow fort war between best friends Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover). 

The other (equally hilarious) members of the study group are the naïve overachiever Annie (Alison Brie), self-righteous activist Britta (Gillian Jacobs), clueless businessman Pierce (Chevy Chase) and religious mom Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown). Ken Jeong plays the group’s deranged Spanish teacher, and Jim Rash is the eccentric Dean of the college. Once you watch this show, you’ll be “streets ahead.”

‘SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night’ (2025)

Few shows have had as much impact on American pop culture as Saturday Night Live. While all 50 seasons of SNL are available to watch on Peacock, we recommend you check out this four-part docuseries about the history of the groundbreaking variety show. 

Featuring stars like Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, and Kenan Thompson, it breaks down the audition process, the writer’s room, and the infamous “weird year” when Lorne Michaels left the show. (Spoiler alert: it did not go well without him.) 

‘Mrs. Davis’ (2023)

Do you ever feel like AI is everywhere? In Mrs. Davis, an incredibly powerful artificial intelligence has not so much taken over the world as saved it. Mrs. Davis, as Americans call the AI, has ended war, famine, and most diseases. But Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), a young nun with a complicated past, is determined to destroy the program. When her ex-lover Wiley (Jake McDorman) appears and tells her he is part of a resistance fighting Mrs. Davis, she is drawn into a web of ancient conspiracies and mysteries. 

Written by Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), Mrs. Davis somehow toes the line between wacky and profound. It’s a show about the complicated relationship between technology and religion. There are also whales, magicians and rodeos, so expect the unexpected.

‘The Resort’ (2022)

If you’re missing the mysteries and exotic locations of The White Lotus, The Resort might be a good substitute. The limited series takes place at a hotel in the Riviera Maya, where married couple Emma (Cristin Milioti, How I Met Your Mother) and Noah (William Jackson Harper, The Good Place) are on a vacation to try to bring the spark back to their floundering relationship. Once at the resort, they get drawn into an unsolved mystery — it turns out that a different couple (Skyler Gisondo and Nina Bloomgarden) disappeared at the resort 15 years before their visit.

As flashbacks reveal the story of the missing couple, Emma and Noah grow closer by working together to solve the mystery. Fans praise the performances, the unexpected twists, and the chemistry of the cast.  

‘House’ (2004–2012)

If medical mysteries are your jam, House is the show for you. Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) is a curmudgeonly doctor with a brilliant ability to diagnose patients with his powers of observation. Inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Dr. House is a fascinating character, and every episode of the medical procedural involves him diagnosing a bizarre ailment. At the same time, he struggles to manage chronic pain from his injured leg. Alongside his only friend, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), House saves lives in his abrasive and brash manner.

House fans love the show for its humor, its Holmesian mysteries and Laurie’s performance. Dr. House lives by the philosophy that “everybody lies,” and his cynicism challenges viewers to look at the world in a new way while raising interesting questions about medical ethics.

‘Charmed’ (1998–2006)

This 8-season drama follows the three Halliwell sisters, Prue (Shannen Doherty), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Piper (Holly Marie Combs), who discover that they are the most powerful witches in the world. Their connection, called “The Power of Three” in the show, allows them to use magic to fight the forces of evil and protect the innocent. 

Exploring the nature of good and evil and the bonds of sisterhood, Charmed is a fun and melodramatic fantasy series that fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will adore, though the sisters face the trials of young adulthood instead of being teenagers. There’s romance, action and of course, plenty of magic in this cult classic show.

‘The Traitors’ (2023–Present)

Did you ever play “Mafia” or “Murder” as a kid? The Traitors takes the premise of those games and pumps up the stakes. While no one actually dies, host Alan Cumming leads a group of contestants — many of whom are famous from other reality TV shows — through challenges in a mysterious castle. A few members of the group are “Traitors,” tasked with killing off the competition in order to win a cash prize. If the “Faithfuls” correctly identify all the traitors, they win the pot instead. There’s backstabbing, trash-talking and colorful personalities that clash as everyone tries to prove their status as a faithful. 

Past contestants have included Survivor’s “Boston Rob,” Real Housewives personality Brandi Glanville and Bachelorette Gabby Windey. Watching personalities from different franchises interact is a blast, and watching people you can’t stand get eliminated is even better.

‘Deal or No Deal Island’ (2024–Present)

It’s more than just models with briefcases. In this adventurous, tropical spin on the 2005 game show Deal or No Deal, contestants don’t just choose a case full of money — they have to fight for it. 

Hunky host Joe Manganiello (True Blood) leads the competitors through physical challenges, scavenger hunts and strategic games as they try to earn their chance to face the banker and walk away with the cash. Fans love DONDI because it’s a game show, house reality show, survival show and competition show all in one, plus the fact that taking risks with your strategies can lead to huge rewards. But of course, huge losses are always possible too — prizes have ranged from the millions to the single digits. Anything can happen on the mysterious “Banker’s Island.”