Looking for a drama binge? These Peacock shows deliver
Looking for a drama binge? These Peacock shows deliver
From crime investigations to ranch wars and true-crime scandals, these Peacock dramas are built for serious binge watching.
Each night, Tara and I watch a show after dinner that I call our “after dinner show” or “afdin” for short (kidding, but I may start calling it that). The show is always dramatic, always immersive, and always requires our complete attention. These are the ones that pull you into someone’s messy life, or a murder investigation, or a family power struggle, and make it really hard to go to bed without at least starting the beginning of the next episode to see what happened. This list is made up of those kinds of shows, but with an important caveat: these have plenty of episodes, which means once you start, you can really live in them for a while. Here are the best binge-worthy drama TV shows streaming on Peacock.
Best binge-worthy drama shows streaming on Peacock
Best crime binge: ‘The Closer’
“The Closer” is a classic for a reason. The series follows LAPD Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, played by Kyra Sedgwick, a brilliant interrogator who’s brought in to run the department’s Priority Homicide Division. Brenda has a sky-high conviction rate, a thick Southern accent, and absolutely zero interest in doing things the traditional way. Watching her outmaneuver suspects, frustrate her own detectives, and slowly earn the respect of her team is the engine that powers the whole show.
What makes this such a strong binge is the rhythm. Every episode gives you a new murder to solve, but the characters and relationships keep evolving in the background. The team dynamic gets better the longer the show runs, and Brenda’s complicated personal life adds just enough ongoing drama to keep the story moving forward. And with seven seasons sitting on Peacock, this is exactly the kind of crime world you can live in for a long while.
The Closer
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson transfers from Atlanta to LA to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson’s quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world’s best interrogator eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
Best western binge: ‘Yellowstone’
If you want epic, sundrenched drama that feels huge, “Yellowstone” is the one. The show follows the Dutton family, owners of one of the largest cattle ranches in Montana, as they fight to protect their land from basically everyone who wants a piece of it. Developers want it, politicians want it, and the neighboring reservation even has its own claims. Sitting in the middle of all of it is Kevin Costner as John Dutton, a ranch patriarch who will do just about anything to keep the family empire intact. Around him is a group of characters who are just as intense, especially Kelly Reilly’s absolutely ferocious Beth Dutton and Cole Hauser’s loyal ranch foreman Rip.
This show is such an easy binge because the stakes never stop escalating. Every episode piles on new betrayals, new alliances, and new enemies for the Dutton family. The characters are big, the landscapes are gorgeous, and the family drama is pure soap opera in the best way possible. And with five seasons and 53 episodes, it won’t be long before the Dutton cattle ranch starts to feel like home away from home.
Yellowstone
Follow the violent world of the Dutton family, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Led by their patriarch John Dutton, the family defends their property against constant attack by land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park.
Best soapy binge: ‘Bel-Air’
“Bel-Air” takes the basic idea of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and turns it into a much more dramatic story about family, identity, and growing up between two completely different worlds. The show follows Will, played by Jabari Banks, a teenager from West Philadelphia who moves to Bel-Air to live with his wealthy relatives after getting into trouble back home. What starts as culture shock quickly turns into something deeper as Will tries to find his place inside the powerful Banks family.
What makes this such a fun binge is how serialized everything is. Every character has their own storylines and secrets slowly unraveling, especially within the Banks family itself. Each episode ends with some kind of emotional twist or reveal that makes you want to keep going. And because the seasons are fairly short, it’s super easy to fly through them. Before long, you’re fully invested in Will, Uncle Phil, Carlton, and the rest of the family.
Bel-Air
The journey of a book smart teen whose life is forever transformed when he moves from the streets of west Philadelphia to live with his relatives in one of LA’s wealthiest suburbs.
Best true-crime binge: ‘Dr. Death’
If you’re in the mood for something darker, “Dr. Death” is one of the best true-crime shows I’ve ever watched… and one of the hardest. It’s got two seasons in an anthology style. Season 1 is based on the real story of Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon whose reckless surgeries left dozens of patients seriously injured or worse. Joshua Jackson plays Duntsch with a chilling mix of confidence and instability, and watching the reality of what he’s doing slowly come to light is honestly pretty terrifying. And Season 2 focuses on a famous surgeon named Paolo Macchiarini, played by Edgar Ramírez, who claims he’s developed a groundbreaking new surgery using artificial windpipes. Well, you can guess what happens… patients start dying after his experimental surgeries, and journalist Benita Alexander (Mandy Moore) starts digging into what’s really going on.
What makes this such a powerful binge is that, episode after episode, things just keep getting worse. You watch as these egomaniacs push harder and harder, while the medical system completely fails to protect the patients who suffer. The episodes build on each other like a thriller, and the real-life stakes make every reveal hit harder. It’s intense, unsettling, and incredibly hard to turn off once you’re in.
Dr. Death
An anthology series, with each season following a new medical true crime story.
More binge-worthy drama TV shows on Peacock:
‘The Fall’
The Fall
When the Police Service of Northern Ireland are unable to close a case after 28 days, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan Police Service is called in to review the case. Under her new leadership, the local detectives must track down and stop a serial killer who is terrorising the city of Belfast.
‘Line of Duty’
Line of Duty
A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.
‘Broadchurch’
Broadchurch
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
‘Chicago P.D.’
Chicago P.D.
A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department’s District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city’s street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city’s major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.
‘Chicago Fire’
Chicago Fire
An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America’s noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death.