The Showtime add-on to Hulu is $10.99/month, and some may be wondering whether the network’s content is worth the price. Understandably, fans have already rummaged through seasons of fan favorites like Dexter or Weeds.
Nevertheless, there is a ton of critically-acclaimed yet generally slept-on series Showtime has released over the many years it’s been in business. Many of the series earning the highest scores from critics, according to Metacritic, were documentary series, pushing several of the network’s most popular theatrical shows out of contention.
Updated on June 11th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: There’s a great variety to some of the best Showtime shows long-running series that began in the 2000s like Dexter or some of the top Showtime series are more recent mini-series like the 2020 The Good Lord Bird. Showtime continues to release new shows every year and some will clearly stand the test of time and be highly rated by fans and critics given that a lot of their shows are rated well. Here are the best Showtime series, so far, throughout the years according to Metacritic scores.
15 United States of Tara (2009-2011) – 72
United States of Tara followed a woman who felt like she was living separate lives and turns out that she is as she lives with dissociative identity disorder and has multiple identities and personalities ranging from a housewife to a Vietnam veteran to a messy teenager.
The series stars Toni Collette as Tara and the Showtime series was created and written by Academy Award winner Diablo Cody.
14 Billions (2016-) – 72
Billions is a white-collar crime drama that follows two sides of the law as a lawyer, Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), begins to look into the legality of the actions of a successful hedge fund operator, Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), who he believes is operating illegally including insider trading.
The series brings another complication to the plot as Rhoades’ wife (Maggie Siff) works for Axelrod and refuses to believe her husband’s suspicions about her boss.
13 Penny Dreadful (2014-2016) – 74
Penny Dreadful focuses on a grieving father looking for his missing daughter in a Victorian London town full of monsters in this short-lived psychological thriller Showtime series. Although it only aired for 3 seasons it remains a fan-favorite series for its stunning visuals and engaging story lines.
The series also took a look into classic literary characters like Frankenstein and Dorian Gray and had the characters show up in the series as well.
12 Nurse Jackie (2008-2015) – 75
Nurse Jackie ran for 7 seasons and followed the life of Emergency Room nurse Jackie Peyton who would do anything to help her patients survive given the terrible health care system in the United States. Nurse Jackie secretly relies on Vicodin and Adderall to get through her stressful days at the E.R. in the New York hospital.
The Showtime show won various awards throughout its run, especially for Edie Falco in her lead role as Jackie Peyton, and it was always a popular show with both fans and critics alike.
11 Dexter (2006-2013) – 76
Dexter ran on Showtime for several seasons and followed Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) as he gives in to his inner need to kill. The show follows him working for a police department as a blood splatter analyst and finding bad people to kill while keeping his ritualistic killings a secret from his co-workers and sister.
The psychological thriller show was a fan-favorite when it was on the air right up until the series finale, which disappointed a lot of fans. Despite the disappointing finale, it still has a high rating for a Showtime series.
10 This American Life (2007-2009) – 79
Stemming from NPR’s radio segment, the Showtime TV series tells the stories of various everyday Americans. Host Ira Glass travels around the country, rooting out the most intriguing stories he can find.
Critics seemed to unanimously enjoy the half-hour series, as it didn’t sacrifice quality at the price of adapting to TV. However, This American Life only lasted two seasons, running from 2007–2009. It was canceled due to the burdening schedule of producing the program in a TV format.
9 The Affair (2014-2019) – 81
It’s unclear whether this psychological drama series could’ve made a run at a sixth season, as it seems the best shows nowadays cut it at five: The Wire, Breaking Bad, and so on. Critics were captivated by its acting performances, magnetic story and emotional rawness.
Unlike most shows, The Affair earned higher scores from critics for its later seasons, meaning the show seemed to get better as it went on, which is difficult to do for the typical theatrical series after, say, the first three seasons. It ran from 2014–2019.
8 Homeland (2011-2020) – 81
Homeland seemed to be a key achievement for Showtime as they competed with the successes of similarly premium TV networks, like HBO and Starz. The show had a tremendous eight-season run that concluded in 2020.
Despite the complicating conclusion to the final season, many fans thought Homeland could still go for a Season 9, but showrunner Alex Gansa told TVLine there was no plan for the show to go on. Some critics seemed to get sour in their evaluations of the show during the mid-seasons of the series, but its overall score is propped up by a multitude of positive reviews occurring throughout the series.
7 Time Of Death (2013) – 83
This 2013 docu-series follows a lineup of terminally ill patients as they contemplate their mortality during their final period of life. Time of Death is a close-up-and-personal look at the experience of leaving family behind and accepting the end of their lives.
The makers also interview healthcare and hospice staff that nurture patients through the period. The series consists of six episodes that evaded most TV viewers’ eyes, but critics seemed to be particularly moved by it. Obviously, Time of Death may not be the best pick for a casual watch.
6 Masters Of Sex (2013-2016) – 83
Masters of Sex is a drama consisting of four seasons that ran from 2013–2016, centered around two trailblazers for the science of human sexuality, William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan).
Critics have compared Masters of Sex to the likes of Mad Men in its ability to infuse their informative period-piece with amusing wit and humor. According to Metacritic, the series did especially well in Season 2, so it may take some time to ‘get one’s footing’ in the show.
5 Twin Peaks (2017) – 83
The modern-classic mystery series originally premiered in 1990 on ABC but was prematurely canceled after two seasons because of losing a primetime slot after being too dark and gritty for that era of network TV. Showtime rebooted the series for a third season to fans and critics’ delight.
Season 3 encompasses a wapping eighteen episodes and made for an excellent continuation, especially considering the many TV reboots of old programs that have failed.
4 The Good Lord Bird (2020) – 84
The Good Lord Bird may have an advantage over other lengthy theatrical series because it only lived for a single season. Nevertheless, the historical dark comedy is centered around 19th-century abolitionist John Brown (Ethan Hawke) and fictional character Henry “Little Onion” (Joshua Caleb Johnson), a newly-freed teenager.
The film is based on the novel by James McBride, published in 2013. McBride recently published his seventh book, Deacon King Kong, this past March.
3 The Trade (2018-) – 84
Season 3 of The Trade has yet to be renewed by Showtime. The first season concentrates on the opioid epidemic clutching the U.S. and Mexico while the following chapter looks into human trafficking and smuggling in Central America.
Critics were dazzled by Matthew Heineman’s creation and all its brutal-truth and deep investigations into major controversies. The footage gets tense, and much of the subject matter can get difficult to watch. However, the series emanates an undertone of empathy and an eye towards solutions. Critics seemed to favor Season 1 over Season 2.
2 Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men (2019) – 85
In the 2019 docu-series, hip-hop heads get a behind-the-scenes look at the making, rise, and continued influence of the most iconic east coast hip-hop group, Wu-Tang Clan. Creator Sacha Jenkins gathers all nine living members of the group, having them recollect their collective music career’s wild journey.
The interviews are buttressed with a plethora of old footage documenting their quantum-leap from public housing projects to being a global phenomenon, as well as highlighting race-relations at the time. The series sheds nostalgia, pain, passion, sadness, and above all, inspiration.
1 Back To Life (2019) – 87
Back to Life is a British dark comedy/drama following Miri (Daisy Haggard), newly released from prison and struggling to lead a normal life in her small hometown. The series is only six episodes old and its blistering-hot critical reception warranted the promise of a Season 2.
The show released its first season in 2019. It’s unclear when Season 2 will release, but it should be at some point in 2021. It will be interesting to see if Back To Life will continue to be the top Showtime series when critics respond to Season 2.
