I’m still discovering new things to watch on Paramount+, which is a good sign. Of course, there are all kinds of Star Trek movies and series I can sink my teeth into, but many of them are more long-term commitments than what I’m suggesting here—nice, bingeable TV shows you can get through in a weekend.
This weekend, I’ve got an excellent espionage thriller series starring Zoe Saldaña, one of the coolest British mob shows with Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren, and one of Stephen King’s darkest book adaptations ever.
Lioness
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan knows how to crank out tense, high-stakes narratives, and 2023’s Lioness is yet another arrow in the award-winning creator’s quiver. With two seasons available to stream on Paramount+, Lioness is a gritty CIA espionage thriller that explores the real-life world of deep-undercover female operatives known as Lionesses, who are recruited to infiltrate and get close to wives, daughters, and girlfriends of some of the world’s most sought-after terrorists.
Zoe Saldaña is cold as ice as one of the program’s heads, Station Chief Joe McNamara, who is torn between duty to her country and the sacrifices she must make to take out the dangerous targets they’re after. But as Joe is terrifyingly aware, it’s the Lionesses that make the ultimate sacrifices. In season one, Joe’s newest recruit, a tough but unstable Marine named Cruz Manuelos (Laysla de Oliveira), goes deep undercover to get close to Aaliyah Amrohi (Stephanie Nur), the daughter of the suspected leader of a terrorist group planning attacks on the U.S.
As Cruz gets close to Aaliyah, her relationship crosses the line, and her real feelings intensify, leaving Joe and her CIA boss (played by Nicole Kidman) on the edge of their seats, wondering if Cruz will choose duty over what she’s feeling. Lioness is full of explosive action, excellent character development, and some stellar performances. Two seasons are available to stream, with a third season in the works.
Lioness
- Release Date
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July 23, 2023
- Showrunner
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Taylor Sheridan
- Directors
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Anthony Byrne, Paul Cameron
MobLand
I love a good mob series. I’m a huge fan of American-based crime dramas like Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos, but there’s something extra stylish and raw about British mob shows like Peaky Blinders that I love. Maybe it’s the accents or stereotypical prim-and-proper Brits juxtaposed with some of the most vicious mob violence on TV—no matter, MobLand does it all brilliantly.
MobLand centers around London’s top crime family, the Harrigans, run by ruthless patriarch Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and his scheming wife, Maeve (Helen Mirren), the one really running the show. The Harrigans are at war with the city’s other notorious family, the Stevensons, and when their boss’s son disappears, all fingers (and guns) point at the Harrigans, and all hell breaks loose.
There to clean up all the Harrigans’ messes is loyal family fixer Harry (the excellent Tom Hardy), who does a smashing job shutting people up, making people disappear, erasing CCTV footage, and whatever else he needs to do to keep the family safe and running smoothly. But with an innocent family and problems of his own, much of the intensity of MobLand lies in Harry’s actions as his loyalties are pushed to their limits.
Written by Ronan Bennett (The Day of the Jackal, Top Boy), and with several episodes directed by perhaps the king of British mob movies and series himself, Guy Ritchie (Snatch, The Gentlemen), you’ll rip through MobLand‘s 10 episodes on the edge of a knife, mate.
MobLand
- Release Date
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March 30, 2025
- Network
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Paramount+
- Directors
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Daniel Syrkin
The Stand
If you’ve read Stephen King’s chilling classic novel The Stand, then this nine-episode adaptation from 2020 will bring it to life for you. And if you haven’t read it, no worries, it’s going to scare the hell out of you, all the same.
OK, so the basics are that it’s the end of the world after a government-developed superflu known as Captain Trips inadvertently kills 99% of humanity. All the old systems of wealth, power, and fame are gone, and once the dust settles, people across the country start having weird prophetic dreams that align and gravitate them with one of two factions—the prophet Mother Abigail (Whoopi Goldberg) in Colorado, and a dark, sinister figure named Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgård), appropriately gathered in Sin City, Las Vegas.
From there, it’s an evil versus good tale. The supernatural Flagg wants power over and worship from all, while the prophetic Abigail fights for freedom and to rebuild humanity. And one of the best things about The Stand that will keep you enthralled and guessing is that there are so many followers on either side fighting and scheming for their leaders, with an excellent cast that includes James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Katherine McNamera, and stand-out Owen Teague as the delightfully disturbed Harold Lauder. The Stand is dark, sinister, a bit close to home (exacerbated by premiering in the middle of the pandemic), and a must-watch series.
The Stand
- Release Date
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2020 – 2021-00-00
- Network
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ABC
- Directors
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Mick Garris
When you get back from your long walk, enjoying the leaves turning color, wrap yourself up in a cozy blanket and buckle up with one of these TV shows you can get lost in over the weekend on Paramount+. If you’d prefer something brand new from the service, check out our list of new shows and movies on tap for October, too.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous streams
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