Top 5 Must-Watch Paramount+ Shows This Week: Dec 29–Jan 2, 2026
The 5 best Paramount+ shows to binge-watch this week, December 29, 2025, to January 2, 2026, include a modern Western masterpiece, an all-time animated classic, a profound historical drama series, and a critically acclaimed sci-fi expansion series. Screen Rant is here to help you ring in the new year on a high note with top-notch streaming recommendations for a variety of major platforms, including Netflix and Prime Video. Our number one must-binge pick this week includes a brand-new crime thriller with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.
1923
Taylor Sheridan's historical Western series 1923 is currently a top 10 trending worldwide series once again. A prequel to Yellowstone, this celebrated epic drama series spans 15 episodes across two seasons and just concluded with a 7-part second season in April 2025. Starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar, and more, 1923 is one of Sheridan's most beloved original series, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94% and receiving two Emmy nominations (a rare feat for a Sheridan show). Ford plays Jacob Dutton, the great-uncle of Kevin Costner's John Dutton in Yellowstone, who lives in early 20th-century America. For a deeply immersive and beautifully shot Western series with elements of action, drama, and adventure, 1923 is one of the best streaming options on Paramount+.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The original Avatar: The Last Airbender series has been called one of the greatest animated series ever made, and it also has a case for being one of the best TV shows of all time, hands down. Sporting a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes and a 9.3 IMDb score, this "kids" show is highly entertaining for viewers of all ages. Consisting of 62 episodes across 3 seasons, Avatar: The Last Airbender initially aired on Nickelodeon in 2005. It's an entirely separate franchise from James Cameron's Avatar movies, following a young boy named Aang who has the rare ability of airbending. Along with his newfound friends Katara and Sokka, Aang must learn to master all four elements, including water, earth, and fire, to bring balance to the world. For parents who are looking to share a fantastic series with their children, Avatar: The Last Airbender is about as good as it gets. The series is also perfect for those looking for a feel-good, non-violent, nostalgic binge this week.
Fellow Travelers
If you're looking for a Heated Rivalry replacement series after the viral HBO Max hit's season 1 finale last week, Fellow Travelers is an outstanding choice. Also based on a novel, Fellow Travelers chronicles a decades-long hidden affair between two men working for the Federal government during the Lavender Scare in 1950s America. Consisting of 8 incredibly bingeable episodes, Fellow Travelers stars Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, who both earned Emmy nominations for their roles as Hawk Fuller and Tim Laughlin, respectively. The series chronicles their on-and-off secret romance for more than 30 years, ending during the 1980s AIDS epidemic. Fellow Travelers, which earned a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, combines rich historical drama based on true events with steamy romance and devastating tragedy. There is arguably no better show for fans of Heated Rivalry to binge on Paramount+ this week than this.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
In anticipation of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which premieres on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, sci-fi fans can dive into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this week, or any Star Trek series on Paramount+, like Discovery, Voyager, or Enterprise. Paramount+ is the definitive home for Star Trek content, and Strange New Worlds is widely considered one of the very best modern expansion series in the franchise. Consisting of three seasons and 30 episodes, with seasons 4 and 5 already in development, Strange New Worlds acts as a prequel to 1966's Star Trek, following the USS Enterprise and its crew under the leadership of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount).
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds premiered in 2022 and is suitable for most viewers, even children, given its TV-PG rating. Although Paramount+ isn't necessarily known for being a sci-fi powerhouse, Strange New Worlds is one of the very best and most binge-worthy offerings in the genre.
Mayor of Kingstown
Mayor of Kingstown has been a top trending series on Paramount+ since its late October season 4 premiere. Two months later, Mayor of Kingstown's season 4 finale just dropped, making now the absolute best time to binge-watch the new season, or the entire series, from start to finish. Critics and audiences have raved about this latest Mayor of Kingstown season, as evidenced by its perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and multiple IMDb episode ratings of 9.0 or higher. Co-created by Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan, and executive produced by season 4 showrunner Dave Erickson, Mayor of Kingstown has been on a whole new level this year and is one of the best crime thrillers of 2025. Starring Jeremy Renner as a fixer and peacemaker between inmates and criminals on either side of the prison walls in the corrupt fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan, Mayor of Kingstown features an excellent ensemble, a gripping story, sharp visuals, and gritty action-packed scenes. If you're looking to be completely hooked by a series this week, Mayor of Kingstown is perfect to binge on Paramount+ right now.
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