Starz has proven since its inception that it can hang with larger competitors like Max. Although it’s now making television in an incredibly crowded landscape, Starz has managed to regularly launch shows that make an impact, and it speaks to the enduring quality of these shows that they’ve also stood the test of time.
These shows have also spanned a wide array of genres, making viewers laugh and weep, often in equal measure. Through it all, though, these Starz shows have proven it can reliably make shows that touch viewers and endure for years after their time on the air has concluded.
Party Down (2009)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Ken Marino, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan
Created by
Paul Rudd, John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge
There are plenty of great comedy series that everyone has seen, but there are also plenty of hilarious gems that deserve more eyeballs. Party Down is one such gem, and it tells the story of six Hollywood dreamers who are trying to make it big, passing the time until their big break by working for a high-end catering company. The show is frequently hilarious, but Party Down is a dark, cynical show underneath it all. It’s about waiting for your life to begin and coming to the sad realization that the life you’ve been living may be the only one you get. In 2023, the show came back for a long-delayed third season and was just as great as ever.
Black Sails (2014)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Action & Adventure
Cast
Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Hannah New
Created by
Jonathan E. Steinberg, Robert Levine
Designed as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Black Sails tells the story of Captain Flint, a pirate who sails the high seas in the early 1700s, when pirating was at its peak. Flint’s story is ultimately about protecting his thieving, debauched way of life. That quest takes a more literal form as he attempts to defend New Providence Island, a piece of land that’s untamed the way that nothing in the modern world is. Flint is out to prove that the world can’t be tamed, and watching him fight that losing battle is one of the show’s chief pleasures.
Power (2014)
6 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama
Cast
Omari Hardwick, Joseph Sikora, Naturi Naughton
Created by
Courtney Kemp Agboh, Vladimir Cvetko
Some of the best shows on Starz fly under the radar, and Power is a great example of that trend. The series stars Omari Hardwick as James Patrick, an entrepreneur who’s achieved enormous success through his nightclub, but who also caters to a drug operation designed to serve only high-status clients. The series chronicles Patrick’s attempts to move away from the world of crime and into running a legitimate business full-time. As you might expect, though, it’s not as easy to get out of the game as it may sound.
Outlander (2014)
6 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan
Created by
Ronald D. Moore
Outlander may be the most popular Starz series of all time, and there’s good reason for that. In its early seasons, the story follows a love triangle that spans time and space, following a former nurse in the wake of World War II who finds herself transported back in time to the 1700s. Eventually, she finds herself torn between her husband in the 1900s and the man she married in the 1700s in order to survive. Outlander sprawls outward from there, but it’s the initial story of love and loss that got viewers hooked, and it keeps them coming back for more season after season.
America to Me (2018)
1 Season
Genre
Documentary
Cast
Brendan Barrette, Diane Barrios-Smith, Jada Buford
America’s schools are fundamentally broken, and fixing them isn’t as easy as it may seem. America to Me is a stunning indictment of the racial and social inequalities that have infected America’s education system. The docuseries follows a group of Black students at Oak Park and River Forest High School in a suburb of Chicago. The school is high performing and is thought to be one of the most progressive schools in the nation. In looking at the stories of individual students, though, it becomes clear that the systems around the school reinforce racial hierarchies even as individual teachers try to undo them.
Survivor's Remorse (2014)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Teyonah Parris, Mike Epps, Jessie T. Usher
Created by
Mike O'Malley
Although it has a dour name, Survivor’s Remorse has plenty of comedy to counterbalance its more serious moments. The half-hour comedy follows Cam Calloway (Jessie Usher), a young basketball player who signs a massive contract with a team in Atlanta and suddenly feels burdened with the responsibilities that come with wealth and fame. What makes Survivor’s Remorse work is its ability to balance the lighter moments with grounded looks at what fame and stardom actually mean. Money solves plenty of problems, but it doesn’t fix everything.
Gaslit (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Dan Stevens
Created by
Robbie Pickering
Julia Roberts is one of the most charming and skilled actresses of her generation, and she’s at the center of the sprawling ensemble on Gaslit. This limited series tells the story of the Watergate scandal in a unique way, focusing on many of the characters that history has forgotten in the decades since. Based on plenty of real-world reporting, Gaslit also features wonderful performances from Roberts and the rest of its cast. It’s a show about the insidiousness at the heart of Washington and about how easy it is to forget all the bit players, even in history’s most famous scandals.
The White Queen (2013)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Rebecca Ferguson, Max Irons, Amanda Hale
A decade after she starred in The White Queen, Rebecca Ferguson is rapidly becoming one of the most famous actresses alive. At the time, though, she was just one part of a sprawling ensemble in this Starz miniseries. The show tells the story of the war between the Lancasters and the Yorks for control of the crown of England. In choosing to tell this story from a distinctly feminine perspective, though, The White Queen reminds us that, even in a highly patriarchal system, women will still find ways to wield the limited power they possess to great ends.
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham (2021)
2 Seasons
Genre
Documentary
Created by
Graham McTavish, Sam Heughan, Alex Norouzi
A charming reality show, Men in Kilts follows Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, two of the stars of Outlander, as they travel Scotland and explore its complex heritage. The show is a wonderful comedic companion for anyone who loves Outlander, but it’s also a smart look at the history of Scotland and its majesty. Sam and Graham make for a delightful pair of hosts, and their Scottish heritage makes the show feel genuine, instead of a much more common travel show.
The Missing (2014)
2 Seasons
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast
David Morrissey, James Nesbitt, Keeley Hawes
Created by
Harry Williams, Jack Williams
An international series that’s riveting from beginning to end, The Missing tells the story of the disappearance of a group of children in a small town, and the detective who tries to figure out where they’ve gone. The series can get a bit grim, but if you love shows like Broadchurch and True Detective that use a crime to examine an entire community, then The Missing might be perfect for you. Perhaps most importantly, though, the show sticks the landing, which is hard for even great crime dramas to do.
Ash vs Evil Dead (2015)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo
Created by
Sam Raimi
If you’re a die-hard fan of the Evil Dead series, or even just someone who loves a violent horror movie, then Ash vs Evil Dead will be right up your alley. The show features the return of Bruce Campbell as Ash, the hero from the original Evil Dead films, as he battles against the forces of evil that seem to keep bothering him, and he also discovers that he has a daughter. The Evil Dead franchise has always been a combination of horrific and hilarious, and Ash vs Evil Dead sticks with that tone throughout its three-season run.
The Serpent Queen (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Samantha Morton, Liv Hill, Amrita Acharia
Created by
Justin Haythe
Telling the dramatic true story of Catherine de Medici, the series follows Catherine as she’s married into French nobility without a penny to her name. When she discovers that her husband is in love with an older woman and her husband discovers how poor she is, she’s forced to reckon with her new circumstances and try to make the best of them. Anchored by a brilliant central performance from the always-great Samantha Morton, The Serpent Queen features all of the normal period detail that Starz is famous for, but it’s so much better than the average period drama.
Minx (2022)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Ophelia Lovibond, Jake Johnson, Jessica Lowe
Created by
Ellen Rapoport
One of the funniest and sharpest shows of recent years, Minx is set in the 1970s, and focuses on the founding of an erotic magazine targeted explicitly at women. The show’s combination of genuine comedy with smart observations about the ways gender dynamics have and haven’t changed since the ’70s help make it an entertaining and genuinely thought-provoking show. While it’s unclear whether we’ll be getting more than the two seasons we already have, those two seasons are well worth checking out on their own merits.
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