When you’re about to start a new series, it’s not always easy to decide which streaming service to look at, as there is so much choice out there and every platform comes with plenty of diverse entertainment. If you’re Canadian, Crave TV can be a good place to start for TV shows, as you’d be able to choose from both the HBO & Max catalogue and the STARZ one, on top of Crave originals. But where should you start from? To help you pick a series to watch, we made a list of great shows that are all available now on Crave TV if you live in Canada – or, if you live in a country where the streamer isn’t available, for those who use a VPN in Canada to bypass geo-restrictions. So without further ado, here are 5 great shows to watch on Crave TV right now, from recent releases and beloved sagas to lesser known gems, all listed below in alphabetical order!
1. Canada’s Drag Race (2020,-)
On top of Paul’s Drag Race, Crave TV also has Canada’s own version of the popular reality franchise, which follows the same format – contestants competing to become the next Drag Superstar by demonstrating various qualities – but features Canadian drag queens. This would be a great time to start watching the series, as on top of the four already available seasons from 2020-2023, a fifth season has just started airing, with the finale currently scheduled for December 19, 2024. The show is hosted by Brooke Lynn Hytes, a runner-up in Season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and so far, the Season 5 Queens have starred in their own music videos and taught aliens about life on Earth!
2. Dune: Prophecy (2024,-)
This highly anticipated show has only just been released, with three episodes available right now and more coming weekly on Sundays, but it is currently rated 68% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and we have high hopes for it! This new HBO prequel to Dune was originally supposed to be a two-part film, but it’s now a six-episode television series. It is based on Frank Herbert’s beloved novel and part of “Frank Herbert’s Epic Universe”, which began with Denis Villeneuve’s Dune in 2021.
Dune: Prophecy takes place around 10.000 years before the arrival of Paul Atreides, and recount the origin of the Bene Gesserit, an ancient religious order of women who have superhuman mental and physical abilities, of which Dune’s Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul’s mother, is part. At the center of it all are two Harkonnen sisters: Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams), whom we follow fight various threat that threaten the future of humanity, and ultimately create the Bene Gesserit. Among the rest of the cast are Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Jade Anouka, Jodhi May, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, and Tabu. Judging by the first episodes, Dune: Prophecy is definitely not as strong as the Dune movies, but if you’re looking to fill that Dune-shaped hole in your heart after the release of 2024’s Part Two, it will absolutely do the trick.
3. Outlander (2014,-)
If you’re a fan of historical shows with a love story at the center, you’ll love Outlander, a long-running series that will keep you occupied for a long time, as there are nearly 100 episodes available. Adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s popular book series of the same name, the show revolves around a World War II British nurse named Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe) who moves to Scotland with her husband (Tobias Menzies) only to suddenly find herself transported back in time to 1743 Scotland, right in the middle of the Jacobite Risings.
There, she’s completely on her own, in an unfamiliar place, and at a time when women weren’t supposed to be unmarried and independent. Soon, she meets the charming Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and a romance starts to blossom that will change them both forever. But how will Claire justify her skillset and knowledge about medicine without revealing her secret? And what of her husband at home? As Claire spends more time adapting to this new world, the situation gets more and more complex. Season 7 is currently airing and takes place during the American Revolution, so you have much to look forward to!
4. The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021,-)
If you’re looking for a lighthearted and gripping college series, look no further than this 2021 gem, whose third season has just started airing on HBO/Max – and, in Canada, Crave TV. The Sex Lives of College Girls revolves around four strangers who meet at uni, in their sophomore year, when they find themselves being each other’s roommates at Essex College. Our four protagonists – small-town girl Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), popular but secretive New Yorker Leighton (Reneé Rapp), outgoing journalism major Bela (Amrit Kaur), and soccer-loving U.S. senator daughter Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) – couldn’t be more different, but they soon bond precisely because of their differences.
The Sex Lives of College Girls isn’t revolutionary plot-wise, but it’s never boring thanks to the authenticity brought to the screen by our four leads, and it’s also important in terms of representation. It comes from showrunners Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, who infuse the right humor and a great deal of heart into the script, making it a charming and entertaining watch. If you find yourself in need of more college shows after you’ve finished Season 3, Crave TV has plenty, including fan favorite Gossip Girl!
5. Succession (2018–2023)
No one is redeemable in HBO’s Succession, a series where even the good guys can be ruthless and manipulative, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun watching them. On the contrary, the Roy family is one of the most compelling and entertaining families ever depicted on screen, and a sharp script, fantastic worldbuilding and exceptional acting from everyone involved make Jesse Armstrong’s multi-award-winning series the global phenomenon that it is.
It all starts when magnate Logan Roy (Brian Cox), owner of the biggest news and entertainment empire in the world, decides to retire, naming his son Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) his successor. But right when the time comes to make the move, something happens that completely turns the situation around. Who will the company go to? Will Logan even step down at all? These are the questions on everyone’s minds, particularly on Logan’s family’s – mainly, his sons Kendall, Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Connor (Alan Ruck), his daughter Shiv (Sarah Snook), and her husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), some of whom also happen to work at Waystar Royco. And let’s not forget all the other employees.
And so begins a story of jealousy, betrayal, and greed, where everyone is moved by their own selfish reasons and yet there are just enough glimpses of humanity to be found to make us care about every single one of these characters. It’s better if you find out what happens on your own, but our advice is to savor each moment leading up to the season 4 finale!
These 5 shows are all available to stream right now on Crave TV and they’ll all make for fantastic watches, whether you’re looking for a new release, an all-time classic, a lesser known series, or a great reality show. But the streamer has plenty to offer, from long-running sit-coms like FRIENDS and The Big Bang Theory to new originals like The Penguin and The Last of Us, so once you finish this list, keep exploring and you’ll find lots more to binge. Enjoy!
