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(Yet another what are your favorite) and must-watch TV series?
My list would probably be:
- Better Call Saul
- Black Mirror
- Black Sails
- Fargo
Edit: Everything else that comes to mind: Rick and Morty, How It's Made, Trailer Park Boys, Breaking Bad, Parcs and Recreation, The Office, Berserk, Cosmos (Original), Planet Earth, Blue Planet.
avatar the last airbender
westworld
gravity falls
And don't forget the sequel, Legend of Korra! Both of those were so much deeper and better then Nickelodeon cartoons have any right to be, I'm still astonished they ran them.
Westworld is the only show I watched all the way through and didn't like. Season 1 was decent to disappointing, season 2 was antagonising.
Since no one has mentioned it yet, I just have one which had somehow slipped by me until this weekend:
Netflix's Altered Carbon
It is very dark, cyberpunk, high budget, sci-fi. It brought up some serious topics which I would like to discuss at a later date here on Tildes.
edit: spelling
This is one I wasn't able to get more than a couple episodes in without giving up. Should I give it another go?
Like most (really all) TV SciFi it seems to barely skim the surface of topics better explored in literature while having too much focus on things like interpersonal drama.
The topics are likely better served by the written word, but I liked the series on the whole. I would recommend watching at least a couple more.
People might also be interested in this previous discussion over in ~tv: What are your favorite series?.
I love these kinds of comedies that aren't all about cutting people down, but based on people that actually want to be good to each other. I put Parks and Rec in that category also.
The Wire, hands down one of the best TV shows I've ever seen. Just finished my second watch through and it was even better on the 2nd viewing.
Mr. Robot
Mindhunter
The Crown
Westworld
Better Call Saul
Oh I can't even begin to tell you how much I adore Mr. Robot. Hands down one of the best shows to come out in the past century. The character and world building are amazing and the cinematography is stunning. That one episode that was made to look like one shot?????? Haven't seen Westworld or The Crown yet but Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad were great too. Truly the era of good TV shows
The 1st season of Westworld is much better than the 2nd. Going to be a long wait for Season 3.
Breaking Bad and Lost (still need to finish this one) are the two that come to mind when thinking of live-action shows. I'm more into cartoons such as:
South Park
Rick and Morty
Bojack Horseman
Steven Universe
Twin Peaks, of course!
I would recommend Warehouse 13, West Wing, White Collar, and although it's not technically a TV show per se, Amazon's Man in the High Castle is outstanding.
Edit: also, I need to add the original Law & Order to this list. It's old and has a ridiculously large amount of episodes across 20 seasons, but it's really worth a watch, at least part of it.
Warehouse 13 for real? I'd never thought I'd see it recommended as a must-watch! I love that show!!
Also I just finished first season of White Collar and although I am enjoying it, I like Elementary more for casual watching. White Collar sometimes feels a bit too broish and makes me think of the song "cool guys don't look back at explosions" all the time haha.
Yeah, it was awesome! Warehouse 13 had such a unique premise with the artifacts idea, it tied together history in a really cool way, and it stayed remarkably fresh throughout it's run. The only tragedy is the ending - unfortunately, I think they ran out of money to fund it at the end, and it ended pretty abruptly :/ but I think it still totally deserves a spot as a must watch!
White Collar relies on some pretty corny running jokes, and Niel especially is pretty OP. The character development is also not very good, imo; the characters do get fleshed out with time, but don't really evolve outside of their initial boundaries. I don't want to be any more specific since you're only at season 1, but you'll see what I mean. That being said, it has some very creative heists, and unlike a lot of shows, I didn't get bored with watching it over time because the episodes aren't as formulaic as many other crime shows, like Hawaii 50. Focusing on art and monetary crimes, instead of murder like nearly every other crime show, further makes it stand out :D And the character relationship between Niel and Peter is pretty fun to watch play out over the series. But it's probably the weakest of my suggestions... I still enjoyed it though, and I haven't heard much mention of it :D
I just hope mindhunter season 2 doesnt turn out like true detectives season 2
Most of my recent favorites have been mentioned elsewhere, but two shows that kind of came out of nowhere and really impressed me are Atlanta and most recently Barry.
Not coincidentally, they both feature Hiro Murai as director (Atlanta is pretty much belongs to him and Glover, while he guest directed several episodes of Barry), and feel very unlike anything else on TV right now.
Atlanta is kind of dry/black comedy/drama about a black man trying to find his way through life and managing his cousins fledgling rap career. It tends to alternate between slightly more conventional serial episodes moving the plot forward, and the more out-there standalone episodes focusing on a side character or specific moment.
Barry is also a comedy/drama about an ex-military hitman in LA, who's questioning his career choice and desperately wants to reinvent himself as an actor. The dialogue and comedy feels very fresh and uniquely funny, especially a young Chechen mobster (who's really just a very nice guy at heart), while still managing to carry a lot of emotional weight for the main characters.
Edit, I'll throw in another recommendation for Better Call Saul, the next season (soon!) is one of my most anticipated shows. I really think it's as good, if not better, than Breaking Bad itself was.
The Leftovers is my favorite show. Only 3 seasons and 28 episodes to boot. The first season struggles a bit, but finishes with a strong second half. Seasons 2 & 3 are masterpieces. It is certainly the most emotionally powerful show I've ever seen. I think about it on a daily basis.
Seriously. The ending of season 2 was just...wow. Haven't had the courage to watch season 3.
Ozark recently got me sucked in. I am fan of Jason Bateman acting and characters. Excited about the new season.
Curious about the Mayans MC coming, however, skeptical.
Curious to see how Orange ends as well.
And I need to watch Mr. Robot. Been putting it off for awhile.
Also was suggested Fargo (the series - enjoyed the movie) - thoughts anyone?
Other than that, just awaiting like everyone else on STs3, GoT end season, and so on.
My partner and I recently finished watching Seinfeld for the first time. That's a really outstanding comedy. Office US and Friends are in that same bracket.
Friday Night Dinner is a little known UK comedy that I'd recommend.
Breaking Bad - As a sometimes Albuquerque area resident, I really appreciate the sense of place and attitude they put into that show. I'm also pleased to see that continuing in Better Call Saul.
Batman The Animated Series - My favorite superhero series in any format. Batman has the best rogues gallery and they all get a moment in the spotlight.
Preacher - Another comic book inspired pick. They have really stuck to their source material for the most part. Any changes make sense in the overall narrative of the story they are telling in that format.
Fringe - I just love that show.
Battlestar Galatica - Quintessential space opera
Firefly - I can watch this over and over
The Orville - Star Trek but Seth McFarlane
Dr. Who - Yep
Ghosted - Campy, crime of the week, buddy cop show
The Good Place - Great actors, worth a check out
Arrested Development
The IT Crowd
And the shows I spam while doing other things:
How I met your Mother
Parks and Rec
The Office
Brooklyn 99
My Name is Earl
Community
Seinfeld
Ok, that's probably enough. What can I say, I like sitcoms and sci fi :)
I'm glad to see you mention Fringe, great show
Brooklyn 99 - super funny, always great.
Santa Clarita Diet - a surprisingly well acted and thought out show that is very enjoyable (also timothy oliphont and Drew BerryMoore make a really great acting duo. Who knew?)
Parks and Rec
Avatar the Last Airbender
Scrubs
Inside No 9 (Especially if you enjoy Black Mirror)
My Name Is Earl
The West Wing
The Newsroom
Both of these were written by Aaron Sorkin and they are incredible pieces of television. If you like one you'll almost certainly like the other; I recommend starting with The West Wing because it's simply excellent. There's a lot of addictive TV hours here so don't start watching just before exam season!
This is powerful television and a must-watch for anyone with a screen. I cannot recommend this enough. The emotional connection you form with these men is astounding.
Some other series that I thoroughly enjoy, but won't recommend as strongly as the previous three:
I got you. I have a spreadsheet for tracking shows I've watched, shows I'm watching, and shows I want to watch. It has ratings exported from IMDB and my own personal recommendation notes for each show.
The Expanse. Best scifi series I've seen since SG-1.
Ok here is my list:
The list is actually much bigger, but that's all I can come up with now.
edit formatting
Venture Bros for me. Don't let the fact that it's an animated parody of old-school Hanna-Barbera cartoons a la Johnny Quest turn you away. In my opinion, it has some of the highest quality writing of any show to ever air and is packed with wit and humor. To try and give a premise, this show tries to answer the question of what would it really be like for a "boy adventurer" to experience the messed up shit they go through and how would that affect them into adulthood. 10/10 show and the newest season airs this weekend, I believe.
Pose on FX. It’s just wrapped up the first season. It’s suffering from some overuse of cliches, but overall it’s a really fun show with characters you come to care about. It’s also a huge step forward in representation for trans women, both in front of the camera and as producers of the show.
My current favorite is Dear White People, on Netflix. Even beyond the obvious theme of dealing with racism, I can't think of a show that does such a great job of using multiple perspectives to explore the same situation, showing how every person involved is a 3-D character.