TV series suggestions
My wife and I just had a baby and are now soaking it all in on maternity and paternity leave. Currently, my wife still has a few weeks of recovery before she is mobile so we have a lot of "tv time" on our hands and are struggling to find things to watch. I was hoping Tilderinos might be able to make some suggestions to fill our sleepless days and nights! It doesn't have to be current and we have a range of borrowed streaming logins so the world is your oyster!
I've added some recent favorites from each of us to give you an idea of our preferences, but don't feel like you need to follow those if you are really excited to share something!
Me:
Shogun
Hilda
Good Omens
The Great Pottery Throwdown
What We do in the Shadows
Bad Sisters
Yellowjackets
Sex Education
Alone
Her:
Gilmore Girls
Outlander
Sullivan's Crossing
A Discovery of Witches
My Life with the Walter Boys
Emily In Paris
Valeria
XOXO Kitty
Both:
Great British Bakeoff
Severance
Clarkson's Farm
Designing the Hebrides
The Office
White Lotus
The Last of Us
Winx Saga (weirdly :) )
The Good Place
Younger
Brooklyn 99
Bridgerton
Man on the inside — same writer as the good place, some of the same people, if you like Ted Danson you’ll love this
Our flag means death — Taika Waititi of what we do in shadows made an amazing and hilarious version of the Blackbeard story
Slow horses — clever spy drama with a lot of humour, might skew more to your tastes than hers but it’s great.
Someone else mentioned Silo, and I agree. Good books too.
My mom is a huuuuge fan of Man on the Inside, I've been promising her to give it a watch and now I'll definitely need to! Ditto for my dad and Slow Horses!
I tried Our Flag Means Death when it came out and was surprised it wasn't my cup of tea - even though I loooved Flight of the Concords - but from all the recs it sounds like I'll be giving it another go.
No sure how I missed Silo but it's definitely going on the list!
Congratulations on the new addition to your family!
A mix of drama and comedy shows in no particular order:
Common Side Effects
Heated Rivalry
Letterkenny
Dark
Pantheon
Scavenger's Reign
The Mighty Boosh
Arcane
Broad City
Broadchurch
Chernobyl
The Wire
Barry
The Great
Nathan For You And if you like that definitely watch The Rehearsal
Fleabag
Our Flag Means Death
New Girl
Thanks for the suggestions and congratulations!! I'm really excited to try a bunch of these out!
We've seen and love Dark, Broad City, The Wire, and Flea Bag (How did I not add that to the original list!), and New Girl! I personally loved Common Side Effects, Scavenger's Reign, Arcane, Mighty Boosh, Broad Church, Barry, and Nathan for you. Annnnd just started watching the Wire! It really holds up!!
Super stoked to check out LetterKenny, Pantheon, Chernonyl, The Great, and Our Flag Means Death!
Seeing as how you liked Scavenger's Reign, you may want to try The Expanse. Good near-future, mostly hard sci-fi, based on a great series of novels by James S. A. Corey (which is actually two authors, Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham). The authors of the books also served as showrunners and producers, so the story overall sticks pretty close to the books.
The show does not end in a great way - it ends where the book it adapts ends, approximately, but there's like three more books after that. So it doesn't wrap up nicely, and that's a good thing imo. Where it left off, there's a big - like 30 year - time jump in the books, so if and when they opt to wrap them up, they could recast the characters as needs be to match the age changes.
I appreciate the caveat, always nice to know what you're in for, but I'll definitely check it out!
I'd like to tack on by saying not to worry too much about the unfinished story as there's a very significant time jump between the end of the show / book 6 and the final trilogy, so it was as good a jumping off point as any. Also, fair warning, the show takes a couple episodes to get going plot-wise. It worked out a bit weird in that book 1 is spread over season 1 plus the first half of season 2, then book 2 is back half s2 and first half of s3. By season 4 they get onto a regular book per season routine. In any case, the show is fucking awesome and well worth the investment.
That's great context, thanks!
It’s a good show. It’s also one of the better unfinished “books to shows” because they didn’t change that much. So if you’re short on time but want to know how it ends you can jump into the books without too much trouble.
+1 for Barry and Nathan For You. Those are two of the best, most creative comedies I've ever seen.
Have you watched The Rehearsal? It builds off of a concept Nathan did in the last few episodes of Nathan For You in terms of practicing for a situation and is really mind-blowing in terms of the scale he commits to. Not quite as haha funny, but is worth the watch.
Yeah, I did. I enjoyed it, but prefer Nathan for You. The second season was incredible and the pilot episode is one of the funniest things he's ever done. "It's days like these that I curse the Chinese for inventing gunpowder."
I'll add on to this that Shoresey by the same creative team and set in the same universe is also excellent.
I was going to recommend The Great as well!
Thirding the Great as well. We just discovered it a few weeks ago and finished all 3 seasons. What a hilarious and wholesome show
Because you liked The Good Place and Brooklyn 99, you should give Parks and Rec a shot. The first season is rough, but honest to God it's a great series. It started off trying too hard to copy The Office, before it just went and became its own earnest thing. It's lovely.
Also, it may not be that similar to what you've listed, but Taskmaster is an absolute gem. It's a British panel show, so five comedians doing their thing, but they're given a series of absurd tasks to do (such as "paint the best picture of a horse, while riding a horse"), and judged by The Taskmaster (Greg Davies), who does not care. It's great, and the whole series is on YouTube.
Oh, and let's not forget Ted Lasso. It's a generally feel-good show mixed in with some very relevant contemporary issues and problems. The first season is probably the strongest, and the second and third seasons have their detractors (although not every reason is, well, reasonable), but the show overall is great.
Ooh, great suggestions! I almost threw Taskmaster up there originally but didn't neccesarily want game shows. But I fucking love taskmaster!!!!! Also great recs on Parks and Rec and Ted Lasso. We love those too, but I haven't rewatched Parks and Rec in a while so it's definitely going on the list for binging!!! Thanks for the suggestions!
Haven't seen a recommendation for Shrinking, which if you like Ted Lasso it's right up y'all's alley.
For All Mankind is a fun alt-history thing, though I'm a few seasons behind at this point. The first several at least are very well done.
Abbott Elementary is a fun school-based comedy similar to Parks and Rec or The Office. There's a couple crossover episodes with It's Always Sunny but that was more a promotional thing than an on going plot point.
The live action One Piece show is a lot of fun. Nails the fun anime spirit while being a much needed (IMO) editing pass that vastly compresses the pacing of the anime.
Primal is a fantastic wordless animated show. Maybe a little out there compared to the shows listed but it's at least an interesting art piece.
Your Friends and Neighbors with John Hamm is entertaining.
If you're watching LetterKenny, Shorsey is also a great series from the same people.
Honorable mention to everything Dropout TV does. I know you said you're probably not interested in gameshow stuff but theirs are mostly an excuse for improv comics to play not about winning, and it makes them really fun.
Heated Rivalry is also by the same director as Letterkenny and the first two seasons of Shorsey and is also a good recommendation imo -- it's definitely not the same genre-wise but is really well-made and popped off when it released at the end of last year for a reason. Jacob Tierney is shockingly talented as a director imo, and I hope he continues to get more recognition outside of Canada.
I love One Piece and Primal looks so good! Definitely watching both! My mom suggested Abbott Elementary and I think that's the perfect level of fun and cozy for us right now, it's likely headed to the top of the list!
I hadn't heard of For All Mankind or Your Friends and Neighbors but those look great!
Excited to check them all out! Thanks again!
My wife and I have both enjoyed Only Murders in the Building and A Man on the Inside lately.
We love Only Murders! My mom also suggested A Mon on the Inside so we'll definitely give it a go!
If you enjoy mystery shows with a bit of a comedy angle, I can recommend both High Potential and the French show it was adapted from, High Intellectual Potential (in French the name is Haut Potentiel Intellectuel)
If you want a medical mystery/event show that's much more low stakes and cozy, Best Medicine is excellent as is the show it was adapted from, the UK show Doc Martin.
Sweet Dee has her own show?!?!? Definitely checking it out!
And I had no idea we had an adaptation of Doc Martin! My dad's British and we would watch it when we'd visit him. The joke of "how many people can die/be murdered in one tiny hamlet." Would love to see our version of it!
She had another show previously that ran for 1 or 2 seasons called The Mick which was hilarious. Wikipedia's summary: Mackenzie "Mickey" Molng, a tough, foul-mouthed con woman from a tough part of Rhode Island, finds herself in a complicated guardianship as she's stuck raising her high maintenance niece and nephews after her sister and her sister's husband go on the run for fraud and racketeering.
High Potential is comedy but less similar to IASIP, but still extremely well done. I quite enjoy the show.
It's quite a good show, but it does have its own style. I really rather enjoy it, though. I've been looking forward to the next episode because it's just the right amount of cozy and crazy comedy.
Here are a couple of Korean shows worth watching:
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
and if you can find it, It's Ok to not be Ok.
I also like Silo, both seasons.
Oooh, I'll be hunting for all of those! Thanks for the suggestions!
Seconding Extraordinary Attorney Woo! It's a South Korean procedural about a young autistic woman who joins a law firm, and highlights her brilliance and her difficulties in the context of each episode's wider drama. The characters are unique, and they end up feeling like a quirky big family, and it has a pretty long first season, so there's lots to watch.
you left out game shows... but Traitors UK is perfect for youi
Oh man, my sister has been raving about it! Definitely need to check it out!
basically, here's the breakdown:
go in that order, too. Its just a simplified version of Mafia/Werewolf and there's no reason for it to be as good as it is. I don't like reality shows like this... but it really is great. There's also a fun after show with Ed Gamble, former contestants, and whoever was eliminated.
The music is fucking terrible... but its kind of fun to see how they absolutely slaughter the classics. :)
Another show you might both enjoy is Enlightened with a killer cast. Its super funny and perfect in all ways. One of the best shows that has largely flown under the radar.
Perfect! So much to dive in to!!!
I also love Ed Gamble - big Off Menu fanboy - so I'll be checking that out too!
I can't believe I've never heard of Enlightenment, I love Laura Dern and Luke Wilson! Definitely adding it to the list!
Enlightened is just perfect. Let me know what you think when you’re done. Mike White is a treasure.
We just started it! Damn what an opening episode!
Laura Dern is a treasure and I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for the role.
Have you heard about our lord and savior, Ted Lasso?
Big Ted Lasso fan! Definitely kept the moral up early on in the pandemic!
I'm definately going to date myself with some of these but here goes.
Adventure Time:
Don't write this off as a kids show. I think this might be one of the best shows out there for new parents.
Andor:
It doesn't matter if you don't know anything about Star wars, this is one of the best political thrillers full stop. It's only two seasons so not a huge commitment. Showrunner/Creator Tony Gilroy of Bourne movie fame; to give an idea of what you're in for.
Atlanta:
My favorite thing I've ever seen Donald Glover in. Really the whole main cast kills it. You never really know where the show is going to take you.
Danger 5:
Very goofy parody of 60s and 70s era MI5 style spy show. Set in an alternate timeline where the Germans won WWII and the ultimate mission of each absurdist episode is to kill Hitler.
Justified:
Like the Wires little brother set in Kentucky. Focuses on the story of 2 men that grew up as friends and ended up on opposite sides of the law. Walton Goggins is amazing in this, and so is Timothy Olyphant.
The kids in the hall:
Amazing absurdist Canadian sketch comedy show. Must see and so forward thinking for it's time.
Mr show with Bob and David:
Phenomenal sketchy comedy show with David Cross and Bob Odenkirk from the mid 90s. And early HBO gem. Cameos from people like Jack Black from way before they became household names.
Peep Show:
Early 00s British comedy about two loser roommates trying to get by. One is a wannabe musician with no job and the other is a bank drone who thinks he's so much better than everyone else. Olivia Coleman is a part of the main cast and this is where she got her start (Fleabags stepmom)
Twin peaks:
The quintessential water cooler show of the early 90s. David Lynch does soap opera. The first season is the strongest of the original series. Twin Peaks the Return is amazing in its own right but more out there.
I read your list and decided to give Danger 5 a go. The first episode made me laugh pretty hard. Good recommendation!
Glad you enjoyed it! Another in the same vein would be Garth Marenghis Darkplace. It's only 6 eps so really no time investment but the cast is so good. It just leans into the absurdity. Matt Berry and Richard Ayode are part of the supporting cast.
Glad you liked it. If that style of humour fits you check out Garth Marenghis Darkplace. It's only 6 episodes but it has a very similar vibe except it's a hospital drama set in the 80s. I don't know where you can stream it but all the episodes are on youtube
Edi:t just realized I already responded to this last night. You'll have to forgive me I'm in hospital ATM recovering from surgery so not fully present lmao.
I love Adventure Time, but that would be a cozy rewatch! And honestly most of your other suggestions I've never heard of or haven't considered, but definitely want to check out! Particularly interested in Danger 5, Peep Show, and Bob/David! Thanks for the suggestions!!
If you enjoyed adventure time you should check out the sequel show Fionna and Cake. It's a straight sequel to adventure time but is aimed more at young 20s plots and themes. I was nervous because adventure time is an alltimer for me, a 42 year old trans woman, but the sequel did a great job expanding on what came before it.
Also a similiar show to AT would be Bee and Puppycat. I think there were only two seasons ever made but it's another great wholesome but more adult themed show in the vein of Adventure Time.
Edit:
I have to mention that if you enjoyed Dark you absolutely should watch Twin Peaks. Dark borrow so much from it's DNA.
Twin Peaks is a slice of life soap opera set in the titular town of Twin Peaks Washington. In the opening episode a body of a young highschool girl is found washed up on shore wrapped in plastic. The FBI gets called in to investigate and so the crux of the show is the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer. Kyle McLachlan stars as FBI agent Dale Cooper and the entire cast of characters is just so well done. I only saw Twin Peaks for the first time in the '10s when it came on to Canadian Netflix. A++ show. The X-files took a lot of inspiration from this one though it leaned more into alien and government conspiracy whereas TP has a more mystical and supernatural bent to it exploring the nature of dreams, abuse, and mental illness. David Duchovny even has a cameo. Don't let the super cheesy 80s intro music turn you off, you will come to love it.
Wow, I had no idea that was the vibe of twin peaks, I always assumed it was a cop show. I'll definitely check that out!
And great suggestions of Fiona and Cake! I'll also check out Bee and Puppycat, I've never heard of it!
Thanks for all the descriptions, it's super helpful!!!
Oh so happy to help. Halfway through season 2 the network forced lynch to reveal the killer even though the mystery was intended to last the duration of the show. After that happened the second half of season two kinda gets a little less good but it's still fun in it's own right. The finale of the series is amazing and worth slogging through the 2nd half of S2. If you liked it there is a prequel movie that shows the last days of Laura Palmer's life leading up to her eventual murder. It's much more akin to the vibes of like Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive, but still an excellent look into some more of the world of twin peaks with far darker horrific elements than the show was allowed to have.
25 years after the end of S2 Lynch was given the opportunity to bring the series back (the timeframe is actually relevant to how the og show ended) but this time was given 18 one hour episodes with full creative control and final cut. It does not have the same vibe as the original series and is instead a totally new vibe exploring where all these characters ended up 25 years later. I have to say Twin Peaks is probably my all time favourite series, but not because it has the tightest writing or is the most consistent but because it has some of the wildest creative swings and is really a singular show. Dark (and more recently Severance) is one of the few shows that has scratched that same itch for me.
Highly recommend Andor, even if you're not a big Star Wars fan!
The Chair Company - if you don't know Tim Robinson's brand of comedy, probably check out "I think you should leave" first. Actually, this is backwards. ITYSL is one of my all time favorites.
If you like Nathan Felder, check out the curse, but you gotta hang in until the end, no matter what.
Coming in here to say I wish I remembered to include the Curse, the Chair Company, and I Think You Should Leave on my suggestions. These shows are pure comedy gold. Very unique and interesting style of humour.
We tried the first episode of The Chair Company and I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely continue!
Also, "Please let me go! I'm doing something, I'm doing something!!!" has become our go to when running baby in for a diaper change!
I loved a few of the shows you mentioned, surprised not to see Pluribus recommended, and the previous Vince Gilligan shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul if you haven't seen those. To me BrBa is peak TV show. Congrats on the baby!
We binged Pluribus for the end of the pregnancy. We both really enjoyed it and cannot wait for season 2!
Breaking Bad is one show I've started like 3 times and never gotten into but with how much everyone loves it I agree it's time for a 4th go!
I was also shocked to not see Pluribus mentioned sooner! Since they both enjoyed Severance, I think they'd love Pluribus as well.
You have taste in TV very similar to my spouse, and while I'm not sure all of the things he's watched and loved lately (aside, off the top of my head, for the Lowdown and the latest Alien show), here are a few lighthearted shows we watched that haven't been mentioned yet:
Colin from Accounts: Australian comedy show about a younger woman and older man who start dating and have a series of misunderstandings. Relies a bit more on cringe humour than I'd like, but generally great.
Fantasmas - it's a Julio Torres series. I can't say much more than that, but it's strange, heartwarming, and deeply weird all at the same time.
Glow - Mark Marron starts up a women's wrestling group in the 80s. Very funny and absurd, also has Alison Brie in a major role.
Lodge 49 - a dramedy about the goings on and secrets of a club called The Lynx, which gets increasingly weird as the series goes on. Has an awesome soundtrack, and the lead is amazing.
Los Espookys - a weird, absurd, and comedic series about a group of people who help clients deal with restless ghosts. Also includes Julio Torres.
Primo - has just one season, but it's a comedy that follows an awkward teenage boy, his single mom, and his five ridiculous uncles.
Reservation Dogs - a group of indigenous teenagers and their life on a reservation in Oklahoma; very silly, and especially great at showing a lot of different indigenous actors in very untraditional roles, most notably Gary Farmer and Zahn McClarnon!
Somebody Somewhere - a heartwarming and lighthearted series about a woman trying to recover from the death of her sister, and making some new friends in Kansas.
This Way Up - an Irish tutor gets into all kinds of silliness with her family, coworkers, and clients after a mental breakdown.
We Are Lady Parts - a group of Muslim women start a punk band, navigating the music industry and bigotry and internal disagreements.
This is such an awesome list! I've only heard of Glow and really enjoyed it when it came out. Otherwise I've literally never heard of any of them!!! This is so exciting! Keep sending them my way if you have any others!! thanks again!
Reservation Dogs is incredible. Definitely check it out.
So many people have suggested it on this thread, it's definitely going on the list!!! Thansk!
That's awesome! I hope there's something in there that strikes your fancy. I asked my spouse directly, and he had a couple more suggestions (I haven't watched these, so I can't give specifics):
Halt and Catch Fire
The Leftovers
Queen's Gambit
True Detective ("skip ahead to S4!")
I didn't mention it at first, but you and your wife might like Pen15 - it's a show about middle school, but two women in their late 30s (I think?) star as two middle school best friends, and their classmates are all played by actual middle schoolers. It can be really ridiculous and absurd, but it looks back at middle school from an adult's perspective, and has a lot of nostalgia for 90s/early aughts culture, which resonated very deeply for us. It has off the charts cringe at times, but it's very memorable, and very well done!
Derry Girls - 5 Catholic teens, 4 girls and one lad (but he's English) living in Derry (in Northern Ireland) during the Troubles. Going about their lives while armed men are searching the school bus.
It's hilarious and really well set in its time frame.
Also, Dropout - if you like Taskmaster, try Make Some Noise or Game Changer. Come for one show, stay for cool improv nerd stuff. There's literally a dimension 20 (ttrpg actual play) for everyone! Dungeons and Drag Queens! Suburban Fantasy! Weird space opera! Candyland+Game of Thrones! Watership Down meets Rats of NIMH! Upcoming Vampire season!
But seriously even if the Actual play isn't your thing, the other shows are some of the best improv stuff out there right now, Wayne Brady said so when he came on.
Oooh, I love Derry Girls! Top 5 show to come out in the last decade! Not sure how I missed it on my list!
I've never given Dropout a fair shake and this is a great endorsement to check it out! Definitely adding it to the list!
Dang I thought I got a new one for you! Glad you enjoyed it though!
You can watch a lot on YouTube and if you have questions about where to start, please just ask!
(For Dimension 20 specifically they provided this video to help!)
fwiw, I have a dropout subscription, and it's worth it even though I don't ever watch the actual plays. Game Changer and Make Some Noise are worth the price on their own imo, and several of their other non-D&D-based shows are solid watches as well.
Oh my gosh I love giving TV recs!
Period
HBO's Rome: A joint production between the BBC and HBO this show has always been one of my favorites. On a production level the show really shines. There was a huge practical set and everything just feels so real. Highly recommend a watch.
Downton Abbey: I'd recommend this if you haven't watched it already. It's a really great period peace that is just fun to watch. It takes itself a bit more seriously than Bridgerton - to its own benefit. And it's really fun to see a similar story - a family of British royals - portrayed in a different way.
The West Wing: I'm including this here because it is sort of modern history now. It takes place during the late 90s through the 2000s and portrays a sort of liberal fairy tale. But it's really well acted and written. You can basically watch the first four seasons or so and then drop it. The writer did another show called The Newsroom that is also a great watch.
Animated
Steven Universe: Others recommended Adventure Time; this show was created by one of the writers on Adventure Time, Rebecca Sugar. It was the first ever show at Cartoon Network to be run by a woman (they're now non binary). It starts out silly - and heartfelt - but as you push into the second half of the first season a deeper narrative starts to unfurl. Deep subjects like toxic relationships, consent, personhood, mental health, indoctrination... the list goes on! And from beginning to end the show is thrilling and full of emotion. If there's one thing I could erase my knowledge of so I could watch it again fresh, it's Steven Universe.
Avatar: The Last Airbender: This show walked so that Steven Universe could run. Another show for all ages that covers some difficult themes like the real price of war, the cycle of violence and truly making good for past errors. Another show that really sticks the landing as well.
Other stuff
Community: This show is amazing, I don't think there's been anything else like it. For a show about some community college it is so imaginative and spontaneous... and funny! There are a few stars who got their start here as well like Donald Glover and Alison Brie. And after awhile the cast got so familiar with each other they cooked every episode.
Agatha All Along / Wonder Man: I think these two shows are not only some of the best Marvel has to offer but can also be watched by non marvel fans too. Agatha has a bunch of really surprising twists and turns that I really enjoyed. And Wonder Man is a really great story about a man that just wants to make it. I think it's a fun watch just as a TV show about the movie industry.
The Witcher: Seasons one and two of the show are pretty good, but it really falls off after that. The characters are really fun and I think its a really interesting look at a fantasy world full of polish folklore.
Let me know if you want any anime recs! 😅
Wow, so many great recs!
I love Rome, Avatar the Last Air Bender, and Community, and all warrant a rewatch! I've been trying to get my wife to watch avatar for years!!! It's so good!
Conversely my wife love Downtown Abbey and I've been very wishy washy on it. But I will give it a go!
I'd never heard of Agatha All Along, but damn I love Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza! Definitely going on the list!
Also excited to check out Steven Universe and the Witcher!
For anime, I used to really enjoy it growing up! I was a big fan of Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball, and Rurouni Kenshin when they used to be on Toonami. I got into One Piece with the live action release, so if there are any others you'd like to share I'd love to hear it!
I'm in my 40s and I still think about Steven Universe, from time to time. It really caught me off guard. There are so many interesting and incredible things about the show, but the depth of the show's lore still really impresses me, especially on re-watches. (I'm still a little bitter that Hulu didn't have the last season, at the time, and I didn't realize it so we started watching the Steven Universe movie, whose opening song basically spoils the big ending points of the series. It would have been fun to theory-craft while watching that final season.)
I started watching it with my son, who was five at the time, and tuned out a little bit after the first few episodes because it just seemed like a silly little fantasy show. But, at some point midway into the first season, it caught my attention, again, and I went back to rewatch the episodes I missed on my own. I still have a bunch of songs from the show in rotation on my playlists.
The show's themes mature as the show goes on (as does Steven), and there's also an excellent movie and limited series (Steven Universe: Future) that follows up on the Steven, explores the aftermath of the series ending in the universe and on Steven (it's pretty heavy, at times).
The songs are all great! The show really uses music in a way recent media seems to have forgotten.
I'm just going to give you my top recs! All of these shows have relatively good English dubs and are all pretty approachable.
Little Witch Academia: This show is a little bit Harry Potter, a little bit Mean Girls and a whole bunch a heartfelt coming of age story. The music is beautiful, the animation is top notch, and there’s so much love and emotion in every frame. It’s one of my favorite pieces of fiction. It's really great for new anime watchers. It's available on Netflix and it's two relatively short seasons.
Fruit's Basket (2019): It's a romance / drama (Shojo) but that barely scratches the surface. This show... this is probably the most well crafted story ever made. Better than Breaking Bad, The Wire, all of it. The narrative and characters are so well written together it will leave you gobsmacked. The show does get pretty dark but I think that just makes the (emotional) hits that much harder. Make sure you watch the most recent version from 2019. It's three seasons and you won't be able to stop watching. It's available on Hulu and Crunchyroll.
My Hero Academy: This show is great for new and veteran anime watchers. The creator of the manga was heavily influenced by American comic books and its really interesting to see the different mediums playing off of each other. This is more akin to Dragon Ball Z (Shonen) but it's lot more modern. The show is long at 8 seasons but a lot of of awesome is packed into every episode. It's available on Hulu and Crunchyroll.
There are a few more random honorable mentions, they're all available on Crunchyroll:
I hope you pick one up and enjoy! Let me know if you want more recs, feel free to DM!
Avatar really is up there for me with Adventure Time as best, most fulfilling animated shows aimed at kids that still hit for adults.
Since you liked Shogun, I recommend Tokyo Vice. It's also largely in Japanese. It's about an American journalist in 90s Tokyo, getting on a yakuza group's shit list. I watched both shows fairly close to each other, and they have similar levels of drama and detail.
Ooooh, I've never heard of it! I'll definitely check it out, looks right up my alley!
Also in Japan is Midnight diner Tokyo Stories which has short episodes, compelling stories and amazing shots of food cooking.
Oooooh, that also looks right up my alley! Thanks!
I was just talking about Physical 100 with a friend of mine who is super into it. It's such an interesting concept for a show! I'll definitely check it out!
To throw some others on the pile, all of these are 5/5 for me personally:
Easy recs:
30 Rock - Awesome comedy starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin
Coloumbo - Everyone could use more Coloumbo. More seriously I find these to be fun to just throw one on because there's no stakes/overarching plot.
Fargo - Each season is different, some are better than others, they're all good, and all akin to the movie they pull their name from (weird small town crimes going wrong/right?)
Mr Robot - A very wild ride with Rami Malek
True Detective - Like Fargo every season is different. Season 1 is probably one of my favorite shows full stop. The other 3 are still quite good and, imo, get treated harshly for just "not being season 1" when they're still better than the vast majority of shows out there.
Weirder/Harder recs.
Some mixture of very niche, very dark, very offensive so depending on your tolerances i'd skip it.
Archer - starts slow and you either love it or hate it. Animated office spy comedy.
Bojack Horseman - Animated DARK comedy. One of the best shows ever made in my eyes and legit art but also not only a love it or hate it AND a starts slow, but just jaw dropping brutal at times.
Brockmire - Hank Azaria as a washed up Baseball announcer. It's hilarious and actually a shockingly ambitious show given it's starting point. Along with Shoresy and Ted Lasso has led me to believe that sports shows are 100x better than sports films.
Succession - show was "good" for it's first few seasons and "amazing" for its last season. Bunch of hyper wealthy nepo babies vying for dad's throne.
The Venture Bros - Animated Adult Swim comedy that took FOREVER for everything to come out. Starts rough but if you can tough out the first season (dear GOD skip the pilot) it only gets better. Absolutely starts as just dumb raunchy jokes/references and grows into best in its (hyper specific) class dumb raunchy jokes/references while adding lots of really clever jokes and references and legit great storytelling. It feels like the kind of show my friends and I wish we could write lampooning and nerding out about our various likes. It's basically constantly making fun of everything from every era of comic book to things like Johnny Quest.
Veep - Hilarious, and disturbingly accurate, political comedy starring Tina Fey's totally not clone Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. Willing to go just about anywhere for the punchline though.
Your list of more niche weird shows is stellar. I am coming to second all of them except the only one I've never heard of is Brockmire. But I love Hank azaria so I'm going to have to check it out.
Seeing his name made the 2004 show Huff pop to mind. Hank azaria plays a psychologist who witnesses a dark turn with one of his patients. His wife is played by Paget Brewster, his teen son Anton Yelchin, and his best friend/lawyer Oliver Platt. Great show. It only ran for two seasons though and I'm not sure where you'd find it streaming.
Brockmire is great. The last season takes a pretty big leap and it doesn't always pay off, but I appreciated that they went for it.
A lot of great suggestions here! 30 Rock is really really good, and kind of in a line up of shows like Community and Arrested Development that lead up to shows like the The Office.
I've thought of a couple more, and I don't think they've been mentioned.
The Pitt ... Which is an outstanding medical drama with a unique format.
Dept. Q ... This is a British crime series that surprised me in its quality. I enjoyed it more than the last season of Slow Horses. There is a second season in the works for Dept Q.
Everyone and their mom has been suggesting the Pitt, a definite add!
I loved Dept Q and my wont stop talking about Slow Horses! Great suggestions!
M*A*S*H.
It made history in so many ways. The modern taste of sitcoms covering serious subjects did not exist before M*A*S*H, so the revolutionary aspects of it may be underappreciated today. One early episode - in a season noted for hijinks and humor over narrative - even prompted a producer to ask, "what is this? A situational tragedy?"
The show is golden and has aged unevenly. It was simultaneously incredibly progressive, and in some ways deeply upsetting by today's mores. It has "a very important episode" about women's rights and equality (several of them in fact), black soldiers, Asian soldiers, racism, US foreign policy, gay rights, trans rights, family matters, conscientious objectors, the meaning of life, the impact of death, the nature of dreams, physical handicap, mental handicap, sanity, insanity, desperation, hope, phobias, panic attacks, memory, heroism, depression, family, childhood, the loss of innocence, alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling addiction, disappointment of parents, disappointment of peers, idol worship, the burden of leadership, chauvinism of all sorts, faith, loss of faith, medical abuse, surgery as mutilation, surgery as salvation, and love. Sometimes it addresses these themes in ways that are now passe, but which were radical at the time. Despite all of this, it is RELENTLESSLY FUNNY!
The characters evolve in ways that feel earned - not always for the better. I won't lie - all of the "heroic" characters have real flaws (most prominently alcoholism and treating the nursing staff as sexual playthings), but the flaws are earned by the cast. Moreover, they get their comeuppance later in meaningful ways, which helps soften the tone a little. They are scarred by and shaped by the war around them. They are human and they are not to be worshipped, but it is in their resistance that they soar.
There are some recurring tropes, some evergreen story beats, and narrative consistency was not really a thing. Some episodes are not as great as others, but all are memorable in their own ways. The overall impact of the 256 episodes is remarkable. It culminates in the 2 hour final, the most viewed ever (by % of viewers, and most viewed by # of viewers until 30 years later when a Super Bowl overtook it) show, where they go home. Well, most of them do, mostly.
Seasons 1-3 are the lightest entertainment, though still serious at many times. 4-6 see it get a bit more serious. 7-9 are a bipolar bunch of madcap capers and some of the most dramatic tv ever written. 10 is an attempt to recapture some of the early tone, and it is uneven in many ways. Season 11 is too short by half for me, and feels a little rushed, but it finished with a few strong episodes that compensate.
My advice: watch the first two episodes of each of the first three seasons, then decide if you want to watch beyond, and only then return to season 1 episode 3. Don't look up spoilers, big changes happen after the episodes I've mentioned, and their impact deserves its time.
Good night, farewell, and amen.
Sorry if these have already been suggested, there's a lot in this post already to remember!
Man, sooooo excited to check out Mr Inbetween, El Encargado, and Jury Duty! All sound like they are right up my alley!!!! I'm loving all the international recommendations that I've never even heard of! And Jury Duty sounds light and perfect for right now!
I think the only one I'll leave off is Landman. I can't stand Taylor Sheridan and his libertarian circle jerk!
Thanks again for all the suggestions!!!!
Some solid recommendations here.
I'm currently rewatching black sails which is a sort of prequel to treasure island. Its so damn good! Its got all the pirate tropes you could want with a well thought out storyline and legendary characters from pirate lore. OK there are some characters that are a bit meh but that doesn't matter when there is plenty of swashbuckling going on.
Also on my rewatch I'm picking up more of the deeper themes of anti colonialism and dare I say some anarchist ideas of wanting to live a life free of state control.
Oooh, pirate shows are always a +1 for me! Sounds great!
If you have Netflix, it's worth watching Dark.
I watched it until the last season and things kind of went really weird. Definitely a banging watch though!
Though I would certainly prefer to follow the curated suggestions of our fellow Tilderinos...
I'd be remiss to not suggest trakt.tv. Or its associated app: TV Show Tracker. Or if not using Trakt, then the CheatCut app. I use these with great ease. Suggested content may not also be particularly spot-on but it still is content that leads me to other notable discoveries on occasion. Enjoy and congrats on your newest bundle of joy!
Two shows from the feel good / lots of heart category:
These are both shows in the "wish there were more seasons" category. Which reminds me, if you've never gotten around to it, you owe it to yourself to watch Firefly.
My wife is so excited at these suggestions and I'm definitely on board too!!