Some less obvious ones I loved were Severance and Fargo.
Tales From The Loop. It’s a slow, vibey, and kind of whimsical show that perfectly matches the paintings its based on (Simon Stalenhag’s). There is no main plot, each episode is a story that takes place in a town above a particle accelerator with a loose thread between them
If you like the mood of the trailer, you’ll like the show.
I recommend Shogun. It’s a political drama set in feudal Japan following a fictional not-Tokugawa figure and the English sailor who crashed nearby and becomes his good luck charm.
…and the English sailor who crashed nearby…
Portuguese sailor. Only two languages are spoken in the story, Japanese and Portuguese. Whenever you hear someone speaking in English, they are speaking Portuguese in the story.
Foundation is the best sci-fi I’ve watched and I’ve seen a lot. The way they adapted it from Asimov’s books is so well done, just enough changes to modernise is and keep people who read the books guessing.
Season 2 is a bit weak but 3 was great and the scope for future seasons is huge.
12 Monkeys and DARK. Both shows deal with time travel in a very cool way.
Severance and The Boys are also fantastic.
The only recent show that has an unmitigated endorsement from me is Bad Sisters.
From, kinda boring in 3rd season but is fun watch because it forces you to think about where are these people at and how to escape the place. It is like horror mistery show.
I liked season 1 and 2, but after 3, I don’t know if I can recommend the show as I feel it is on a downward trajectory. Similar to how I loved the first seasons of Dexter, but the last seasons of the original run make it un-recommend-able for me.
If someone were to watch From though, I would strongly recommend avoiding any online discussion forums about the show. They are very big on sharing leaks and theorising the show into the ground.
I found Delicious in Dungeon to be charming.
The expanse!
No love for Archer? Witty, profane, great animation/artwork, one writer/creator carrying the whole show, and eponymous lead voiced by H. Jon Benjamin. What am I missing?
Not nearly enough love for Andor? Season 2, episodes 7, 8, and 9 showcase some of the most compelling sequences on TV. Diego Luna, a man under enormous pressure ready to come apart at the seams, run by master manipulator Stella Skarsgård. Andy Serkis. Forrest Whittaker. Empire baddies Denise Gough and Ben Mendelssohn. Best Star Wars offerings outside the original trilogy screenplays hands down. Fight me.
Nor for my most embarrassing and guiltiest pleasure Downton Abbey? Plus two full length feature sequels? Come now.
It’s hard to believe Andor S2 could be better than S1 but they actually pulled it off!
The kids who loved the original trilogy in theaters grew up to be adults with more sophisticated tastes. Andor is for them. Other Star Wars media is for new generations of kids.
There was very little room left in the storyline chronology for a third season, and I suppose I could just watch Rogue One yet again, but knowing that doesn’t ameliorate my disappointment that we don’t get any more Andor.
Related: I can’t believe I forgot to make special mention of Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, who gives a masterful portrayal of brittle grace over a thinly-veiled nervous breakdown.
Currently enjoying The Blacklist and Banshee.
Best TV show ever: Breaking Bad.
Others:
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The Sopranos: Great show in every way, and one of the most influential shows in history, creating the style for the episodic drama that became the model for 21st century productions.
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The Americans - Perhaps the most under-rated of the great dramas, it was on for about three seasons before people discovered how amazing it is. Incredible acting, with one of the best finales ever.
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Six Feet Under - A drama about a family of Morticians, that is so much more interesting than that description. One of the first gay characters who was treated as just a normal person, just another member of the family. The best finale of any show ever.
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Deadwood - The best Western ever.The creator was a collector of letters and documents of the time, and used his knowledge to create the most realistic depiction of the old West ever on screen.
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The Wire - the only show that rivals Breaking Bad as the best show ever on TV. It’s a slow burn, but the characters are truly unforgettable.
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The Pitt: Now in its 2nd season, easily one of the best TV shows ever. All the medical dramas in history, to the point where everything has been done to death, and The Pitt manages to be better than ALL of it. Everything about it is virtuosic - acting, writing, directing. The best thing on TV right now.
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Star Trek: Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager: These are my comfort shows, that I watch when it’s late, and I don’t want to work hard to find one last thing before before bed. Voyager is considered one of the worst ST series, but it’s always been one of my favorites, because I love the characters, including Janeway.
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The Andy Griffith Show - My all-time favorite show, it’s one of the most genuine shows ever broadcast. It’s all white, and old-fashioned, but it is all heart, and as warm and comfortable as an old sweater. Besides, Don Knotts as Barney Rubble was probably the funniest character to ever appear on TV. Once he left, the show took a noticeable dive in quality.
Unpopular opinion, but the characters, plot lines and writing were better in Better Call Saul. BCS was a matured writing team under Gilligan.
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Recent ones:
Severance
Pluribus
Older one I didn’t see anyone mention yet:
Peep Show (amazing British comedy, truly uncomfortable levels of cringe)
I hated the level of cringe on peep show. I couldn’t watch it.
Some shows you may not have heard of:
British comedy:
- The Young Ones - Absurdist British comedy about a group of students who live together.
- Bottom - More silly comedy with Rick Mayall and Adrian Edmondson who were also in The Young Ones. They play two loser roommates who can’t get a date. “Bloody lesbians!”
- The Office - IMO opinion much better than the American adaptation. Ricky Gervais at his most painfully awkward.
- Little Britain - Quite possibly the greatest sketch show of all time. Very popular at the time, but some younger people haven’t heard of it.
- Peep Show - Mitchell & Webb of “Are we the baddies?” fame are roommates and frenemies who get into a lot of very awkward and painful situations.
** American comedy**
- Jack of all Trades - Bruce Campbell plays an American spy who is forced to work together with an attractive English spy on the fictional French occupied island of Pulau Pulau. The kind of cheesy fun you’d expect from Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell.
- The Comeback - Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from Friends) tries to stage a comeback.
- The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret - David Cross plays the titular character who moves to Britain for business. Things only get worse from there.
- In the Know - Claymation by Mike Judge about an extremely progressive radio host.
New Zealand comedy
- New Zealand Today - Comedian and wannabe journalist Guy Williams covers some of the most important issues facing everyday New Zealanders.
- Wellington Paranormal - Two local police officers investigate paranormal cases in a semi-competent manner. A spin-off of the What we do in the Shadows movie.
- Flight of the Conchords - Two musicians from New Zealand try to make it in New York City.
Science fiction
- Lexx - Large parts of this show are a slog to get through. If you do, however, you’ll be rewarded with some unique and bizarre moments, like the Netherlands being eaten by a giant space ship.
- Travelers - Proves that great sci-fi does not need a massive budget or a lot of special effects. A team of time travellers tries to save the world.
- Murderbot - A security android gains sentience and free will. Decides to spend most of his time watching a cheesy sci-fi show.
- Alice in Borderland - A group of friends find that suddenly almost everybody in Tokyo has disappeared. They have to compete in a series of bizarre games to survive, a bit like in Squid Game. Season 3 was unnecessary.
- Counterpart - Solid spy thriller that revolves around a very interesting science fiction concept I’d rather not spoil.
Drama
- Waiting for the Out - A man deals with his daddy issues while teaching inmates about philosophy. Highly recommended if you’ve already seen Adolescence and Baby Reindeer and need more British Drama.
- Slow Horses - A team of MI5 (domestic British intelligence) misfits and outcasts save the day.
- SAS: Rogue Heroes - War drama that chronicles the creation of the (in)famous special forces unit.
- Cobra Kai - Could a Karate Kid spin-off be any good? The answer might surprise you!
- Landman - Extremely American/Southern/conservative gentleman manages the day-to-day business of running a company that drills for oil.
I’m old enough to have caught The Young Ones back when they aired in the US on MTV, before the music scenes got edited out due to licensing.
Chernobyl. Easy
Oh shit, how could I have forgotten Chernobyl. So amazing.
Of those, or those are yours?
I liked a lot of them to a point, then I stopped liking them. Others I haven’t seen.
I’d recommend Revenge to anyone. ABC (US Disney-owned TV network) soap opera-stylised drama based very loosely on The Count of Monte Cristo. A rich woman and her husband have another rich man set up for a crime he didn’t do and his five year old daughter is traumatised by the arrest (they show this every episode, or just about) and she grows up to be a rich woman no one recognises (and she uses a new name) and she undoes them and their allies one by one. It’s super satisfying until you realise none of them are really great people. Except maybe for the hacker/nerdy dude. He’s cool. But honestly, it’s a really good show. Give it one episode, that’s representative of the first three seasons. The final season is a bit different, but still good (and worth it for when she reveals who she really is… no, they never figure it out until she announces it on live TV).
