Since we need some discussion and activity, here are some of my must-watch tv shows.
Since we need some discussion and activity, here are some of my must-watch tv shows.
Hi! I am normally not an active user, but I am definitely someone who spent countless hours watching TV shows. Since I have just recently joined Lemmy, thought I can share my all-time favorite TV shows and maybe be able to get one or two new shows and have a nice discussion about them. Here is the list:
1- Mr. Robot: Deep dialogs, many different topics discussed, amazing cinematography, well-written characters, never failed to slow up (except mid season 2)
2- The Bear: Basically my newest obsession. Love the characters and the pacing of the shows. The first episode is an excellent hook for the show. Waiting for the right time to watch season 2
3- Fleabag: I loved how intimate the show gets by breaking the fourth wall. The show has some charm that sets it aside from the rest, making it refreshing to watch
4- Bojack Horseman: This may be a cartoon show, and it does start up being silly, but it is far from silly. Many ethical and philosophical concepts are discussed, and it does a great job of letting you sympathize and relate to the characters in it
5- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel : Extremely immersive tv show. I love how they have recreated the 50s vibes both in picture and dialog. Great character development and a great journey to watch.
There are many other shows that I have loved, but if I had to pick 5 which are not entirely mainstream, these would be the one I would pick. Other shows that I have enjoyed watching are Atlanta, Severance, Queen's Gambit, Russian Doll (at least for the first season), and Ozark.
The shows on my watchlist are The Sopranos, Succession, and Ted Lasso.
Very interested to hear your favorite shows and thoughts!
Here's a few more shows that I think are really well done (not really in a particular order):
- The Sopranos
- The Wire
- The Americans
- Six Feet Under
- Fargo
- True Detective
- The Shield
- Breaking Bad/BCS
- Battlestar Galactica, Caprica
- Deutschland 83 (german)
- Dark (german)
- Severance
- Chernobyl(mini-series)
- Mindhunter
- Blackbird
- Sharp Objects
- Narcos (lots of spanish) Haven't watched the 3rd season of Mexico yet
- Gomorrah (italian)
- Mad Men
- The Leftovers
- Perry Mason (2022)
- Barry
- Mr. Inbetween
- Boardwalk Empire
- Taboo
- Succession
- Deadwood
- The Spy
- Oz
- Justified
- Dopesick
Shit I watch too much TV lol, I'll add more if I remember any that I'm missing
21The leftovers is god tier!
7I am so sad that Mindhunter hasn't had another season yet, I loved that show!
7Agreed Mindhuter was really good, I'm surprised they haven't made more
3
That's a solid list, watched only 9 of those shows.
We all need to have more hobbies I guess lol
3Yeah lol, I'm always watching something on my other screen when I'm at my PC
1
I've watched 16 of those, we have similar taste. Given that I going to give your other recommendations a go!
2Very similar to my own list. Have 1 & 2 swapped though. Sheeeeeeeeeet.
1
The Wire
Deadwood
The Sopranos
True Detective S1
11True Detective S1 was indeed a great watch. Matthew McConaughey performance was spectacular
4The Wire has such great characters. I'm not even a cop show person, and it was just so fun to watch.
1One of my favorite shows ever. Loved how each season had a theme too
2One of the strengths of The Wire is that it's not just a "cop show", it's way more than that.
1
Silicon Valley was fuckin a, man. Add that to the list.
10I love Silicon Valley!!
3
Highly recommend White Lotus to everyone. Both seasons are hilarious, but filled with some of the most intensely emotional and raw, flawed characters. In season two, I at different times loved, pitied, and hated almost every single character in the show. I need to re-watch them both now..
8You listed so many of my fav!
In no particular order, to name a few more:
- I think you should leave
- Andor
- Black bird
- Veep
- Barry
- It’s always sunny in Philadelphia
- What we do in the shadow
6He can hit!!!!
2Andor is epic
1
Just gonna drop Avatar: The Last Airbender in here.
Starts out a lil slow but it's an absolute masterpiece. It's also still pretty funny and entertaining in general as an adult
6Haven't ever known anyone that didn't love this show, both "regular" folks and those who typically watch anime/etc. I've rewatched a handful of times and it's great every time!
1
Very much enjoyed The Queens Gambit as well as The Bear so +1 for those ^^
5Succession should be the only thing next in your list. And The Righteous Gemstones can be watched concurrently as a palette cleanser. Don’t binge either; savor them.
After that, Star Trek TNG and into DS9, then back to something more contemporary.
Highly recommend.
5For me it's Outlander. I was sucked in from the very first episode. A memorable intro song, quality writing and acting. Great show.
5Ted Lasso is an interesting one, it was a breath of fresh air for the first season, the second started to get bit weird with the Nate storyline seeming to devolve to an epic degree out of nowhere, and then season 3 felt wholly unresolved with some really strange choices (except the Amsterdam episode which was wonderful).
The female characters in S3 were also extremely one note and overly tragic, if included at all (what even was Keely’s story arc in the end? And the teacher ended up nothing?).
A few stand out moments here and there and a great show for progressive masculinity but overall I felt like the writing was really not on sure footing and I would hope they don’t reach for a 4th season.
5I have just finished Ted Lasso, and now reading this I guess you do have solid points. I loved the character development of the characters especially Roy Kent. I didn't notice the observations you made mainly because I was just so immersed in the "you can improve and you can be a better person" type of feels. I kinda needed that.
Was a fun show to watch and I got hooked right after episode 4. I don't think they'll release a new season and I find the ending to be great
1
Six Feet Under
5I mostly like sci-fi and comedies. In no particular order:
- Battlestar Galactica (the 05 remake)
- Scrubs
- Fringe
- Chuck
- Person of Interest
- Dark
- Mr Robot
5Peep show Mitchell and Webb effect Red Dwarf
3I second Person of Interest!
2Heh, 4/7 are on mine as well! Dark, Mr. Robot, Fringe, BSG are ALL bangers.
1
Good list. I'd add The Sopranos and The Wire
4Sopranos is in my watchlist, I have heard good stuff about The Wire but its gritty atmosphere is deterring me away
1I'll second The Wire and fully believe it's the best show in TV history, but it is a downer even compared to a lot of "gritty" shows in ways a lot of media doesn't hit. It's not going to be for everyone and that's OK.
3
Some of these will be extremely obvious or popular, but I'm always amazed at how many people still haven't seen them:
The Night Manager
Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul
Gravity Falls
Top Gear/Grand Tour Specials (Bolivia, Vietnam, Polar, Burma, Mongolia.)
The Bodyguard
Kenny vs Spenny
The BoondocksI'll edit the list if more come to me.
4Aside from Breaking Bad/BCS and Top Gun, I wouldn't say they are popular at all actually
1I guess I'm still stuck in the old reddit mentality of always having to assume, or risk fifty comments all saying "X/Y/Z is extremely popular, EVERYONE has seen them, idiot" haha
1Banshee was surprisingly good for what was one of Cinemax's early attempts at 'real' television and not just softcore porn. They still stuffed some sex scenes in throughout the early seasons to stay on brand, but that tapered off as the series grew into its own.
1
Some comedy must-watch shows:
4Love WWDITS!
3
Ive been really impressed with Back Sails. Just about to start the final season.
It doesn't take itself too seriously and the characters are all very likeable.
Idk I think it's worth a watch if your in need a of a good adventure.
3My favourite show ever. There is nothing else like it. Closest thing is probably The Expanse but that's a very different setting (though lots of parallels can be drawn). It also wrapped up perfectly.
1
I recently rewatched The Expanse and then went on to Avatar The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra.
They are not similar but love both.
Edit: typo.
3The Expanse is probably my most favourite series ever. I highly recommend the book series too.
3
God, Mr. Robot was so good.
3I've never seen Banshee mentioned with Antony Starr. Fantastic story and great character build up. I wish more people knew about this show.
3I really enjoyed The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel too, it's pretty funny and like you said has great character development.
I think my all-time favourite show is 30 Rock, I've rewatched it so many times and it makes me laugh every time.
Honourable mentions to Prime's A League of Their Own, Rings of Power (I know this one is a divisive one but I like it idc), Criminal Minds and honestly Gilmore Girls is a total comfort show for me. I'm also in the middle of watching Mad Men and really enjoying it.
3My current obsession is Yellowjackets on Showtime.
2It's not bad, I just feel like the writers don't have a plan. After the first season it's like they're making it up as they go.
0I love the characters so much that I don’t mind the haphazard way the show runners are progressing.
1
Oh boy you are going to have a blast with your watchlist.
2What I wouldn’t give to watch Succession all over again for the first time.
2
A while back, I got really into Letterkenny.
It's good.
2Really hoping for another season of Shoresy…
1
Yes it's a good show.
The Shield belongs, in my opinion. And one of my wife and I's absolute favorites ever is animal kingdom. That show is fire
2I like and /or want to watch many of the shows already listed, so I want to add some not ITT
The Bridge (both versions) The Tunnel (uk/french remake of The Bridge)
Counterpart ~ what a great show and we'd had a season 2 if not for the pause because of Covid:/
Vera ~ my all time favorite of the mystery shows.
Strange New Worlds ~ feels like the star trek we grew up with!
Better off Ted ~ that show was ahead of it's time. Wish there were more than 2 seasons!!
Often passed over, yet exceptional imo, is Marco Polo on Netflix.
Shetland ~ Beautiful scenery along with great mysteries.
Will Trent ~ one of the few shows I watch as it came out and was really anticipating the next weeks episode. Most shows I just wait till they're all out. This one got me hooked right out the gate.
The Stranger ~ by Harlen Coben on Netflix.
Alaska Daily ~ cool setting and great topics
Quantum Leap (new one) Was pleasantly surprised and lok forward to the next season
2I’ve not seen any mention of it so I’ll do a plug for Mare of Easttown which was fucking brilliant.
One shot mini series starring Kate Winslet as a tortured detective, her family dynamic in the show is the whole reason to watch.
Highly recommend.
2I recently watched through Atlanta finally, that was amazing in how you went into almost every episode with no idea what to expect.
2Mr. Robot is great indeed but S2 makes total sense on a rewatch but it can definitely be a drag sometimes.
Another show I loved was The Leftovers, god tier show tbf and S1 is technically the weakest season.
You already mentioned Severance too, waiting for the next season now, it was very good :)
2I love Mr. Robot through and through, but I have seen many who bailed on the show mainly for the second season. But I am glad that I powered through it. By far the best show in terms of re-watchability imo.
I liked severance, but I think season 1 is just the start of the show. Season 2 is where things get juicy (and challenging to write as well)
2
I think DARK takes the cake for my top rated drama series of all time, it is a complete mindbender and perfectly written. Other favs include The Good Place and The Magicians. Mr. Robot is also way up on this list for similar reasons. Just excellence in storytelling. BSG also gets an honorable mention.
2I watched 8 episodes of Dark and couldn't continue honestly. I loved the concept and the story seemed interesting, but the pacing is so slow and the way they're portraying the story is complicated and distracting rather than engaging. But it could be because it's my first German show
2I think the pacing is slow for a reason. Every last detail in that show means something, and the directors took their time to tell the story.
I thought the second rewatch was even better, knowing details from then ending changed the interpretation of a lot of scenes, and a lot more becomes visible. That first time time through is a trip, though! The end of the first season really takes it to a whole other level.
2
I've been watching old stuff lately like Into the Labrynth, Miami Vice, Bewitched, Star Trek TNG, and One Step Beyond.
1A few more favs I didn’t see listed:
Baskets, Our Flag Means Death, How To with John Wilson
1I find it weird that you love the Bear that much but not shameless!
1IMO Shameless was great for the first few seasons and then quickly deteriorated into 75% ragebaity bullshit. I mean I watched it all the way through anyhow, but it could've been so much better. It showed so much promise, but the development of so many of the characters was just enfuriating honestly. Gonna watch the UK original soon I think.
The Bear so far has been really great, I can see it going many ways though. I haven't watched the new season past the Christmas episode, mainly because it really felt a little too much like Christmas at home and it's taking me a while to breathe after that. I'm just hoping it doesn't go the same path Shameless went.
1Shameless seems way too long and as you can see not many recommend it outright. The bear seemed concise, the second season will probably reveal how the show will evolve
1