Monday Morning Media: TV Series

Any recommendations for TV series? Please post them here. There'll be later posts asking for suggestions about stand-alone movies, books, and the like, so please focus here just on TV series.

My wife and I just finished the first season of Slow Horses, which we thought was fun but not great. But we very much liked the Russian-language Better Than Us, a show about a near future with humanoid robots; yes, I know that's a common premise, but it's all in the execution. And my old favorite from several years ago is iZombie. (If you go back further, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was also very good.) What would you  folks recommend?

Comments

[Jimmy the Dane]

It is older and unfortunately got cancelled when it was getting good, but check out Jericho.

If you are into Star Trek, watch (or re-watch) The Next Generation. Many of those episodes predicted certain aspects of modern culture with a shocking degree of accuracy.

[AmosArch]

In terms of predicting the future or being an accurate representation of human nature Star Trek is more fantasy than Star Wars or LOTR.

Leaving aside the show's morality which I heartily disagree with. I used to be okay with the show but reexamining it, there are quite a few cracks. Theres drama to be sure and the characters are 'flawed' but its elementary school drama and flaws. The Enterprise crew don't feel like real people. The personalities are hippy goody two shoes with a few artificial imperfections here and there. Some of the characters are insufferably sanctimonious and hypocritical when they're 'right' particularly early season Picard. Others are hilariously evil or incompetent like the Admiralty. With few exceptions the Federations rivals are bumbling idiots rather than worthwhile adversaries. And Data is a big Mary Sue.

The revived BattleStar Galactica is a nice fix in the opposite direction. A little too far in the opposite direction personally. Something midway between the two would make for more believable scifi characters.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

I remember watching the very first episode. Memory is a bit hazy by now, but I think each crew member introduced himself, then described his job. Picard was skipper, nothing spectacular. The XO said his duty was to watch Picard and make sure he didn't do anything wrong, with an implied air of politically embarrassing; my reaction was what, an old Soviet political commissar? You gotta be kidding me! The XO's job in every military I have heard of is to handle the paperwork, the grunt work, the police functions, all that mind-numbing stuff so the skipper can take care of the mission.

I think I watched a few more minutes until they had that kid running the bridge, and wondered why the hell the XO wasn't doing his job as he himself described it; or maybe that happened in a later episode when I tried it again. Combined with the idiotic post-scarcity economy, too stupid for my taste, and I haven't watched any of it since. Too Hollywood for my taste.

I watched the original as a kid, and my only real memory is I got tired of Kirk falling in love with the beautiful women who always turned out to be evil aliens in disguise. I guess I was too young to be disgusted by the rest of it too.

[NormanStansfield]

Always liked Deep Space Nine better.

[BravoCharlieDelta]

The new one really isn't that bad.

[Will Nonya]

Nor is it really that good...

[Sarcastr0]

Disagree, I really like it.

It's not doing anything innovative, but even simply updating TOS vibes for modern times is a helluva achievement.

[santamonica811]

1. Eugene, there was a long thread about this within the last month or so. (Maybe even in the Thursday open thread??)

2. The best thing I've seen on TV in the past 20+ years is the Planet Earth stuff. But only if it's watched on a large and decent-quality TV...every episode has jaw-dropping video and images of nature, and it's also chock-full of stunning animals, of course. Obviously, nature shows are aimed at people who like this sort of thing.

[Cal Cetín]

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (original series)

[santamonica811]

Agreed. But I was happily shocked to discover that MST3K: The Gauntlet was also excellent. (Its riff on the ET ripoff flick was particularly good...due to the horrible-ness of the movie itself. )

[David Bremer]

I used to love MST3K. But that was when I was a teenager and could spend two hours watching them pan some awful movie. Can't do that these days.

[Drbusybody]

If you want to see TV drama at its finest, watch "Lou Grant" and "The Fugitive." "Lou Grant," starring Edward Asner is surprisingly not dated although print newspapering is an anachronism today. The issues that they were covering are still with us today: crime, immigration, political scandal, the power grid, terrorism. It is smartly written and well acted.

Stephen King called "The Fugitive" the greatest TV series ever. It's a cleverly designed series that gives you crime, medicine, law, all in one package. In case you didn't know, It's a drama about Dr. Richard Kimble, wrongfully convicted of the murder of his wife. He traipses all over the country trying to find the one-armed man he saw fleeing the scene of the crime, while avoiding capture by the relentless Lieutenant Gerard.

For an escapist 30 minutes, I recommend "Highway Patrol" starring Broderick Crawford. It is almost all action, very little talk. Crawford's character is supposedly head of the highway patrol, but he answers police calls himself. Episodes frequently end with him killing the bad guy. Never take up arms against the police!

[DaivdBehar]

10-4, 10-4, 10-4.

[DaivdBehar]

I love that the vile thugs and scumbags all wear a suit and tie.

[DaivdBehar]

Who else wears a suit and tie?

[Shamie Ervin iv]

I watched Highway Patrol as a kid. Always remember Broderick Crawford people to drive their cars and not aim them.

Two more movies I recommend: The Tin Drum, partially because it stirred up such a fuss here in the USA; and Hidalgo, cause I grew up with horses.

[rrg144]

I've been watching "The Orville" on Hulu, a brilliant and loving parody of Star Trek. The acting is not always so good, but the plots are to die for, and I hope I don't die before finishing it.

[Bubba Jones]

The Orville is the best Trek.

The robot war plot line was meh, though.

[David Nieporent]

I haven't seen S3 on Hulu yet. I watched the first two seasons. It took a little while to find itself — it couldn't decide if it just wanted to be a pure parody of Star Trek or a humorous homage to Star Trek. Once it decided on the latter, it got pretty good.

The best Star Trek is Galaxy Quest, though.

[David Nieporent]

(And yes, I know GQ is a movie rather than a show.)

[DaivdBehar]

Excellent comment, bruh.

[Armchair Lawyer]

GQ only works because of Trek. It's hard to say that it makes it better than Trek, because of that (despite it being a fun movie)

[rrg144]

Sorry for two comments in a row but, firstly, I want to agree with santamonica's suggestion of Planet Earth. Astounding!

Then there is the Joe Pera show(s) on AdultSwim. Just got cancelled. Such a unique sense of humor. Some called it "the sweetest show on tv." In reality, it's bittersweet.

[KCR]

All in on Joe Pera Talks With You. It shows life not as how it frequently is, but how it could be if we were all a little more thoughtful, a little more curious, and a little more kind.

It is incredibly funny in a very understated manner as well.

[Scribe]

For old TV, can't help but concur with the suggestions upthread about The Fugitive and Highway Patrol. These both run on the MeTV network albeit at must-time-shift hours. The Fugitive at 0200 ET Sunday night into Monday morning, Highway Patrol at 0500 ET Monday-Friday. Highway Patrol, you get all kinds of old cars and late 50s scenery (like, what California used to look like). A lot of it had to be filmed on private roads because Broderick Crawford was such a roaring drunk he couldn't legally drive on public highways.
One series I miss which is currently not airing anywhere I can find it is the old Route 66 series. It is worth watching if only for the scenery. It was shot almost entirely on locations all over the country. As such it gives a real view of what America looked like in the first half of the '60s.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

You might like the original 9-year run of Perry Mason. The old cars fascinate me, especially how they change over the full span. The plots are as good as the paperbacks, usually; sometimes ESG himself said they improved a few of his books by having to squeeze into the 50 minute slot. The plots are usually pretty tight, if you can get over murder today, trial tomorrow or next week, and the incompetent police and prosecutor.

The first few seasons were 55 minute slots and a lot of reruns do a terrible job of trimming those extra 5 minutes.

It amazes me how they could film 39 or 36 one hour shows every season for 9 years, and still keep such consistently high standards.

[Bob from Ohio]

I've been watching Perry too. Besides the cars, all the early 1960s fashions are great.

Amazing it was mainly rich people murdering in those days in LA though!

[The original jack burton]

I could spend all day watching Della Street

[rsteinmetz]

It's amazing how many women wore furs in LA.

[DaivdBehar]

Perry Mason hounded and annoyed the real kilker into confessing. Over and over.

[AmosArch]

Simpsons S1-9
Beavis and Butthead
Twilight Zone
Nowhere Man

[Ruqt]

Foreign language subtitles
A French Village - France WWII drama.
Murder In - France multi season police series with each episode exploring a different region of France, local sights and history.
Beck - German multi season police drama.
Tatort Weimar - German police drama, quirky German characters & humor.
Ultraviolet - Polish TV series, featuring citizen crime stoppers using technology.

[Ruqt]

Beck is Swedish TV.

[Access Denied]

A French Village is *awesome*.
Also check out Lupin and Call My Agent

[MK Ultra]

"French Village" was quite good.

[Cal Cetín]

"Murder In - France multi season police series with each episode exploring a different region of France, local sights and history."

Murder in Nice - brought to you by the Marseilles Chamber of Commerce.

[Mr. Bumble]

Worst waste of my time ever: Lost. Even seeing Evangeline Lilly again would not make it worthwhile.

Show that ended too soon: Person of Interest.

[SRG]

Person of Interest ended slightly too soon, but with a perfect ending...better than dragging on like The Blacklist.

[Mr. Bumble]

Don't agree that the ending was perfect but at least it closed the story line. Thought it could have used one more season.
Also, the premise of the series seems to be coming more real every day.

[Ben_]

I disagree on Lost. The first 110 episodes are good. Many are great.

Be prepared for the ending to be disappointing. Endings are naturally disappointing.

Let the disappointment from the last few episodes ruin it for you if you want. You could also not.

Same for Game of Thrones.
Same for lots of other fiction. The middle is worthwhile even if the end isn’t what you wanted.

[Doug Huffman]

Endeavour, Inspector Morse, Lewis, Sargeant Hathaway

Sgt. James Hathaway is played by Laurence Fox of the Fox actor dynasty, and is active in conservative politics.

[PeteRR]

Hathaway has his own TV show?

[gormadoc]

No, and there's no way he's getting one at this point.

[PeteRR]

I liked the character and I like the actor. Shame.

[Krychek_2]

Logan's Run, a TV series based on the movie, with Gregory Harrison in the role of Logan. Unfortunately it got cancelled after 14 episodes but those 14 episodes are just about the best TV I ever watched.

[The original jack burton]

I always thought about 95% of those kids would be dead in 30 days after the city was destroyed

[PeteRR]

There is a two season sci-fi show on Amazon Prime, Counterpart starring J.K. Simmons. Highly recommended.

[SRG]

Good call.

[BravoCharlieDelta]

Yes, that was a good one.

[darkknight9]

The Shield
Farscape
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Sopranos
First season of The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones
Any of the X-files episodes that are independent of the big background conspiracy
Youtube: One season, ten episodes, Abridged version of "Helsreach"
Simpsons seasons 1-11 (Gotta have the canyonero episode)
Night Court
Robotech
A-Team or Miami Vice if you're desperate for 80's charm
And a whole bunch more that I can't remember right now but will see on others recommendations I am sure. 🙂

[darkknight9]

Oh what the heck
Hellsing OVA 10 episodes
Tales of the Gun (History Channel series)
The First World War (Based on work by Hew Strachen)
History of Britain (hosted by Simon Schama)
Dungeons & Dragons (3 seasons, 1983)
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. 1993

[sparkstable]

Thr Shield is amazing. The balls on the writers to make that show. All the people who watched SoA but missed the Shield have no idea how much they got cheated. SoA had some fun elements but was ultimately cheesy in comparison.

The story of Dutch and his psychological struggles culminating in the cat scene... brutal. And CCH Pounder is an unstoppable force in the show. She's as strong, if not stronger on screen as Chiklis.

Walter Goggins gets his start and the last two seasons of his story line... wow. Especially the inter group story of the Strike Team.

Jullian's story will NEVER be told again. Goes against so many grains of today's culture. If the show ever gets a resurgence we will see one of the most fierce calls for cancel culture we can imagine.

It is my favorite show. And I can rarely find anyone willing to watch it... but those who have understand.

[darkknight9]

It had so many depth characters, it was amazing.

I couldn't watch anything with Walt Goggins for almost a year because of what he did to Lem.

[Armchair Lawyer]

+1 to Farscape. Criminally underrated.

[Mr. Bumble]

With 70 plus years of TV, this thread could run forever.

[Dan Schiavetta]

Right now the earth like exoplanet Trappist-1, 40 light years away, is receiving the final season of M*A*S*H.

[Archibald Tuttle]

"The Americans" is an old series, but outstanding.

"Glow" is a real sleeper. The premise and the pilot sound unlikely, but it evolves into a gem. The 2nd season brings in Gena Davis in a manner that amazes.

[Both Sides]

Co-sign both "The Americans" and "Glow."

Others not yet mentioned that I highly recommend: "Bojack Horseman," "Barry," "Derry Girls," and "Schitt's Creek."

[KBaron]

By streaming service or network with brief description or genre note-

Apple TV
Severance - mind bending, psychological thriller
For All Mankind - science fiction / political drama

Netflix
Stranger Things - 80s pop culture homage, science fiction
The Umbrella Academy - comic adaptation, fantasy
Longmire - modern western / detective story

HBO
Game of Thrones - controversial selection, but I enjoyed it - fantasy
Doctor Who (older seasons now live here) - British science fiction fantasy phenomenon of the best kind (I am biased and love this show in all its iterations)
Torchwood - spin off of Who with darker echoes. Seasons 3/4 are truly great
Westworld - science fiction from the minds of Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan.

Amazon
Midsommer murders - British mystery
Inspector Lewis - British mystery in Oxford
Inspector Moore - prequel to above
Endeavor - prequel to Moore set in 60s
The Expanse - space opera. Books are fantastic
Battlestar Galactica (2000 series) - still one of the best shows out there, science fiction and drama. Fight me.
House (at least first couple of seasons) - just a fun distraction

Paramount Plus (or Amazon)
Any Star Trek series - but highly suggest new one Strange New Worlds. SNW harkens back to TOS without Shatner being Shatner. Casting and storylines brilliant. For older Trek - fight through the first two seasons of each show and enjoy classic science fiction at its best. The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine are personal faves.

[KBaron]

Oh and Humans. Cannot recall where it is streaming currently.

[RonFWA]

Morse

[Armchair Lawyer]

UA....just OK. 6.5 of 10.
Westworld: Better. 8 of 10
The Expanse: Drags in season 4. 7.5 of 10.

[Teton]

Dark Winds. Currently showing on AMC

[Mr. Bumble]

The original Twilight Zone. Low production values typical of early TV but great writing.

Paladin. Always liked Richard Boone and one of the first TV westerns to do on location production in many of the episodes. Also liked the way the character treated for those in need of his help and those who would be considered "minorities", especially Hey Boy.

[Smith_FT_MI]

You appear as old as me. I started watching TV in the mid-50's.

I concur on both of the above. (I've never seen "Have Gun, Will Travel" anywhere.) When I went on a DVD splurge a number of years ago "The Twilight Zone" set was one I purchased; have never got around to unsealing it though.

Likewise for the DVD set of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". I am surprised it does not seem to have been mentioned, as it is truly a classic.

And I second the comments on "The Fugitive". I finished the 120 episodes last year sometime. (The finale was broadcast just before I started my second year of law school, showing my age.)

Also worthy of consideration are the British shows from the 60's, "The Prisoner", 'Danger Man/Secret Agent", and "The Avengers". (Seeing an offering for "The Prisoner" is what started me on the DVD splurge.)

[Mr. Bumble]

I watched the whole run of Have Gun Will Travel on Starz, but that was years ago.
I think you might catch episodes on Me-TV if it is available in your area.

[ragebot]

Have Gun, Will Travel was one of my favorites as a kid but rewatching it now Paladin often goes into what I can only describe as a Shakespear like soliloquy with quotations for somewhat obscure sources.

[Well Regulated Militia]

The Americans - great series about undercover soviet agents set in the US during the Reagan era.

If mini-series count, Lonesome Dove and HBOs Chernobyl, though i bet you've already seen the latter.

For comedy, Cheers.

[Charles Epperson]

One of the best series I have ever seen is "The Expanse" I highly recommend it.

[BladdyK]

I really liked Outer Range on Amazon.

For oldies, Hannibal all the way.

[Michael Masinter]

The Wire.

[Suudy]

I can't believe it took this many comments for this to come up. Excellent acting, great scripts, engaging story, and great tie-ins for the separate seasons.

[NormanStansfield]

Much better than the overhyped Sopranos

[MoreCurious]

Agreed, along with The Shield, which has one of the best endings to a series ever.

[MoreCurious]

Oh, and MI-5. I'd love to see some bring it up to date to showcase how technology has evolved.

[bernard11]

Absolutely.

Fabulous.

[David Bremer]

Was looking at this thread hoping to get some new shows. Instead, I'm seeing a bunch of stuff recycled from several years ago. If a show is 15 years old and I haven't watched it yet, I'm unlikely to do so. Or at least I don't need to be told about it. Let's find some stuff that's a bit newer.

For a new show, I'll go with The Boys on Amazon. It's the one "superhero" show or movie that I actually enjoy.

[sparkstable]

The Boys is a wild ride. A very interesting take on super heroes. I have really been enjoying it (only through S1 so far).

[Armchair Lawyer]

It is. Only to be watched without kids around.

[Jerry B.]

Engine Masters on Motor Trend TV.

You wouldn't think that three guys watching dyno runs and talking about the results would be interesting, but they have so much fun even my wife watches.

[Ghost of Patrick Henry]

The Last Kingdom. For SciFi, The Expanse. For comedy, The Kominski Method and Ted Lasso. We also love Peaky Blinders.

[Bubba Jones]

I really enjoyed the first season (or three?) of Last Kingdom but then it began to feel like the same plot line over and over and over again. No growth of Uhtred and no progress in his quest. Vikings fell into the same trap. That's another historical fiction show that was awesome for 2-3 seasons.

Expanse is amazing. As is Ted Lasso.

[Ghost of Patrick Henry]

Occupied. It's in Norwegian with subtitles, but is awesome!!!

[SRG]

Yup. And - as with most of these foreign-language films - you don't know any of the actors so you're not given any clue about who will turn out to be the good guy.

[DaivdBehar]

Reacher the series is better than the movies. It is closer to the vision of the book author. Much legal wrangling and commentary on the legal system. Tight, clever, witty dialogue. Lot of violence. This book is about self help, due to the worthless criminal justice system. Has an Ivy indoctrinated, diverse as ineffective police. Set aside a half day. You will not be able to stop after the first episode.

[SRG]

And at least they had an almost Reacher-sized actor playing Reacher, unlike Tiny Tom.

[DaivdBehar]

SRG. The book author wanted that actor. He was also funny, which Tom cannot be. Do you recycle? After quietly ripping his zip tie cuffs apart, once realeased from custody.

[BravoCharlieDelta]

Reacher was good. So is Terminal List. The only thing I found unbelievable about the Terminal List was how they portrayed the news reporter and FBI agents as sincere, after the truth, good guys. Which these days just feels like a fairy tale.

[SRG]

I'm half-way through "Terminal List". I'm enjoying it, but do we really need another series where the hero's wife and kid are killed for additional motivation?

[LadyTheo]

It was in the book--the missing context being that Reese was supposed to be in the house, and the sicarios screwed up.

[SRG]

I am not surprised it was in the book, but it's still a cliché.

[DaivdBehar]

At the end, the Ivy twit sees the light, goes all self help. Smart after all.

[SRG]

Somebody else has seen "Better than Us"! I thought it was excellent SF.

"Suburra: Blood on Rome" is one of the best foreign-language series I've seen.

[SRG]

All the "Criminal: [insert country here]" - Criminal: UK, Criminal: Germany, etc. Tight 30-minute crime dramas.

[CocoN8]

I've been surprised by how much I am enjoying "The Crown" on Netflix. I have less than zero interest in the real-world gossip about the British royal family, but I am nevertheless finding this show oddly compelling. The acting is superb, the period piece set dressings are excellent, the writing is sharp.

Most of all, I think, is that I enjoy how the show reveals a world that is so utterly foreign to me. It's not just the lifestyles of the ultra-rich that are completely alien to me, but also how the monarch fits into the democratic norms and customs of the British people.

I'm only halfway through the second season, so if the show tanks in later seasons, I'm unaware of it.

[ah....Clem]

Two recent "anthology series" where you can watch the episodes in any order:

"Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" - a dramatization of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"

"Black Mirror" - loosely based on The Twilight Zone, but updated for this century.

[sparkstable]

If you have Brit Bix....
Upstart Crow (sadly only like 3 seasons) if you are at all a Shakespear guy. It is a very humorous take on Shakespeare's life with some very witty commentary on modern culture. And it is just really funny. Stars David Mitchell.

Also on Brit Bix is the panel show from Brittain... QI. Many of the early seasons are hosted by Stephen Fry. It is him us four comedians discussing random topics. I have never laughed at a show so much. Even the vulgar humor is done smart and witty, unlike most American comedy today. But there is a good chunk of humor that is high brow. At the very least the British accents make it seem that way, lol.

British Bakeoff (on Netflix). I made fun of my wife so much when she started watching... but I am hooked. Just really good solid clean fun TV. It is a real bright spot in the world today. Best Feel Good TV out there.

And for a fun drama-like show... Psych.
It is a fun, modern Sherlock Holmes-ish show, but with attitude and lighthearted humor. Has the best theme song in the world to boot. I have rewatched the whole show multiple times.

It and the Shield are my all time favorites (VERY different shows, too!)

[sparkstable]

Ugh... Brit BOX.

[Mr. Bumble]

I would include Death in Paradise. Formulaic in the sense of Murder she Wrote and Columbo, but the twists and turns are still interesting. Also, love the setting and in spite of numerous cast changes each new character seems to add something and hasn't hurt the show.

[DaivdBehar]

Netflix: Once Upon a Time, an Egyptian soap opera filled with culture. They crushed the striving of a rich doctor to start a clinic for the poor. What chance does an ordinary person have? Educated girl returns to her village. She is labelled a witch for knowing how to read. She is the only one who can read the air dropped leaflets from the British warning of the flu epidemic. Wash your hands and quarantine is derided. The village is wiped out save for her and her daughters. Great death delirium scene. Explains the failed culture of the Middle East even in modern times.

[DonP]

"Firefly", a single season with a "Wrap Up' movie "Serenity" made a few years after they killed the series. Together, one long evening or a perfect rainy day.

Will leave you shouting at the TV; "But what happens next dammit!!!"

[Jerry B.]

Amen, Browncoat.

[NormanStansfield]

Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Y'all got on this boat for different reasons, but y'all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than I have before. Maybe all. Sure as I know anything, I know this - they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten? They'll swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave.
Don't think Mal is a fan of the WEF and Davos crowd.

[DonP]

Others to consider:
- Pushing Daisies
- The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr.
- Justified

[Harvey Mosley]

Justified is my favorite police show of all time. Joe Pickett and Dark Winds are good current shows.

[SRG]

+1 on "Justified" - and best Elmore Leonard adaptation.

[Bubba Jones]

A+ Justified

[DaivdBehar]

Justified would get that cop arrested and the city would be burned by procriminal Democrats. As fictitious as Star Wars due to the pro-criminal scumbag lawyer profession. BLM will get you.

[Reallynotbob]

We Own This City

Runs on HBO. Six episodes. Based in fact about corrupt cops. Jon Bernthal (Punisher) stars. Presents actual policy and legal dilemmas very well and with nuance.

[SRG]

Did no-one else like "Goliath"?

[Bubba Jones]

Gilmore Girls is good if you have a teenaged daughter. The characters seem humanly flawed without being over the top toxic. So you can discuss real world high school issues without grilling your daughter about her own personal secrets.

[GreenLanternCorps]

First four seasons. Last three are not as good.

[Ben_]

Altered Carbon season 1 on Netflix is really good.
Also the show Dark is very good.
And The Witcher.

Good animated shows:
Ajin
Parasyte
One Punch Man
Darwin’s Game
High rise invasion
Demon slayer
Mobpsycho 100
Grand Blue Dreaming
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
Kotaro Lives Alone
Disenchantment
Bojack Horseman
Death Note
Forest of Piano (great if you like piano music)

[Armchair Lawyer]

AC: Yes, better than expected. One of the few series looked forward to season 2.

The Witcher: Season 1 was more enjoyable. Season 2...not bad. The entire series made me respect Henry Cavil as an actor more

Animated:
-Parasyte....couldn't stick through it.
One Punch...immensely amusing
DS: Solidly good...
Disenchantment: Something's missing....

[Shamie Ervin iv]

All Roman Polanski movies including VAMPIRES with Sharon Tate and of course _The Pianist,_ WWII story of Warsaw concert pianist, Władysław Szpilman. Starring Adrian Brody. More fave Polanski: TESS and FRANTIC, which I could watch every day just to behold our protagonist do Hitchcock over-acting and that dance scene with Emanuelle Seigner.

I got kinda bored watching the CARDINAL series on roku while waiting for the two detectives to jump in bed together. The Canadian series was good at first but then got a little too bloody for me.

So I'm watching mostly UFO developments, and some great surprises, and waiting for a fleet of UAPs to land on the White House lawn. I'm also waiting for public proof of sasquatches but there are too many charlatans in that controversy. Idaho prof, Jeff Meldrum, has proof of sasquatches, but they are only plaster casts of 18"-long footprints. There *are* a few great photos and videos, but they are battered by the skeptics and debunkers who are also overrun with nuts.

Prof. Meldrum says the most famous video of Bigfoot, the old Patterson-Gimlin flick made with an 8 mm camera, is genuine.

Favorite movies with lawyering: _The Verdict_ with Paul Newman, _Inherit the Wind,_ _Amistad,_ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,_ _A Passage to India (from a novel by E. M. Forster), and _Erin Brockovich._
oh ... Rumpole of the Bailey. (Great stuff)

Favorite movie: adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham novel, _The Painted Veil._ (with gorgeous Naomi Watts playing Chopin and Satie on the piano)

No self-respecting person should endure life without watching each and every one of these movies. Except that Cardinal stuff.

[Doug Heffernan]

Most of the comments so far recommend only old (to very old) tv series.

This supports my theory that recent tv sucks. The traditional broadcast networks are more than half "reality" tv. Modern streaming services (and legacy premium "cable tv" networks) only occasionally have a decent scripted series, and the episode counts are always low.

Quality tv is a thing of the past. The youth would rather play on tiktok. It's pretty much the same for movies. Any money is only behind superhero "capecrap". It's over. Sports have also been ruined by endless gambling integration.

Yes, I'm getting older. Old enough to remember good tv, but not so old as to break out my garden hose to shoo kids off my lawn. I do more reading now. But don't come on my lawn.

[David Bremer]

Hard disagree. What you see is most likely a reflection on the age and preferences of commenters on this website.

Take two recommendations on here: The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror. If I were making a hall of fame, I'd give it to Twilight Zone because it was the first of its kind. And lots of people haven't seen it in decades, so they now remember it with a bit of nostalgia. But if I were to pick one to watch, it would be Black Mirror all day, every day because the production level is better, the stories are more relatable to today's world, and the pacing makes it much more entertaining. Sorry, seeing a monster on an airplane wing is a joke. But the Black Mirror episode "Metalhead" is the most disturbing, yet entirely plausible, thing I have ever watched on TV.

Also, when you say "old," you're giving yourself 60+ years of TV to choose from. "Old" shows should win simply because you've got so many more options to choose from. But year-for-year, modern TV destroys television of the past.

[DaivdBehar]

Doug. Most of the stuff from the past sucks. Get in a 1960 Cadillac. You will be terrorized by how badly it drives. The shows f4om the past are unwatchable as a rule. Tiktok is the best. Except the Chinese Commie Party now has all your info. The scumbag lawyer profession is doing nothing to protect us. Indeed it may be on the other side.

[Mr. Bumble]

When did you ever drive a 1960 Cadillac?

Don't talk about what you don't know about.

[Voize of Reazon]

There was bad TV back then too. I recently re-watched some episodes of My Favorite Martian, a show I remember enjoying 60-ish years ago, and couldn't believe how poor the writing was. I think they had a handful of plots they recycled with minor variations.

[DaivdBehar]

I was surprised that Russian royal females were illiterate. When Catherine started a small school for them, it was burned down.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

The best:
The Wire (Baltimore from varied perspectives)
Breaking Bad (ingenious premise, never flags)
Deadwood (magnificently, jarringly unique)
Game of Thrones (overcomes the silliness of dragons)

Excellent:
The Americans (a great twist on the genre)
The Sopranos (unusually strong soap opera)
Boardwalk Empire (history can be entertaining)
Mad Men (the history is snuck into this one)
Hill Street Blues (common material, deftly done)
Better Caul Saul (common materal, idiosyncratically done)

Short but sweet:
The Simpsons
Cheers
Gilligan's Island
Beverly Hillbillies
I Love Lucy
Married (With Children)
Barney Miller (never a better theme song)
Taxi
Happy Days
M*A*S*H
All In The Family
The Jeffersons
Mary Tyler Moore

Often overlooked:
Buffalo Bill (Dabney Coleman's masterwork)
SNL (Celebrity Jeopardy)
SNL (Black Jeopardy)
SNL (Close Encounter) (Colleen Rafferty)

Current:
Barry

[Mr. Bumble]

So much TV, so little time. I would add"

Homicide-Life on the Street, Yaphet Koto, Mellisa Leo

ER

St Elsewhere

[MoreCurious]

Is Homicide - Life on the Street available anywhere?

[Mr. Bumble]

Haven't been able to find it.

[Scribe]

From just before corona showed up, this article listing a number of great, or memorable, shows which were not available streamed: Homicide: Life on the Street, Thirtysomething, and more. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/arts/television/shows-not-streaming.html
Also not available to stream: LA Law, MadTv....

It's almost always rights issues of one sort or another.

[bernard11]

I had forgotten about "Homicide - Life on the Street."

Great series. Thanks for reminding me.

[Frank Drackman]

Damn "Reverend Jerry" what cable do you get at https://www.cor.pa.gov/Facilities/StatePrisons/Pages/Greene.aspx????
You??? a Beverly Hillbillies Fan??( I know that Jethro/Jethrine was/were? hot and I think that Sharon Tate has a future!)

and as a fellow Gilligan's Island fan, gotta ask ya
"Ginger or MaryAnne"

Frank "no fair picking Mrs. Howell"

[RonFWA]

Justified, Burn Notice (except for the last season), Sports Night, Endeavour.

[Reallynotbob]

I forgot about Sports Night. Genius. That was David Mamet, wasn't it?

[NormanStansfield]

Firefly-Serenity
The Americans
The Expanse
The Wire

[MK Ultra]

"This is England."

[edbeau99]

A Korean series that you can download subtitled from the Internet; possibly Netflix might pick it up: "Military Prosecutor Doberman".

[GreenLanternCorps]

Babylon 5

Best Science Fiction show ever made.

A little slow in the first season, then all Hell breaks loose.

“The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace.

A self-contained world five miles long, located in neutral territory. A place of commerce and diplomacy for a quarter of a million humans and aliens. A shining beacon in space . . . all alone in the night.

It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind – the year the Great War came upon us all.

This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2259. The name of the place is Babylon 5.”

-John Sheridan

[Michael P]

Every time I see the Ancient Aliens guy (or meme), I am reminded of Londo Mollari.

I'm not saying it was Shadows... but it was Shadows.

[GreenLanternCorps]

“What do you want?”

[Tilted]

Since you appear to have Apple TV+, I'd recommend Ted Lasso and For All Mankind.

The former is a feel-good comedy that's received a lot of attention, deservedly I think, in the last year. It can be pretty silly and the smaller storylines are, of course, cliche-y. But I think it's pretty near top of class in the genre when it comes to execution and it features a good range of endearing characters.

For All Mankind is an alternate history story where the catalyst for an alternate, but mostly familiar, reality is the Soviet Union getting to the moon first. For that reason, and perhaps others, both nations remain far more engaged in space exploration over the following decades. I think the premise is interesting and, again, the execution is pretty good.

[ragebot]

One of my favorite toons was Archer with so many overdone stereotypes and maybe my favorite toon line 'all I have had today is like six gummy bears and some scotch'.

Game of Thrones for obvious reasons including the most watched HBO show ever, in great part due to unrivaled production values.

Monk maybe because I sorta maybe have OCD, but it really should be CDO.

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

If you're a The Godfather fan ( and if you're not, what the hell is wrong with you?) The Offer on Paramount+ is well worth watching...which is surprising given how much crap they put out. I'm quite sure they took a lot of artistic license with the facts, but it's still a very entertaining bit of semi-fictionalized drama about the best motion picture ever made.

[Drewski]

You may consider Netflix's Bojack Horseman. It's legitimately entertaining, with snappy dialogue, good humor, and some poignant moments, but the reason I suggest it is that one of its central themes in later seasons is cancel culture. You might enjoy a critical look at the topic from a progressive perspective.

[Cal Cetín]

Ow, My Balls

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

I like money.

[Ridgeway]

Go away! Batin'!

[Don Nico]

For a real-life series that demonstrates true courage watch
The Hunter (Il Cacciatore) – a RAI series about the anti-Mafia procurators in Palermo, available on PBS MAsterpiece streaming service.
A charming although brief series is Inspector Ricciardi, also available on PBS MAsterpiece streaming service.

[SAtex]

Highly recommend "The Bureau", a subtitled French series about the DGSE (French CIA) with really interesting characters and plotlines.

[tkc]

Everyone likes to go about Star Wars vs Star Trek but The Expanse is better than both of them.

While not exactly TV, my favorite YouTube show is Itchy Boots. It is a Dutch lady named Noraly who quit her job, sold all her stuff, and has been motorcycle touring the world. It is really well done and she finds the most amazing places.

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

Everyone likes to go about Star Wars vs Star Trek but The Expanse is better than both of them.

QFT

[Frank Drackman]

Original 30 minute Black & White "Gunsmoke" episodes

[Frank Drackman]

For Premium Cable, "Eastbound & Down"
worth it just to see Danny McBride say "Feex-ins!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edc0LbLWZyc

[Armchair Lawyer]

Sticking with new TV (last 2 years for new Seasons)

1. Bridgerton. Good acting, solid plotlines, v amusing to watch. Would watch again.

2. Loki / What If (Disney+). Those are the better of the two Marvel series. Wandavision is close third. The rest are....there.

3. Anime. It truly is the golden age of anime. I tend to prefer a little more humor in my pieces. So...
a. Dr. Stone.
b. Kaguya-sama: Love is War
- Start there I'd say. There's a wide variety.

If you're looking for an iZombie-type show...

1. Lucifer
2. Suits (although you may wince at the lawyer references)

Those come closest to the dynamic, but are a little older. (2015-2020)

[Armchair Lawyer]

Oh, it's a little older...but for those who enjoy Anime. Konosuba, one of the rare shows I'll rewatch for entertainment value.

[Mr. Bumble]

Well said. We actually agree on something. I was caught up with the different characters and the web of interconnections of their lives (often done in flashbacks) and I liked many of the actors but in led nowhere.
Being in charge of continuity on this series must have been a real bitch.

[DaivdBehar]

Hi, Rhoid. Of course, you may be forgetting high school. Lost promoted the Catholic Church view of religion. The veil was very thin and the propganda obvious. Crippled? When you're dead all afflictions get removed if you make a donation to the Church.

This is the lawyer scam too. The scumbag lawyer is running the Inquistion 2.0 on us, more sophisticated this time. The take is a $trillion, making those Inquisitor assholes look like amateurs.

You are like a child. Not streetwise. That surprises me given the background you gallantly overcame.

[Bob from Ohio]

Yes, Data was obviously just Spock.

They split Kirk into two guys, he was such a tremendous character.

[Jmaie]

That lack of (any) resolution is what drove us to abandon Hero...

[DaivdBehar]

There are no exceptions. All FBI are Swamp. All journalists are biased, hate speech propagandist for their tech billionaire employers, kowtowing to the Chinese Commie Party. All media is just the leftist David Duke website. They are committed to taking down our country. Journalists are 95% Democrat. Those that are not have to live in that culture and to keep their jobs.. So, yes, no exceptions are known.

[DaivdBehar]

Funny comment, bruh.

[DaivdBehar]

Rhoid, what a great insight, bruh. Very useful. Keep them coming. You are so well spoken. Did you grow in Baltimore?

[DaivdBehar]

Wow, what an incisive comment, bruh. You are so well spoken, Rhoid.

[DaivdBehar]

Rhoid, what an incisive comment, bruh. You are so well spoken and in the words of Joe Biden, so clean.

[DaivdBehar]

All those shows are painfully slow. They look like government made crap.

[DaivdBehar]

Rhoid. That was a fascinating show, bruh. Great choice.