What is a good ( complete ) tv series to watch?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

Last edited Sun Nov 19, 2023, 12:59 AM - Edit history (1)

Me: I think I found a Star Trek series you'd like.

Spouse: You know I don't like those science fictiony things.

Me: Try it -- Enterprise. It's about the characters, not gadgets. It has that guy from Quantum Leap that you like. He's the typical arrogant, "Only I can save them!" captain, but it's still entertaining.

Spouse: Bakula? It's still Star Trek.

Out of 98 episodes, only 3 got the thumbs down, same 3 I didn't like. She's never before watched an entire episode of any Star Trek series.

At least it's a breakaway from all the action movies and cops & robbers stuff.

Need suggestions for next, please!

[Edit to add: ]
Sorry for my lack of manners. I asked for suggestions without providing any of my own. These are some we've enjoyed (if we can't watch them together, we move on to another).

Victoria,
Jamestown,
Peaky Blinders,
NYPD Blue (the stupid 'jerky camera' director tricks are hard for me to tolerate, but they lessen as the series progresses)
Game of Thrones,
Law and Order,
Chicago Fire,
Northern Exposure,
Boardwalk Empire,
Spartacus,
Deadwood,
Downton Abbey,
Goodwife,
Hell On Wheels,
Longmire,
Good Wife,
Call The Midwife,
Rookie Blue,
Tour of Duty,
Firefly,
Turn - Washington's Spies,
Jesse Stone,
Black Sails,
The Pillars of the Earth,
Penny Dreadful

[elleng]

1. The West Wing,

turning it on right now.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. Agreed -- got it on dvd 'way back when. :)

[Aristus]

135. If it hadn't been for the modifier 'complete', I would have agreed.

The first four seasons of TWW are my favorite television of all time.

Once Aaron Sorkin left after Season Four, the writing suffered, the show became a pedestrian workplace drama, and I lost interest.

I watched until the end, but I’ve never re-watched S5-7. It just wasn’t the same show anymore.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

137. Many series degrade by season 3

Advertisers don't want "new" and "creative"; they want the same stuff that sold soap and SUVs before. By the 3rd season, flocks of producers come in and adjust things to placate advertisers. This usually results in cliches and stereotypes and copy & paste plotlines. You can always count on one character developing an addiction to something, the love triangle, the newly introduced annoying family member, the surprising twist that's not a surprise at all, the annoying Christmas special with magic, the windfall that's gone before the end of the episode, etc. And of course there will come a time when someone has to do something incredibly stupid just to get to a scenario allowing adjustment to the story line or character set.

Sometimes a series will recover from this and sometimes not.

It seems to me that the best series are based on a book or books, just as the best movies are.

[Paladin]

95. +1000. (nt)

[liberal N proud]

2. MASH

Currently I am watching Bosh on Prime

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. We used to watch that every evening -- pretty much have 'em memorized.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. #6

The Prisoner. The last episode (of 12 or 13) is quite wacky and not to everyone's taste.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

6. I don't know if I've ever seen that. Thanks!

[jpak]

51. The last Prisoner episode deeply disturbed me for days

Really well done.

[ificandream]

74. My all-time favorite series.

Love that show.

[justaprogressive]

119. The Prisoner Patrick McGoohan's Masterpiece

There are 17 episodes.

My favorite is "Schizoid Man".

Of course there is the series that preceded this...

The long-running "Danger Man" (redubbed "Secret Agent" in

the USA, with a new theme song sung by Johnny Rivers!)

There are 47 episodes + a feature film "Koroshi"

[link:https://web.archive.org/web/20180520230139/http://danger-man.co.uk/index.asp|

***If you have a choice I'd watch Danger Man FIRST before The Prisoner...

[Permanut]

7. I go for the sophisticated ones..

I have the complete Gilligan's Island series, and the complete Beverly Hillbillies. Watched 'em both many times.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

8. I wouldn't be allowed back in the house after those.

[Permanut]

9. Roger that; I watch 'em in the garage.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. I talked her into watching The Beverly Hillbillies some time ago

It devolved so quickly after season one that it was tough to finish. Didn't quite match my memories for some reason.

[madamesilverspurs]

10. Librarians

Three "Librarian" movies with Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin.
Then "The Librarians" series, with expanded cast. Entertainment + thinking.

.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

13. We're about to finish season 4. Got a couple extra DVDs of something in the box.

Winding up that one is why I've been given the task of finding another.

Thanks!

[Clash City Rocker]

52. I love that series

I’ve binged the whole thing twice.

It’s by some of the people who made Leverage, which I also heartily endorse.

[yellowdogintexas]

103. Leverage is a wonderful series. I love it and Leverage Redemption.

Great cast, and a new wonderful long con story in each episode.

[electric_blue68]

161. Ah, been thinking of watching it. I really like Leverage so a plus.

[RockRaven]

11. There's a very short (two seasons, 32 eps) show from NBC in the mid-2000s

called "Life" and according to Wikipedia it was at one point available on Hulu and Netflix, but I've got no idea whether it is available anywhere or how nowadays. I recall watching it when it was broadcast, and thinking it was rare that a network show would be cancelled after two seasons AND with decent closure. Usually only long-running shows have soft landings, whereas young shows often get cut off abruptly or awkwardly.

I can't post the whole link directly b/c the parentheses borks the link on DU, but the Wikipedia article ends in "Life_(American_TV_series)"

The show has some recognizable actors, playing quirky/conflicted characters, with a underlying through-line mystery slowly worked out. Some humor, some tension, a bunch of pathos.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

14. I'll check that out. Thanks!

[LauraInLA]

26. Agreed -- really good! Damian Lewis and Adam Arkin are both wonderful.

[marigold20]

44. Life was a great show

I don't know why it was cancelled.

[Scrivener7]

59. Great show. Damien Lewis is a genius.

[msongs]

15. are you being served - every season/episode on youtube nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

16. We buy dvd boxed sets. Bandwidth is too low for streaming.

[ificandream]

73. Had the good fortune to meet John Inman.

He was the same type of guy he was on the show.

[PufPuf23]

17. The Good Wife; a lawyers, relationships, and political drama.

Missed decades of TV and watched The Good Wife series consecutively as part of Amazon Prime years ago.

Comes on at midnight at present on an obscure DISH satellite TV channel and that is usually when go to bed. Watch TV in dark and, when fall asleep, the TV goes to screen saver and silent. Such is elderly life.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. I like that series. Have it all on dvd. :)

[PufPuf23]

19. Truly gave your request my best shot but you already knew about The Good Wife.

The TV watch these days is mostly junk TV and some old movies.

[TlalocW]

20. Well, sticking with Star Trek-esque stuff

The Orville. Where Star Trek, especially TNG shows humanity as extremely enlightened paragons of culture, the Orville allows humanity its foibles and faults and ridiculousness.

And that takes me to my next recommendation, Lower Decks, which does much of the same.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

21. I'll look into those. Thanks!

If she balks, I'll remind her that she assumed she wouldn't like Enterprise.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

55. I haven't finished it yet, but the first two seasons of Picard were great

I've heard great things about Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks as well, but I don't know if they're complete.

[LoisB]

22. Midsomer Murders

British

[Chainfire]

49. Midsomer Murders is good, but there are a lot of British crime dramas

that are as good or much better. Silent Witness, D. I. Banks, Vera and there are many more. My wife and I have been watchin Britbox almost exclusively for the past year. I have to be reminded not to drive on the left side of the street.

[yardwork]

76. One of my favorites is Shetland.

I love the protagonist. I think it's based on a series by the same author of Vera.

[Chainfire]

80. Shetland was good, and is rated higher than some of the others but not my favorite.

That said, I think that the British "cop" (and there is a pile of them) shows blow the American productions out of the water. I am loving Britbox.

[catchnrelease]

131. I'm with you

Either Britbox or Acorn are my go to for tv watching. I'm about 2 seasons away from the latest season of Silent Witness, and I'm dreading it being over. I normally watch one 2-part episode a night lately. I read somewhere that the newest season of Vera is coming in December. I hope it's true as I think it's my overall favorite, and I watch them all, lol. Shetland was great and Hinterlands (set in Wales) was good. Waking the Dead is an oldie and similar to Silent Witness in that it's mainly a forensic/crime procedural. Acorn also has many good series from Australia, and New Zealand.

I don't know why exactly the UK shows are so much more appealing to me than the US ones. Even the comedy Ghosts UK version was much better (imo that is) than the home grown one, even tho' I think the US version was overseen by the UK creators. I got through 1 episode of US one and that was enough. O well, as long as I have the option to find what I prefer, all is good I guess. And I have found some phrases sneaking into my vocabulary, like using 'sorted'. Did you get that sorted? Can I have a word?

[LoisB]

23. Keeping up Appearances

British comedy

[Hermit-The-Prog]

24. Oh, I get that on 2 different PBS broadcast stations each week. Hilarious!

[Jeebo]

25. I think "Spartacus" was the best TV series EVER.

At the end of every episode, I did a fist pump and a shout "YEAH!" and I have never had that reaction to any other TV series I've ever seen. It ran four seasons, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. I have the whole series on DVD but haven't watched it again in a while. I'm about due.

-- Ron

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442449/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_q_Spartacus

[Hermit-The-Prog]

30. I'm about due, too, but have misplaced everything after Gods of the Arena.

Gotta be mixed up with the piles of movies here somewhere.

I think my tools taught my dvds how to hide from me.

[Shermann]

41. Jupiter's cock! I second this recommendation!! nt

[LauraInLA]

27. Parks and Recreation has a lot of great characters and quirky humor.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

31. Haven't seen that! Thanks!

[Tetrachloride]

28. original All Creatures Great and Small

[Hermit-The-Prog]

32. Got it! Thank you! It's still a bit early for me to get the new version.

[Lars39]

29. Fringe...

Grimm, Person of Interest, Hamish Macbeth

[Hermit-The-Prog]

33. I have "The Brothers Grimm" but it's a movie. Grimm a series?

Have Person of Interest, but never seen Hamish Macbeth. Will check that out! Thank you!

[Lars39]

65. Yes, there's a series!

Pretty good. Lotsa humor, too. I recommend turning on closed captions for Hamish Macbeth. 🙂

On edit…also Warehouse 13. 🙂

[Hermit-The-Prog]

68. Will check that, too. Thanks!

cc or subtitles are pretty much a requirement any more.

[yellowdogintexas]

104. Warehouse 13 is very good, lots of fun.

I second the recommendation for closed captions for Hamish Macbeth. It is a wonderful series.

Eureka! is another fun series.

[Lars39]

113. Eureka! Yes, that's a fun one!

[Bayard]

61. I have been hooked on Grimm for awhile now

Its very well done, and total escapism.

[Lars39]

67. Yes! And love the characters.

[electric_blue68]

109. POI, and Fringe are two of my ultra favorites

Enjoyed Grimm, too. 👍

Saw POI in first run. Saw some parts of Fringe up till "the bridge" ep then stopped.

Finally got to see every episode of Fringe late Fall '20, or '21.

[Lars39]

114. They were both so well done.

They both have the layers of plot that makes them almost necessary to watch multiple times.

[electric_blue68]

120. Yeah, complex plots where you have to really pay attention. Like a mental, and visual puzzle since...

you're dealing with all the imagdry, along with talking, vocalizing, and sounds of things, and natural elements.

Great ensemble acting that you can be in it at the moment but on a later viewings also marvel at their skills.
(ie: Finch's(Emerson's) soliloquy to u-know-who imho is one of the greatest in TV history)

A good excuse for a partial rewatch of Fringe to pick out a great Walter/Noble soliloquy, too. I feel some memories twinkling at me)
The first time I ever saw him was as Steward Denethor in LOTR. (and Emerson in Lost)
(I'll think on Amy Acker/Root as well)

If you think on great TV - while I can't remember exactly but I'm thinking of a few of Hawkeye's/Alda's amazing scenes decades later! Great stuff stays w you in some fashion.

Great original music, plus some great song selections!

And for me as a born & bred NYC'r POI looking all the NYC scenes!
(I'd have paid to be in that last Times Square scene 👍 )
Even though Fringe takes place alot in NYC not sure it's as identifiable as in POI. Don't know if they ever did any real filming in Boston.

Ah, such fun to remember. 👍

[Lars39]

123. Heh, well said!

In my mind, Walter is forever connected to heated car seats.

[electric_blue68]

162. Ha. Great, complex, witty character.

[Emile]

34. Breaking Bad

Boston Legal

[brewens]

36. Boston Legal is a great one for guest stars. A lot of old favorite actors show up like with all legal

series.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

37. Yes, we have that. Thanks!

[Jeebo]

122. I'll second "Breaking Bad."

That was a great series, and I have the whole series on DVD.

-- Ron

[brewens]

35. The Sopranos. I've watched it all about three times. The Fargo season are good. n/t

[Hermit-The-Prog]

38. Got 'em both and about wore the bits off of the discs. Thanks!

[Jrose]

39. 'Colombo' - especially Peter Falk as the Detective...

That series also had many 'Class A' guest stars, Colombo's equally scruffy Bassett hound, and background music by Mancini.

[ificandream]

82. I've watched many of the eps, but I love the one with Dick Van Dyke as the murderer.

[Jrose]

92. Haven't seen that one yet. Will look for it.

What now draws me back to that series, and why it's so meaningful today, is that the scruffy, down to earth Colombo usually - and ingeniously - solves murders done by very rich, greedy people who think they can get literally get away with murder.

[Harold Shea]

40. Psych

Justified

Grimm

[Hermit-The-Prog]

66. 3 to check out. Thanks and welcome to DU!

[if..fish..had..wings]

42. Firefly

12 Monkeys
Friday Night Lights
Fringe
The Handmaid's Tale
Legion
Orphan Black
Sling & Arrows
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Travelers
The West Wing
The Wire

[Ferrets are Cool]

46. My first thought was Firefly, but he/she asked for complete series.

[Shermann]

60. I can't recommend Sarah Connor Chronicles

I found it to be really convoluted.

Firefly is a slam dunk though!

Summer Glau starred in both.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

63. I only have 3 out of your list

I have Firefly, West Wing, and The Wire. The rest I'll check out.

Thanks!

[Codifer]

98. I was going to nominate "Firefly"

I found it quite late but loved it. Still wonder why it was canceled.

It was my "must-turn-off-news-and-chill" go to for quite some time. Great characters and interactions.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

146. 12 Monkeys arrived -- had no idea she ordered it.

I also don't know what method she uses to choose from all these suggestions.

[marigold20]

43. Justified

Longmire
The Americans

[Hermit-The-Prog]

64. Don't have Justified; have Longmire and The Americans. Thanks!

[Ferrets are Cool]

45. New Doctor Who

Great writing and acting.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

69. Seen the original, but not the new. Thanks!

[bedazzled]

100. Also david tennent years

Christopher eccleston and Matt Smith were great, too!

[Mousetoescamper]

47. Northern Exposure

I seldom missed an episode during the original run, 1990-1995. Also watched it in syndication and bought the DVD box set about 10 years ago. The show won some Emmys and Golden Globes. Fantastic writing, acting and music soundtrack. Watching it makes me nostalgic for the Clinton years.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

70. Have the whole thing; it broke some new ground. Thanks!

[AZSkiffyGeek]

127. Maybe Rutherford Falls?

Had that same sort of Fish-Out-Of-Water feel as Northern Exposure. Ed Helms plays the heir of a colonial town founder on a native land trying to salvage his family legacy while the tribe wrestles with cultural heritage and a casino. Helms plays pretty much his character from the Office, and Jan Schmeidling from Reservation Dogs plays his friend who runs the tribal cultural center in town.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

130. Have not seen that. Thanks!

[marble falls]

48. Easy ...

Northern Exposure, The Practice, Newsroom, Boston Legal, Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Vikings, any of a hundred of English comedies: the Irish RM, To the Manor Born ...

Lots o' stuff out there!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

71. And you mentioned 2 that I don't have and will check out. Thank you!

[Shermann]

50. Bates Motel

This exceeded all expectations for me.

[FM123]

106. Brilliant show.

And like you, it exceeded all expectations for me.

[MLAA]

53. Ted Lasso is amazing.

Some touching drama and lots of laughter.

[Mr.Bill]

87. I just finished the first season.

very good show.

[MLAA]

94. And it just gets better!

I finished it this past spring and still mourning that there are no more seasons.

[Mr.Bill]

97. It's keeping my interest,

that's for sure.

[catchnrelease]

133. I love Ted!

I was really late to the series. I'd heard so many people rave about it but I didn't get Apple tv and wasn't going to get it just for one series. Then I was made part of a 'family plan' so I had access and blew through the first couple of seasons. I am also so sad that it's over. It ended well, and probably at a good time, but I do wish it could go on a little longer. Roy Kent! Roy Kent!! He's here, he's there, he's every fking--where!

[MLAA]

134. I did the same....kept hearing about it and thought surely it's not that great. Got Apple TV and binged

through it. It was that good and more. I too was not disappointed in the finale. Fking Roy Kent. Loved the scenes with his niece. Loved the entire cast.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

54. Reservation Dogs on Hulu

Best TV show I've seen in years, only 30 episodes but it packs a punch.

[rzemanfl]

153. +1.

[Midnight Writer]

56. Orphan Black.

May have to give it a couple of episodes to get into it. I didn't care for the characters at first, but soon I found myself really rooting for them.

Also really enjoyed Bosch and Justified, as well as the Marvel TV shows that originally appeared on Netflix and now are on Disney (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Punisher, Jessica Jones).

[Vinca]

84. That was a really interesting series. I'm sure I missed some of the context in the early

episodes, so I've got to watch it again. It's one of those shows you don't think you'll like and then you get hooked.

[Raftergirl]

57. Rita. Danish with subtitles. It's on Netflix.

Offspring. 7 or 8 seasons. Australian. Was on Netflix now on Hulu.

Call My Agent. French with subtitles. Great and very funny.

[NotHardly]

58. Foyle's War .... British tv set in WWII, wonderful production and actors

[ificandream]

62. "The Fugitive" with David Janssen

The acting was superb all the way through and there are familiar faces often in the supporting cast.

Another good one is "Dallas," which my wife and I are watching now. We picked it up in the sixth season when J.R. and Bobby do battle for control of Ewing Oil. But the subplots are great and Larry Hagman reminds me soooooo much of Trump.

[Jeebo]

124. "The Fugitive" was indeed a great series.

I have the whole series on DVD. Lots of pathos in that series. As I recall, the concluding two-part episode set records at the time for viewership. "The Fugitive" was, in fact, my favorite television series ever until 2010, when "Spartacus" premiered. "Spartacus" ran four seasons, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and it is now my favorite television series ever. And yes, I have all four seasons of "Spartacus" on DVD.

-- Ron

[Phoenix61]

72. Call the Midwives is one of my favorites. nt

[ificandream]

75. "The Avengers" (not the Marvel stuff, but the John Steed UK series with Diana Rigg)

Diana Rigg doesn't show up until a few seasons in, but the early episodes aren't bad. When Dame Diana showed up, it became a classic.

&pp=ygUVdGhlIGF2ZW5nZXJzIHR2IHRoZW1l

[intheozone]

77. The Americans! nt

[intheozone]

78. Six Feet Under. Nt

[JoseBalow]

79. Firefly

was so awesome! It's Joss Whedon's best work IMO. When you finish the series (which ended much too soon), watch the film Serenity, which wraps up the story lines very nicely.

Firefly is an American space Western drama television series, created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as an executive producer, along with Tim Minear. The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship.

--snip--

The show explores the lives of a group of people, some of whom fought on the losing side of a civil war, who make a living on the fringes of society as part of the pioneer culture of their star system. The two surviving superpowers, the United States and China, which fused to form the central federal government, called the Alliance. According to Whedon's vision, "nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems as today."

--snip--

The follow-up film, Serenity, was voted the best science fiction movie of all time in an SFX magazine poll of 3,000 fans. Firefly was later ranked #25 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.

--snip--

Firefly consists of a two-hour pilot and thirteen one-hour episodes [plus the follow-up film, Serenity]

Genre Space Western, Drama
Created by Joss Whedon
Starring Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass

Wikipedia

[Starseer]

140. One of my favorite sets of lines

in the whole of Firefly included a quote that was slightly changed from MLK's original:

"You know, it's funny. We went to the war never lookin' to come back, but it's the real world I couldn't survive.

"You two carried me through that war, and now I need you to carry me just a little bit further, if ya can.

"Tell my folks I wanted to do right by 'em, and that I'm at peace and all.

"When you can't run anymore, you crawl. And when you can't do that, well... yeah, you know the rest..."

No matter how many times I watch the show, that scene grabs me and turns me inside out.

[demmiblue]

81. Penny Dreadful, The Fall, The Killing, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

[waldnorm]

83. Northern Exposure, The Good Place, West Wing, Mrs. Maisel

are very good series I often come back to, on top of my mind (that's not Trek ).

[1WorldHope]

93. Where did you find Northern Exposure?

I loved that!!!!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

110. pbs.org, barnesandnoble, target, amazon, blazedvds

[berniesandersmittens]

85. Merlin, Gotham, How to Get Away with Murder

Downton Abbey

Prison Break

Once Upon a Time

[LakeArenal]

86. A few

Hell On Wheels
Sharps Rifles
Horatio Hornblower

[thenelm1]

164. The TV series based on Bernard Cornwell's "Richard Sharpe" novels was excellent...

particularly if one likes historically based stuff. (There was also a 2-3 episode "prequel" of sorts based on Sharpe's adventures in India per the Cornwell novels.) Another good made for TV series based on Cornwell's work was "The Last Kingdom", based on his "Saxon Chronicles" about the 9th/10th century wars in England, though admittedly I haven't found and seen the whole series yet. (Cornwell is still writing additional titles for both series of novels - the next Sharpe's novel has been announced release for next April per Amazon.)

The "Horatio Hornblower" series was excellent as well, though it ended way too soon versus the scope of the novels from the same series. (Even those ended prematurely due to the death of the author.)

There was a short-lived series based on the early French/English colonization of Quebec titled "Barkskins" which was on the National Geographic channel back in 2020, I think. Very well done, though it only lasted a season or so. Never saw why it ended, though it did seem to coincide with the outbreak of COVID. Still definitely worth a look.

And a yes vote for "Hell on Wheels" as well.

[Mr.Bill]

88. The Larry Sanders Show.

Verry funny.

[Elessar Zappa]

89. The Office if you like comedy.

The Wire and Breaking Bad for criminal type shows. Bob’s Burgers if you like animation, especially seasons 3-8.

[Not Heidi]

90. Happy Valley

It's a British cop show starring the fabulous Sarah Lancashire. It's on Acorn TV through Prime. Only three seasons, but it's great.

[Walleye]

91. "Damages", a mini series from 20 years or so ago

It was about a Bernie Madoff type character and the lawyer, Glenn Close, who was trying to recover some of the money for the families that were swindled. Lily Tomlin and Martin Short play surprisingly deep dramatic roles. She is the wife of the Madoff character and Short as the family lawyer/fixer. Both memorable performances

[Hermit-The-Prog]

96. Wow! So many suggestions! I thought we'd seen about all the good ones.

It's going to take a while just to sort through and try 'em out.

Thanks a bunch, everybody! I can't be the only one who was searching for something to watch.

[blue neen]

99. Mad Men

The best.

[bedazzled]

101. I love Red Dwarf ... another Britcom

Last edited Sun Nov 19, 2023, 02:34 AM - Edit history (1)

Very funny!

Monk
Boardwalk Empire
I Love Lucy
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Babylon Five
Bewitched

And if you are looking for a REAL time commitment...

DARK SHADOWS

Also forgot the original Twilight Zone. It's terrific

[chouchou]

102. Brit-Box is a treasure

7-8 dollars a month. Has all the wonderful English mysteries.

[LudwigPastorius]

105. The Leftovers, Watchmen, True Detective season 1 (it's a complete story)

The Expanse (it leaves a couple of things unresolved, but it is overall a satisfying story arc)

Any other suggestions I have are even older shows that you've probably seen.

[yellowdogintexas]

107. New Tricks Corner Gas Hill Street Blues

Better Call Saul, follow it with Breaking Bad
Murdock Mysteries
If you can find it, The Last of the Summer Wine is wonderful
Good Omens! both seasons.
"Allo, 'Allo (old Britcom from same company as Are You Being Served)
To The Manor Born; Goode Neighbors
Father Ted (it is on You Tube free) one of the funniest shows ever on TV.
Derry Girls (Netflix)

[Lars39]

144. Found out last night that Murdoch Mysteries has a 17th season.

16 had a heck of a cliff hanger

[yellowdogintexas]

149. It certainly did! I wish I could get it on a different streaming

besides Acorn, since we are taking a break from it for a while
I do enjoy that series!

[rzemanfl]

156. I did not see your mention of Murdoch and posted it below.

I saw a rumor that a person could get Season 17 with VPN and some prevarication. Not that I am saying you should try.

Saved some of the Christmas shows for December.

[Probatim]

108. The Expanse - can be found on Prime.

It took my daughter and me 3 episodes to really get into it but at the end of the 3rd episode we were hooked.

There is a book series by the same name. The authors assisted GRRM in Game of Thrones and he provided some thoughts on The Expanse.

It's a great story of human nature, intrigue, and high stakes - all done in outer space. The show is fantastic and the books are amazing. I've read the series twice and seen the show three times.

It's my all-time favorite.

[Liberal In Texas]

112. Great series. I'm reading book 2 currently.

Wife watched the series all over again when I was out of town.

[Probatim]

138. For those I know who like realistic sci-fi, they find it to be a very good show.

On top of that, the intrigue makes it more amazing.

[GoneOffShore]

111. New Amsterdam is excellent

Good Omens - on Amazon - Written by Neil Gaiman, based on the book he did with Terry Pratchett
The Blacklist with James Spader
Vikings on Netflix
The Sandman - another Neil Gaiman series
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on YouTube - The original 1979 series with Alec Guinness and
Smiley's People, also on YouTube
Brideshead Revisited on YouTube
House of Cards - Not the American rip, but the original BBC series
Les Temoignes (The Witnesses) French crime thriller
Lupin - with Omar Sy
Rake - Australian series about a dodgy lawyer starring Richard Roxburgh.
Coupling - BritCom with Gina Bellman and Ben Miles (he of The Lehman Trilogy and the Broadway production of Wolf Hall where he played Thomas Cromwell)
Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren

[Liberal In Texas]

115. The Closer followed by Major Crimes.

The first series The Closer went for 7 seasons with the lead character, Brenda Leigh played by Kyra Sedgwick (wife of Kevin Bacon) When her character left to move to another city and they pretty much continued the series with

Major Crimes starring Mary McDonnell and with the same sets and crew from The Closer. This series went for 6 seasons.

Both are police procedurals where the closer (Sedgwick and McDonnell) solve cases and cleverly obtain confessions that allow the cases to stand up in court.

&t=257s

[yellowdogintexas]

142. Loved The Closer. I was crushed when I found out I can't find Major Crimes

on any of my streaming services.
I keep hoping for it to pop up on Netflix, Prime, or Hulu

[flying rabbit]

116. The Wire -one of the best ever.

Avengers- the Brit one, Deadwood and The Expanse.

[csziggy]

117. I love the Murdoch Mysteries

It's set in Canada beginning in the 1890s, has 17 seasons and is a lot of fun. Sort of a steam punk mystery series since the detective, William Murdoch invents things and meets lots of inventors of the time, including Edison, Tesla, and others. It's streamed on Acorn TV.

[Historic NY]

118. Foyle's War PBS and elsewhere now

a series based on actual events,

Doc Martin....its a gas '

[NameAlreadyTaken]

121. Upstairs, Downstairs (1971-1975)

The original series, produced from 1971-1975. You'll hate for the series to end and you will never forget it.

[Axelrods_Typewriter]

125. Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister

Two British series, kinda like The West Wing, except made in the 80's and concerning a Minister of Parliament who becomes PM in the latter series. The writers had actual British civil service employees secretly funneling plot elements and ideas to them.

[CrispyQ]

126. I'm rewatching Burn Notice & like it even more the second time!

White Collar was good too, but I hated the last few episodes.

Firefly... I could watch that over & over. Oh wait. I have.

[Ritabert]

128. Several British shows

Inspector Morse and the sequel Lewis
A Touch of Frost
Scott & Bailey
Rebus

US shows
Firefly
Rizzoli & Isles
Bones
MacGyver (the original)

[Tarzanrock]

129. Perry Mason

The theme song, Park Avenue Beat. The cast: Raymond Burr; Barbara Hale; William Hopper; Ray Collins; William Talman; Wesley Lau; etc. The writer: Erle Stanley Gardner. The engrossing sophisticated dialogue. The realistic courtroom scenes. The amazing cinematography. The fantastic automobiles. The iconic scenes of Los Angeles in the 1950's and early 1960's. The fantastic directors of various episodes. The first rate, top notch Hollywood motion picture acting talent regularly appearing as guest stars on the series.
See, this link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050051/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm
Just briefly peruse the Hollywood acting talent in this link.
Television studios today can't afford to pay the cast and the guest stars which appeared on the old Perry Mason series.

[DFW]

132. The Newsroom (Jeff Daniels version, with the greatest opening scene ever) and........

Liebling Kreuzberg, which probably 99% of DU has never heard of.

It was about a small time lawyer in what was then West Berlin. The wall came down during the series run, and the scriptwriters adapted.

The downside is, I am not aware of this series even being subtitled, so if you don't understand German, you'll get exactly nothing out of it, but it captured the life of this one lawyer and his practice, with his so very typical Berliner receptionist, assistant and "other lawyer." It was full of laughs and whimsical comedy like no other German series before or since. It was written by one of the best Scriptwriters, Jürek Becker (think of a German Aaron Sorkin tackling a slice of mindane daily life), and done with his friend, Manfred Krug, one of Germany's best actors, in mind. The casting and acting were perfect. A true labor of love, and the whole of Germany loved it. The lawyer liked nothing better than to chill out on his office sofa, smoke cigars and eat green jello--and make brilliant wisecracks at opposing lawyers in court.

[Starseer]

136. St. Elsewhere

Father Brown (and its spin-off, Sister Boniface)
Luther
Poirot (the quintessential one starring David Suchet)
Campion
May to December
Broadchurch
Hustle
Torchwood (science-fictiony)

I've been giving some of the Marvel series a watch as well.

I thought "Loki" (recently concluded) was excellent. I found myself liking "She-Hulk: Attorney-At-Law" far more than I thought I would, and had similar feelings about "WandaVision." All-in-all, I am mightily impressed by Kevin Feige, and the path he's taking as the CCO of Marvel Entertainment.

Just my $0.02. =)

[happybird]

139. Big Love

It’s one of the old HBO originals and we really enjoyed it. Treme, too, but I don’t think they ever finished that one.

It only has one season so far but it’s absolutely fantastic, and the season can stand alone: Andor. It’s Star Wars, but very unlike any other SW. Gritty, super intense spy/political/heist story about how the rebellion was formed and funded. It’s amazing acting and storytelling.

[Chakaconcarne]

141. Walking Dead Schitts Creek

[Hermit-The-Prog]

145. She ordered Schitts Creek, wouldn't tell me; arrived today.

[Xavier Breath]

143. WKRP in Cincinnati.

It's a great ensemble workplace sitcom à la The Mary Tyler Moore Show, with a cast of great, eccentric characters. It ran for four seasons and they produced about 90 episodes. I loved it as a kid and still love it today. It was canceled before it's time.

[Beringia]

147. Louie CK is good

I am watching it now. He has it on his own website, all seasons for $30. It doesn't stream, so you have to go to the next episode yourself. He is refreshing and original. I enjoy it a lot.

Louie, all seasons
https://louisck.com/collections/louie

I always liked Baskets, very funny, at least the first couple of seasons. You can see it on Hulu.

[Hotler]

148. Some comedy, 30 Rock, Sienfeld, Brooklyn 9-9, 3rd Rock from the sun, Frasier (first few seasons)

Last edited Wed Nov 22, 2023, 12:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Cheers

[Angleae]

150. Babylon 5

Just remember that the pilot is called "The Gathering", not "In the Beginning". The latter was a movie made after the series and spoils a lot of the plot points later if you see it first.

[waterwatcher123]

151. Yellowstone (great photography and story line).

[lapfog_1]

152. "Action" starring Jay Mohr

Buddy Hackett, Illeana Douglas.

if you like dark comedy and sarcasm... this is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

You may have to buy the DVD. There are only 13 episodes... people actively hated the show because of the rude and crude language and the star character Peter Dragon (a move producer played by Mohr) is a really awful character.

But, much like "Silicon Valley" on HBO, I think this is a exaggerated view of Hollywood like Silicon Valley is an exaggerated view about tech startups. I think most of the plot devices and jokes ACTUALLY happened to either the writers or to Joel Silver ( Lethal Weapon, Predator, etc ) who is the main producer behind the series.

I found it extremely funny... but then I have a twisted sense of humor.

[Ilsa]

154. The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix, I think.

It's a very modern take on Edgar Allan Poe's work. Well done. A little spooky, a little gross here and there, but I found it worth watching.

[rzemanfl]

155. The Murdoch Mysteries.

Great for binge watching. Acorn if you are a heavy binger. If you can pace yourself, use Hoopla and your library card. We are waiting for Season 17 to be available in the U.S.

[RandomNumbers]

157. Mr. Robot

(on Prime; starring Rami Malek, who went on to play Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.)

It's a bit twisted. If you liked Twin Peaks, you probably like it, although they are very different. If twisted isn't your thing, maybe don't bother.

Another one I liked that I didn't see already mentioned, is Broadchurch.

[Emile]

158. White Locust

[Kaleva]

159. What We Do in the Shadows, Archer, Attack on Titan

Bob's Burgers

Mort and Ricky

Sealab 2021

Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell

InuYasha

FLCL

Yes Minister

Darkplace

[Rhiannon12866]

160. Monk. I'll watch it anytime it's on even if I remember the outcome.

The only episode I avoid is the one where he went to the dentist, that one was tough to watch.

[senseandsensibility]

163. Thanks for the suggestions

and your wife sounds like she knows what's going on!

[thenelm1]

165. If into sci-fi, the 2nd iteration of "Battlestar Galactica" and "Farscape" too. n/t

[Hermit-The-Prog]

166. You folks have cost me a bunch of money and I thank you for it!

She has a stack of dvd cases here now.