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I haven't been watching much in terms of actual shows for a good while, then while listening to a podcast a host casually mentioned they had rewatched Chernobyl, how it still holds up, that there's a reason it got as much acclaim as it did, etc. So I thought I'd give it a go and wow, loved it (still one episode left to watch).
Had me thinking, what else have I missed out on? What are some "absolute cinema" TV shows that still hold up and and are considered must watch?
A short list
The Wire
Absolute peak and realistic storytelling around crime, police, gang, poverty, politics, economy, media, society, friendship, failure, inescapable systems. Highly recommended show, even if you don't like crime shows usually. Some really compelling characters and every season has a different vibe and topic.
Twin Peaks
A show somewhere in the middle of nowhere in a small town in the mountains. It starts with a murder investigation, but goes far beyond it. A growing mystery and surprises will keep you glued to it. Classic TV and in many ways unmatched.
Scavenger's Reign
Wicked Little Letters
I agree on Chernobyl it was so good.
I'm always ready to plug Bojack Horseman. Yes, it's an animated show about an anthropomorphic horse, with tons of silly, animal puns and visual gags, and cartoon-ish storylines, and it will sometimes just rip you open emotionally. Will Arnett is a phenomenally gifted voice actor. And despite this, one of the best episodes of television I've ever seen is one in which he has barely any lines.
The usual advice, of course, is that it takes until the middle of the first season to get really good. (The first few episodes aren't bad, they're just light comedy.)
It did some really cool experimental stuff as well, such as:
An episode that's 90% the main character's monologue, delivered straight into the 'camera'.
An episode from the perspective of someone with advanced dementia, where a lot of the important details are scribbled out.
An episode from the perspective of someone who's (perhaps) dying, and it's all explicitly stated to be a hallucination as their neurons are misfiring.
A lot of exploration into themes of nihilism and pointlessness.
And it all works. That show is amazing.
Some of my favorites from recent years, in no particular order:
I slept on the Battlestar Galactica reboot from 2003. I'd catch glimpses of it when it was on air, but since it was a continuous storyline, I bounced off it and was lost. Recently decided to try it out, and I was immediately hooked. Great acting and a really interesting scenario.
Andor is superb, as others have said.
Firefly is a fantastic space western, beloved for good reason.
Turn: Washington's Spies is a great historical spy series based on real spies in the American Revolution. Starts a bit slow but it really gets rolling after a couple episodes.
My family has had great things to say about Black Sails, a historical Pirate show.
If you haven't seen Breaking Bad, strongly recommend it.
Common Side Effects is a masterpiece.
If you're interested in Anime that goes for more adult themes, I can recommend Spice & Wolf, Cowboy Bebop, and Black Lagoon.
Edit: also the first season of Squid Game is pretty great, haven't watched the other seasons yet. Also quite enjoyed Pluribus
I always plug Scavenger's Reign. It's a a sci fi survival show about a set of people who get stranded on an alien planet animated kind of like a graphic novel. The creators used a bunch of nature documentaries as inspiration to create a truly alien and interdependent ecosystem, but the theme tells you everything you need to know about the tone.
Also, animated sci fi comedy, The Venture Bros
Better Call Saul https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Call_Saul
This show is better than Breaking Bad IMHO.
I loved Mr Robot
Edit- I’d also throw in Fargo. The season with Chris Rock and Jason Schwartzman was weak but the rest are great (Especially seasons 2 & 5)
A first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat following Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who embeds himself into the Tokyo Vice police squad to reveal corruption. Based on Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction book of the same name.
It captures that 90s Tokyo vibe perfectly.
A few lesser known suggestions that I thought were all really good:
Nobody seems to have watched it, but "Counterpart". It's a mind fuck Science Fiction show. Only 20 episodes, so manageable.
It was cancelled, but the writers knew beforehand and wrote an absolute perfect conclusion for the last episodes.
Also it's best to go in blind. There are events predicted in the show that later happened for real (I don't want to spoil it), and it's fun to think "oh that is how and why it happened"!
Also J.K. Simmons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpart_(TV_series)
I can't recommend this show enough.
I expect the actors loved doing this show, most of them get to perform two versions of the same character. They all knock it out of the park.
Terrific show.
Ted Lasso. Surface level it's a "fish out of water" story of an American College Football coach going to England to coach Professional Football (soccer). In actuality it's a show about loss, growth, relationships, and packs more emotions than you'll know what to do with. I know a lot of people gush about it, but I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that it might be the most perfect show I've ever watched.
Similarly, Schitt's Creek. A lot of similar themes, also a nearly perfect show. I will say that it took me a little bit to get past the first couple of episodes because it seemed like all of the characters were kinda awful, but that's really setting things up for character growth.
This one doesn't take too long: Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight on Netflix. Very true in spirit to the original comics but with modernized puns (e.g. one Roman general is named "Fastandfurius"). I would call it "a fun romp" if that phrase hadn't already been ruined by industry shills. Not to be confused with the recent live-action Asterix & Obelix series, which I couldn't even get ten minutes into. Live-action versions of animated movies/series generally suck, even when they don't have Gal Gadot in them.
Lost, Futurama (original run), King of the Hill, The Simpsons (seasons 2 through some of 8), Task, The Wire, True Detective (except the Vince Vaughn season), Community (through Season 3), Pluribus, Severance, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Bob's Burgers, Taskmaster UK, Clarkson's Farm (im only into Season 4 right now), original Twilight Zone, Broadchurch was good, and my favorite TV show is Alone (Season 12 sucked butt). MASH (every season no matter what the haters say).
