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Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
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 few lesser known suggestions that I thought were all really good:
Firefly,
For less cinematic my favorite fun ones are
The good place, and Better off ted
Severance is amazing and worth watching multiple times.
The Walking Dead through the end of season 6
Futurama
Ted Lasso
The Good Place
3rd Rock From The Sun
Band of Brothers
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (don’t let the trailers fool you— it starts kinda slow but it’s an adult storyline and is phenomenal from like middle of Season 1 on. The last four episodes are iconic for me. You can skip the movie.)
Long Way Round (sequel Long Way Down is excellent also)
The IT Crowd
Marvel’s The Punisher
Chapelle’s Show
Haunting of Hill House / Haunting of Bly Manor
Fringe
The Expanse
Simpsons through season 7
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).
Had to scroll so low to find Lost mentioned.
Was watching since 1st episode. Finished last seasons last episode and was highly disappointed on how it ended.
Fast forward to 2024, turns out my wife never watched it. We did binge and both of us couldn't stop. Even if I had seen it, I was on the edge of sofa.
It did answer all the questions. My guess is that the "unanswered questions" was due to how much time has happened between airing of seasons and episodes so watchers had forgot a lot of information. Binging solves this.
Show is a masterpiece. Period.
I also watched it when it aired, and I too was disappointed by the last season. Ive rewatched the series more than once. I wouldnt say masterpiece, but its pretty great despite its flaws.
Didn't see anyone mentioned it but Gravity Falls and the original Avatar The Last Airbender is really, really good.
Also Fallout TV series is nice too, not worth the subscription but worth your time, if you catch my drift.
Altered Carbon season 1. The worldbuilding and story is very good. Premise: People have managed to create chips on which you can put someone's consciousness. In this world, everyone has one. Once a body dies, your life is not necessarily over, but the standards differ vastly for the poor and the rich. One such rich man has had an attempt on his life: someone shot him in his chip, and then tried to hack his backup to truly kill him, but failed. He awakens an old rebel to solve who murdered him (this is all episode 1 exposition, so not really a spoiler).
It's one of those sci-fi series where, if you accept that one specific thing is possible, everything fits perfectly. Good story, great worldbuilding, good cast, and good music. Highly recommended!
I'm not sure if there's any more of it being made now, but I remember season 2 being just a run of the mill boring-ass action series. Turned it off halfway episode 3. But season 1 is very good, and absolutelt worthy of the praise that it got!
My addition to the others mentioned here
A couple of clips to try to convince you to watch a couple of favorites I incessantly recommend:
Also The Bear, but every clip feels like a spoiler, so just WATCH IT ALL, PLEASE.
Deadwood, Justified, and various Gundam series are the ones I always come back to.
Season two examines the 1997 murder of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace outside of his Miami Beach mansion by serial killer Andrew Cunanan, interweaving storylines involving the lead-up to the murder and the criminal investigation that includes a nationwide manhunt for Cunanan.
A comedic thriller that follows the bizarre adventures of eccentric “holistic” detective Dirk Gently and his reluctant assistant Todd. An adaptation of Douglas Adams’ wildly successful comic novels.
In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that are too difficult for the police. Section 9 employs hackers, sharpshooters, detectives and cyborgs all in an effort to thwart cyber criminals and their plans to attack the innocent.
Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.
After learning heretical teachings about the Earth and the Sun, a child prodigy searches for his master's hidden research while evading the Inquisition.
Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.
The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.
The Utopia Experiments is a legendary graphic novel shrouded in mystery. When a group of strangers find themselves in possession of an original manuscript, their lives suddenly and brutally implode.
Everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, but Ryan sees a crude and somewhat surly, yet irrepressibly brave and honest Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. While leading him through a series of comedic and existential adventures, Wilfred the dog shows Ryan the man how to overcome his fears and joyfully embrace the unpredictability and insanity of the world around him.
The Dropout.
Dramatization comedy about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos.
All the scenes with the Walgreens team are hilarious
The Detectorists. It's a low stakes, peaceful little romp around the english countryside in search of the minutiae of some people's lives. Very, very funny
I’ll mention one that hasn’t been mentioned by others yet: Mind Hunter.
