The Good Place. Funny, compelling, I cried through the final episode. It also doesn’t waste your time, things will happen mid-season that any other show would have dragged out for the season finale.
More like a miniseries, but HBO’s Chernobyl. Some of the best television I’ve ever seen.
I did watch it twice already. The third rewatch is nearing, now that you make think about it.
Better watch out. What if you get lung cancer from all that exposure. Nearly every character in the series is smoking all the time.
It’s so damn good! If OP only were to pick a single show from the recommendations here, it should be Chernobyl.
This is a masterpiece. really increeible show
Andor is the best piece of Star Wars media and the best TV show I’ve ever seen. You don’t need to like Star Wars. I don’t know if seeing Star Wars would even increase your enjoyment. I think seeing Rogue One would probably be good but otherwise just jump in. No space wizards or laser swords or destiny or whatever. It’s so adult and grounded. I can’t believe Disney let them make this.
Andor is a great show and an anarchist manifesto and a deep and undeniably timely study of the mechanisms of empire. Andor isn’t like other Star Wars media where the good guys and the bad guys both seem really cool. It shows the empire as something really shitty, and its agents as deeply sad, dysfunctional people who are essentially also its victims.
And it’s much more than that. It also comments on how violent rebellion can be both necessary and irrevocably traumatizing, as well as many other themes surrounding the central conflicts.
I’ve heard this over and over. But I can’t justify a Disney+ subscription no matter what content they have.
Yarr?
Don’t worry, main character is a smuggler. Fine to pirate.
more than a smuggler. Cassian Andor manages to infiltrate so much precisely because he is a high-value thief
Y’arr matey, that be so. Alas, thar be treasure buried here if ye have the wits te find it.
This, but you can go ahead and skip Rogue One as well. Its a good movie, no doubt - but Andor retroactively sabotaged it a little.
Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Firefly.
Holy I’m surprised no one has mentioned it yet but Barry with Bill Hader might be one of my faves ever.
Fringe.
Not for everyone, but if it is for you, you’ll adore it.
One I haven’t seen listed here:
Samurai Jack
It’s a cartoon you need to sit down and pay attention to. There’s often action, and it can be goofy, but it also has a lot of really quiet, contemplative scenes.
I am surprised that I’m the first to mention Bojack Horseman here.
This series is for you if you want to cry out your mental health problems
Mr Robot. So many twists and turns, and had me absolutely fascinated from start to finish
Babylon 5 and Farscape
The Wire. It’s the best piece of visual media ever created. Not only is it the best portrayal of the inner city drugs trade but also the decaying institutions and social structures that allow it to flourish, and the corrupting influence of dirty money.
It also is consistently the best written show on TV and is grounded in it’s reality better than anything else. Half the cast were complete unknowns, in many cases plucked from the streets of Baltimore itself and there are standout performances all across it’s vast and diverse cast.
It’s a little slow to get going, the first few episodes have a lot of ground to cover to get the viewer up to speed, it also makes no effort to ease the viewer in, with a lot of jargon, slang and some very thick accents to content with, there’s also no “previously on the wire” to go over key points from earlier episodes so it definitely requires more participation from the viewer than most TV but it’s all the better for it.
Obligatory Firefly mention.
And if you like Firefly but know nothing about anime, then Cowboy Bebop!
The best two shows for fans of criminally short series.
The Cowboy Bebop live action was offensive to anyone who loves anything about the anime. The anime itself is still criminally short.
🍃
I am re-watching Jaynestown as I type this comment.
Yeah Firefly is amazing, even for people who don’t normally like its genres. Avoid the movie Serenity tho.
Occupied, a Norwegian show about Norway trying to stop being a petrostate.
Already mentioned: Chernobyl, Deadwood (avoid its movie), Six Feet Under (the finale is amazing).
What’s wrong with Serenity?
It’s hard to explain without dumping some massive spoilers. Lets just say it didn’t give them the endings they deserved.
I liked it
If Firefly is about the little people, then Serenity is about James Bond.
Lots of people liked Serenity, but I think it was like a studio-made sequel: more, bigger, more, for no good reason.
The Sopranos - amazing cast of characters, drama, action, betrayals, comedy! Such a great show. But you need to get sucked in. I recommended it some of my friends or family members but they aren’t into it but worth to try! One of my favorite series I enthusiastically rewatch.
The Magicians what at first blush seems like it would be a CW type Harry Potter knock off is actually a fantastic show with smart writing, interesting characters, drama, humor, suspense, action, fantasy…. First season is a little uneven at times but once it finds its footing early in season 2 it just keeps getting better for its entire 5 season run.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend originally developed for Showtime, this show actually DID air on the CW but might be the best thing they ever aired (despite not getting good ratings). You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll cry, and it’s a musical with over 120 songs in every style and genre imaginable and every single one is a banger.
