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?
Shogun and Andor
It might not be “absolute cinema” and had maybe 5% of the budget of Chernobyl, but given that people have suggested Ted Lasso, I’ll go one step further into the realm of fuzzy feel-good TV and drop a mention for my favourite TV show of all time.
There isn’t a single moment in that programme where any of the characters are mean to each other (save for the when dealing with a rival club). It’s just 20 beautiful episodes of people looking for gold, living their lives, and doing their best to be supportive.
And it’s incredibly funny.
Andor. Pluribus. 3 Body Problem. Queen’s Gambit. Babylon Berlin. Alice in Borderland. Shogun (the 2024 series). The Expanse. First two seasons of For All Mankind.
The Great (Hulu) is an all time favorite of mine and almost nobody talks about it.
So many good answers so i will only add ones i didnt see in the responses.
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Supernatural (seasons ~1-5 before the storyline was extended)
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The Last Of Us
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Dark Matter
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Archer
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Game of Thrones (except the last season unfortunately, but the others are still worth watching regardless)
And since someone has already said black mirror, i would add Love Death & Robots, which is both very similar (tone & thematically) but also all over the place (artistically and storytelling wise).
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Curb Your Enthusiasm. Pretty pretty good
I just started watching Kevin can Fuck Himself. Im really enjoying it. I’m only 3 episodes in so no spoilers please.
It takes on the trope of the goofy sitcom husband with the exasperated hot wife.
Every scene Kevin is in is played as a sitcom, but when he’s not around it’s about his wife planning to kill him.
My wife and I have been binging a show called The Last Ship. Supposedly came out a number of years ago. It’s a Michael Bay production and kind of a post apocalyptic scenario but well worth a watch.
And of course there’s Always Sunny.
Over 600 comments, and among the many recurring mentions of the greatest shows in television history, I didn’t see The Venture Bros. mentioned at all. It is quite possibly the best-written show of all time.
Still Game. YT has every epi. Old Scottish guys dealing with how life has changed around them. Comedy, M rating, feels like a Blazing Saddles fan
If you like the fantasy genre Shadow and Bone is great.
Person of Interest.
Keep in mind the Snowden revelations did not occur till near the final seasons of the show.
- Connections and The Day the Universe Changed by James Burke.
- The Prisoner by Patrick McGoohan
- Babylon 5 and Jeremiah by J. Michael Straczynski
Game of thrones was great for the first like 3 or 4 seasons
Hannibal
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Toast of London
Parade (the hbo one about aristocracy and stuff, very melancholy and beautiful)
pbs on an antenna. rest is unwatchable crap usually.
