The best shows on television...
...as well as shows I've stuck with until the end. List compiled in 2012...hence more recent shows are prominent. The ranking isn't exactly solid...occasionally I may venture to say that a show in this list was the best or one of the best shows of its era.
...and I'm now adding shows that I remember as being great but I was a child when I saw them...you can file them under "Nostalgia" perhaps! Started that extension of my list this week...third week of June, 2013...think my list was about 34 items long at that time.
...and I'm now adding shows that I remember as being great but I was a child when I saw them...you can file them under "Nostalgia" perhaps! Started that extension of my list this week...third week of June, 2013...think my list was about 34 items long at that time.
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- CreatorPaul AbbottStarsDavid ThrelfallRebecca AtkinsonAlice BarryThe lives and relationships of a group of siblings and their estranged father Frank Gallagher on a rough Manchester estate.The best show of the past ten years. U.K. Comedy/drama/soap. It's like a novel, in some ways...the way that characters come out of the shadows and get the spotlight. The Maguire family being the best example of this. This process has been more engaging than The Simpsons have managed.
- CreatorDaniel KnaufStarsMichael J. AndersonAdrienne BarbeauClancy BrownDuring the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell.Really engaging fable of good and evil. A great pity that it was axed after two series.
- CreatorJenji KohanStarsMary-Louise ParkerHunter ParrishAlexander GouldWhen a suburban mother turns to dealing marijuana in order to maintain her privileged lifestyle after her husband dies, she finds out just how addicted her entire neighborhood already is.The best U.S. series of the past ten years. Comedy/drama. Probably the funniest live action series of that time too. I think that Breaking Bad owes a debt to its premise too.
- CreatorDavid ShoreStarsHugh LaurieOmar EppsRobert Sean LeonardUsing a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.Up there with Weeds as the best U.S. series of the past ten years. Another comedy/drama with Hugh Laurie doing a splendid impersonation of an American. Combines disease of the week hospital drama with great comedy. A few of the season finales were classics.
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsSarah Michelle GellarNicholas BrendonAlyson HanniganA young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.The best U.S. television show of the previous ten years...and probably the funniest live action show too. The premise sounded lame - high school cheerleader fights supernatural monsters. It took me until the 4th series to watch an episode (the promo for "Hush" reminded me of a movie I love, "Dark City", so I took the plunge). I became hooked from that point on and hired VHS tapes to catch up to the broadcasts!
- CreatorTony CavanaughSimone NorthStarsMiranda OttoCraig McLachlanPeter O'BrienThe true life story of Lindy Chamberlain and her recount of a dingo taking her baby.Remembered this Australian tv mini-series after I extended my list yesterday (17/06/2013). To my mind this is one of the great forensic analyses of a real life case...the death of baby Azaria Chamberlain at Ayers rock/Uluru. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was tried and convicted of that murder. This mini-series was based on the account of Lindy Chamberlain and is in my view the definitive treatment of that case. My review of it up on this site. A quibble with this mini-series is that the opening scenes to it - whilst necessary - were overly long. Other than that, this is a must see for fans of court room and real life dramas. Easily surpasses the movie starring Meryl Streep as Lindy Chamberlain in "Evil angels" (a.k.a. "A cry in the dark" for the U.S. market). I'm kind of surprised that Wikipedia mentions that Streep's movie was voted #9 in the American Film Institute's poll of the greatest court room dramas. Wait 'til they get a load of "Through my eyes"!
- StarsNiall FergusonGareth ArmstrongRichard LinternNiall Ferguson takes us on a historical adventure through the ascent of money, applying fact and opinion throughout.90%
The definitive account of the global financial crisis which almost destroyed capitalism in 2008. - StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonTim McInnernyIn the Tudor court of Elizabeth I, Lord Edmund Blackadder strives to win Her Majesty's favour while attempting to avoid a grisly fate should he offend her.I can't remember if I started watching this sit-com from its inception, but really it only flew once its star, Rowan Atkinson, no longer had writing duties. It was from this 2nd series, with Ben Elton now handling writing duties, that the Blackadder that we know and 'love', was born! From this point, the series was great. I even found the ending to the last series, "Blackadder goes forth" poignant...even though some weren't a fan of that more modern set series.
- CreatorJames Manos Jr.StarsMichael C. HallJennifer CarpenterDavid ZayasHe's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.The first series was a bit wooden and hammy, but it's really developed into a quality drama with a grisly theme...a serial killer (Dexter)...who works for the police department...helping to find criminals...like serial killers. Can be amusing, as our 'hero' tries to become 'normal'.
- CreatorMarc CherryStarsTeri HatcherFelicity HuffmanMarcia CrossSecrets and truths unfold through the lives of female friends in one suburban neighborhood after the mysterious suicide of a neighbor.Wasn't a big fan of the first series of this night time soap...the character of Lynette was particularly unlikeable, but it developed into a very watchable show. whatever the series that people said sucked (2nd? 3rd?), that was probably my favourite. The final series was the best...since I don't remember that earlier series much. Some of the best comedy in the series in that final series and it wraps up the series nicely...with just one annoying loose end.
- CreatorMatthew WeinerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserA drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.Like a few of the previous shows I've mentioned, this one started to warm up after the first series. For some inexplicable reason, the network showing it here in Australia (SBS) ran the last series' episodes back to back...which means an even longer wait for the next series! Hopefully there's more advertising related content coming up...I like the insight into advertising and marketing that this show provides..."The Gruen transfer" is a popular fact based show here in Australia which provides similar insight by industry professionals...in an amusing way.
- CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.Similar premise to Weeds, but darker. Unfortunately the network here (ABC) was playing silly buggers with scheduling...they played the first series on the main channel and I thought the second series would screen there too...it didn't...so I had to fork out for the Blu-ray...an indication of how much I was enjoying the show. Whilst dark, this is often a funny look at the life of a domestic illegal drug supplier.
- CreatorMitchell HurwitzStarsJason BatemanMichael CeraPortia de RossiLevel-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.ABC over here recently screened this series from the start...I had watched it on commercial tv around the time it was made, I think...but they probably stuffed around the scheduling of this show and I lost touch with it. Also one of the funniest American sit-coms of the time...not the kind of lame US sitcom which Australian sketch shows used to satirise...you know, the ones where a character walks in and the studio audience whoops it up for five minutes...for no discernable reason...
- CreatorSeth MacFarlaneDavid ZuckermanStarsAlex BorsteinSeth MacFarlaneSeth GreenIn a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strives to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.At its best, it's the funniest cartoon on tv. Think I started watching this around the time the tedious 'Stewie as evil genius' story arc was in full swing...which was tedious. It's steadily improved since then. Hopefully it hasn't peaked.
- CreatorTrey ParkerMatt StoneBrian GradenStarsTrey ParkerMatt StoneIsaac HayesFollows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.Really challenging and gobsmacking at times, as far as its adult themes go. Also contends for the title of 'the funniest cartoon on tv'.
- StarsChris O'DowdRichard AyoadeKatherine ParkinsonThe comedic misadventures of Roy, Moss and their grifting supervisor Jen, a rag-tag team of IT support workers at a large corporation headed by a hotheaded yuppie.From memory, this goofy sitcom took a while to warm up, but it's a very often funny look at office life as experienced by two computer geeks. The character of Douglas Reynholm (the office boss) is also wonderfully over the top, in that eccentric British, pantomime kind of way. The last series aired here was down on the quality of the earlier series. The episode with the boys using a disabled toilet in a theatre or something was an absolute scream.
- StarsShaun MicallefWayne HopeRoz HammondA skit-based comedy program, fronted by Australian comedian Shaun Micallef.I think I came onto this show late, but it was absolutely hilarious at its best...the true spiritual successor to Monty Python's Flying Circus. "Little Britain"'s Matt Lucas mentioned being a fan of this show when he appeared on Shaun Micallef's lesser quality game show "Talkin' 'bout your generation". Title variations throughout the entire series were: The Micallef program/The Micallef programme/The Micallef pogram.
- CreatorLarry DavidJerry SeinfeldStarsJerry SeinfeldJulia Louis-DreyfusMichael RichardsThe continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.I don't think that the first series was particularly good - or polished - but it developed into a classic sitcom. Some varieties of the 'sociological' humour didn't grab me, but others did. Billed as "The show about nothing". Recently I've read newspaper articles over here which said that "Hancock's half hour" was also like that...decades earlier.
That's karma. - CreatorJames BurrowsGlen CharlesLes CharlesStarsTed DansonRhea PerlmanJohn RatzenbergerThe regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.A classic sitcom. The show didn't skip a beat when Coach passed on and was replaced by Woody.
- StarsDermot MorganArdal O'HanlonFrank KellyThree misfit priests and their housekeeper live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland that it seems to be.Another new entry for me (25/09/2013). This is another series where I stumbled onto it after it had been going for a while. Definitely a series I would want to catch up on right from the beginning on Blu-ray or something. A terrific comedy about an isolated group of Catholic priests. Especially worthy of praise (geddit?) is Ardal O'Hanlon as Father Dougal McGuire...he's like a more contemporary version of Woody (or coach) in "Cheers" (which also made my list)...in otherwords infinitely dim. His look of surprise when Father Ted reveals (!) some of the tenets of Catholicism to him is priceless!
- StarsJohn HarrisonMagda SzubanskiSanto CilauroAn Australian skit show based in the 80'sAnother Australian sketch comedy where I was a late arrival to its charms...hilarious stuff...I still remember their "Thunderbirds" parody...it was live action...but as wooden as the original!
- CreatorChris CarterStarsDavid DuchovnyGillian AndersonMitch PileggiTwo F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.As with "Buffy the vampire slayer", it took me a while to check this series out...on account of it just sounding like another stupid American show. It's a bit of a classic. Mulder and Scully, as two F.B.I. agents investigating the paranormal are an intriguing couple. And there's more than one 'classic' episode to this series...not sure what the episode was called, but the one I call "Magic mushrooms" was a philosophical Easter egg for me! A few good 'monster of the week' episodes too. And I'll forever associate the song "Wonderful, wonderful" with something disturbing! Hmm...this song was used to different effect in the finale of Desperate Housewives.
- StarsShaun MicallefBen AndersonNicholas BellA satirical news program, presented by comedian Shaun Micallef.Another Shaun Micallef vehicle...a news satire on SBS. The fake ads were a highlight too...typical SBS fare...ads for documentaries such as "Hitler's poodle" and the Bunnings Warehouse ads were great too. Nice to see the fake ads return on Micallef's new news satire "Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell". This time hokey ABC ads are the target...loved the line in that about if you find an ABC product cheaper elsewhere...you'd best buy it from there! As someone who's browsed ABC shops...Roger Wilco!
- CreatorGlen A. LarsonRonald D. MooreStarsEdward James OlmosMary McDonnellJamie BamberWhen an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.Had a Teutonic gravitas to it (why so serious?) which I wasn't always a fan of. But the whole story arc concerning the female commander of another battlestar was unmissable tv. Pity about the silly finale which really made no sense.
In any case, it's the definitive post 11/09/2001 tv series...arguably a meditation on those terrorist attacks...I can't imagine it being the series it was without those events having occurred. - StarsCraig ReucasselChris TaylorJulian MorrowAn Australian comedy program that satirises the news of the day, and how it is presented.Terrific news parody by the Chaser crew. They come out with new series every other year, I think, with different titles. This was perhaps their best incarnation. I found the American woman vox popped by them (in America) about countries which start with "U" beautiful...she was surprised to be told that "United States of America" was one such place...the Americans often came up with odd answers...like "Utopia"...which isn't actually a country...or exists.