Best/Favorite T.V. Shows Past & Current...
by Dumbhead28 | created - 11 Apr 2013 | updated - 09 Nov 2017 | PublicI love quality t.v. that is unique, well-written, and contains characters that you are wholly intrigued by. Great television allows for a fun escape/visual adventure. IMO, the very best shows are re-watchable, and pull from many genres/themes or convey something powerfully novel.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Firefly (2002–2003)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 281,834
All time favorite show! Perfect characters (cast!), universe, dialogue, as well as containing some of the most unique episodes that I've ever seen. Firefly has a something for everyone; action, mystery, humor, romance, horror, drama...Sci-Fi is one of my favorite genres. You'd never think that pairing a show set 500 years in the future with an early, 20th century western theme would work, but it does! Unfortunately, (or tragically) it's only one season/14 episodes, but they are very fulfilling. Plus, there's a great follow up movie to the series; Serenity. It that's not enough, the show has some of the best fan-fiction writers out there.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head
Votes: 159,844
IMO, great from seasons 4 and on, when Buffy starts to mature. Spike is one of the best characters ever. Andrew and Anya are also great. Season 7 is not the greatest, but the series has a very satisfying finish.
3. Rome (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Stars: Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Polly Walker, Kerry Condon
Votes: 185,515
Great leads! Intriguing and unpredictable historically askew drama.
4. Carnivàle (2003–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
During 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.
Stars: Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Clancy Brown, Debra Christofferson
Votes: 46,888
Most unknown/underrated show out there! Wish it had gone on longer than 2 seasons! It really does a great job of transporting you to the 1930's dust bowl era, and the carnival is the perfect setting to host some larger-than-life themes.
5. Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
Stars: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose
Votes: 149,547
A show that makes you really and truly actualize the concept of your own mortality.
6. Spaced (1999–2001)
TV-14 | 25 min | Comedy
Friends Tim and Daisy, 20-something North Londoners with uncertain futures, must pretend to be a couple to live in the only apartment they can afford.
Stars: Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Julia Deakin, Nick Frost
Votes: 57,686
Another unknown gem! Spaced is painfully hilarious. From the creators of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, what else would you expect?
7. Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000)
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Drama
A high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.
Stars: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine
Votes: 153,325
One of the few shows to capture what high school can truly be like, despite the 1970's setting. Very funny and well-written.
8. My So-Called Life (1994–1995)
TV-14 | 912 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 15-year-old girl and her trials and tribulations of being a teenager and dealing with friends, guys, parents, and school.
Stars: Bess Armstrong, Wilson Cruz, Claire Danes, Devon Gummersall
Votes: 21,988
The other show that gets HS right. It's dated, yet identifiable, and somehow nostalgic all at the same time. When re-watching, I often find the 'parents' story line as unintriguing as I did when I was a teen viewer. I will never understand why this show lasted only one season. My only guess is that it was ahead of it's time...
9. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,286,941
Amazing and captivating universe! It can sometimes be hard to watch, because these characters are really put through the ringer. However, that's what makes the show so damn good. Tyrion Lannister for King!
10. New Girl (2011–2018)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
After a bad break-up, Jess, an offbeat young woman, moves into an apartment loft with three single men. Although they find her behavior very unusual, the men support her - most of the time.
Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone
Votes: 245,676
Really comes into its own in the second season. If you are a fan of awkward, and quirky comedy, this show is for you. Watch for the douche jar and Nick/Jess.
11. The Mindy Project (2012–2017)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
A young Ob/Gyn doctor balances her personal and professional life, surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small office.
Stars: Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, Ed Weeks, Chris Messina
Votes: 34,961
As a major fan of Mindy Kaling, this show could do no wrong in my eyes from the get-go. The title character in The Mindy Project, reminds me of an americanized 'Bridget Jones'. Watch it for the humor, and don't take it too seriously.
12. The Office (2005–2013)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.
Stars: Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson
Votes: 712,812
But only up to season 7. I was a huge fan, but after Steve Carell left, the show went downhill fast! Rainn Wilson/Dwight is one of the best things about TO.The British version is also great.
13. The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan
Votes: 1,083,073
Edge-of-your-seat type show. Lots of gore, and character drama. Watch how hell-on-earth, transforms its characters for better or worse...
14. True Blood (2008–2014)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
Stars: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten
Votes: 260,220
This is truly an odd-ball supernatural show. Yet, it has all the other makings of the genre, horror, violence, drama, suspense, romance and lot's of blood! I love all the different creatures in True Blood's mythology. Sex can be gratuitous, and unnecessary, but that's HBO for you.
15. The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers.
Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham
Votes: 350,049
My crack show! Everyone has one. ;p
16. Awkward. (2011–2016)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An unpopular 15-year-old gains immediate, yet unwanted, popularity at her high school when the student body mistakes an accident she has for a suicide attempt.
Stars: Ashley Rickards, Beau Mirchoff, Jillian Rose Reed, Brett Davern
Votes: 45,842
Hilarious and self explanatory.
17. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle
Votes: 225,057
My Jane Austen loving-self couldn't resist this one...
18. Grimm (2011–2017)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A homicide detective discovers he is a descendant of hunters who fight supernatural forces.
Stars: David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell, Sasha Roiz
Votes: 130,815
It's just fun, what else can I say? :)
19. Shameless (2011–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A scrappy, feisty, fiercely loyal Chicago family makes no apologies.
Stars: Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Ethan Cutkosky, Jeremy Allen White
Votes: 285,820
^ The title captures the true essence of this show. However, watch for some great acting by Emily Rossum and William H. Macy. However wacky and out there it can sometimes be, the elemental heart of the show remains pure; family.
20. American Horror Story (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, showcasing different aspects of horror.
Stars: Lady Gaga, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 344,226
Richly intriguing and genuinely scary. A Horror-themed television show is definitely one of the first of its kind, and it works. The reuse of actors from season to season is quite fun.
21. Mad Men (2007–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama
A 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.
Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones
Votes: 260,741
Authentic, and opulent period drama. Starts out kind slow, but sucks you right in with its character driven story-lines.
22. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 767,400
If a serial-killing main character can get you to root for him, than you know it's something worth watching...
23. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A 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.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,139,119
The journey of the main character from geeky, unsuspecting man to bad-ass criminal will leave you blown away.
24. Homeland (2011–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.
Stars: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis, Rupert Friend
Votes: 361,075
Character driven thriller with a side of romance. I watch for Claire Danes.
25. How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)
TV-14 | 4,576 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A father recounts to his children - through a series of flashbacks - the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother.
Stars: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris
Votes: 728,910
Pretty funny stuff. Only downside is the formulaic repetitiveness in some of the episodes.
26. Felicity (1998–2002)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A young girl, fresh out of high school, follows her high school crush to college to be near him.
Stars: Keri Russell, Scott Speedman, Scott Foley, Tangi Miller
Votes: 12,967
27. Roswell (1999–2002)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The lives of three young alien/human hybrids with extraordinary gifts in Roswell.
Stars: Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl, Majandra Delfino
Votes: 30,721
28. The Wonder Years (1988–1993)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Kevin Arnold recalls growing up during the late 60s and early 70s; the turbulent social times make the transition from child to adult unusually interesting.
Stars: Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Jason Hervey
Votes: 40,803
29. ER (1994–2009)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Romance
The doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
Stars: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Votes: 67,803
30. Jericho (2006–2008)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A small town in Kansas is literally left in the dark after seeing a mushroom cloud over nearby Denver, Colorado. The townspeople struggle to find answers about the blast and solutions on how to survive.
Stars: Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, Ashley Scott, Kenneth Mitchell
Votes: 58,774
31. Big Love (2006–2011)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
A Utah polygamist who owns home improvement stores in the Salt Lake City area juggles relationships with three wives while trying to keep his complex family life from becoming a public scandal.
Stars: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin
Votes: 23,281
32. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Set after the events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Sarah Connor and her son, John, try to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network, Skynet, in hopes of preventing Armageddon.
Stars: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones
Votes: 62,848
33. Continuum (I) (2012–2015)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A detective from the year 2077 finds herself trapped in present-day Vancouver and searching for ruthless criminals from the future.
Stars: Rachel Nichols, Victor Webster, Erik Knudsen, Stephen Lobo
Votes: 63,555
34. Orphan Black (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 44 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.
Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard
Votes: 117,021
35. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The missions of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Stars: Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Iain De Caestecker
Votes: 226,050
36. House of Cards (2013–2018)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama
A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Michel Gill, Robin Wright, Kate Mara
Votes: 531,129
37. Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting drug money, ordinarily law-abiding Piper Chapman is sentenced to 18 months behind bars and quickly discovers the realities of life-changing prison time.
Stars: Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning, Emma Myles
Votes: 320,321
38. The Originals (2013–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A family of power-hungry thousand-year-old vampires look to take back the city that they built and dominate all those who have done them wrong.
Stars: Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin
Votes: 147,960
39. The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers.
Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham
Votes: 350,049
40. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,286,941
41. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 999,739
Tell Your Friends