TV Series' that people always bang on about
by TarquinMcLusky | created - 14 Nov 2013 | updated - 08 Jun 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Forbrydelsen (2007–2012)
TV-MA | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police detective Sarah Lund investigates difficult cases with personal and political consequences.
Stars: Sofie Gråbøl, Morten Suurballe, Lars Mikkelsen, Bjarne Henriksen
Votes: 30,189
2. The Wire (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
Stars: Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce
Votes: 377,393
3. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 203,118
4. 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: 2,135,763
5. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 471,086
6. The West Wing (1999–2006)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Inside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.
Stars: Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, John Spencer
Votes: 85,551
7. Wallander (2005–2013)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Swedish cop in a small town by the Baltic coast.
Stars: Krister Henriksson, Fredrik Gunnarsson, Mats Bergman, Douglas Johansson
Votes: 6,199 | Gross: $0.01M
8. Spiral (2005–2020)
TV-PG | 52 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of those involved.
Stars: Caroline Proust, Audrey Fleurot, Thierry Godard, Philippe Duclos
Votes: 6,747
9. The Prisoner (1967–1968)
TV-PG | 1,010 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After he resigns, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is actually a bizarre prison. He refuses to give his warders information while attempting to escape.
Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick, Peter Brace
Votes: 15,042
10. Columbo (1971–2003)
TV-PG | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.
Stars: Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan, Bruce Kirby
Votes: 41,979
11. 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: 360,926
12. 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: 2,283,918
13. Vikings (2013–2020)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Vikings transports us to the brutal and mysterious world of Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior and farmer who yearns to explore--and raid--the distant shores across the ocean.
Stars: Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skarsgård, Alexander Ludwig, Georgia Hirst
Votes: 582,536
14. Deadwood (2004–2006)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
A show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Brad Dourif
Votes: 117,615
15. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Votes: 215,364
16. 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: 185,314
17. 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: 998,026
18. 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: 260,493
19. Borgen (2010–2022)
TV-14 | 58 min | Drama
A political drama about a prime minister's rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.
Stars: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Søren Malling, Lisbeth Wulff
Votes: 29,911
20. 24 (2001–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster.
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert
Votes: 197,012
21. The Bridge (2011–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
Stars: Sofia Helin, Rafael Pettersson, Sarah Boberg, Candice van Litsenborgh
Votes: 76,784
22. Cordon (2014–2016)
50 min | Drama
After a virus outbreak in the center of Antwerp the goverment decides to lock the people who might be affected by placing a wall around the center
Stars: Wouter Hendrickx, Liesa Van der Aa, Mieke De Groote, Johan van Assche
Votes: 1,466
23. Bedrag (2016–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A big Danish sustainable energy company has had an enormous, suspect growth. Problems start, when an employee's body is found and cop detective Justesen starts investigating Energreen.
Stars: Esben Smed, Thomas Hwan, Natalie Madueño, Thomas Bo Larsen
Votes: 4,880
24. Okkupert (2015–2020)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Thriller
In the near future, Norway is occupied by Russia on behalf of the European Union because the newly-elected environmentally-friendly Norwegian government has stopped the all important oil- and gas-production in the North Sea.
Stars: Henrik Mestad, Ane Dahl Torp, Eldar Skar, Ingeborga Dapkunaite
Votes: 9,826
25. The Returned (2012–2015)
TV-MA | 418 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In a small French mountain town where everyone knows each other, the dead begin to inexplicably return as if their death never happened. Forcing the townsfolk to confront their difficult past as they seek to understand this phenomenon.
Stars: Anne Consigny, Clotilde Hesme, Frédéric Pierrot, Céline Sallette
Votes: 21,320
26. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)
Not Rated | 931 min | Crime, Drama
In late-1920s Berlin, Franz Biberkopf is released from prison and vows to go straight. However, he soon finds himself embroiled in the city's criminal underworld.
Stars: Günter Lamprecht, Claus Holm, Hanna Schygulla, Franz Buchrieser
Votes: 4,899
27. Smiley's People (1982)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Mystery
The murder of a Soviet defector forces his old handler, British spymaster George Smiley, out of retirement. His investigation leads to an old nemesis, the Soviet spymaster known only as "Karla". This will be their final dance.
Stars: Alec Guinness, Eileen Atkins, Bill Paterson, Vladek Sheybal
Votes: 4,762
28. The Singing Detective (1986)
70 min | Drama, Musical, Mystery
Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
Stars: Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahide, Joanne Whalley, David Ryall
Votes: 4,807
29. The Fall (I) (2013–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seemingly cold but very passionate policewoman goes head to head with a seemingly passionate father who is in fact a cold serial killer in this procedural out of Belfast. The only thing they share is their common complexity.
Stars: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch, Aisling Franciosi
Votes: 119,634
30. Matroesjka's (2005–2008)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama
Each year hundreds of women are taken from their homes and forced into a life of prostitution and sexual slavery. This is the story of ten of them. A Belgian criminal gang head east to ... See full summary »
Stars: Axel Daeseleire, Manou Kersting, Indre Jaraite, Luk Wyns
Votes: 2,503
31. Mammon (2014–2016)
58 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
A newspaper journalist revealing fraud in a large multinational company finds out that his family is involved, which ruins his career and family relations and entangles him with a mystery.
Stars: Jon Øigarden, Anna Bache-Wiig, Ingjerd Egeberg, Nils Ole Oftebro
Votes: 2,101
32. True Detective (2014– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law.
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch
Votes: 656,341
33. Fargo (2014–2024)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks
Votes: 421,854
34. Deutschland 83 (2015)
TV-MA | 42 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Martin Rauch is recruited by the HVA to infiltrate the West Germany army. As a rookie spy, his decisions constantly put his cover at risk and force his agency to take extreme measures.
Stars: Jonas Nay, Maria Schrader, Ulrich Noethen, Sylvester Groth
Votes: 15,018
35. Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany (1984)
924 min | Drama, History, War
The village of Schabbach experiences the shifting fortunes of Germany from 1919 to 1982.
Stars: Marita Breuer, Rüdiger Weigang, Kurt Wagner, Gertrud Bredel
Votes: 3,334
36. This Is England '86 (2010)
TV-MA | 47 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Shaun has just finished his final exams and he realizes he is no longer a kid. It's mid 80's England, and the gang are back, looking for a laugh, a job and something that resembles a future.
Stars: Andrew Ellis, Andrew Shim, Chanel Cresswell, Danielle Watson
Votes: 14,500
37. This Is England '88 (2011)
TV-MA | 48 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Christmas 1988. Soulmates Woody and Lol find themselves in exile from each other and the gang. Trying to understand the definition 'growing up', Shaun begins a course at College, that quickly takes a wrong turn.
Stars: Andrew Ellis, Andrew Shim, Chanel Cresswell, Charlotte Tyree
Votes: 11,556
38. This Is England '90 (2015)
55 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The year is 1990, the rave scene has just entered England. The sound of the Stone roses lurks toward Shaun and the gang. This means that Woody and Lol are living in a domestic bliss, they are happy again. But this year will see huge changes in everyone. This is the year 1990. This is England.
Stars: Lyra Mae Thomas, Chanel Cresswell, Vicky McClure, Joe Gilgun
Votes: 9,536
39. Gomorrah (2014–2021)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Ciro disregards tradition in his attempt to become the next boss of his crime syndicate. The internal power struggle puts him and his entire family's life at risk.
Stars: Salvatore Esposito, Marco D'Amore, Ivana Lotito, Cristiana Dell'Anna
Votes: 44,440
40. Spin (2012–2016)
TV-PG | 52 min | Drama, Thriller
After the assassination of the president, the electoral campaign begins again. The president's former advisor, is trying to promote his foals. The Secretary of State, is also in the running. The dirty tricks multiply.
Stars: Bruno Wolkowitch, Grégory Fitoussi, Philippe Magnan, Yves Pignot
Votes: 799
41. Ófærð (2015– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In a remote town in Iceland, police desperately try to solve a crime as a powerful storm descends upon the town.
Stars: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Guðjón Pedersen
Votes: 24,916
42. Blue Eyes (2014–2015)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Politics, extremism and violence in Sweden.
Stars: Louise Peterhoff, Sven Nordin, Karin Franz Körlof, Linnéa Lindström
Votes: 1,630
43. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced out of semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
Stars: Alec Guinness, Michael Jayston, Anthony Bate, George Sewell
Votes: 9,620
44. The Kingdom (1994–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Doctors at an ultramodern hospital in Denmark become convinced, by way of weird, inexplicable happenings, that the place is haunted.
Stars: Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Kirsten Rolffes, Ghita Nørby, Søren Pilmark
Votes: 20,345 | Gross: $0.09M
45. Generation Kill (2008)
TV-MA | 10 min | Drama, War
A Rolling Stone reporter, embedded with The 1st Recon Marines chronicles his experiences during the first wave of the American-led assault on Baghdad in 2003.
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, James Ransone, Lee Tergesen, Jon Huertas
Votes: 59,201
46. The Pacific (2010)
TV-MA | 53 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The Pacific Theatre of World War II, as seen through the eyes of several young Marines.
Stars: James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello, Jon Seda, Ashton Holmes
Votes: 129,987
47. Band of Brothers (2001)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, History, War
The story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.
Stars: Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Shane Taylor
Votes: 527,107
48. Prisoners of War (2009–2012)
50 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After 17 years in captivity, Israeli soldiers Nimrode Klein, Uri Zach and Amiel Ben Horin return to the country that made them national icons. They work to overcome the trauma of torture and captivity.
Stars: Ishai Golan, Yoram Toledano, Yaël Abecassis, Mili Avital
Votes: 2,684
49. Klondike (2014)
46 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Two childhood friends, Bill Haskell and Byron Epstein, embark on a journey to Klondike, Yukon, in hopes of discovering a fortune in a remote town.
Stars: Abbie Cornish, Marton Csokas, Ian Hart, Greg Lawson
Votes: 6,596
50. Soredemo, ikite yuku (2011)
54 min | Drama
Hiroki's sister was killed by a friend. Hiroki then meets the killer's sister, Futaba, 15 years after the incident. Both of their families have been burdened with grief, but through their meeting they struggle to find a brighter tomorrow.
Stars: Maika Yamamoto, Akifumi Uchida, Maki Shinta, Eita Nagayama
Votes: 556
51. Roots (1977)
TV-14 | 74 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.
Stars: LeVar Burton, Robert Reed, John Amos, Louis Gossett Jr.
Votes: 18,875
52. Undercover (2011–2016)
60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Trained young policeman goes undercover in the gang of the most dangerous mafia boss in Bulgaria.
Stars: Ivaylo Zahariev, Zachary Baharov, Vladimir Penev, Marian Valev
Votes: 27,569
53. The Affair (2014–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
A struggling novelist and a young waitress strike up an extramarital relationship that promises to forever change the course of their lives.
Stars: Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, Julia Goldani Telles
Votes: 49,150
54. 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: 1,081,735
Tell Your Friends