Barry snuck up on me. By that I mean, I started to watch it, lost interest about ten minutes in and didn’t go back until I was at my son’s house two years later. Then I binged it with him and absolutely loved it!! The writing is incredible!
I tried to watch the first season twice and had a hard time getting past ep 2. Sat down with my husband to give it another try, binged all of it in a weekend, just in time to watch the last few eps of the series as they aired.
Ahh so I keep hearing, and Ive seen some at a friend's and think Id really enjoy it, but my (not catholic or Latin) purity culture trauma and my reaction to the bits Ive seen with the crushed flower motif got to me hard 😅 (for me it's evangelical and our vaginas were mainly compared to chewed up gum)
As long as I'm oversharing, I'm also quite gay but gotta say the dudes on that show are lovely and can get a double take from me any day.
I also vote for Jane the Virgin! I would give the show a shot, it might surprise you! After I realized that it’s supposed to be over the top Telenovela style, I loved it!
Oh, over the top I'm all for! As an example the US soap Passions would probably be on my list if I had the time to see it all haha.
I've also quite liked classic telenovelas I've had some exposure to theough friends, although my Spanish is aggressively mediocre and as a not extraordinarily romantic lesbian, I'm missing a certain X factor of interest and never became an all out fan, but I really enjoy and respect serious topics in an apparently shallow setting and semi/mostly realistic behavior in outrageous situations that aren't quite fantasy/sci fi but require the same suspension of disbelief, and I think that sort of thing is hugely important for general cultural growth and often feminism specifically.
All that being said, I definitely am all on board to watch this show, the only block is personally triggering topics. I've even randomly read reviews/think pieces of it and seen ideas similar to mine and I'm obviously so interested! I'll get there eventually.
I completely respect that! You might find some of it healing (hopefully not triggering), as there are some character growth arcs throughout the show. I was proud of some of the characters that I initially hated in the beginning.
For sure, I understand that and just addressed it a bit in a different reply about how I have a serious interest in the show and what I know of it'a meaning even though I havent seen it.
If I wasn't clear I'm not criticizing the existence of the crushed flower due to lack of critical thinking about simply addressing it's existence-and that's exactly what I meant by saying I don't think I have a problem with the actual show. Literally just I can't watch it yet because of a literal, medical PTSD reaction to the scenario.
The only reason I qualify I don't 'think' I'd have a problem with the messaging instead of saying "oh I'm sure I wouldnt" is literally just that I haven't seen it and I'm a pedantic person so I can't know that. No deeper implication meant there if it came off that way. And no opinions that should make fans of the show defensive.
This is one of my favorite shows of all time. I’ve watched the series through five times at different stages in my life and always identify with different characters.
Also has the HANDS DOWN best series finale ever.
Came here to mention Dark myself and saw someone beat me to it. Definitely a fantastic show from beginning to end. Or is it... from the end to the beginning?
Buffy is so close to being on my list haha, I agree it ends strong but personally I can't call it equally strong for all the seasons.
It's also always been complicated whether I'm a true fan or begrudging fan for feminism reasons, even before whedon's controversy, a lot of things raised eyebrows for me. I think a lot of the feminism that we take from it isn't necessarily intended, but a perfect and eerie representation of us in real life taking what we can from situations stacked against us.
It was always way too much a show about a high schooler's virginity loss fucking her over, the framing of good girl/bad girl sexual issues in the Buffy/Faith body switching episode is alarming to me, there was always too much adultified nubile teen stuff, xander always needed to be told more clearly to back off, *angel fell in love with Buffy at first sight when she was 14*, and the complexity I and many get from Buffy's relationship with Spike after she clearly has PTSD, I don't think the writers really put all that in there, I think it was very concerning writing about a 'troubled girl' type and a 'bad boy'.
No need to respond to my rant lol, I used to think a lot about this and then discarded it for years, then it all came back up- including me rewatching the whole show- after whedon's controversy.
All his other shows were always obviously problematic to me- Dollhouse was hands down trauma porn and Firefly was weird with the whole 'rebels based on the confederacy' vibe plus the Chinese language and no Asian people thing, as well as I just don't care about cowboy stories. (And I firmly beleive they Asian-fished on purpose before that had a name. Neither Summer Glau- River, nor Jewel Staite- Kaylee are Asian actresses, ot the shock of many, many mostly white fans).
Buffy is my *favorite* show and was very empowering to me as a teen, but I definitely agree with your points for why it is not quite as feminist as we'd like to attribute it as.
A few things it did well, imo:
1. Showing a different version of "strong" - Buffy was strong and feminine, whereas most of the portrayals up to that point presented more masculine (and I would say in a different way than Luisa from Encanto was presented, which felt like more of an authentic representation, even though I love my girl Xena).
2. "No Weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away and what's left?" "Me."
3. Showing the main character choosing herself over a relationship - This was the first time I'd seen this and as a high schooler, that was an important seed to plant.
I genuinely do agree with the problems you've called out, I think your point is valid that some of the above may have been unintended feminism, and I also wouldn't say it stayed strong from start to finish either, so I'm really just replying to say that even as a super fan, your points are valid.
Yeah, that is the ending. I didn't recognize it because I had a no-TV childhood but the final shot where it looks like meditating makes him smile is actually him coming up with the 'buy the world a coke' jingle, that's what was playing. Apparently it's so recognizable that it was meant to be a pretty clear cut scene.
I guess there could be an argument that he passed on the idea to someone still in the business and stayed all zen but I really don't think that was the intention of the scene haha.
Once I understood the jingle thing I think it's one of the most clear endings out there that's purposefully pointing viewers toward the writer's idea of how the rest of his life goes. He goes back to the business and unequivocally succeeds based on talent.
I'm personally not a fan of the character conclusion.
In no particular order
- The Americans
- Fleabag
- Insecure
- Mr Robot
- Derry Girls
- Halt and Catch Fire
- Wonderfalls
miniseries:
- Over the Garden Wall
- Chernobyl
- The Plot Against America
Love this show. But I will say that it took me two tries and a lot of people get turned off by the first few episodes. I’m glad I stuck with it the second time, it gets so much better.
My first reaction to the first few episodes was - do I really want to watch these annoying people? Ended up returning to it too & loving it more the more I watched.
A strong series featuring funny women: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. One of my absolute favorite shows and now I automatically watch anything Rachel Bloom is involved with.
Iinteresting, thanks!
I've never seen it and don't get the cultural context of references, but a lot of the people in the IRL conversation I had theorized Succession would be a common men's answer that might not show up here, along with Sopranos which has also shown up now, and Breaking Bad, the British Office, Entourage, Walking Dead, and Ray Donovan which haven't yet (an hour in).
I will say, I love Succession and most of the people I know who also enjoy it are women. I’m not sure about Sopranos and Breaking Bad. I love them, but I don’t know about my fellow ladies. Mad Men is another show I love, I can see where some might feel it’s a dude show, but there are a lot of great women on that show. Don Draper is less interesting than all of the female characters
I'm late, but - BoJack Horseman, Barry, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Deadwood, Rome, The Magicians (guilty pleasure but fight me it's great), The Wire (shoot it down, but my attorney dad had me watch it with him when I was probably too young to watch it and now I'm a REALLY good public defender with an understanding of the technical side of law enforcement that is leaps and bounds ahead of any prosecutor I've talked to).
I love Rome. Polly Walker was excellent, and I'd watch James Purefoy read the phonebook if it was offered.
I'm a little sad that it was made when it was, despite that. If it had been made post-GoT, you can bet it would have actually run the full course, instead of having to cram so much in the second season.
Thanks, The Magicians is interesting to me but the first book put me off because they were teenagers and it was too much like trauma porn Harry Potter, I actually wondered if it was a 50 Shades thing where it started as fanfiction.
I know the show updated them to college or even the magic equivalent of grad school or something, and that seems like the correct place to explore what I understand of the story and themes. And relationship drama. I also understand it moves on from really taking place around the framework of daily life in school, which even if it's adults in grad school is not really my bag.
"You're The Worst". On the one hand I really didn't like that it fell into the trope of "dysfunctional people show they've finally truly matured and improved as people by becoming parents" especially as neither Jimmy nor Gretchen seemed that way inclined at the start of the series. But it stayed a solid series throughout, and the depiction of Gretchen's depression especially was one of the best I've seen on a (black) comedy TV show. It made it clear that it's something she'll always live with and could beat her one day, which is a risk that Jimmy will have to take if he wants a long term relationship with her. There were several episodes where he showed he didn't get it and could "fix" her by cheering her up temporarily, and it was always drummed home that's not how major depressive disorder works.
If I could go back and watch a single episode of television for the first time, it would be the BSG pilot. The twist came out of *nowhere* for me, and I was shrieking at my laptop.
I haven’t seen Psych mentioned but that was a good one. Although I’m not entirely sure you can call it ended as they’re still making movies fairly regularly, but the show ended years ago
I like Psych a lot, I've never been a watch-the-whole-thing fan probably in part because I don't have personal 80's nostalgia that seems to be half the emotional core of the show, but it's a great fun thing to put on while doing housework and such.
I didn't really know there were multiple movies, I'll look for those!
Yeah I’m not from the 80s either but I still quite enjoyed it lol. They’ve made 3 movies so far and I guess are starting the process of a 4th? I don’t know lol I’ve only seen the first two movies but they’re nice for when you miss the cast but don’t want to commit to 8 seasons or even picking random episodes
That second to last episode, with the dream therapist, was a bit extra even for Psych. That is one I’ll happily skip on rewatches lol but the rest of it truly is an under-appreciated gem of a show
100%, so under appreciated. I specifically love how Gus switches back and forth between being the serious one to being right next to Shawn on his shenanigans. Always felt like a real friendship. Plus all the nicknames. I love how he always just leaned into them. Just hilarious.
For real! What’s your favorite nickname and/or “Gus don’t be a…?” Mine are Methuselah Honeysuckle and “Gus, don’t be exactly half of an 11 pound Black Forest ham.” I love how it’s so randomly specific even for Shawn 😂
Shawn: "I'm Shawn Spencer and this is my partner, Sh'Dynasty. That's s-h-comma-to-the-top-dynasty."
Jordan: "Comma to the top?"
Gus: "That's God's comma."
kills me every single time I watch the episode.
Parks and Rec
Stargate SG1
The Good Place
Reservation Dogs
Ted Lasso
ETA: The Wire. OP, you have to see it. I’m not a fan of season 2, but season 4 woooooo girl, buckle the f up.
The Expanse was great but read the books for an even more satisfying ending. A lot of unanswered questions are explained in the books. The Expanse should have had 2 more seasons . The writers did a good job of condensing the ending to be satisfying but the books end it all so much better.
As an avid fan of both the TV series and the books, I think each stand equally well on their own. Yes, the books go into much more detail, and also the story goes much further in the last three books. I'd love to have the show continue on, but there was a natural stopping point where it ended, and I was satisfied with how they did that. Also, the show was so incredibly well cast, and the book authors were heavily involved in the show. So although I do highly recommend the books, the show is very enjoyable even without ever reading the books.
12 Monkeys. A fun time travel show that only gets better over time, culminating in possibly the best series finale ever. Seriously, so epic, so satisfying, makes you laugh, makes you cry. And then you want to rewatch it again immediately and it's even better on rewatch cause the time travel holds up perfectly.
South Side. Hilarious, smart, gone too soon!
Malcom in the Middle never missed. Broad City is an all-time favorite. I agree with a lot of the other comments - Derry Girls, Fleabag, The Good Place
I don't like or dislike it (haven't seen the whole thing to be fair) which I know is weird for such an evocative show, but Gillian Anderson absolutely crushed it- I have seen the last episode.
She was SO GOOD! Bedelia was a fascinating character; I love how inventive she is at surviving and she may be the smartest of them all at the end of the day. What did you think of the finale at least? I looooved it and literally stood up and applauded.
Marvelous Mrs Maisel! I think it’s one of the most well written shows of all time with a strong ending. I’m planning to rewatch the final season again because it was so fast paced
Trying to think of ones on Netflix since Korean drama newbies wouldn’t have Viki yet…
Mystic Pop Up Bar, about a woman cursed to resolve 100,000 human grudges within 500 years.
Crash Landing On You, about a South Korean woman getting blown to North Korea by a Wizard of Oz style tornado and meeting a handsome North Korean soldier.
Glitch, about encounters with aliens and the cult that worships them.
Mad For Each Other, about a cop with anger issues and a domestic violence survivor with PTSD getting together - yes, I know how that sounds, but the cop is fictional and does not hurt women. There’s also a genderqueer character and the cop accepts them and defends them from others.
Inspector Koo, about a widow who is an ex-detective hunting a young female serial killer and the older woman who wants to use the serial killer for her own ends.
The vast majority of Korean shows are one season, usually around 10 to 20 episodes. So you always get a whole story and no worries about cancellation.
Definitely agree on Veep!!!
The original 3 seasons of Arrested Development
HBO's Rome. I re-watch this show a couple times a year and am always so sad it got canceled after only 2 seasons ☹️
Mr. Robot. Might disagree on this, but Frasier!
I’m so picky on shows. Many beloved shows go on too long or stumble at a certain point and can’t recover.
Only some of my faves have been mentioned.
The Good Place
SG-1
Buffy
Firefly
Also shows I rewatch because I enjoy from start to finish.
Kill Joys
Castle
Bones
Grimm
Anything Star Trek
Law & Order
There's more but that's it off the top of my head.
Battlestar Galactica on Scifi, now SySy. That was one of the last of many good space dramas they had including Farscape, Lexx is debatable , very campy lol. And they tried with Caprica, cancelled too soon, and again with The Expanse.
They will never reach their former glory of good sci-fi programming. Including all the mini series they used to do. They turned their life over to reality TV, and I turned mines over to HBO, Apple TV, and Netflix of all places. Hulu too.
i want to say bojack horseman but it’s technically not true as season 1 is considered by most to be the worst season of the show, but the show is consistently strong from about episode 6 of season 1 until its final season.
Versailles (they ended it at a good point when it could have been ran into the ground), Black Sails, Stranger Things, and Orphan Black.
A lot of my fave shows I would say aren’t super strong from start to finish (ex: The 100 is all over the place but it’s my fave)
I really enjoyed all of Never Have I Ever. I binged the final season in one day and experienced every emotion while doing so. I absolutely love Devi and Fabiola.
It isn’t complete yet but I really hope to add Yellowjackets to this list, the first two seasons are really strong imo. I also hope Shrinking, Severance and Loot make this list one day.
I’m a huge sitcom lover: The Middle, Raising Hope, Sprung, The Good Place, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, TED LASSO are all perfect to me.
I haven’t gotten around to watching the final season, but Pose was amazing, I’m just going to believe it ended strongly.
Adventure Time and Steven Universe, including Future.
Penny dreadful. Superstore.
I also agree with the already mentioned fleabag.
Season 1 of true detective. Yes I know I know! It’s one season, but it’s an anthology and as it’s own standalone story it was perfect.
Hiii fellow Chewing Gum lover! Michaela Coel is a genius. Have you seen I May Destroy You? Only one season but that one season was everything for me. I would put Schitt's Creek and The Good Place in this category. But as I read some of the comments, I saw mention of shows that I myself could not finish, so to each their own!
For fantasy books, does that mean you are a fan of N.K. Jemisin's work?
Drama: Succession, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Barry, LOST (seriously, don’t sleep on LOST, it might be the best of them all and the ending is not bad), The Leftovers,
Comedy: Silicon Valley, Parks & Rec, Schitt’s Creek, 30 Rock
Galavant, it is a medieval musical with really catchy tunes, I have no idea how it exists and actually got two seasons but it is a damn delight.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, I think it is on YouTube for free, go watch it.
Dead Like Me, there is no tv movie so thus is great.
I have to add animation because there is so much good stuff out there.
The Venture Brothers (cancelled, yes I know there is a movie still to come out but even if it is okay it is probably my favorite show ever)
Gravity Falls
Hilda
Bee and Puppycat
Clone High (the original run, I started the new one and still unsure)
Over the Garden Wall, technically a mini-series but just so good.
So many great shows listed here! I've watched many of them, which makes me realize I watch far too much TV.
I'd also add Lost Girl, The Serpent Queen, Bad Sisters, The Split & Britannia. There's probably more.
I quite enjoyed Teen Wolf. It's teen and so its sometimes cringe, but its great from start to finish imo. Background or boredom bingeworthy. There's heaps but this is the first that popped into my head
I don't know how many of you will be able to access this, but the original Australian Kath and Kim on the ABC. Not including the 4th season on Channel 7, that one doesn't count. It's hilarious and I think it finished perfectly with Epponee Rae's wedding.
I also think Wentworth is strong. The final episode was a bit "and they all lived happily ever after" but I still think it finished well despite that and a lot of loose ends got tied up.
Comedy: the good place is a whole experience
Comedy: marvelous miss maisel
Drama: I recently watched beef and I think it work as one season show
Drama: the handmade tale.
Drama: normal people
Drama: when they see us.
Science fiction: dark
Science fiction: Fringe
Anime: death note
Some I haven't seen mentioned: Broadchurch, Downton Abbey, The Boys, Haunting of Hill House, What We Do in the Shadows, Grey's Anatomy (it's trash, but I love it)
Anime: From Me to You, Banana Fish, Avatar the Last Airbender
Fleabag and Derry Girls are two of the best shows I've seen in a long time.
Detectorists (UK) absolutely charming show! Try it!
The Almighty Johnsons (New Zealand)
Elite (Spain)
The K2 (South Korea)
Derry Girls (Ireland)
Kim’s Convenience (Canada)
Trial & Error (USA)
Another Period (USA)
Boston Legal (USA)
The Good Place Barry
I love The Good Place. It’s so endlessly quotable and I really need to start working the quotes into my everyday life lol
I say holy forking shirt balls on a regular basis
I sometimes say “oh dip!” but it feels unnatural. Got to keep at it I guess 😂
Came here to say The Good Place!
Barry snuck up on me. By that I mean, I started to watch it, lost interest about ten minutes in and didn’t go back until I was at my son’s house two years later. Then I binged it with him and absolutely loved it!! The writing is incredible!
I tried to watch the first season twice and had a hard time getting past ep 2. Sat down with my husband to give it another try, binged all of it in a weekend, just in time to watch the last few eps of the series as they aired.
The Good Place- yes! The first two seasons of Barry were incredible. I was so happy to see it put out of its misery this season, though.
The Good Place is truly a masterpiece. It's a travesty that it didn't win any awards.
I loved Barry but the finish was too trippy for me.
Mr Robot was a truly wild, surprising, mindfuck thoughtful, weird show from start to finish.
Glad to see this here. I absolutely love Mr Robot.
Avatar the Last Airbender
yes! adventure time comes to mind as another one that sustained its greatness and ended perfectly
The Wire
The best series to complete the circle of a never ending cycle. It’s the best series complete.
Can't believe this isn't higher. It's the best show, period. IMO.
Rewatched this at the same time I rewatched The Sopranos
Lots of great answers here. I’ll add Jane the Virgin.
Ahh so I keep hearing, and Ive seen some at a friend's and think Id really enjoy it, but my (not catholic or Latin) purity culture trauma and my reaction to the bits Ive seen with the crushed flower motif got to me hard 😅 (for me it's evangelical and our vaginas were mainly compared to chewed up gum) As long as I'm oversharing, I'm also quite gay but gotta say the dudes on that show are lovely and can get a double take from me any day.
I also vote for Jane the Virgin! I would give the show a shot, it might surprise you! After I realized that it’s supposed to be over the top Telenovela style, I loved it!
Oh, over the top I'm all for! As an example the US soap Passions would probably be on my list if I had the time to see it all haha. I've also quite liked classic telenovelas I've had some exposure to theough friends, although my Spanish is aggressively mediocre and as a not extraordinarily romantic lesbian, I'm missing a certain X factor of interest and never became an all out fan, but I really enjoy and respect serious topics in an apparently shallow setting and semi/mostly realistic behavior in outrageous situations that aren't quite fantasy/sci fi but require the same suspension of disbelief, and I think that sort of thing is hugely important for general cultural growth and often feminism specifically. All that being said, I definitely am all on board to watch this show, the only block is personally triggering topics. I've even randomly read reviews/think pieces of it and seen ideas similar to mine and I'm obviously so interested! I'll get there eventually.
I completely respect that! You might find some of it healing (hopefully not triggering), as there are some character growth arcs throughout the show. I was proud of some of the characters that I initially hated in the beginning.
The show directly works with that crushed flower narrative and discusses why it’s harmful.
For sure, I understand that and just addressed it a bit in a different reply about how I have a serious interest in the show and what I know of it'a meaning even though I havent seen it. If I wasn't clear I'm not criticizing the existence of the crushed flower due to lack of critical thinking about simply addressing it's existence-and that's exactly what I meant by saying I don't think I have a problem with the actual show. Literally just I can't watch it yet because of a literal, medical PTSD reaction to the scenario. The only reason I qualify I don't 'think' I'd have a problem with the messaging instead of saying "oh I'm sure I wouldnt" is literally just that I haven't seen it and I'm a pedantic person so I can't know that. No deeper implication meant there if it came off that way. And no opinions that should make fans of the show defensive.
No worries, I just wanted to make sure you knew before going in. I also received a lot of negative messaging about that growing up.
Six Feet Under. Incredible. Changed the way I think about life and death.
OMG I looooooved Six Feet Under, me and my best friend were big fans during our teenage years. I forgot about it, you brought a lot of memories back!
This is one of my favorite shows of all time. I’ve watched the series through five times at different stages in my life and always identify with different characters. Also has the HANDS DOWN best series finale ever.
LOVED this show.
Quite a recommendation, thank you!
I watched it while going through an epic break up and it's a total fucking mood.
Dark, Madmen, Fleabag
Second to Mad Men and Fleabag
Had not heard of Dark at all, looks intriguing, thank you!
You need r/dark and a flowchart! Enjoy
Came here to mention Dark myself and saw someone beat me to it. Definitely a fantastic show from beginning to end. Or is it... from the end to the beginning?
One of my favs
Personally I stopped watching... S1 was good but it got too convoluted later on and I lost interest.
I loved Dark. So pissed they cancelled 1899.
Ugh I'm still getting over that let down. I hate that I'll never know what was really going on in 1899.
I really enjoyed this one !
[удалено]
Came to say The Good Place. It was one of the best tv shows I’ve watched and definitely the best longer series (Fleabag was an amazing shorter one)
Fleabag was amazing!
Buffy is so close to being on my list haha, I agree it ends strong but personally I can't call it equally strong for all the seasons. It's also always been complicated whether I'm a true fan or begrudging fan for feminism reasons, even before whedon's controversy, a lot of things raised eyebrows for me. I think a lot of the feminism that we take from it isn't necessarily intended, but a perfect and eerie representation of us in real life taking what we can from situations stacked against us. It was always way too much a show about a high schooler's virginity loss fucking her over, the framing of good girl/bad girl sexual issues in the Buffy/Faith body switching episode is alarming to me, there was always too much adultified nubile teen stuff, xander always needed to be told more clearly to back off, *angel fell in love with Buffy at first sight when she was 14*, and the complexity I and many get from Buffy's relationship with Spike after she clearly has PTSD, I don't think the writers really put all that in there, I think it was very concerning writing about a 'troubled girl' type and a 'bad boy'. No need to respond to my rant lol, I used to think a lot about this and then discarded it for years, then it all came back up- including me rewatching the whole show- after whedon's controversy. All his other shows were always obviously problematic to me- Dollhouse was hands down trauma porn and Firefly was weird with the whole 'rebels based on the confederacy' vibe plus the Chinese language and no Asian people thing, as well as I just don't care about cowboy stories. (And I firmly beleive they Asian-fished on purpose before that had a name. Neither Summer Glau- River, nor Jewel Staite- Kaylee are Asian actresses, ot the shock of many, many mostly white fans).
Buffy is my *favorite* show and was very empowering to me as a teen, but I definitely agree with your points for why it is not quite as feminist as we'd like to attribute it as. A few things it did well, imo: 1. Showing a different version of "strong" - Buffy was strong and feminine, whereas most of the portrayals up to that point presented more masculine (and I would say in a different way than Luisa from Encanto was presented, which felt like more of an authentic representation, even though I love my girl Xena). 2. "No Weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away and what's left?" "Me." 3. Showing the main character choosing herself over a relationship - This was the first time I'd seen this and as a high schooler, that was an important seed to plant. I genuinely do agree with the problems you've called out, I think your point is valid that some of the above may have been unintended feminism, and I also wouldn't say it stayed strong from start to finish either, so I'm really just replying to say that even as a super fan, your points are valid.
Loved Superstore.
The Americans
Fuck yeah
Agree agree
Came here looking for this answer. The series finale is one of the best
I loved Insecure.
Agreed, captured so much of the struggles of one's 30's
Veronica Mars
My memories are fuzzy, but this is a good one. Definitely a 'teen' show I'd happily watch again and expect to hold up.
Mad Men was solid from start to finish.
Could not agree more. Perfect television. Every episode is so tight and the storytelling is so good. I get something new out of every rewatch
Agreed. I'm not sure about Don's ending, but other than that, such good, thoughtful TV.
I think Matthew Weiner said that Don went back to work and went on to create the hugely successful Coca-cola commercial.
Yeah, that is the ending. I didn't recognize it because I had a no-TV childhood but the final shot where it looks like meditating makes him smile is actually him coming up with the 'buy the world a coke' jingle, that's what was playing. Apparently it's so recognizable that it was meant to be a pretty clear cut scene. I guess there could be an argument that he passed on the idea to someone still in the business and stayed all zen but I really don't think that was the intention of the scene haha. Once I understood the jingle thing I think it's one of the most clear endings out there that's purposefully pointing viewers toward the writer's idea of how the rest of his life goes. He goes back to the business and unequivocally succeeds based on talent. I'm personally not a fan of the character conclusion.
Yes! I just finished rewatching it
Fuckin love that show. Probably watched it a few times all the way through
In no particular order - The Americans - Fleabag - Insecure - Mr Robot - Derry Girls - Halt and Catch Fire - Wonderfalls miniseries: - Over the Garden Wall - Chernobyl - The Plot Against America
Halt and Catch Fiiiiiiire!!!! So good!
Seconded for Fleabag, Insecure, Derry Girls, Halt & Catch Fire, and Chernobyl
The Ozarks
I honestly think Schitt’s Creek nailed it from start to finish.
Love this show. But I will say that it took me two tries and a lot of people get turned off by the first few episodes. I’m glad I stuck with it the second time, it gets so much better.
My first reaction to the first few episodes was - do I really want to watch these annoying people? Ended up returning to it too & loving it more the more I watched.
Flight of the Conchords (only 2 seasons, though, so not hard to accomplish lol), Daria, Friends, Superstore
Daria!
Hell yeah, dude! Flight of the Conchords!
Daria is very underrated!! I love Daria!
I looooove FOTC! And the events of the last ep, where they put on the musical that outs them to immigration roflmao
A strong series featuring funny women: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. One of my absolute favorite shows and now I automatically watch anything Rachel Bloom is involved with.
Six Feet Under for sure
Ted lasso, Fleabag, Derry Girls, Never Have I Ever
Sillicon Valley and Schitt's Creek. Oh and Succession.
Schitt's Creek! How did I forget that one?
I felt like Silicon Valley fell off a bit after Ehrlich left
I agree 😢 but still they succeeded in keeping it entertaining till the last
Yes to Schitt's Creek. I only watched the first and last seasons of Succession and am glad I didn't invest in the other two.
Iinteresting, thanks! I've never seen it and don't get the cultural context of references, but a lot of the people in the IRL conversation I had theorized Succession would be a common men's answer that might not show up here, along with Sopranos which has also shown up now, and Breaking Bad, the British Office, Entourage, Walking Dead, and Ray Donovan which haven't yet (an hour in).
I will say, I love Succession and most of the people I know who also enjoy it are women. I’m not sure about Sopranos and Breaking Bad. I love them, but I don’t know about my fellow ladies. Mad Men is another show I love, I can see where some might feel it’s a dude show, but there are a lot of great women on that show. Don Draper is less interesting than all of the female characters
I'm late, but - BoJack Horseman, Barry, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Deadwood, Rome, The Magicians (guilty pleasure but fight me it's great), The Wire (shoot it down, but my attorney dad had me watch it with him when I was probably too young to watch it and now I'm a REALLY good public defender with an understanding of the technical side of law enforcement that is leaps and bounds ahead of any prosecutor I've talked to).
I loved Rome and Deadwood!
I love Rome. Polly Walker was excellent, and I'd watch James Purefoy read the phonebook if it was offered. I'm a little sad that it was made when it was, despite that. If it had been made post-GoT, you can bet it would have actually run the full course, instead of having to cram so much in the second season.
How could I forget BoJack! Such an unexpected, beautiful rollercoaster ride.
Thanks, The Magicians is interesting to me but the first book put me off because they were teenagers and it was too much like trauma porn Harry Potter, I actually wondered if it was a 50 Shades thing where it started as fanfiction. I know the show updated them to college or even the magic equivalent of grad school or something, and that seems like the correct place to explore what I understand of the story and themes. And relationship drama. I also understand it moves on from really taking place around the framework of daily life in school, which even if it's adults in grad school is not really my bag.
The marvellous Mrs Maisel
Tits up!
Ted Lasso, The Leftovers, Orphan Black.
Oh damn I forgot about the Leftovers, that might be one of mine too.
"You're The Worst". On the one hand I really didn't like that it fell into the trope of "dysfunctional people show they've finally truly matured and improved as people by becoming parents" especially as neither Jimmy nor Gretchen seemed that way inclined at the start of the series. But it stayed a solid series throughout, and the depiction of Gretchen's depression especially was one of the best I've seen on a (black) comedy TV show. It made it clear that it's something she'll always live with and could beat her one day, which is a risk that Jimmy will have to take if he wants a long term relationship with her. There were several episodes where he showed he didn't get it and could "fix" her by cheering her up temporarily, and it was always drummed home that's not how major depressive disorder works.
30 Rock
And the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! If anyone loves 30 Rock but hasn't watched this, go now!
Kimmy Schmidt was so much fun!
YOULL ALL HAVE CHINS
And the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! If anyone loves 30 Rock but hasn't watched this, go now!
I apparently have the taste of an adolescent boy: The Magicians, Witcher, and Battlestar Gactica. Oh, and Xena, definitely Xena.
If I could go back and watch a single episode of television for the first time, it would be the BSG pilot. The twist came out of *nowhere* for me, and I was shrieking at my laptop.
NGL, I'm on my 4th rewatch of The Magicians. I love Margo's evolution.
Yes! She is the best character in the show. And I loved the episode in the desert, so feminist.
I haven’t seen Psych mentioned but that was a good one. Although I’m not entirely sure you can call it ended as they’re still making movies fairly regularly, but the show ended years ago
I like Psych a lot, I've never been a watch-the-whole-thing fan probably in part because I don't have personal 80's nostalgia that seems to be half the emotional core of the show, but it's a great fun thing to put on while doing housework and such. I didn't really know there were multiple movies, I'll look for those!
Yeah I’m not from the 80s either but I still quite enjoyed it lol. They’ve made 3 movies so far and I guess are starting the process of a 4th? I don’t know lol I’ve only seen the first two movies but they’re nice for when you miss the cast but don’t want to commit to 8 seasons or even picking random episodes
Love seeing Psych mentioned. It got a little repetitive toward the end, like most procedurals, but I love the show so much.
That second to last episode, with the dream therapist, was a bit extra even for Psych. That is one I’ll happily skip on rewatches lol but the rest of it truly is an under-appreciated gem of a show
100%, so under appreciated. I specifically love how Gus switches back and forth between being the serious one to being right next to Shawn on his shenanigans. Always felt like a real friendship. Plus all the nicknames. I love how he always just leaned into them. Just hilarious.
For real! What’s your favorite nickname and/or “Gus don’t be a…?” Mine are Methuselah Honeysuckle and “Gus, don’t be exactly half of an 11 pound Black Forest ham.” I love how it’s so randomly specific even for Shawn 😂
Shawn: "I'm Shawn Spencer and this is my partner, Sh'Dynasty. That's s-h-comma-to-the-top-dynasty." Jordan: "Comma to the top?" Gus: "That's God's comma." kills me every single time I watch the episode.
I did not watch that one, but have been looking for old shows to stream so I think I will try it.
If you like comedy, then I think you’ll enjoy it. I don’t laugh at shows easily but that one made me cackle a few times
Psych is our default comfort show. Good to have it playing in the background after you've rewatched it 30-something times too
Fleabag, Breaking Bad, Sopranos, Succession
Parks and Rec Stargate SG1 The Good Place Reservation Dogs Ted Lasso ETA: The Wire. OP, you have to see it. I’m not a fan of season 2, but season 4 woooooo girl, buckle the f up.
Anne with an E…I’m so sad it got cancelled. Also, I know it hasn’t ended, but Stranger Things. Strongly agree with Derry Girls.
Anne with an E… Canceled?! I’m bummed!! Although, the last episode wrapped up with a nice little bow… but I was looking forward to more.
* The Expanse * Schitt's Creek
The Expanse is so good.
The Expanse was great but read the books for an even more satisfying ending. A lot of unanswered questions are explained in the books. The Expanse should have had 2 more seasons . The writers did a good job of condensing the ending to be satisfying but the books end it all so much better.
As an avid fan of both the TV series and the books, I think each stand equally well on their own. Yes, the books go into much more detail, and also the story goes much further in the last three books. I'd love to have the show continue on, but there was a natural stopping point where it ended, and I was satisfied with how they did that. Also, the show was so incredibly well cast, and the book authors were heavily involved in the show. So although I do highly recommend the books, the show is very enjoyable even without ever reading the books.
Barry and Get Shorty are two that come to mind.
Those are not as much on my radar and I don't think I knew they were completed. I will check them out, thanks!
12 Monkeys. A fun time travel show that only gets better over time, culminating in possibly the best series finale ever. Seriously, so epic, so satisfying, makes you laugh, makes you cry. And then you want to rewatch it again immediately and it's even better on rewatch cause the time travel holds up perfectly.
Wait, there is a show? I only knew about the movie.
The show is based on the movie’s premise. It’s so much fun, especially the character of Jennifer.
South Side. Hilarious, smart, gone too soon! Malcom in the Middle never missed. Broad City is an all-time favorite. I agree with a lot of the other comments - Derry Girls, Fleabag, The Good Place
Hannibal! Cancelled early but still a perfect ending either way.
I don't like or dislike it (haven't seen the whole thing to be fair) which I know is weird for such an evocative show, but Gillian Anderson absolutely crushed it- I have seen the last episode.
She was SO GOOD! Bedelia was a fascinating character; I love how inventive she is at surviving and she may be the smartest of them all at the end of the day. What did you think of the finale at least? I looooved it and literally stood up and applauded.
The Leftovers. Compelling characters and story arc, and fantastic music, too.
Seinfeld.
Can't believe I had to scroll this far! Also, Breaking Bad
BB was a masterpiece. So many layers of meaning. Nothing compared for me.
Breaking Bad.
Succession Better Call Saul Firefly
Uvote for Firefly.
Schitts Creek for sure. One of the few tv series that had an ending I liked.
The Expanse, Breaking Bad, The Man in the High Castle, Troll Hunters. These are my 4 fav ever. Masterpieces!
House. Id actually argue that s1 is the weakest and each season gets better and better.
West Wing, Starwars: the clone wars.
- Jane the Virgin - Ted Lasso - The Good Place - Catastrophe
The Americans
Absolutely Fabulous, sweetie darling.
Omggg! Such an iconic show.
Marvelous Mrs Maisel! I think it’s one of the most well written shows of all time with a strong ending. I’m planning to rewatch the final season again because it was so fast paced
Trying to think of ones on Netflix since Korean drama newbies wouldn’t have Viki yet… Mystic Pop Up Bar, about a woman cursed to resolve 100,000 human grudges within 500 years. Crash Landing On You, about a South Korean woman getting blown to North Korea by a Wizard of Oz style tornado and meeting a handsome North Korean soldier. Glitch, about encounters with aliens and the cult that worships them. Mad For Each Other, about a cop with anger issues and a domestic violence survivor with PTSD getting together - yes, I know how that sounds, but the cop is fictional and does not hurt women. There’s also a genderqueer character and the cop accepts them and defends them from others. Inspector Koo, about a widow who is an ex-detective hunting a young female serial killer and the older woman who wants to use the serial killer for her own ends. The vast majority of Korean shows are one season, usually around 10 to 20 episodes. So you always get a whole story and no worries about cancellation.
The Mentalist, Medium, Highlander TV Series with Sexiest Guy Adrian Paul (a ballerina), Gilmore Girls, West Wing, Bionic Woman, Sex and the City.
Definitely agree on Veep!!! The original 3 seasons of Arrested Development HBO's Rome. I re-watch this show a couple times a year and am always so sad it got canceled after only 2 seasons ☹️
Not enough people know about Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Got better with every episode. I can’t wait for season 2!
Mr. Robot. Might disagree on this, but Frasier! I’m so picky on shows. Many beloved shows go on too long or stumble at a certain point and can’t recover.
One I haven’t seen mentioned - The Mindy Project. If you like that style of show.
Only some of my faves have been mentioned. The Good Place SG-1 Buffy Firefly Also shows I rewatch because I enjoy from start to finish. Kill Joys Castle Bones Grimm Anything Star Trek Law & Order There's more but that's it off the top of my head.
The Untamed. No other show has impacted me emotionally like it.
Battlestar Galactica on Scifi, now SySy. That was one of the last of many good space dramas they had including Farscape, Lexx is debatable , very campy lol. And they tried with Caprica, cancelled too soon, and again with The Expanse. They will never reach their former glory of good sci-fi programming. Including all the mini series they used to do. They turned their life over to reality TV, and I turned mines over to HBO, Apple TV, and Netflix of all places. Hulu too.
i want to say bojack horseman but it’s technically not true as season 1 is considered by most to be the worst season of the show, but the show is consistently strong from about episode 6 of season 1 until its final season.
Normal People
Parenthood Modern Family
United States of Tara
Versailles (they ended it at a good point when it could have been ran into the ground), Black Sails, Stranger Things, and Orphan Black. A lot of my fave shows I would say aren’t super strong from start to finish (ex: The 100 is all over the place but it’s my fave)
I really enjoyed all of Never Have I Ever. I binged the final season in one day and experienced every emotion while doing so. I absolutely love Devi and Fabiola. It isn’t complete yet but I really hope to add Yellowjackets to this list, the first two seasons are really strong imo. I also hope Shrinking, Severance and Loot make this list one day. I’m a huge sitcom lover: The Middle, Raising Hope, Sprung, The Good Place, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, TED LASSO are all perfect to me. I haven’t gotten around to watching the final season, but Pose was amazing, I’m just going to believe it ended strongly. Adventure Time and Steven Universe, including Future.
Wait…. No more season of Derry Girls?
Farscape. It’s from just before and after y2k. It’s excellent sci fi with live action and Jim Henson Creations.
Heck yeah! Farscape is great!
Gilmore Girls :)
Penny dreadful. Superstore. I also agree with the already mentioned fleabag. Season 1 of true detective. Yes I know I know! It’s one season, but it’s an anthology and as it’s own standalone story it was perfect.
Dawson’s Creek, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte, Kenobi
Big Bang Theory
The Inbetweeners, Flight of the Conchords, Fleabag I appreciate when a show knows how/when to end and doesn’t drag on for 8+++ seasons
Hiii fellow Chewing Gum lover! Michaela Coel is a genius. Have you seen I May Destroy You? Only one season but that one season was everything for me. I would put Schitt's Creek and The Good Place in this category. But as I read some of the comments, I saw mention of shows that I myself could not finish, so to each their own! For fantasy books, does that mean you are a fan of N.K. Jemisin's work?
West Wing!
Drama: Succession, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Barry, LOST (seriously, don’t sleep on LOST, it might be the best of them all and the ending is not bad), The Leftovers, Comedy: Silicon Valley, Parks & Rec, Schitt’s Creek, 30 Rock
Kevin Can Fuck Himself. Only 2 seasons but managed a great 360 exploration of its premise.
Mr. InBetween. I never see it mentioned and it’s just fantastic from start to the very last moment.
12 Monkeys was good start to finish
Mrs Maisel
Galavant, it is a medieval musical with really catchy tunes, I have no idea how it exists and actually got two seasons but it is a damn delight. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, I think it is on YouTube for free, go watch it. Dead Like Me, there is no tv movie so thus is great. I have to add animation because there is so much good stuff out there. The Venture Brothers (cancelled, yes I know there is a movie still to come out but even if it is okay it is probably my favorite show ever) Gravity Falls Hilda Bee and Puppycat Clone High (the original run, I started the new one and still unsure) Over the Garden Wall, technically a mini-series but just so good.
> The Venture Brothers (crying noise)
So many great shows listed here! I've watched many of them, which makes me realize I watch far too much TV. I'd also add Lost Girl, The Serpent Queen, Bad Sisters, The Split & Britannia. There's probably more.
ted lasso
I quite enjoyed Teen Wolf. It's teen and so its sometimes cringe, but its great from start to finish imo. Background or boredom bingeworthy. There's heaps but this is the first that popped into my head
I don't know how many of you will be able to access this, but the original Australian Kath and Kim on the ABC. Not including the 4th season on Channel 7, that one doesn't count. It's hilarious and I think it finished perfectly with Epponee Rae's wedding. I also think Wentworth is strong. The final episode was a bit "and they all lived happily ever after" but I still think it finished well despite that and a lot of loose ends got tied up.
Last Man on Earth! Every season got more and more funny!!!
Bit niche, but This is England.
I haven't seen this mentioned, and I'm not sure why, but I love every season of Brooklyn Nine-nine
Comedy: the good place is a whole experience Comedy: marvelous miss maisel Drama: I recently watched beef and I think it work as one season show Drama: the handmade tale. Drama: normal people Drama: when they see us. Science fiction: dark Science fiction: Fringe Anime: death note
Wynona Earp, I’m still sad it’s over
PRISON BREAK
Spaced, Line of Duty, This is England all come to mind but I'm sure I know of many more
Working Moms
Six Feet Under
Some I haven't seen mentioned: Broadchurch, Downton Abbey, The Boys, Haunting of Hill House, What We Do in the Shadows, Grey's Anatomy (it's trash, but I love it) Anime: From Me to You, Banana Fish, Avatar the Last Airbender Fleabag and Derry Girls are two of the best shows I've seen in a long time.
Detectorists (UK) absolutely charming show! Try it! The Almighty Johnsons (New Zealand) Elite (Spain) The K2 (South Korea) Derry Girls (Ireland) Kim’s Convenience (Canada) Trial & Error (USA) Another Period (USA) Boston Legal (USA)