TV Shows Favorite Shows

[The Hulk]

What are your favorite TV shows?

 

[Crystal]

Currently -- I'm not really watching anything, I catch the occasional episode of Manifest, that's about it.

Of all time -- The IT Crowd, Futurama, Scrubs, South Park, Man in the High Castle, etc.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Does anime count?

 

[Cole]

Does anime count?

No.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

No.

 

[Boots]

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)
Letterkenny (Hulu)
Anne with an E (Netflix)
Derry Girls (Netflix)
Halt & Catch Fire
1883 (Paramount+)
1923 (Paramount+
Yellowstone (Peacock)
Chernobyl (HBO)
The Bear (Hulu)
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
The Terminal List (Amazon Prime)
Normal People (Hulu)
The Office (Peacock)
Band of Brothers
Gilmore Girls (Netflix)
Everwood

Cartoons:
Bee & Puppycat (Netflix)
F is for Family (Netflix)
Gravity Falls (Hulu)

 

[Cole]

I love TV (former mod of the Television sub)

my favorites are too numerous to count.

24
The Simpson's
Futurama
Firefly
Supernatural
Buffy/Angel
Mad Men

and many many more

I'm currently watching Orange is the New Black for the first time.

 

[VashTheStampede]

1. Mad Men
2. Twin Peaks
3. The Sopranos
4. Better Call Saul
5. Deadwood
6. Justified
7. Succession
8. The Wire
9. The Shield
10. Mr. Show with Bob and David

...I keep ranked lists of all my favorite things...

 

[Boots]

OITNB is a good one. I watched that as is came out. Red is from Star Trek.

 

[Boots]

4. Better Call Saul

I liked BCS more than Breaking Bad! I just love Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn.

 

[VashTheStampede]

Rhea Seehorn was a revelation in that show! Can't wait to check out her new project.

 

[Cole]

1. Mad Men
2. Twin Peaks
3. The Sopranos
4. Better Call Saul
5. Deadwood
6. Justified
7. Succession
8. The Wire
9. The Shield
10. Mr. Show with Bob and David

...I keep ranked lists of all my favorite things...

I'm trying to get Frik to come post here now. This is like, 75% of his list of favorite shows lol

 

[Spiner202]

Somewhat in order: Seinfeld, Survivor, The Office, Kenny vs. Spenny, The Simpsons and Trailer Park Boys are probably the ones I rewatch the most.

Since COVID started, I have to admit that I've found more enjoyment than anyone should in trashy reality dating shows.

 

[Boots]

Love Is Blind @Spiner202 ? Lol

 

[Spiner202]

Love Is Blind @Spiner202 ? Lol

Great show! Honestly, it's probably the highest production value of all of these shows. I think my favourite show in this genre is Temptation Island. I would only recommend it if you're a true degenerate though.

 

[MRM]

Oh, Jesus…I had to build a media server just to host all my faves.

Um, let’s see (North) American shows? I guess…in top group order…

Top 5
Friends
King of the Hill
Seinfeld
King of Queens
The X-Files

Top 10
Final Space
TMNT (2012)
Rules of Engagement
Rick and Morty
The Sopranos

Top 20
West Wing
The Wire
Arrested Development
The Drew Carey Show
Everybody Loves Raymond
The Ranch
That 70’s Show
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
30 Rock
3rd Rock From the Sun

Top 20 Alternate
Parks and Rec

The Rest that are TOO GREAT to Not Mention:
Letterkenny
Ted Lasso
The Morning Show
The Larry Sanders Show
It’s Garry Schandling’s Show
Gary Unmarried
Norm ()
Golden Girls
Just Shoot Me
Home Improvement
House MD
Scrubs
Taboo
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Boy Meets World
Star Wars: Rebels
Vice Principals
Married…with Children

And that’s all I can think of right now. I’m sure I’ll have immense regret that I forgot some as soon as I post this

 

[Boots]

 

[Kat]

1. Mad Men
2. Twin Peaks
3. The Sopranos
4. Better Call Saul
5. Deadwood
6. Justified
7. Succession
8. The Wire
9. The Shield
10. Mr. Show with Bob and David

...I keep ranked lists of all my favorite things...

I just finished Succession (I hadn't started watching it until recently). At times I loved it and at others I barely resisted the urge to turn it off. I've always struggled to watch shows when the main characters are all terrible people, but it was never boring, that's for sure.

 

[VashTheStampede]

Yeah it's tough to watch shows with no one to root for sometimes. I love that one for the fantastic writing and acting. An amazing black comedy. But good God they're all horrible people.

 

[shortkut]

This is tougher than I thought it would be. I’m just going to mention the first few that come to mind as automatic rewatches as opposed to just loving it when I did the first watch through

In no particular order

Futurama
Scrubs
Brooklyn 99
Stargate sg-1
Marvelous mrs maisel
The good place - honestly, this is like the perfect show in terms of writing and plot. Not a single wasted episode with filler, however almost every episode can be watched and enjoyed as a stand-alone episode

 

[Kat]

Yeah it's tough to watch shows with no one to root for sometimes. I love that one for the fantastic writing and acting. An amazing black comedy. But good God they're all horrible people.

I agree completely. Tom was probably my favorite for being consistently hilarious. Like when Shiv pulled the whole "I don't think I'm a good fit for monogamous marriage" thing and his reaction was a calm, "oh, okay. [Pause] it would've been nice to know that before... our wedding night..." Or when he's showing Greg "how to be rich" and Greg asks why the vodka is $2000 a shot, and he goes, "no reason at all! We're being ripped off! Isn't it great?"

In a way, he was the least horrible of them all because at least he was self aware enough to know what he was.

 

[The Flame]

My favorite show of all time has always been the original U.S. version of Whose Line Is It Anyway. I know it's not THE original, but I have to say that now because they brought it back and let annoying ass Aisha Tyler host.

I haven't really watched much TV at all since like 2016ish tbh, but in terms of more recent shows it's hard to pick. In an effort to not go with the obvious Breaking Bad answer, I'll just say I was a big fan of Impractical Jokers. Guess I'm a sucker for improv. Another one that always comes to mind is Regular Show. It may not be as funny as Spongebob or any of the adult animated shows, but I've always loved everything about it as a whole. I wish it could've gone on longer, but I'm glad it got the finale it did and no one came along to ruin it beforehand. Also have to mention the early seasons of Pokemon just because no other show is capable of giving me such a deep, visceral reaction of nostalgia.

I'd like to be able to list off like a top 10 or whatever but there's way too many shows I'd never think of from several genres, so lemme just puke out a few things:
Favorite sitcom: King of Queens
Favorite talk show host: Conan
Show I loved that nobody's ever watched: China, IL
Random great show I thought of while typing this: Mythbusters
The only ongoing show I currently keep up with: Smiling Friends

 

[Spiner202]

My favorite show of all time has always been the original U.S. version of Whose Line Is It Anyway. I know it's not THE original, but I have to say that now because they brought it back and let annoying ass Aisha Tyler host.

I’m not sure about in the US, but in Canada, this version of the show has never been on any of our streaming services and it drives me crazy because it’s one of the best shows ever.

Some shows you can buy the individual seasons digitally through Apple but this also is not available there, so I haven’t seen it in years.

 

[The Flame]

Yeah unfortunately it's one of those shows that are just really hard to find legally. I remember I used to just watch it on some sketchy site that I had found by googling years ago.

 

[Mark]

I spent so much time catching up on shows I missed over the years during the pandemic. My girlfriend and I had a bit of a problem… I’ll dedicate a little bit of time on my absolute favorites, then list off some others.

First off, there’s South Park… I’ve seen every episode dozens of times. My grandma loved it, and spent years bedridden watching it along with other raunchy comedies like that. It always held a special place in my heart, and always will. Beyond that… it’s the only show I’ve watched since it began that has refused to cave into political correctness. They’re fair. They fuck with everyone.

The Wire. I only recently watched it a year or so ago, because when it first came out I was busy living it. Well written, but not entirely accurate in regards to the gang life shit, but the writers only go by what they know. For those of you that liked it, I strongly suggest watching “We Own This City”, it’s a sort-of follow-up, depicting a more modern BPD, based on a true story, and unfortunately, some of the cops I had to regularly deal with early on in the repo business. Wayne Jenkins even had an illegal tracker on a vehicle I repo’d that he was pretty butthurt about me not allowing him to retrieve because he didn’t have the proper documentation.

Then… there were the binge watch shows.

Dexter
Breaking Bad
Better Call Saul
Shameless
Kidding
Deadwood (Wu, San Francisco, cock-sucka)
Black Mirror
Live PD

I’m terrible at watching television, but it’s something we do to spend time together on our downtime at home.

 

[BigDaddy]

Before the streaming era
The Simpsons (Seasons 1-13) - Truly my favorite tv show of all time. So many random quotable quotes, hilarity, and heartfelt moments packed into all of these early era episodes. Just pure gold.
24 - Picked up watching this one on tv with the start of the 4th season and watched it all the way to the end, and caught up on what I missed via DVD. So much fun watching them when they aired with @Cole , @shortkut , and others.
South Park - This one came on the air at just the right time, when I was 11 years old. My dad not only let my older brother and I watch it, he watched it with us and took us to see the movie when it came out. I remember when we would never miss a new episode back in the day.
Doug (the Nickelodeon seasons) - My favorite childhood show. Re-watched the series a few years ago and it still holds up. One of the original Nicktoons along with Ren and Stimpy and Rugrats. Rugrats got the most popular, and Ren and Stimpy was more zany and over the top, but Doug is the sweet spot for me. Subtle humor, laid back, and yet had moments of absurdity and surrealism. Lots of relatable stories of everyday kid life.
Firefly - Only one season, but definitely quality over quantity with this one. I didn't see it when it aired, but I have watched it through on DVD at least a couple times, and I'm way overdue for another watch. This show makes me think of my childhood best friend because it's exactly the sort of show he would love, and I know we would have talked about it and quoted it back then had it been made in the 90s.

During the streaming era
Gravity Falls - I remember randomly catching a couple episodes of this on regular tv back in like 2012 or so and being pleasantly surprised at how good it was, and I felt like it would have fit right in with the 90s Nicktoons. Finally watched the whole thing a couple times years later. I wasn't surprised to learn that the creator was born the same year as me, as he seemed influenced by our childhood shows. The combination of jokes and mystery with the story is just perfect.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Aired after my Nick days were over, but after hearing great things about it from a content creator many years later, I checked it out on Netflix and was hooked. A great story, characters, action, animation, and even some good laughs, the whole package.
The Good Place - I'll echo what kut said. It was cool that they were able to wrap up the story and not needlessly drag it out.
Breaking Bad - The first show I binged when I got Netflix. Haven't watched it since, but it was really really good.
Better Call Saul - Recently finished this one, and while there may be some recency bias, I would have no qualms with saying I enjoyed it even more than Breaking Bad.
Parks and Recreation - Heard a lot about this one and The Office when they were on tv but hadn't watched them. They were two of the first shows I watched through when I got Netflix. I have to say I much prefer Parks over Office.
30 Rock - A zanier Parks, this show is always a good time. I actually never finished it for some reason, so I'll have to get back to it at some point.
Brooklyn 99 - Also a lot of fun, but I'm only in Season 3 so far.

Game show section
Jeopardy - This show never seemed to air at a convenient time for me to watch it regularly, but I always loved when I caught it. So fun to play along, and I loved how the clues more often than not gave you a chance to figure out the answer.
Wheel of Fortune - The one game show I feel like I could actually have a chance to win. Though I'd probably get nervous and blow it.

Norm

Now there's a show I need to watch. I love Norm. I actually bought the series on DVD several years ago, just never got around to watching it. I'll have to do that.

 

[Cole]

Before the streaming era
The Simpsons (Seasons 1-13) - Truly my favorite tv show of all time. So many random quotable quotes, hilarity, and heartfelt moments packed into all of these early era episodes. Just pure gold.
24 - Picked up watching this one on tv with the start of the 4th season and watched it all the way to the end, and caught up on what I missed via DVD. So much fun watching them when they aired with @Cole , @shortkut , and others.
South Park - This one came on the air at just the right time, when I was 11 years old. My dad not only let my older brother and I watch it, he watched it with us and took us to see the movie when it came out. I remember when we would never miss a new episode back in the day.
Doug (the Nickelodeon seasons) - My favorite childhood show. Re-watched the series a few years ago and it still holds up. One of the original Nicktoons along with Ren and Stimpy and Rugrats. Rugrats got the most popular, and Ren and Stimpy was more zany and over the top, but Doug is the sweet spot for me. Subtle humor, laid back, and yet had moments of absurdity and surrealism. Lots of relatable stories of everyday kid life.
Firefly - Only one season, but definitely quality over quantity with this one. I didn't see it when it aired, but I have watched it through on DVD at least a couple times, and I'm way overdue for another watch. This show makes me think of my childhood best friend because it's exactly the sort of show he would love, and I know we would have talked about it and quoted it back then had it been made in the 90s.

During the streaming era
Gravity Falls - I remember randomly catching a couple episodes of this on regular tv back in like 2012 or so and being pleasantly surprised at how good it was, and I felt like it would have fit right in with the 90s Nicktoons. Finally watched the whole thing a couple times years later. I wasn't surprised to learn that the creator was born the same year as me, as he seemed influenced by our childhood shows. The combination of jokes and mystery with the story is just perfect.
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Aired after my Nick days were over, but after hearing great things about it from a content creator many years later, I checked it out on Netflix and was hooked. A great story, characters, action, animation, and even some good laughs, the whole package.
The Good Place - I'll echo what kut said. It was cool that they were able to wrap up the story and not needlessly drag it out.
Breaking Bad - The first show I binged when I got Netflix. Haven't watched it since, but it was really really good.
Better Call Saul - Recently finished this one, and while there may be some recency bias, I would have no qualms with saying I enjoyed it even more than Breaking Bad.
Parks and Recreation - Heard a lot about this one and The Office when they were on tv but hadn't watched them. They were two of the first shows I watched through when I got Netflix. I have to say I much prefer Parks over Office.
30 Rock - A zanier Parks, this show is always a good time. I actually never finished it for some reason, so I'll have to get back to it at some point.
Brooklyn 99 - Also a lot of fun, but I'm only in Season 3 so far.

Game show section
Jeopardy - This show never seemed to air at a convenient time for me to watch it regularly, but I always loved when I caught it. So fun to play along, and I loved how the clues more often than not gave you a chance to figure out the answer.
Wheel of Fortune - The one game show I feel like I could actually have a chance to win. Though I'd probably get nervous and blow it.


Now there's a show I need to watch. I love Norm. I actually bought the series on DVD several years ago, just never got around to watching it. I'll have to do that.

this is my reminder for later or tomorrow to make a more analyzed post like this for my shows

 

[Boots]

Firefly - Only one season, but definitely quality over quantity with this one. I didn't see it when it aired, but I have watched it through on DVD at least a couple times, and I'm way overdue for another watch. This show makes me think of my childhood best friend because it's exactly the sort of show he would love, and I know we would have talked about it and quoted it back then had it been made in the 90s.

It's so good. It's on Hulu in the correct order.

 

[shortkut]

I got the firefly dvd set on Amazon back during the IRC days because it was on sale for less than $10 and everyone kept saying it was amazing. I’m pretty sure the most vocal in favor of me watching it were tworowkat and possibly @VashTheStampede. It was well worth the money

 

[VashTheStampede]

I got the firefly dvd set on Amazon back during the IRC days because it was on sale for less than $10 and everyone kept saying it was amazing. I’m pretty sure the most vocal in favor of me watching it were tworowkat and possibly @VashTheStampede. It was well worth the money

That does sound like me, used to be quite obsessed with that show. Still love it a lot. #13 on my favorite shows list.

 

[Cole]

I got the firefly dvd set on Amazon back during the IRC days because it was on sale for less than $10 and everyone kept saying it was amazing. I’m pretty sure the most vocal in favor of me watching it were tworowkat and possibly @VashTheStampede. It was well worth the money

yes, Kat was a huge pusher of Firefly, as was Daft Frik. I resisted for so long. "space western? no thanks". then I got bored enough to just watch it and I immediately fell in love.

when I was taking care of my mom, I obviously watched a lot of TV, often re watching my favorite shows. if I couldn't figure out what show to marathon next, I'd just put firefly on in between.

ill love it every time, laugh, be sad, love the ride.

it's my ultimate confort show. I love it to death.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I spent so much time catching up on shows I missed over the years during the pandemic. My girlfriend and I had a bit of a problem… I’ll dedicate a little bit of time on my absolute favorites, then list off some others.

First off, there’s South Park… I’ve seen every episode dozens of times. My grandma loved it, and spent years bedridden watching it along with other raunchy comedies like that. It always held a special place in my heart, and always will. Beyond that… it’s the only show I’ve watched since it began that has refused to cave into political correctness. They’re fair. They fuck with everyone.

The Wire. I only recently watched it a year or so ago, because when it first came out I was busy living it. Well written, but not entirely accurate in regards to the gang life shit, but the writers only go by what they know. For those of you that liked it, I strongly suggest watching “We Own This City”, it’s a sort-of follow-up, depicting a more modern BPD, based on a true story, and unfortunately, some of the cops I had to regularly deal with early on in the repo business. Wayne Jenkins even had an illegal tracker on a vehicle I repo’d that he was pretty butthurt about me not allowing him to retrieve because he didn’t have the proper documentation.

Then… there were the binge watch shows.

Dexter
Breaking Bad
Better Call Saul
Shameless
Kidding
Deadwood (Wu, San Francisco, cock-sucka)
Black Mirror
Live PD

I’m terrible at watching television, but it’s something we do to spend time together on our downtime at home.

I am at this moment watching the Wire, I re-watch it yearly.

Also it is very hard for me to say the words "San Francisco" without following it with "cock-sucka".

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

1. Simpson's (it's funny that it could be number one when I haven't seen much of the last 15 seasons. That's wild to think about). The first 8 are peak TV and then it starts fairly strong until season 13 for me. After that I followed it until the movie in 2017... Since then, not really.

2. 30 Rock. Tiny Fey killed it here acting and writing. The show has some of the funniest characters in TV history (Tracy Jordan, Dr Spaceman, Dennis Duffy, Wesley Snipes) and all the guest stars hit. The jokes come faster than anything not named Airplane! and almost all of them are hilarious.

3. Futurama (the first run). Not a big fan of the reboots but the original 5 season run is hard to beat by anything else. The perfect blend of funny and storytelling.

After that it gets hard because the rest are so similar in shows I watched

The office - the first 3 seasons are incredible, then it fizzles out.

Parks and recs - consistently good the entire way but never amazing. It did give use the worst people in the world though. The Sapersteins.

Brooklyn 99 is my ideal comedy style but it is inconsistent. I love Andy Samberg and Melissa Fullermo is my absolute crush on that show. But the real star is Captain Holt. Definitely top tier character in anything I've ever seen.

King of the Hill is a slow burn and so rewatchable. It doesn't leave any impact for me though. Same with South Park.

Andor is the best thing I've seen recently.

 

[Mark]

I am at this moment watching the Wire, I re-watch it yearly.

Also it is very hard for me to say the words "San Francisco" without following it with "cock-sucka".

You really gotta give We Own This City a watch then. Same director.

 

[VashTheStampede]

You really gotta give We Own This City a watch then. Same director.

Yeah, it's on my to-do list. Plus I think Jon Bernthal is in it, and he's one of those actors that I'll try watching pretty much anything if he's in it.

 

[shortkut]

Before the streaming era
24 - Picked up watching this one on tv with the start of the 4th season and watched it all the way to the end, and caught up on what I missed via DVD. So much fun watching them when they aired with @Cole , @shortkut , and others.

That was must watch TV. I think it was season 5 that had the best moves if I remember correctly, but I no longer have the list you and I would make.

I do remember tie-pull, truck-leach, and coma-veto

 

[Cole]

That was must watch TV. I think it was season 5 that had the best moves if I remember correctly, but I no longer have the list you and I would make.

I do remember tie-pull, truck-leach, and coma-veto

I am excited to redo my list tomorrow and perhaps even put them in order. there are so many shows I love, 24 doesn't always make the best show to do rewatches of, but it is still my favorite TV experience of all time.

seasons 3, 4 and 5 were the best ones, 4 was probably the one we started naming moves when BD got involved.

season 5 however had the first triple move, I forget what it was, I'm sure @BigDaddy has it, but it's when Jack saves Audrey at the terrorist compound.

I think. my memories gone fuzzy.

 

[shortkut]

I am excited to redo my list tomorrow and perhaps even put them in order. there are so many shows I love, 24 doesn't always make the best show to do rewatches of, but it is still my favorite TV experience of all time.

seasons 3, 4 and 5 were the best ones, 4 was probably the one we started naming moves when BD got involved.

season 5 however had the first triple move, I forget what it was, I'm sure @BigDaddy has it, but it's when Jack saves Audrey at the terrorist compound.

I think. my memories gone fuzzy.

I agree season 4 was probably the best season, however season 5 is when we all started watching every episode together in real time and chatting during it, which makes it my favorite season just for those memories

 

[BigDaddy]

1. Simpson's (it's funny that it could be number one when I haven't seen much of the last 15 seasons. That's wild to think about). The first 8 are peak TV and then it starts fairly strong until season 13 for me. After that I followed it until the movie in 2017... Since then, not really.

Exactly. It kind of needs its own thread, as I feel like there is so much to discuss about the golden age of the show.

2. 30 Rock. Tiny Fey killed it here acting and writing. The show has some of the funniest characters in TV history (Tracy Jordan, Dr Spaceman, Dennis Duffy, Wesley Snipes) and all the guest stars hit. The jokes come faster than anything not named Airplane! and almost all of them are hilarious.

I need to watch this show again. It really is genius. I still randomly think about the reveal and introduction of Dr. Spaceman (that he is a real person and the pronunciation of his name).

That was must watch TV. I think it was season 5 that had the best moves if I remember correctly, but I no longer have the list you and I would make.

I do remember tie-pull, truck-leach, and coma-veto

Indeed. The ones you named were from Season 6, which I think is when we actually started naming them. I have the list and I'll have to send it to you and Cole.

I am excited to redo my list tomorrow and perhaps even put them in order. there are so many shows I love, 24 doesn't always make the best show to do rewatches of, but it is still my favorite TV experience of all time.

seasons 3, 4 and 5 were the best ones, 4 was probably the one we started naming moves when BD got involved.

season 5 however had the first triple move, I forget what it was, I'm sure @BigDaddy has it, but it's when Jack saves Audrey at the terrorist compound.

I think. my memories gone fuzzy.

I think I started watching with you all sometime during Season 5 (which was 2006 when we first became friends), but I think the naming of moves started with Season 6. I'm not sure what the triple move was, unless you're referring to tripping neck snap, which was Season 6.

 

[BigDaddy]

I agree season 4 was probably the best season, however season 5 is when we all started watching every episode together in real time and chatting during it, which makes it my favorite season just for those memories

Season 4 is memorable because it was the first one I watched, but yeah, 5 is special for being when we all started watching together. I think it's generally regarded as the peak of the show as well. It's possible we named moves at some point that season and maybe just didn't keep track of them.

 

[Boots]

Freaks and Geeks was another good show that only had 1 season.

I too resisted Firefly for many years. I finally watched it and Serenity in 2018 or 2019, with my fiance (boyfriend at the time)'s encouragement. My brother loved it when it first aired on TV, but I thought it was like Stargate or Battlestar Galactica.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

I loved Freaks and Geeks and like to pretend that it is canon to all of them going into acting careers with Franco hitting it the biggest but Jason Segel dark horsing it with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You Man.

Then good old Bill becoming a legend in Silicon Valley.

 

[Boots]

Cole and Mark these days.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

Hahahaha, oh Cindy Sanders. "I'm going to get high on life!" is one of my favorite quotes to ironically/and unironically use from time to time.

 

[Cole]

okay, I said I was gonna do a more analytical recap of my favorite shows. well lets do just that!

I like rewatching shows (I was told its an anxiety thing, I know how its gonna end so I dont worry, Idk, but the point is most of this list are the shows I've watched more than once).

24: Top of the list, and always will be. This show is NOT the best show to rewatch, not only is it long (as every season has a guaranteed 24 episodes), but its SO week-to-week that missing any episode or half falling asleep or not paying attention can ruin an entire season. I was a big wrestling fan for many years, notably in the late 90s and early 00s. 24 used to air on Tuesdays. But when it switch to Mondays opposite WWF Raw, I started to not watch Raw just to watch 24. I chose 24. a season or two later, Ice Cold and I started watching it together, we'd run back to the computer at commercials (yes young'uns if there are any here, we couldn't always pause our TV shows) to talk about whatever happened and then race back. Eventually that group expanded, and eventually it even expanded to an IRC channel. We'd meet up every Monday to watch, shortkut and BigDaddy (and occasionally me) started "naming" the cool moves that Jack did. Never had I had a "social" show before. It was an awesome time period of television.

The Simpsons: what more can I even say that Tom and BigDaddy haven't? the early seasons up to about 13 amount to some of the most perfect television ever created. if you consider yourself on a "casual" Simpsons fan, I want you to think about all your favorite episodes, and I can guarantee you they're probably all in the span of 2 or 3 seasons. And if you ever sat down and just marathoned all of, say, season 5, you'd realize *every single episode* is a hit. It is comedy perfection in my mind. The later seasons have still had their moments, the biggest reason I *never* watch newer episodes now, is because hearing Julie Kavners voice so destroyed from years of playing Marge, Selma and Patty makes me sad t o watch.

Futurama: Similar to The Simpsons, except that the movies and newer episodes were still pretty fucking good. But the first 5 seasons are nearly perfect television. Simpsons 2-13, there really isn't a "miss" among them, Futurama 1-5 however, there's a *couple* episodes I don't completely love, but almost universally the rest of them are full hits. If you made me choose between the two, Simpsons would win, but it would be a tough internal debate, I love Futurama that much. For years I would fall asleep to the first 5 seasons on repeat, I later found out on reddit that there were a LOT of people that fell asleep to Futurama. Because there's less content in Futurama than in the Simpsons (even only counting prime eras), I can quote nearly every single episode. You name a scene, and I'll probably have a quote for it.

Firefly: "Its a space western, but I swear, it's not as weird as it sounds!" was the pitch I got from like 5 or 6 different people. "Eh... no thanks, I don't think its really my thing" "Nah, someone else mentioned it, I dont think I'd like it" "yeah, people tell me all the time, I've considered it, but not real sold" "OKAY, FINE, I'LL FUCKING TRY IT". (12-15 hours later) ...alright I get it now. The show has surprisingly great action, considering the technological era in which it was made, it is WAY funnier than you expect it to be (and it's not in your face one liners, but sight gags and great writing). Its well written, and given its early cancelation, it is one of the few shows that just kept me wanting more after. I say this mostly as a joke, but also smewhat true, EVERY time I do a Firefly rewatch I get to the end and think "theres more th is time, right?" like just that glimmer of hope i slipped into a universe where Firefly had 10 glorious seasons.

Supernatural: Almost in the same vein of Firefly, a lot of people pitched Supernatural to me. But its a show starring two rather attractive gentleman, and I knew it was (lol obviously) supernatural in nature. "That's a chick show, no thanks". Then I started watching it. I'm not the type that laughs out loud at a whole lot. But Supernatural has the power to make you laugh AND cry in the span of a single episode. The first 5 seasons (which was the intended original run of the show) have one of the best overarching stories I've ever watched, it all comes together so marvelously. And the rest of the 15 total seasons stayed fairly fresh and good throughout. The series finale (which I watched with SythPT who I believe is on vacation but will probably join when he comes back) and it's one of the hardest I've ever cried at a TV show. One of my favorite things about the show, and even if this sounds weird, its one of the reasons I love it, the ENTIRE CAST still love each other to this day. Not just the main characters, but side characters, one off characters, there's almost no drama that has EVER come out of that show (which isnt something other long running shows can say). The family feeling of the entire cast makes me feel great about it.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel: I have to put both of these together. For those not in the know, Angel was a spinoff series from Buffy. This is another example of a show I thought was definitely a "chick show" and didn't want to watch. But much later, I stumbled on Angel and at the time, I didn't even realize it was a spinoff, but I very much enjoyed it. I watched it compeletely through, and then learned what it was from. I finally watched Buffy. It's a "chick show" in the sense that at its core is a strong woman who doesn't ever need the help, she can always get the job done. The writing is AMAZINGLY good, the show added words to the lexicon of the world, idioms, phrases, slang. The characters were deeply written, and many had really amazing arcs. The action was a bit camp at times, especially in the really early seasons, but as time went on (even in the late 90s) the action and SFX still got to a really good place. The story top to bottom is great, and watching both of these shows together intertwined as they originally aired is a fun experience.

Mad Men: I don't typically love period pieces. I'd rather watch modern shows (at least modern to when they were released), but what can you say about Mad Men? It won countless awards, and I'm sure most people here have at least heard of it. The writing is top notch, the acting is top notch, the costume design, the time period jokes, the events that it "covered", all of it top notch. Most shows, even the ones I love most, I can look at and say "okay that's where it started to dip" or "yeah that season wasnt so great" but Mad Men is pretty amazing beginning to end.

Dexter: I have a habit of being somewhat of an "apologist" for the TV shows I like. Some people say only the fi rst 3 seasons of Dexter were good, and they were *amazing*, but I enjoyed the whole series. On recent rewatch, the final season is NOT that bad, the only bad part is the final episode. It's JUST the final episode that left people with a sour taste, if you were to go back and rewatch, the season isnt as bad as you might have once thought it was.

Game of Thrones: I'M GONNA FUCKING SAY IT. Yes its one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I bet almost every person in this thread to make this list would have included it if it weren't for the last season or two. But I disagree. The last season had a lot of faults, it was rushed, there were errors. But it was still the natural progression of the story. Everything that happened was ALWAYS going to happen, and anyone that didn't see that wasn't wathcing the right show. (If anyone wants to have this debate in a spoiler-allowed thread, I am happy to, but warning, I WILL DEFEND THIS SHOW DAMNIT)

The Mentalist: Police procedurals can get old, I know, and they're not everyones cup of tea. The Mentalist is in a very specific group of police procedurals, the "quirky investigator". Monk, Psych, The Mentalist, Castle all fit in this category and were all started roughly around the same time. All are good, The Mentalist is great. the gist is a former carnie turned "Spiritual Medium" has his wife and child murdered by a serial killer he was helping the police to "catch" using his "psychic powers". He obviously falls apart, and through a series of events begins working with the California Bureau of Investigation as a special investigator. Instead of pretending to be a psychic, now he just admits he's a master at manipulation, cold reading, and other "stage magic" type tricks, and uses those to either read the suspect, or trick them into confessing. The show is extremely well done, Simon Baker is fantastic and plays the role excellently, and each case is enjoyable. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out whodoneits (check the Wolf thread if you dont believe me!) but the Mentalist often kept me wondering until the end on many many episodes.

Dr. Who: of the revived series, seasons 1-7 are some of my favorite television ever. the overarching story of those seasons was SUCH a mesmerizing trip to watch. Watching the way plot points came together for a big finale was so incredibly rewarding. Theres a chunk of episodes in the first 2 or 3 seasons I don't much care for, and sometimes even skip, but even THOSE episodes had plot relevant moments in them. After Matt Smith left, I had trouble staying in the show, and have since given it up, but its still a favorite to rewatch and is always a fun journey each time. I learn new things every time I watch.

Burn Notice: the last show I'll give a real specific shoutout too is Burn Notice. FUN FACT, I used to want to be a spy when I was a kid. That was the only "what did you wanna be when you grow up" I really ever had. (then I got my ear pierced when I was 13 and found out you get rejected from an application to the CIA for body piercings or tattoos, I was heartbroken, then much MUCH later when it was far too late, I found out they weren't THAT strict with it that it was a guaranteed no.) I love spy shows, I love spy movies, and Burn Notice is one of my favorites. its sort of like macguyver, except with authentic sounding spy "advice" strewn throughout. fun characters, a fun storyline, and amazing action. its at the bottom of *this* l ist for no particular reason, but it is very close to the top of my list with 24, at least for non-comedy cartoons. I love this show, and it too is one of my favorite TV experiences.

----

There's DOZENS of other shows I love as strongly as these I could do writeups for, and if interested, I would gladly do it. but for now, here's a few of my honorable mentions that I love for one reason or another.

Whose Line Is it Anyway? (US Original run: the funniest show to ever air on television, period), Charmed (Alyssa Milano), Leverage (Oceans 11 but every episode), Smallville (one of my favorite superhero adaptations PERIOD, including MCU (and I love the MCU) also @Singin Hobo and I used to recap each episode on AIM when we watched it), The 4400 (what started as a 4 episode mini series, wound up with 4 seasons. this show was cancelled prematurely too, there was a lot more story to tell, and I hate it), The Boys (newer show, but fuck its so incredible), FUCK man, Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles, Prison Break, Mindhunter, Las Vegas, Good Omens, Fringe, Fastlane, the list goes on.

Enjoy!

 

[shortkut]

The Mentalist: Police procedurals can get old, I know, and they're not everyones cup of tea. The Mentalist is in a very specific group of police procedurals, the "quirky investigator". Monk, Psych, The Mentalist, Castle all fit in this category and were all started roughly around the same time.

I really enjoyed the mentalist, and the others, but if I had to rank them: 1. psych 2. Monk 3. Mentalist (quality dropped off a lot near the end and the final conclusion was underwhelming), castle (last few season are complete ass)

 

[Cole]

I disagree on the order personally.

Mentalist (

Spoiler

after red John was killed I agree the show had less direction, but I still felt like it was good after that

)

Castle (I agree it dropped off a little, but I still enjoyed it a lot)

Monk (I cried at the ending, and something many don't know about me is I am a diagnosed obsessive compulsive, and I very much appreciated the "realization" of a character like that)

Psych (I actually lost interest after a few seasons. the other 3 shows are dramas with a respectable amount of comedy, psych was more comedy than drama, and I just lost interest in the show)

 

[Boots]

I like rewatching shows (I was told its an anxiety thing, I know how its gonna end so I dont worry

Exactly. I'm 7 seasons into rewatching Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time.

 

[BigDaddy]

Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel

I remember you telling me how good these were, and they have been on my to watch list for a while. I have too many things on that list.

Game of Thrones: I'M GONNA FUCKING SAY IT. Yes its one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I bet almost every person in this thread to make this list would have included it if it weren't for the last season or two. But I disagree. The last season had a lot of faults, it was rushed, there were errors. But it was still the natural progression of the story. Everything that happened was ALWAYS going to happen, and anyone that didn't see that wasn't wathcing the right show. (If anyone wants to have this debate in a spoiler-allowed thread, I am happy to, but warning, I WILL DEFEND THIS SHOW DAMNIT)

Fair assessment. I don't remember all the details of everything that happened and of what led to the ending, but from what I remember, I agree the general direction of everything was heading to that conclusion. People didn't like it, but it was inevitable. I don't think they were ever going to satisfy everyone. I started to watch the show and read the books a little before Season 4 started. I eventually caught up before the end of the show, and I had a friend who would host a group of us to watch the new episodes each week for the last couple seasons. It made for a really fun experience. The ending didn't really bother me at all, as at that point it was just an entertaining show to watch in a group. Sure, it wasn't as good as the first few seasons, but it was fun.

 

[MrDawn]

What are your favorite TV shows?

• Game of Thrones
• House of The Dragon
• Westworld
• The Last of Us
• ROME
• The Strain
• Highlander: The Series
• Fringe
• Breaking Bad
• The Boys
• Supernatural
• Penny Dreadful

Anime:

• Rahxephon
• Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex / Ghost in The Shell: RISE
• Guyver: Bioboosted Armor
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Evangelion Rebuild
• Claymore
• Hellsing: Ultimate
• Attack on Titan
• Death Note
• One Punch Man
• Deadman Wonderland
• Dot Hack