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With the advent of Netflix, etc., the whole domestic entertainment landscape has changed. Old styled TV had begun to really improve (think Sopranos or Mad Men), but streaming services have taken it to an entirely different level.
So, without comment or the need to defend your choices, list three series that have really stuck out for you in the last few years.
In no particular order, these are mine:
1. Seven Seconds
2. Dark
3. Stranger Things
I might have included Ozark as well.
Recent:
Man in the High Castle.
Black Sails.
Vikings. (But it’s tailed off now)
Old:
Babylon 5.
The Shield.
Californication
Breaking bad
GOT. Though we will see if it continues.
Too many to list really. Great TV has ruined good TV to an extent. So many great options to choose from it's hard enough getting through them. There must be a lot of good TV not getting watched.
GoT
Better Call Saul
Breaking Bad
Blimey, not seen any of the above! Saw some BB, didn’t get on with it. Same with Stranger Things. Thought it was a kids’ programme.
For me:
Top of the Lake
Tin Star
older - True Detective and Generation Kill.
Still thinking OMG about the end of Man in the High Castle 18 months after I watched it
Californication
banshee
The punisher
Enders.
Vikings
Hell on Wheels
The Wire
The singing detective.
red riding.
GBH
Edge of Darkness
The Wire
first series of The Killing (Danish one, not the shite remake)
Fargo
Can we include Sky Atlantic ?
Tin Star
Westworld
and now Sharp Objects
The Shield - it was dark to start with, but in seasons 6 and 7 everything starts to unravel to a mind-screwing way for everyone involved. The machinations of people trying to save their own skin at all costs is gripping and stays with you.
Line of Duty (having only watched the first couple): Sharp, efficient and laced with real darkness.
Handmaid's Tale: the first season was grim in a thought-provoking way. The second is clearly written by TV writers, so it's grim in a "ewww" way.
Stranger Things S1.
Black Mirror.
- Bloodline (Season 1)
- Making A Murderer
- Nobel
Children of the Stones, the scariest experience of my life.
A Very Peculiar Practice.
Boys from the Blackstuff.
James Burke's 'Connections' was great as a kid.
Great call on Top of the Lake. I’m still thinking about that one months on...
The Wire (still far ahead of anything else I’ve seen)
Fargo
True Detective
Braking bad
Alias grace
Dark
The Wire
The Sopranos
Band of Brothers
Vikings
Westworld S1 (Haven't seen S2)
Hip Hop Evolution
Ken Burns' The Civil War
Daredevil S1
Line of Duty
Taboo
Going old school...
Ultraviolet
Quatermass
Twin Peaks
The X-Files
and +1 for A Very Peculiar Practice
The Alienist
Last Kingdom
Tin Star
edit: Empire, Penny Black
GoT (though the series is much more of a switch off and watch the special effects sort of thing these days)
Peaky Blinders
Man in the High Castle (can series 3 hurry up!)
Band of Brothers
Stranger things (first season was much better though)
Black Mirror (though I don't particularity enjoy the dark for the sake of dark take on things, even if it is intended to mimic and parody current social trends and society)
13 Reasons Why (again a bit overly dark and graphic imo, especially given the target audience, but thought provoking and it stuck with me)
Buffy
Not a huge TV watcher, but The Shield was incredible. First expero of binge watching. My dad lent me the first series dvd, I got in deep and torrented the other 6 seasons on pirate bay until I got a cease or desist letter from Fox or whoever.
More recently, Detectorists just struck a chord. English countryside, obscure references, social awkwardness...
Sons of anarchy
breaking bad
babylon berlin
sneaky pete
Stumbled across some YouTube clips of Coupling recently and was reminded of just how funny it was/is.
OK then, being as every most ppl are breaking the rules, there is one other I have to add:
I Love Dick (Amazon Prime Video)
Kathryn Hahn and Kevin Bacon play it perfectly. Funny as hell. Only 30 mins per episode. You will marathon it.
As we're cheating....
Vikings for the first few seasons
I forgot about peaky blinders. Excellent.
Probably the first 5 seasons of Sons of Anarchy before it got extra daft.
I have only just looked back at the rules. Only 3, and had to be recent!! Since I ignored them once, I will do so again to add to my list. I was considering series that captivated me from start to finish, Westworld being the exception not having the opportunity to watch S2 yet. I will add:-
Samurai Champloo
Cowboy Bebop
Firefly
Farscape
Orphan Black
Babylon 5
Dodgem
Buffy
The Racoons
The Wire
Love / Hate
The Shield
Old series:
M*A*S*H*
X-Files
Buffy
Looking After Jojo
(Wow, The Racoons: Yes.)
Wil E Coyote and Roadrunner
Maelstrom (someone reminded me of it the other day).
Stablazers
Ulysses (as memorable for it's never ending story)
Dungeons and Dragons (see Ulysses)
New/more recent series:
GOT
Stranger things
Happy valley
Stranger things
Tin star
Goliath (Amazon)
The Shield
Many of the above, only slightly cheating with my third choice 🙂
True Detective
the Bridge
The Wire
Vikings
Man In The High Castle
Mr Robot
Don't watch much TV but those 3 had me binge watching like mad!
The Wire
Band of Brothers
Deadwood
I can think of a few more but none of them first aired on streaming services, though The Wire and Deadwood are HBO so went out originally on a subscription channel.
Utopia is the best telly I've watched - very unsettling and just beautiful to look at/listen to
Stranger Things S1 - seemed to have everything to hook the wife and I. Disappointed with S2 but that's not unusual
Utopia was amazing. Not on streaming but Carnivale was also pretty awesome.
Another for Utopia, deeply disturbing and I was genuinly terrified of Arby (not a spoiler if you've not seen it) Tells you everything you need to know in the first 10 minutes that you'll never step foot in a comic shop again.
Black Mirror can be a bit like that at times too
Going to edit my choice to
The Wire
Love / Hate
The Returned (batshit crazy French series)
The Wire (from first showing)
Carnivale
Deadwood
Honourable mention: Babylon 5, Farscape, Firefly, Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies.
Phoenix nights, the greatest comedy series ever made.