Favorite Television Shows

It has been quite some time since I updated this list of favorites, and my tastes have adapted and changed. For example, Fawlty Towers, which I used to adore, I now find nearly unwatchable. And, of course, I’ve seen all sorts of new shows. I'm also not including shows that are currently ongoing (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for example). That said, here are my newest twenty favorite shows, roughly ranked, in order both of regular series and miniseries:

First-Tier Shows:

 

Connections

Still one of the best things ever put on television. Increasingly dated, of course, but the ideas and the history lessons still hold, as do the important messages about humanity, our past, and our future. James Burke guides the viewer through all the twists and turns that led to the late 20^th century, in all of its staggering, and dangerous, complexity.

 

Planet Earth / Blue Planet

David Attenborough is a treasure, and these two series, and their follow-ups, make for one of the most spectacular documentary feats. Sprawling in scope, the show’s global reach can sometimes still fall into the standard patterns of animal behavior, which can feel repetitive. Overall, though, the breathtaking vistas, astonishing diversity, and peculiar habits make for endlessly entertaining viewing.

 

Firefly

I have a thing for short shows – the longer they last, the more likely you’re going to be disappointed. Arcs become confused, threads get lost, character development stalls. This abruptly-canceled sci-fi western therefore avoids all that, by being only one season (with a movie that finishes the story). Joss Whedon was fresh off of Buffy when he made this. and we all learned who Alan Tudyk was.

 

Avatar: The Last Airbender

One of the finest pieces of character development and storytelling. The show produced three seasons of beautiful world-building, drama, and comedy. Avatar is epic in scope, without feeling overwhelming, and full of heart. It was followed by The Legend of Korra, which has its moments, but doesn’t live up to the original series.

 

The West Wing

Aaron Sorkin’s work was never better (The Newsroom was somewhat close, though). An incredible ensemble cast navigates amazing dialogue and marvelously-crafted plots. After four seasons the show wobbled for a bit, especially in a rough patch through the end of the fifth and start of the sixth season. That said, the show ended so strongly, with Jimmy Smitts and Alan Alda duking it out for President, it managed to redeem itself.

 

Coupling (UK)

This turn-of-the-millennium BBC comedy allowed Steven Moffat to stretch his writing talents in top-notch comedy. The episodes are still laugh-out-loud funny twenty years on, which is always the mark of a top-tier sitcom, in my opinion. Many of the cast have gone on to more visible and memorable roles, and Moffat went on to make Sherlock and Dr. Who.

 

The Prisoner

A show that was way ahead of its time. Intellectually more on par with programs decades later (like Lost) The Prisoner combined mystery, wit, and science fiction. Patrick McGoohan subverted the Cold War spy tropes of the day and delved into uncharted psychological territory for television. In the final few episodes, it launched into a whole new realm, far beyond anything television had tackled up to that point.

 

BoJack Horseman

Over six series this show provides a rollercoaster of very challenging and sometimes hilarious viewing. As the themes delve ever-darker, and the story becomes all the more uncomfortable we have to reckon over, and over, with the morality and actions of our ‘protagonist’. It isn’t always easy, but the majority of the series is great television.

 

Daria

A flawed masterpiece, Daria takes some time to warm-up. A high-school comedy, Daria is the unpopular girl who is different because she’s smart and bored, and her best friend Jane is unpopular because she’s a legitimate artist - who is also bored. They have a non-clichéd relationship, which was fairly rare for the time, surrounded by characters who you may find all-too-familiar…

 

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

Unlike Connections, Cosmos really is increasingly hampered by its age. Carl Sagan provided some needed updates, around a decade later, but much has changed since those updates in the early 1990s. The fundamentals remain excellent, however, and the Tyson reboot, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, is also a nice series, and worth viewing.

 

Second-Tier Shows

 

These are great shows. They are worth your time. But… there are consistency issues.

 

Clone High

A nice single-series show. As time goes on, the show gets increasingly dated, with early 2000s pop culture references and cameos making it more difficult to relate to. Still, the amusing high school comedy with the premise of famous clones from history all trying to work out their problems and love lives together remains delightful.

 

The Twilight Zone

The original series with Rod Serling is full of amazing episodes. But, to be honest, the majority of the episodes we’ve forgotten - most aren’t memorable at all. There were 156 episodes – and about 30 really good ones (The Obsolete Man, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, The Invaders). Those standouts deserve a slot on this list, but the show as a whole is second-tier.

 

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Original)

As Joel or Mike critiqued movies with their robot pals, they popularized the riffing that we now take for granted. The early episodes with Joel had better filler material (Dr. Forester) but the later episodes with Mike (whose filler was just awful) had better comedy. Some of MST3K’s movies are real treasures (The Final Sacrifice, Space Mutiny)… but so many aren’t that it remains second-tier.

 

Black Mirror

I'm including this because, even though on-going, it is an anthology series. Charlie Brooker’s dystopian take on the early 21^st century has some of the finest writing in recent times. The first two seasons, of three episodes each, were excellent, including the Christmas special. The fourth season, had three nice episodes, out of six. I’ve not seen the more recent work, but hear nice/mixed things...

 

Miniseries:

 

Band of Brothers

An incomparable historical drama, detailing America’s first paratroopers as they serve through the entirety of the American engagement in Europe in World War II. Having personally felt underwhelmed by Saving Private Ryan, this takes the Spielberg/Hanks vision and gives it the breathing room it needed, chronicling the lead-up to D-Day all the way through the end of the War.

 

Brideshead Revisited

The story of Charles and Sebastian…and Julia. A beautiful work of nostalgia and memory, Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews provide the leads, with an amazing supporting cast that includes John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier. The adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's roman a clef tackles themes from the transition to adulthood, exploring one's moral identity, and abandoning oneself to love.

 

The Singing Detective

A work which does ‘meta’ better than any other I know. Complex narrative and ideas don’t cloud an otherwise enjoyable story, however, but elevate it. Michael Gambon is a writer afflicted by two diseases, one psychological and one physical. The initially bed-ridden journey to recovery makes him confront himself and us, the viewers.

 

John Adams

Another great historical drama. Against the backdrop of the early history of America, Giamatti portrays Adams superlatively, and is surrounded by a wonderful cast of familiar faces. Covering the period from the dawn of the Revolution to Adams’ death as a remarkably old man, it deservedly ended up winning all sorts of awards.

 

Dekalog

Kieslowski’s great ten-part work has each episode focus on a different commandment. Poland in the 1980s was just starting to thaw, and the series portrays a stark Cold War desolation. Moving portrayals and clever adaptations of the Old Testament values to modern times make for an unforgettable series that still resonates over thirty years later.

 

Watchmen

I loved this, but I’m putting it a bit lower for two reasons. One, it just came out, and sometimes ardor cools. Second, I have the background of having read the book (which the story builds on) and I’m not sure it would make as much sense to someone who hadn’t read the graphic novel. The sci-fi mystery is set in Tulsa in 2019, and feels like the ultimate miniseries for our times.