What are your favorite shows and why?

Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 103 points –

I like seeing a group evolve and form good friendships. I also like sci fi and weirdness. For these reasons, two of my favorite shows are The Expanse and Severance. In both, by the end, I felt like I was “part of the team” in some way.

What are a couple of your favorites? What kind of itch do they scratch?

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Avatar The Last Airbender. An animated series with a complete story arch that takes place in a unique world. The characters are very relatable and have great development over time, even the villians are better than what most shows have. The animation is sophisticated in the way it is used to help tell the story, and the story is wonderful, it hooks you in from the intro:

"*Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world."

Hell, the villains have more character development than protagonists in other shows.

Also Uncle Iroh, it possibly the greatest male role model in TV.

Amen to Uncle Iron. I legit teared up when he had his short in Ba Sing Se.

Leaves from the Vine is the most "try not to cry, cry a lot" moment in any show for me.

This show truly deserves all the praise. My older brother used to watch it back in its time, and I couldn't understand how a 30-ish year old could watch cartoons like that.

15 years passed and someone recommends it. One day, while recovering from some cold in bed, I put Avatar out of boredom, some days after that recommendation. Damn. First couple of chapters are not very strong, but enough to keep digging. As these are short episodes, it really doesn't matter. But the ending of the first season? That is art.

Batman: The Animated Series

Unique art style (it was drawn on black paper), excellent writing, excellent voice acting.

Expanse was great. Firefly was also great. A good series about relationships was NightSky, sort of a slower paced show about an elderly couple with a hint of SCI-FI.

If you liked The Expanse, check out For All Mankind.

It feels almost like a prequel, set a couple of hundred years before the events in the series.

Came here to make sure For All Mankind was mentioned. I had so much fun watching this.

Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. From the sound of it if you haven't already watched them you would really like them. Sci fi and definitely has the group/team evolving aspect.

Seconding Stargate, ideal for what OP is looking for.

Also Firefly for something with similar energy.

Firefly

And by the end I feel like it almost started.

Too soon, man...

But seriously, it is tragically short, but worth it. And at least they managed to tie up things with the movie.

You want The Good Place

Yup, a lot of great shows are being thrown around, but a good place captures everything you want - growing friendships and relationships, unravelling weirdness, and being a part of the team.

Better Call Saul. I find it so amazing how they were able to take an existing (brilliant in its own right) story, and extend it in both past and the future. It fits in so nicely. There are very few (if any) plot holes, and the story is enjoyable in its own right. Add to that the superb acting of almost everyone, and the elite cinematography. I don't think there's a single aspect of this show that I don't like.

Don't get me wrong. Breaking Bad is fantastic.

I enjoyed Better Call Saul more

I'm always hesitant to watch Better Call Saul knowing that Walt ruined everything anyways. I wished i watched it before BB

There are a few moments that nod straight to Breaking Bad though, like Tuco's entry. It had me fanboying and hyped for the directing/writing especially across shows. I also feel like you can really get a sense of the writers' personal development coming off of Breaking Bad, like they refined so much that was already some of the best TV. And the contrast between Walt's unreal saga and how Saul is so humanized; he's deeply flawed but just a guy trying to make it.

I really need to finish Better Call Saul.

Monk, Psych, white collar and Frasier are probably my most favorite shows ever. They have all the things i want in a show, comedy and some drama, and really immersed me into the plot

Westworld (Season 1). The other seasons are good and have great moments but season 1 is special.

Poirot. It's charming, full of mostly subtle humor, and generally just well written, acted, and produced. I appreciate that it has a deeply humane perspective where justice matters, and that effort has been put into historical accuracy. It's also sufficiently detached from contemporary reality that its not a downer to watch even though it still has a very honest view of human nature.

Didn’t see it mentioned yet so i’ll shout out:

Devs.

Super super good sci-fi mystery series relating to quantum theory that introduced some … moral quandaries that stick with you. I dont see it talked about much but I really enjoyed it. Nick Offerman plays the main “bad guy” and it was a jarring but refreshing role change, kinda like John Goodman in the second cloverfield movie. God Damn he killed it.

@Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml you might enjoy The Good Place — not sci-fi, but awesome group building. Don’t read anything about it online to avoid spoilers, just sit and watch season 1. If you like it, watch the other seasons as well.

I had a panic attack on the way to work four or five years ago. Turned around, drove back home, and climbed into bed with my partner. We laid there and started The Good Place, and watched for like eight hours. Excellent show, very comfy for me now.

Battlestar Galactica will always be my comfort apocalypse.

I've watched it too many times now. I still recommend it to everyone, I just can't watch it myself anymore. Maybe when I retire.

Dark This is the most intricate show ever. The Sistine Chapel of TV

The Wire The most real and relevant show. Much more than just a cop show. I would say this is the best bit of TV ever.

Colin From Accounts Funny. Kind of insane. First 5 minutes and I can't believe what just happened. Makes me want to visit Australia.

Dude, the casting in Dark absolutely blew my fuckin mind, choom. I don’t want to spoil the plot in the seasons after the first by telling people who haven’t seen it what I mean, but if you’ve seen it you know exactly what I mean.

It's sooooo good. Young/old Noah. Young/old Boris. So many amazing examples.

A recent one? Resident Alien. It has a lot of unexpected laughs. The female characters in it are also really well done and not one dimensional.

In no particular order, genre shows include:

  • Babylon 5
  • Firefly
  • X-Files
  • Fringe
  • Buffy/Angel
  • The League of Gentlemen
  • Dr Who / Torchwood
  • True Blood
  • Utopia
  • Supernatural
  • Third Rock
  • Ash vs Evil Dead
  • Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  • Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
  • Peacemaker
  • The Nevers

The X-Files because childhood and Gillian Anderson.

Star Trek TNG because childhood and Gates McFadden.

I've just caught up with Slow Horses. The main character is played by Gary Oldman in top form. He's a spy, so decrepit and filthy you can almost smell him. He runs an outpost of British intelligence from a filthy, decrepit office staffed by a bunch of fuck-ups. It's the best thing I've seen in ages. Lots of character development, back stories, car chases, bloodshed, even a tiny splash of romance. It's on its 4th series, so I'm very late to the game. Probably because I don't have Apple+.

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Horses

My top 5 is :

Arcane Mr. Robot Breaking Bad The Good Place Stranger Things

God I love Mr. Robot. It's not perfect, but it stays my all time favourite show for good reasons. It's hard to hype it to someone though, because a lot of the ways I would describe why it's good would be spoilers 🫠

I saw the first season and really liked it, but now I just started S2 and currently on second epidose and I’m struggling to continue tbh. Does it keep up with the first one? Was curiouse if those spoilers you say make the show good are spoilers from the end of season one or end of tv show?

Futurama. I love how creative it is as well as how it can have its emotional moments, at least with the older seasons.

Smiling friends. The humor isn't anything like I've seen before. I tend to love random humor.

Letterkenny. The insults are top notch.

I can't believe I forgot about Letterkenny. The riffing is just so good, it doesn't get old, and every character is perfect. And the music, especially season one's display is exactly my taste. The whole show is top notch, but season one is something special.

Schitt's Creek, too. Both are Canadian gems. I love how like half of the cast is Eugene Levy's family, and Dan Levy is bae. It's one of the few comedies to bring me to tears, I'm pretty sure more than once.

So many shows have to be tied for number one for me lmao. Every time I look back at this thread the list gets longer.

The best thing about Smiling Friends is that, despite how dark the humor can get, the show generally has a positive attitude and positive messages about humanity, friendships, and kindness.

::: spoiler spoiler The pilot episode literally has a guy holding a gun to his own head threatening suicide the entire time and it ends with him finding purpose and no longer wanting to kill himself. We all just need something to live for. :::

For outwardly seeming like its just random shock shlock humor, Smiling Friends really does have depth and heart to it.

The Magicians. It's like a more mature and dark Harry Potter/Chronicles of Narnia crossover. It has really good character development and isn't afraid to have fun with things like musical numbers and self aware plotlines. The first season is the weakest of the bunch, but it's still pretty good. So give it a chance past then if you are still on the fence.

Have you read the books? And if so, how does it compare? At least with the books I added a touch of Catcher in the Rye to HP & Narnia to describe it. Because really, Quintin can be a moody little git a lot of the time.

I read the books and lined them up The show deviates from the books and should be considered “inspired by” That said, the show is made by people who also truly loved the books and characters, and they did a great job making an adaptation

I've not read the books, but that does describe Q decently, though I think the show probably toned it down a bit from things I hear others say.

The first and ONLY season of Altered Carbon. I love the dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi film noir style.

I'm so excited for severance season 2. I can't fathom how they could recreate the perfection of season 1 but I have my hopes up regardless

The Wire is one of those shows that portray the detective work with different approaches. They also show brilliant criminal minds, leadership and organization. There are bits of heroism in some rogue characters, too. The political and juducial aspects of organized crime are unashamedly put in front of you. Acting and writing are top-notch. It's just a must watch if you like TV shows.

BTW, great picks Severance and The Expanse, however, the latter had so many problems to find enough financial support that ends up showing on the screen. Being said that, the show is awesome in a Battlestar Galactica way to make things happen no matter the circumstance.

More recent ones that are really good:

Barry, a show about a murderer that turns out to be really funny.

Snowfall, about drug dealers making it to kingpins. A similar show, Queen of the South is also good.

And some classics that are funny and clever enough to rewatch:

Keeping up Appearances, I think we all know some of these characters in real life

Flight of the Conchords

It's Always Sunny and Bob's Burgers are standouts for me, along with a lot of this thread.

I guess I'd categorize them both as shows where every character, however minor, contributes perfectly to the hilarity and overall vibe of the show. Really, any show with great chemistry/cohesion and ownership of the characters, where you couldn't change a single thing to make it better. Psych and Futurama are a couple mentioned that fit the bill. Others are on the tip of my tongue but not coming to me. Oh, King of the Hill!

The best thing about IASIP and Bob's Burgers is there isn't a single off/bad episode in the first like 12 and 5 seasons, respectively. I stopped keeping up with both at some point when I was up to date and waiting. There's not really a bad episode in any of those shows.

What I really like about Bob's Burgers is how they record all together and have a lot of fast quipping and reactive energy.

Oh, and Archer! At least until things really switched up.

Upon repeated viewings I’m enjoying the Archer coma seasons more and more!

Bob’s Burgers’ biggest appeal is it’s a family that all love each other and don’t treat one-another badly. I know it sounds corny but it really does have a much bigger appeal than on animated shows where they do the opposite.

I was recently watching Archer again, so I'll have to see how the later seasons hit this time around. It's one of those shows I've watched multiple times over (all the shows I mentioned are, honestly) and it seemed to fall off, but I might have just been finally burnt out lol.

And that's a good point about Bob's Burgers. It's always pretty wholesome. I almost forgot about all the songs, too. They're so good!

American Dad. It's Family Guy made way better. The episodes are so original and creative. The first 7 seasons are all gold.

My mom and I don't connect on much but she absolutely loved watching American Dad with me. Brings fond memories

Scrubs! [0] [1] [2].

It had a great 8 season run (the 9th season doesn't exist, ignore those who incorrectly say it does). The show was funny, insightful, great dialogue, characters, serious moments and a great cast. Additionally the music choices in each episode were always top-notch. Note that "a handful of songs were replaced in the versions released to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu due to licensing issues." [3].

Lastly, "IGN gave the first season a perfect score of 10. The seven following seasons were rated, respectively, 9, 9, 9, 8, 7.5, 8.3 and 7.5" [4].

[0] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scrubs

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285403/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)#Music

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)#Reception

I really like Black Mirror. I watched a bunch of TV shows, started and left midway through others, but I always go back to Black Mirror. Like the creator said, it's sci-fi techno dystopia. And he is working on the 7th season. One of the episodes will be a follow up to USS Callister. Awesome!

Are you at all familiar with Charlie Brooker's (creator of Black Mirror) comedy work? Black Mirror is great, but I honestly think he's a better comedy writer.

He's behind all the recent great Philomena Cunk shows such as Cunk On Britian and Cunk On Earth. (Soon Cunk's Quest for Meaning)

Cunk herself started as a bit character, a "man on the street" interview on Brooker's old comedy news show his Weekly Wipe/Newswipe. I kind of miss her male compatriot, Barry Shitpeas, but I suspect his last name made it harder to build a show around him.

The dialogue of Daniel Kaluuya at the end of Fifteen Million Merits, where he's speaking from his fancy new apartment to his new video platform, is basically Daniel doing an impression of Charlie Brooker on Newswipe. It completely changes the final scene if you're familiar with Brooker's own comedy, it's a nice piece of self-critique.

Also, he put John Hannah (who I still also love in The Mummy) in my good books with his send-up of tough police procedural shows with A Touch of Cloth the name of which is a reference to not being able to hold in your shit, and its crowning and touching the cloth of your underwear. Lot's of stupid cloth-related puns for funs.

It’s not Sci-fi, but I’m shocked nobody has mentioned Six Feet Under, my vote for the best show ever made. With the best ending episode ever made. I never cry watching stuff but I ABSOLUTELY cried when I saw the ending. I tear up just thinking about it or listening to a certain song. I watched it a million years ago, then met someone who I’ve been with for over a decade who became a mortician. I then watched it all over again with them and they felt the same way I did about it. Best show ever.

I like seeing a group evolve and form good friendships. I also like sci fi and weirdness.

You better get on that Scavengers Reign train. There's only one season right now, but it rules, especially from a "weirdness" perspective, and there's not going to be more unless it gets some more attention.

Elsewhere in this thread, I suggested Joe Pera.

Joe Pera works with a lot of other "Joes." Like Jo Firestone and Jo Scott in his show, but also animator Joe Bennett, creator of Scavenger's Reign.

Joe Pera's bathroom book is illustrated by Joe Bennett, and Joe Pera voices at least one of Joe Bennett's short films.

Joe Bennett featuring Joe Pera: Birds

Honestly, I fucking love that there is crossover between these two, because they're both brilliant, thoughtful, and touching in their own way.

Also, I just love that its a weird network of people somehow all named Joe.

I like seeing a group evolve and form good friendships. I also like sci fi and weirdness.

May I recommend Star Trek: Lower Decks? If you're a fan of animated shows, that is.

Joe Pera Talks With You

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Pera_Talks_with_You

https://www.adultswim.com/videos/joe-pera-talks-with-you

https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Pera-Talks-With-You/dp/B0B75L86ZG/

I was pretty bummed when it got canceled because it really got me through some hard times. What's there holds up beautifully, however.

It starts off as a Mr. Rogers type vehicle that quickly veers off into strangeness. Joes propensity to talk to the camera like Mr. Rogers, and his propensity to explain human emotions by relating them to scientific ideas like the formation of rocks made this show weirdly comforting for me. It's also just plain goofy.

It also includes Conner O'Malley in the cast and as one of the writers. O'Malley is like if BBC documentarian Adam Curtis instead made David Lynch-esque experimental comedy. He was on a few episodes of Detroiters with Tim Robinson and is in a handful of I Think You Should Leave sketches (in my opinion, most notably in "Honk if you're horny"). For being such a strange guy, he wrote some of the most heartfelt stuff in Joe Pera.

Joes voice is extremely calming to me, and his timing and delivery genuinely kill me. I've had very few comedians that had me crying over something genuinely sweet and sad and then be able to make laugh a few moments later.

I hear people describe shows like Ted Lasso as "kind television" and I think Joe Pera Talks With You fits in that same niche. It's very loving and doesn't seem to really put anyone down and shows off a quiet, beautiful Michigan community. Despite not being from Marquette, originally, Joe has a lot of love for the area, it's clear.

Halt and Catch Fire: It's a really cool drama about a group of very different people, who come together because of one shared goal, and then everyone following their own desires - more or less burning bridges and rebuilding them over 4 seasons of the show.

My favorite shows are the shows I can binge over and over and over and they’re still tons of fun, with enough complexity and depth to still reveal something new after dozens of viewings.

In no particular order:

The Orville
Psych
Community
Bob’s Burgers
Archer
Eureka
Rick & Morty
Home Movies
Warehouse 13
Joe Pera Talks With You
Also, my wife and I watch Friends together a lot.

Honorable mention:
Continuum
Gravity Falls
Roswell (yeah it was from my time)

Arrested Development & Frasier for wit.

Friends and also the Chicago version of Friends (Happy Endings) for familiarity, knowing and growing w/ characters.

Shetland and Vera. British murder mysteries.

Broadchurch was great for that as well. I adored Olivia Coleman in that, and often forgot she was acting it felt so raw.

Yes! 100% with you. Any show that makes me care about the characters and miss them when they're gone is a win in my book. Same for character growth. Firefly, Parks and Rec, and Schmitt's Creek were like that for me as well.

Happy!. The perfect mix of black comedy, violence, and weird central alien stuff.

First time I've seen someone else mention it. Definitely an underrated show with a lot of wild ideas.

The Leftovers. If I were to ever put together a top 10 list of personal favorites, this would be at the top then in a distant second I could start ranking the rest. I love how fully realized its concepts were. I love how it stuck true to its convictions right up to the end. I love the mashup of science fiction and fantasy and grief and contemporary life. I love the beautiful Max Richter score. For a show that starts pretty bleak in the first few episodes you really feel the love and warmth by the end of the series and the discovery of inner piece.

I always like to add this caveat to anyone jumping in, the first half of season one can be tough. Episode 3 is a good taste of what the show is at its best and episode 6 is one of the best in the series and the point where most people are fully hooked.

I’ve been wanting to watch it and your comment makes me want to see it even more.

I don’t live in the US anymore and Max doesn’t have English subtitles for some of their shows in my region, which is pretty annoying. Including for the Leftovers! That’s why I’ve been putting off seeing it. Haha. Ugh. It’s funny because I check it again every once in a while to see if there are English subtitles, which is how bad I wanna see the show.

Just thinking of what I've seen recently, this is what I like and why:

  • Gravity Falls: Weird/Fun show
  • The Owl house: Same as above
  • For All Mankind: Cool Sci-fi show about "what if America didn't win the space race and it never stopped"
  • Final Space: Funny space show with some real emotion
  • Hazbin Hotel: Quirky show about demons (adult themed)
  • Inside Job: Another funny animated show, sadly cancelled before 3rd season
  • The last of us: A great re-tale on the game I love

I like seeing a group evolve and form good friendships.

Reply, 1988

It is a Korean drama where each episode focuses on a different character, all living on the same street in Seoul in 1988. I recommend it to everyone as my favourite show but especially for your preference described above. You feel each character's struggles and successes. The way the show develops the characters through their relationships with their families and friends is outstanding.

I really enjoyed both shows as well. You might enjoy Silo which is a pretty solid recent sci-fi show I can recommend. Andor is also excellent, it's hands down my favorite thing from the Star Wars universe. Farscape is also absolutely fantastic. It starts out a bit slow, but it's absolutely amazing once it gets going. Also enjoyed Love Death and Robots, they took a bunch of short sci-fi stories and make episodes out of each. Firefly is another excellent show.

Right now? Enjoying Preacher, that seems like it would suit you.

Ever? That has to be Dr. Who. I watched it as a kid and watched the newer ones with my kids.

I loved Severance too. I don't usually go to film for my sci-fi cravings though.

For shows, I really like that just casual kinda mundane tone that sort of parodies reality. Home Movies is great, Bob's Burgers (the earlier seasons were better for this, but I'm still watching through them). Family Guy has those moments every now and then, although I wouldn't call it one of my top shows by any means.

My favorite show is probably Steven Universe. Everything about it was so artistically done; especially the soundtrack. Of the realm of kids/teens shows that were designed for the whole family, Steven Universe is one of the few that I personally think had a great and satisfying ending.

I like your thinking about being part of the team.

I personally like The Office, Parks & Rec, and South Park. I’ve watched them all over and over again, they never get old to me. So I guess my favorite shows are in the comedy genre because I can rewatch them an endless amount of times.

I’ve tried a few episodes of each The Expanse and Severance but I didn’t get too far before I started losing interest. I don’t recall why I lost interest. I should probably give them another go because I do often hear good stuff about them.

Other than comedy, I like Industry, I absolutely loved Midnight Mass (watched it twice), Ozark, Insecure (partly comedy), Black Mirror, and I’m sure there’s quite a few I’m missing.

You might like Superstore as well. Similar to Office & Parks. Give it a couple of episodes to warm up to the characters, because the main guy is a little annoying at first.

Comedy:

  • The Young Ones
  • Red Dwarf
  • Arrested Development
  • The Good Place

Science Fiction:

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation
  • Battlestar Galactica
  • Firefly
  • The Expanse

Drama:

  • Six Feet Under
  • Breaking Bad

OP WATCH SCAVENGERS REIGN. Unless you're sensitive to body horror.

Especially if you're sensitive to body horror?

You know, I've never been invested in such a beautifully colored body horror. Design and color are off the charts good.

  • The Wire
  • Breaking Bad
  • The Blacklist, although it got ridiculous.
  • Sherlock BBC Benedict Bundersnatch
  • Better Call Saul
  • The Ozarks
  • Succession
  • Severance

I've watched every one of those shows, except the Blacklist, and would agree that they are my favorite shows.

I guess I should watch The Blacklist.

The Haunting of Bly Manor. I think it's beautifully tragic. 🥲 And I really connected with their protrayl of grief. A close runner up would be The Haunting of the Hill House.

Parts Unknown. Great travel, food and political stuff from Bourdain.

Interesting to hear! For me, it's usually exploring an idea, that I find interesting, in detail. Usually something that could perhaps happen in the future (i.e. science fiction).

So I would say that Westworld is one of my favorite shows. Severance is also very interesting!

PS: I think you'd like Brooklyn 99.

  1. I like animation, though I mostly watch anime and donghua (Chinese animation). My favourites on that front actually tend to be pretty epic adventure stories, or total tragedies with a happy ending or not (á la Fate/Zero or such).

  2. I like political satire. On that front, I always mention the animated police comedy Pasila.

Three Aliens, came from the sky
The Galacticc Council sent them, and here's the reason why...

@Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml

Sesnse8 Supernatural Buffy Seinfeld Curb your enthusiasm Arrow Legends of Tomorrow

And animated: Simpsons Family guy Adventure time South Park American dad Bob's burgers

admittedly this is kinda basic but Devilman Crybaby. Its gut-wrenching. It makes me cry. Its got hopelessly romantic themes but mostly in a disturbing sort of way, rather than a wholesome rom-com (which i usually hate lol). chefs kiss!!