Ask Lemmy

More like a miniseries, but HBO’s Chernobyl. Some of the best television I’ve ever seen.

As a scifi buff: Battlestar Galactica, and The Expanse were excellent. Nightsky was also a really good watch even though it was slow moving, and was more about relationships than SciFi

Obligatory Firefly mention.

The Wire. It's the best piece of visual media ever created. Not only is it the best portrayal of the inner city drugs trade but also the decaying institutions and social structures that allow it to flourish, and the corrupting influence of dirty money.

It also is consistently the best written show on TV and is grounded in it's reality better than anything else. Half the cast were complete unknowns, in many cases plucked from the streets of Baltimore itself and there are standout performances all across it's vast and diverse cast.

It's a little slow to get going, the first few episodes have a lot of ground to cover to get the viewer up to speed, it also makes no effort to ease the viewer in, with a lot of jargon, slang and some very thick accents to content with, there's also no "previously on the wire" to go over key points from earlier episodes so it definitely requires more participation from the viewer than most TV but it's all the better for it.

I am surprised that I'm the first to mention Bojack Horseman here.

This series is for you if you want to cry out your mental health problems

The Good Place. Funny, compelling, I cried through the final episode. It also doesn't waste your time, things will happen mid-season that any other show would have dragged out for the season finale.

arrested development

• A&E's Nero Wolfe
• Agatha Christie's Poirot (with David Suchet)
• The Expanse
• Star Trek: TNG
• Fleabag (season 2 is a masterpiece, and I don't throw that word around)
• For All Mankind
• Archane (season 1 is another masterpiece)
• Penny Dreadful (it dips in quality in the later seasons, but worth it for the Frankenstein's monster story alone)

EDIT:

• Coupling (UK) - Thr first two seasons
• Keeping Up Appearances
• IT Crowd

Fringe. Best Sci-Fi ending that wraps back around to an episode that broke the show open. The last season getting there is kind of rough. But the first 4 seasons are solid.

Community

The Good Place

Penny Dreadful

Andor is the best piece of Star Wars media and the best TV show I’ve ever seen. You don’t need to like Star Wars. I don’t know if seeing Star Wars would even increase your enjoyment. I think seeing Rogue One would probably be good but otherwise just jump in. No space wizards or laser swords or destiny or whatever. It’s so adult and grounded. I can’t believe Disney let them make this.

Mr Robot

Farscape

Avatar: the Last Airbender.

I really enjoyed Babylon 5. Especially seasons 2-4. The interplay between the characters, especially Londo and G'kar was excellent. The stories were epic and political, it would be relevant today I think. It was so quotable and parts really moved you.

The effects were dated even then, and the transfer to widescreen after the digital models were lost was an absolute travesty. Instead of widescreen making the show better, they cropped the 4:3 for every effects shot, making them all blurry and poorly composed.

Even so, the story and characters are epic and timeless.

As I didn't seen them mentioned

• Scrubs: 8 UND ONLY 8 seasons of funny comedy, heart wrenching tragedy. For such a funny show, they managed to still make me cry with "Where Do You Think We Are?"
• Better off Ted: very funny too, hardly ever hear anybody mentioning it
• Bluey: is you have small children and you are going to give them screen time, do both of you a favor and chose bluey.

DARK. The plot, casting and soundtrack are all superb, and way ahead of most other shows. Although Season 3 will fuck you up, it also nails the ending.

Since it's not mentioned, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If you liked Firefly, you'll like Buffy. Yes, it has baggage, but that doesn't prevent everyone else in the cast from having their work appreciated. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dabble in witchcraft.

Firefly.

I still have a soft spot for "Dead like me", which I rarely see mentioned.

"Better Off Ted" is really funny and still holds up.

Some I've hardly seen mentioned here

Season 1 True Detective is peak tv

Season 1 Westworld

FX's Legion- the story is a bit disjointed between the season but the effects are top notch

Old school Star Trek, but also Dark Matter.

The Expanse is also bloody amazing. Great book series too.

One I haven't seen listed here:

Samurai Jack

It's a cartoon you need to sit down and pay attention to. There's often action, and it can be goofy, but it also has a lot of really quiet, contemplative scenes.

One I dont see mentioned often is Dark Matter which I think is pretty underrated.

Mr Robot. So many twists and turns, and had me absolutely fascinated from start to finish

Detectorists - when you want to completely relax.

Mr. Inbetween - I believe the less you know before watching it, the better. Just turn it on.

Reservation dogs - also very relaxed.

Holy I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet but Barry with Bill Hader might be one of my faves ever.

Fringe.

Not for everyone, but if it is for you, you'll adore it.

The Pitt. Not usually a medical show guy but the acting and realism were top notch. Kept me hooked the whole way. Deserved that Emmy for sure.

Quick pitch: Follow an ER team throughout a shift, with each season being one single shift. Every episode is an hour. ER is understaffed like they all are, you bounce from one crisis to the next to the next. There is absolutely no medical situation they will not show uncensored in full.

Two shows that weren't mentioned yet:

• Warehouse 13 - An endearing sci-fi show about a warehouse full of weird artifacts. Despite some intense episodes, it offered mainly a light, feel-good entertainment, and featured a really well-crafted send-off.
• Fringe - Starts out weird, then it goes totally off the rails, but in a good way. Also wrapped up nicely.

Always and forever The Wire

No love for Archer? Witty, profane, great animation/artwork, one writer/creator carrying the whole show, and eponymous lead voiced by H. Jon Benjamin. What am I missing?

Not nearly enough love for Andor? Season 2, episodes 7, 8, and 9 showcase some of the most compelling sequences on TV. Diego Luna, a man under enormous pressure ready to come apart at the seams, run by master manipulator Stellan Skarsgård. Andy Serkis. Forrest Whittaker. Empire baddies Denise Gough and Ben Mendelssohn. Best Star Wars offerings outside the original trilogy screenplays hands down. Fight me.

Nor for my most embarrassing and guiltiest pleasure Downton Abbey? Plus two full length feature sequels? Come now.

Our flag means death. https://youtu.be/prQDst-tAJ8

The IT Crowd

Firefly

Found-family space western with excellent music and characters

Yes, it has Joss Whedon's name on it, but either because it was made much earlier in his career or because Tim Minear was showrunner, it doesn't have the modern bathos issue commonly associated with him these days

Fawlty Towers

The Sopranos - amazing cast of characters, drama, action, betrayals, comedy! Such a great show. But you need to get sucked in. I recommended it some of my friends or family members but they aren't into it but worth to try! One of my favorite series I enthusiastically rewatch.

Babylon 5 and Farscape

A very different kind of sci-fi show: Red Dwarf. Specifically Season 3 and up when Kryten becomes a regular character that ties everything together. Although the first 2 seasons are still worth a watch, just not as good.

Twin Peaks, by David Lynch. I specify, because there was a period when he wasn't involved, and it shows. Those episodes are kind of a slog. But as soon as he comes back, so does the magic.

Foundation is the best sci-fi I've watched and I've seen a lot. The way they adapted it from Asimov's books is so well done, just enough changes to modernise is and keep people who read the books guessing.

Season 2 is a bit weak but 3 was great and the scope for future seasons is huge.

Futurama.

Expanse