Looking for stuff to watch? Here’s a list of subjectively decent stuff.
To find out where to watch any of the below series, look them up on wheretowatch.com.
January 2017 update:
- Good new series: The Young Pope, A Series of Unfortunate Events, 3%, The OA, People of Earth, Search Party
Currently Airing
Add these to your TV calendar.
Excellent:
- Arrested Development [half-hour comedy, 4 seasons] (Fox, Netflix; first two seasons were better)
- Billions [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (Showtime)
- Black Mirror [hour-long sci-fi, 3 seasons] (Channel 4, Netflix)
- Broad City [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (Comedy Central)
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine [half-hour police comedy, 4 seasons] (FOX)
- The Circus [half-hour political documentary, 2 seasons] (Showtime)
- The Comeback [half-hour mockumentary, 2 seasons] (HBO)
- Fargo [hour-long crime drama, 3 seasons] (FX)
- Game of Thrones [hour-long medieval fantasy, 6 seasons] (HBO)
- High Maintenance [half-hour drama, 1 season (plus webisodes)] (HBO, Vimeo) A series of very realistic and well-written short profiles of NYC life, weaved together by a weed delivery man
- Homeland [hour-long spy thriller, 6 seasons] (Showtime)
- Inside Amy Schumer [half-hour sketch comedy, 4 seasons] (Comedy Central; leave your morals at the door; fourth season not as good)
- The Last Kingdom [hour-long historical drama, 1 season] (BBC America, Netflix)
- Life in Pieces [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (CBS)
- Master of None [half-hour dramedy] (Netflix)
- Modern Family [half-hour mockumentary, 8 seasons] (ABC)
- Mozart in the Jungle [half-hour dramedy, 2 seasons] (Amazon)
- Mr. Robot [half-hour drama, 2 seasons] (USA)
- Orphan Black [hour-long drama, 4 seasons] (BBC America)
- Shark Tank [reality, 8 seasons] (ABC)
- True Detective [hour-long crime drama, 2 seasons] (HBO; second season was not that good)
- UnREAL [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (Lifetime; second season wasn’t as good)
- Veep [half-hour political comedy, 5 seasons] (HBO)
- Vikings [hour-long period drama, 4 seasons] (History Channel; fourth season wasn’t as good)
- W1A [half-hour mockumentary, 2 seasons] (BBC Two)
- Westworld [hour-long sci-fi, 1 season] (HBO)
Very Good:
- The Affair [hour-long drama, 3 seasons] (Showtime)
- American Horror Story [hour-long supernatural horror, 6 seasons] (FX; 2nd, 4th, and 5th seasons are pretty bad though)
- American Housewife [half-house comedy, 1 season] (ABC)
- The Americans [hour-long spy drama, 4 seasons] (FX)
- Angie Tribeca [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (TBS)
- Archer [half-hour animated spy comedy, 7 seasons] (FX; leave your morals at the door; first 2 seasons were excellent)
- Better Call Saul [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (AMC)
- Black-ish [half-hour comedy, 3 seasons] (ABC; third season isn’t as good)
- Black Jesus [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (Comedy Central)
- BoJack Horseman [hour-long animated comedy, 2 seasons] (Netflix)
- Broadchurch [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (BBC America)
- The Carmichael Show [half-hour sitcom, 2 seasons] (NBC)
- The Crown (hour-long period drama, 1 season] (Netflix)
- Daredevil [hour-long fantasy, 2 seasons] (Netflix; slow pace)
- The Detour [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (TBS)
- Deutschland 83 [hour-long period spy drama, 1 season] (RTL, SundanceTV)
- Episodes [half-hour comedy, 4 seasons] (Showtime)
- The EX-PM [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (Australian ABC)
- The Expanse [hour-long sci-fi, 2 seasons] (SyFy)
- The Frankenstein Chronicles [hour-long fantasy, 1 season] (iTV, A&E)
- The Goldbergs [sitcom, 4 seasons] (ABC)
- Glitch [hour-long sci-fi, 1 season] (ABC1, Netflix)
- The Good Place [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (NBC)
- Halt and Catch Fire [hour-long drama, 3 seasons] (AMC)
- It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia [half-hour comedy, 12 seasons] (FX) A group of degenerates own a bar and think up hare-brained schemes in their ample spare time.
- Jessica Jones [hour-long superhero drama, 1 season] (Netflix) Goth superwoman fights a mind-controlling super-villain mostly using her wits. Give it a few episodes.
- Last Week Tonight [half-hour comedy news show, 3 seasons] (HBO)
- The Leftovers [hour-long fantasy, 2 seasons] (HBO)
- Medici: Masters of Florence [hour-long historical drama, 1 season] (Netflix)
- The Mindy Project [sitcom, 4 seasons] (FOX, Hulu; only the first 2 seasons were good though)
- Narcos [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (Netflix)
- Odd Mom Out [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (Bravo)
- Outlander [hour-long period drama, 2 seasons] (Starz)
- Peaky Blinders [hour-long period gangster drama, 3 seasons] (BBC Two, Netflix)
- People of Earth [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (TBS)
- Portlandia [half-hour comedy, 7 seasons] (IFC)
- Rectify [hour-long drama, 4 seasons] (SundanceTV)
- Search Party [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (TBS)
- Silicon Valley [half-hour dramedy, 3 seasons] (HBO)
- The Simpsons [half-hour animated comedy, 28 seasons] (FOX)
- Sleepy Hollow [hour-long fantasy, 4 seasons] (FOX)
- South Park [half-hour animated comedy, 20 seasons] (Comedy Central)
- UnREAL [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (Lifetime)
- Victoria [hour-long period drama, 1 season] (ITV)
- The Walking Dead [hour-long fantasy, 7 seasons] (AMC; slow pace)
Good:
- 2 Broke Girls [sitcom, 6 seasons] (CBS)
- 12 Monkeys [hour-long sci-fi, 2 seasons] (SyFy)
- The 100 [hour-long sci-fi, 3 seasons] (CW)
- American Dad! [sitcom, 14 seasons] (TBS; first 9 seasons on FOX)
- Arrow [hour-long superhero drama, 5 seasons] (CW)
- Ballers [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (HBO)
- The Blacklist [hour-long adventure, 2 seasons] (NBC)
- Blindspot [hour-long adventure, 2 seasons] (NBC)
- The Big Bang Theory [sitcom, 10 seasons] (CBS; was better earlier seasons)
- Crashing [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (HBO)
- Divorce [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (HBO)
- Doctor Foster [hour-long drama, 1 season] (BBC One, Lifetime, Netflix)
- Empire [hour-long drama, 3 seasons] (FOX; first season was better)
- Family Guy [animated sitcom, 15 seasons] (FOX; much better in early seasons)
- Fear the Walking Dead [hour-long fantasy, 2 seasons] (AMC; slow pace)
- Grace and Frankie [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (Netflix)
- Greenleaf [hour-long drama, 1 season] (OWN)
- Grey’s Anatomy [hour-long medical drama, 11 seasons] (ABC)
- Jane the Virgin [hour-long dramedy, 3 seasons] (CW)
- The Last Ship [hour-long fantasy, 3 seasons] (TNT)
- The Magicians [hour-long fantasy, 2 seasons] (SyFy)
- Nashville [hour-long drama, 5 seasons] (ABC)
- New Girl [sitcom, 6 seasons] (FOX; first season is excellent)
- No Tomorrow [hour-long romantic comedy, 1 season] (CW)
- Playing House [sitcom, 2 seasons] (USA)
- Saturday Night Live [90-minute variety, 42 seasons] (NBC; for the Weekend Update and the occasional funny skit)
- Scorpion [hour-long adventure, 3 seasons] (CBS)
- Stranger Things [hour-long sci-fi, 1 season] (Netflix)
- The Shannara Chronicles [hour-long fantasy, 1 season] (MTV)
- Superstore [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (NBC)
- Teachers [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (TV Land)
- Tosh.0 [half-hour comedy, 8 seasons] (Comedy Central)
- Wayward Pines [hour-long fantasy, 2 seasons] (FOX)
- Workaholics [half-hour comedy, 7 seasons] (Comedy Central)
Formerly Airing
Get these on Netflix/Hulu/Amazon/iTunes/wherever.
Excellent:
- Battlestar Galactica [hour-long space drama, 4 seasons] (Sci-Fi; even if you don’t like sci-fi)
- Bent [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (ABC)
- Better Off Ted [half-hour office comedy, 2 seasons] (ABC)
- Breaking Bad [hour-long drama, 5 seasons] (AMC)
- Boss [hour-long political drama, 2 seasons] (Starz)
- Damages [hour-long law drama, 5 seasons] (FX/DirecTV’s Audience Network)
- Dexter [hour-long police thriller, 8 seasons] (Showtime; started downhill after the 4th season)
- Downton Abbey [hour-long drama, 6 seasons] (ITV/PBS)
- Galavant [half-hour period musical comedy, 2 seasons] (ABC)
- Gilmore Girls [hour-long drama, 8 seasons] (CW, Netflix)
- House [hour-long medical drama, 8 seasons] (FOX; slow decline after the 4th season)
- In Treatment [half-hour drama, 3 seasons] (HBO; first season was the best)
- The Knick [hour-long period drama, 2 seasons] (Cinemax; first season was better)
- Mad Men [hour-long period drama, 7 seasons] (AMC)
- Mixology [half-hour comedy] (ABC)
- The Newsroom [hour-long news drama, 3 seasons] (HBO)
- Northern Exposure [hour-long drama, 6 seasons] (ABC; went downhill when the creators left after the 4th season)
- The Office (UK) [half-hour mockumentary, 2 seasons] (BBC Two)
- The Sopranos [hour-long mob drama, 6 seasons] (HBO)
- Twenty Twelve [half-hour mockumentary, 2 seasons] (BBC Four/Two)
- Spartacus: Blood and Sand [hour-long action, 1 season] (Starz)
- Twin Peaks [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (ABC)
- Web Therapy [half-hour mockumentary, 4 seasons] (Showtime)
- The West Wing [hour-long drama, 7 seasons] (NBC; went downhill when Aaron Sorkin stopped writing it after the 4th season)
Very Good:
- 30 Rock [sitcom, 7 seasons] (NBC)
- A to Z [half-hour romantic comedy, 1 season] (NBC)
- Alpha House [half-hour political satire, 2 seasons] (Amazon; first season was better)
- Breaking In [sitcom, 2 seasons] (Fox)
- Bunheads [hour-long drama, 1 season] (ABC Family)
- Crossbones [hour-long drama, 1 season] (NBC)
- Don’t Trust The Bitch In Apt 23 [sitcom, 2 seasons] (ABC)
- Entourage (HBO; really jumped the shark in the 7th season)
- FlashForward
- Friday Night Lights
- Fringe [hour-long sci-fi series, 5 seasons] (FOX)
- Gossip Girl [hour-long drama, 6 seasons] (CW)
- The Grinder [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (FOX)
- Hannibal [half-hour thriller, 3 seasons] (NBC)
- Happy Endings [sitcom, 2 seasons] (ABC, Hulu)
- How To Make It In America [half-hour drama, 2 seasons] (HBO)
- I Just Want My Pants Back [half-hour dramedy, 1 season] (MTV, mtv.com)
- The Jim Gaffigan Show [sitcom, 2 seasons] (TV Land)
- Law And Order
- The League [half-hour comedy, 7 seasons] (FX; leave your morals at the door)
- Lost (was better the first 3 seasons)
- Magic City [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (Starz)
- Man Up!
- Men Of A Certain Age
- The Office (US) [half-hour mockumentary, 9 seasons] (NBC)
- Parks And Recreation [sitcom, 7 seasons] (NBC)
- Perfect Couples
- Secret Diary of a Call Girl [half-hour drama, 4 seasons] (Showtime)
- Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll [half-hour dramedy, 2 seasons] (FX)
- Sin City Saints [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (Yahoo!)
- The Loop [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (FOX; sharp decline after 1st season)
- Traffic Light
- Trophy Wife [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (ABC)
- True Blood [hour-long fantasy, 7 seasons] (HBO; sharp decline after 3rd season)
- Scrubs
- Tyrant [hour-long drama, 3 seasons] (FX)
- Stargate: Universe
- Undateable [sitcom, 3 seasons] (NBC)
- Up All Night [half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (NBC, Hulu)
- Welcome to Sweden [sitcom, 2 seasons] (NBC)
Good:
- 11.22.63 [hour-long fantasy, 1 season] (Hulu)
- 24 [hour-long action, 9 seasons] (FOX)
- About a Boy (half-hour comedy, 2 seasons] (NBC)
- Are You There, Chelsea? [sitcom, 1 season]
- Awake [hour-long drama, 1 season]
- The Big C [half-hour drama; 4 seasons] (Showtime)
- Boardwalk Empire [hour-long period drama, 5 seasons] (HBO; slow pace)
- Brickleberry [half-hour animated comedy, 3 seasons] (Comedy Central)
- Californication [half-hour dramedy; 7 seasons] (Showtime; leave your morals at the door)
- Chuck (more nerd-appeal than anything)
- Community [sitcom; 6 seasons] (NBC and Yahoo!; it’s really meta)
- Desperate Housewives
- Donny! [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (USA)
- Extant [hour-long sci-fi, 2 seasons] (CBS; second season was not that good)
- Falling Skies [hour-long sci-fi series, 5 seasons] (TNT)
- The Following [hour-long thriller, 3 seasons] (FOX)
- Franklin and Bash [hour-long law dramedy, 4 seasons] (TNT; season 4 was not that good)
- Gary Unmarried
- GCB [hour-long comedy, 1 season]
- Getting On (US) [half-hour dramedy, 3 seasons] (HBO)
- Glee [hour-long high school dramedy, 6 seasons] (FOX; slow decline after excellent first season)
- Hellcats
- Heroes
- Hindsight [hour-long romantic comedy, 2 seasons] (VH1)
- House of Lies [half-hour drama, 5 seasons] (Showtime; leave your morals at the door)
- How I Met Your Mother [sitcom, 9 seasons] (CBS; first 3 seasons were excellent)
- Intruders [hour-long fantasy, 1 season] (BBC America)
- Kroll Show [half-hour sketch comedy, 3 seasons] (Comedy Central; first season was better)
- Legend Of The Seeker [hour-long fantasy, two seasons]
- Marry Me [half-hour comedy, 1 season] (NBC)
- Masters of Sex [hour-long period drama, 4 seasons] (Showtime; first season is better)
- Men At Work [sitcom, 3 seasons] (TBS)
- Mysteries of Laura [hour-long comedy, 2 seasons] (NBC)
- Resurrection [hour-long supernatural drama, 2 seasons] (ABC)
- The Returned [hour-long supernatural drama, 1 season] (A&E)
- Ringer [hour-long drama, 1 season]
- Salem [hour-long fantasy, 3 seasons] (WGN)
- Satisfaction [hour-long drama, 2 seasons] (USA)
- Secret Diary Of A Call Girl
- Smallville [hour-long adventure, 8 seasons] (WB/CW; started going steadily downhill after the 3rd season)
- Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
- Spartacus: Vengeance
- Stalker [hour-long police procedural, 1 season] (CBS)
- Stargate: Atlantis
- Stargate: SG-1
- Suburgatory [sitcom, 3 seasons] (ABC; 1st season was better)
- Two And A Half Men [sitcom, 12 seasons] (CBS; better early seasons)
- Under The Dome [hour-long fantasy, 3 seasons] (CBS)
- Weeds [half-hour dramedy, 8 seasons] (Showtime)
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