Westworld
I’m surprised by the omission of this. At a superficial level it is stunning, violent entertainment, but its study of how the development of apparently intelligent robots could dehumanise their creators makes it a philosophical speculative fiction of the highest order. Lostsock
Boardwalk Empire
Unjustly ended up playing second-fiddle in HBO’s schedule to Game of Thrones, but for me, Boardwalk Empire is/was one of the greatest shows of all time and well worth a binge-watch, truncated fifth season and all. I’d go as far as to say that this and the respective first series of anthology shows Fargo and True Detective have been the last “prestige” television that can hold a candle to programmes like the Sopranos or the Wire. SDSHEPP
Fargo
Seriously, some love for Fargo is needed. Who else cuts from blood, snow and forest to angelic intervention in a bowling alley? Who else provides such sublime soundtracks, subtle characterisation and exquisite photography? Who else details the shift in crime from gangsters to corporate, who discusses the nature of truth and reality, who gives us Obadiah, Camus and Peter and the Wolf? The only TV I have seen that helps find meaning in a disorienting world. Cookyhunter
Deadwood
The article left out my vote for one of the best ever: Deadwood. Ian McShane as Al Swearingen gives us the most evil villain since Satan. The rest of the cast is peppered with expertly played misfits, perverts, eccentrics and even decent people. The language is over the top, but you get used to it. Marty Wolf
Spiral
A fantastic multilayered French police and justice system drama. Combining soap-like story arcs with political intrigue, comedy, psychodrama and cliffhangers, it cast a forensic eye over the French system of law and politics and class and race and sex and morality. Brilliant. scausmaus
Battlestar Galactica
For science fiction fans, add the reboot of Battlestar Galactica. It holds up pretty well on rewatching, although you can see the strain between Ron Moore and Sci-Fi Channel, as it was then, all the more with the passage of time, from the weak “standalone” episodes in season three (Sci-Fi wanted more of those) to the rushed last season (it was supposed to run five seasons, but Sci-Fi would only commit to one more after series three, so Moore cut parts out.) Craig DeBlock
Big Love
My absolute favourite. Yes, a few poor episodes and sub-plots, but all in all it was brilliant. Coming from a North American evangelical childhood (I’m now humanist) made it all the more enthralling. Bill Paxton, Chloë Sevigny, Jeanne Tripplehorn and so many more great performances. ID0286463
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy should be in there, especially as unlike many listed here it gets better as it goes on. Tough it through series one, and series two onwards will delight you. manetranced
Heimat
My favourite ever TV series is Heimat, set mainly in a German village close to the French border. The first two series take in from the end of the first world war to the late 60s. The third series covered reunification and is not quite so good although still wonderful. It is on Netflix. Eclectical
Mad Men
Brilliant throughout and can thoroughly recommend. Great character development, insanely funny at times and a loving and well researched look at historical themes, memes and fashions from 60s and 70s America. Very entertaining stuff. EllieArroway
The Shield
Where on earth is the Shield on this list? Characters, plots, subplots and twists on a Shakespearean level, with the quality of the likes of Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker coming in to add further lustre to a cast that was on point the whole way through. Glorious. gmanc
The Office (US)
The American version of The Office is just so much better than the original: I can’t believe it didn’t get a mention. Yes, Ricky Gervais came up with the original concept, but Steve Carrell knocked the socks off him with depth of character and humour. After a couple of episodes of the original you just want to punch David Brent quite hard and turn it off. Addie21
Travelers
I came across this late last year and watched it to the end of season three in only a few days, despite an effort to slow down and extend the pleasure. Then my husband and I watched it together, again a “box-set” binge-experience. He enjoyed it so much that we watched the first eight episodes in one day. I’ve been casting around ever since for something as good (suggestions welcome!). TimesReader2
