TV Show Recommendations - Mega List
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Foreword
Movie fans have had decades to hone a culture, nurture a following, and prune a zeitgeist. TV had its renaissance far more recently, so it’s much easier to miss what should be staples in everyone’s catalogue of beloved shows.
It ought to go without saying that this is simply my collection of favorites, and while this may be an accounting of my tastes, naturally there’s truly no accounting for taste.
Also, this was written in 2024, so at this point shows like Breaking Bad & The Sopranos are considered cultural touchstones and are not considered “Hidden Gems”. It’s also worth mentioning that shows like The Rings of Power are so divisive, I’ve also omitted my recommendations of shows with a relatively polarized reception, as those don’t count as “Hidden Gems” either.
This list is ordered very thoughtfully, but is in no way listed from best-to-worst. I’ll start with some personal favorite drama titles, slide into fantasy, and then move into lighter comedies and sitcoms, and finish out with SciFi and my animated honorable mentions.
Cruise through this list, skim, skip, go backwards, or do whatever else suits your fancy.
Spies, Guns, and Criminals
Great shows often seem to be centered around the intricate and high-stakes power dynamics involved in modern crime, espionage, and revolution.
Ozark is a crime drama series about a money launderer getting caught up in a cartel
Snowfall is a series about the crack epidemic of the 1980s and its ties to the CIA
Mr. Inbetween is a thrilling serial about the misadventures of an Australian Hitman
The Americans is a Soviet-Era espionage epic about a husband and wife both operatives in the KGB
Mr. Robot is a revolutionary hacker series with magical realism elements and an unreliable narrator
Sneaky Pete is a charismatic con man heist-style drama with fast-paced dialogue and fun characters
Turn: Washington’s Spies is an american-revolution-era serial drama about the workings of colonial, british, and french military intelligence operations centered on a curious and ambitious cabbage farmer
Homeland is a modern CIA drama that has a pretty off-the-rails first season, but the later seasons pay off with (somewhat) more grounded (but still gripping) depictions of modern intelligence work
Slow Horses is a modern British drama about intelligence workers who have flunked out of MI5 for one reason or another. Gary Oldman gives a particularly extraordinary performance
Andor isn’t a typical Star Wars show. It’s about founding a rebel network capable of toppling an Empire and its atrocities. Stellan Skarsgard and Andy Serkis deliver especially stunning performances
Your Honor has Bryan Cranston as a judge who falls from grace to protect his son from a crimelord
Mayor of Kingstown is about a prison-town fixer (Jeremy Renner) attempting to maintain balance between prison authorities, police, and the various gangs as they each wax and wane in power
Boardwalk Empire is a very long drama about prohibition-era Steve Buscemi gangster antics
House of Lies is Don Cheadle’s corporate con man series about ripping off businesses as a consultant
Detectives and Murderers
Morbid and unflinching depictions of the cat-and-mouse dynamic playing out between the monsters among us and those who catch them.
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