B list TV Series
by stormt | created - 27 Nov 2010 | updated - 02 Jul 2019 | PublicEntertaining and well produced shows with minor flaws small enough to ignore but large enough to never make this grumpy viewers A list (http://www.imdb.com/list/kFQDk5fuIYc/)
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C list, tried but gave up on / fast forwarded through:
Every nordic noir ever made
12 Monkeys
30 rock
Absentia
Alpha House
American Dad!
American Horror Story (gave up mid S2, will give it another shot)
Babylon
Baptiste
The Bay
Blindspot
Bloodline
Bojack Hman
Bosch
Breaking Bad (somewhere btw S2 and S3, new season, new boss fight, sorry world...)
The Bridge
Broadchurch
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Chuck
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (obv meta-virtuous, just not for me)
Criminal Minds
The Crossing
Dead Lucky (DOA)
Dexter (S1 was great)
Designated Survivor
Deutschland 86
Dietland
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Elementary
The Exorcist
The Expanse
Extant
Falling Water
F Is for Family (sorry Bill)
Firefly
The Flash
Flesh and Bone
Fringe
Future Man
The Girlfriend Experience
Glow (sorry Mark and lovely ladies)
Goliath
Hanna
Hand of god
Hap and Leonard
Happy Valley
Homeland
House of Cards (somewhere in S2, tried S3...)
Into the Badlands
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (always?)
Jack Reacher (Krasinskis cross-over day will come. Primo 2028)
Justified
Lethal Weapon
Life in Pieces
The Living and the Dead (beautiful production, stone cold story line)
Lost
Luther
Lucifer (lamest dark lord ever)
Mad Dogs
Mad Men (get.on.with.it & home for dinner for once will ya)
The Magicians (not a kind of magic)
The Man in the High Castle (fan-tas-tic set pieces, no budget left for casting or directing though)
Master of None
McMafia
My Name Is Earl
The Mentalist
The Newsroom
The OA
Orphan Black (UK)
Outcast
The Path
Patriot
Preacher
Pure
Rogue
Rome
The Same Sky (Der gleiche Himmel)
Scrubs
Sneaky Pete
Sons of Anarchy
Star Trek Discovery
StartUp (Why Martin Freeman, why??!)
The Strain
Suits
Supernatural
Taboo
TURN
The Walking Dead (clocked out somewhere around S3)
The Widow
Under the Dome
Unforgotten
Vikings. Roarrrr. (nice setup for the Norsemen spoof, sensational production, tats and hair)
Wayvard Pines
Z: The Beginning of Everything
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1. Carnivàle (2003–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
During the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell.
Stars: Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Clancy Brown, Debra Christofferson
Votes: 46,889
Fantastic periodic portrayal.
Boring and messy storyline
Total lack of humour
Ridiculous incestuous Justin Iris gaaazzzing
wtf Sofie moments:
sexual climax coincide with end of drought rain (really!)
turning from motherless emancipated tarot girl to Christian psycho sect subject to demon bred
Miscastings, Hallmark TV movie performances:
Tim DeKay (Jooonesy, limb spitter)
Adrienne Barbeau (Ruthie, senior snake charmer)
2. Modern Family (2009–2020)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three different, but related, families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.
Stars: Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell
Votes: 484,097
Nice beat, great crew, somehow gets away with any goofy slapstick idea presented.
Terrrriiible Manny Delgado kid, those lines should never have been written for any child role.
Stopped watching during season 2, tried again in S3, fast forwarding...it's over.
3. The West Wing (1999–2006)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama
Inside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.
Stars: Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, John Spencer
Votes: 85,648
impressively complex storytelling within a standard drama series format
Too much up tempo wise crack rush talk
Annoying oh-we-fixed-the-world-in-a-day-again arcs
4. 30 Rock (2006–2013)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch-comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star while trying to run a successful television show without losing her mind.
Stars: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer
Votes: 132,043
Some great quirky characters, nice ensemble piece.
Challenging pace, must hold the record for most dialogue per recorded footage.
5. Arrested Development (2003–2019)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.
Stars: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett
Votes: 324,402
S4&5 remake missed my mark
6. Weeds (2005–2012)
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When a suburban mother turns to dealing marijuana in order to maintain her privileged lifestyle after her husband dies, she finds out just how addicted her entire neighborhood already is.
Stars: Mary-Louise Parker, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon
Votes: 117,410
Season 4-5:
Sooo, all the things that worked flawlessly in season 1-3 comes back with a sloppy vengeance and it gets worse for every episode.
Still an offbeat charmer but running out of ideas. We get to know Nancy and Andy much better though, grow up with Shane and Isabelle and suffer nicely with barking Doug. Alanis Morissette/Dr. Audra surprishingly refreshing as back in the day
Lowlights:
Hunter Parrish/Silas not exactly maturing with accommodating acting chops, silly cougar Julia Bowen dream team
Celia stories loosing touch, here comes a lost daughter, a rehab, a red rebel, a lesbian wacko pyramid perfume queen and here they go again while Perkins are bashing her arms and rolling eyes every second scene.
Demián Bichir/Esteban whispering, gleaning, smoking 30 cm long cigars, omg
Guillermo! What!? Same mystery with Seychelle Gabriel/Adelita & Kate del Castillo/Pilar. Hardly colourful, completely nonsense soap storylines.
Daynah Burnett, popmatters
"I want to laugh at its jokes, but its constant oscillation between vilification and victimization of its female characters leaves me frustrated, and more than a little pissed off. The women of Weeds can be bitches, but the men are typically babies. Their behavior remains unchecked and unpunished, and their characterizations are mostly sympathetic, even as they can’t decide if they want Nancy to be Mommy or MILF."
7. Enlightened (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy, Drama
A self-destructive woman who has a spiritual awakening becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating havoc at home and work.
Stars: Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Sarah Burns, Luke Wilson
Votes: 10,215
8. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,286,995
Big budget fantasy universe succeeds although some surprisingly big flaws sneaked in, worst of all Daenerys Xena princess warrior among savage mascara men.**
All explanation of the 4000+ pages saga and legacy is given to characters to explain (instead of voice over narrator or similar) which just about works considering the magnitude.
Final screenplay turns out as a strange mix of noble family life, generic fantasy action, generic political power play and scheming and repeatedly gratuitous sex and incestuous relations*
Meanwhile every adult character inside any house is having a glass of wine in-between lines and closing scenes with waving in, evil James Bond villain style, guardsmen/happy whores/court jesters/able servants.
Still a compelling story and impressive production and cast effort overall.
*
'Playboy-TV-style' acc. to Ginia Bellafante at NY Times
http://tv.nytimes.com/2011/04/15/arts/television/game-of-thrones-begins-sunday-on-hbo-review.html
**
clever & funny feminist piece on female depictions in GOT: http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/08/26/enter-ye-myne-mystic-world-of-gayng-raype-what-the-r-stands-for-in-george-r-r-martin/
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Phillip Maciak
http://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/review/game-of-thrones-season-one/248
"This continent, of course, is swarming with feudal lords, traitorous schemers, prostitutes, women the lords treat like prostitutes, and women the show runners treat like prostitutes, nearly all of whom, children included, are protecting devastating secrets and itching to slit somebody, anybody's, throat. "
"...Every act of brutality, every assaulted woman, every exoticized barbarian is presented for the delectation of the audience. No prostitute appears on screen without her bosom already exposed, no transgressive sex act occurs without the frame of luxuriant tapestries or the glow of moonlight upon it. This show's historical misogyny and racism are purely aesthetic, and that's a problem we should hope this series works out on the double."
9. Homeland (2011–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.
Stars: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis, Rupert Friend
Votes: 361,078
10. Top of the Lake (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 750 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective will find herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay.
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan, Thomas M. Wright
Votes: 37,736
11. Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis
Votes: 175,679
Probably only S1&2. Back in the pre-streaming days it was spectacular
12. The Fall (I) (2013–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seemingly cold but very passionate policewoman goes head to head with a seemingly passionate father who is in fact a cold serial killer in this procedural out of Belfast. The only thing they share is their common complexity.
Stars: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch, Aisling Franciosi
Votes: 119,760
13. The Night Of (2016)
TV-MA | 66 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After a night of partying with a woman he picked up, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.
Stars: Riz Ahmed, John Turturro, Bill Camp, Amara Karan
Votes: 171,924
14. Better Things (2016–2022)
TV-MA | 22 min | Comedy, Drama
An actress raises her three daughters while juggling the pressures of working in Hollywood and being a single parent.
Stars: Pamela Adlon, Mikey Madison, Hannah Riley, Olivia Edward
Votes: 18,061
15. The Returned (2012–2015)
TV-MA | 418 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
In a small French mountain town where everyone knows each other, the dead begin to inexplicably return as if their death never happened. Forcing the townsfolk to confront their difficult past as they seek to understand this phenomenon.
Stars: Anne Consigny, Clotilde Hesme, Frédéric Pierrot, Céline Sallette
Votes: 21,328
16. Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Love, money, ambition and music intertwine in Mozart in the Jungle, a half hour comedic drama that looks at finding yourself and finding love while conquering New York City. A brash new maestro Rodrigo stirs up the New York Symphony as young oboist Hailey hopes for her big chance.
Stars: Gael García Bernal, Lola Kirke, Saffron Burrows, Hannah Dunne
Votes: 25,901
Soap opera at the opera! Great use of music and arty themes. Love the tours to Venice and Mexico. Lola Kirke perfect match for the casual style. Classical music fans probably properly pissed off.
17. The Bridge (I) (2013–2014)
TV-MA | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives work together to take down a serial killer operating on both sides of the Texas-Chihuahua border.
Stars: Demián Bichir, Diane Kruger, Thomas M. Wright, Ted Levine
Votes: 20,337
18. The Night Manager (2016–2024)
TV-14 | 346 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The night manager of a Cairo hotel is recruited to infiltrate an arms dealer's inner circle.
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Elizabeth Debicki, Olivia Colman
Votes: 103,281
19. Mindhunter (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In the late 1970s, two FBI agents broaden the realm of criminal science by investigating the psychology behind murder and end up getting too close to real-life monsters.
Stars: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, Hannah Gross
Votes: 336,479
20. The Americans (2013–2018)
TV-MA | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
At the height of the Cold War, two Russian agents pose as the average American couple, complete with family.
Stars: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Keidrich Sellati, Holly Taylor
Votes: 111,413
Historical episodes tie-in and set designs fantastic. The main premise seems to lock them down and keep the drama oh so dramatic and predictable. They meet some new people and we wonder if they will glimpse the truth. If they do they'll die sooner or later anyway. Two or more people have sex. Next episode.
It's fine. Russell is made for this kind of series.
Surprised about the rave from some of the magazine reviewers claiming it's up there with ensemble pieces as Sopranos (without its humour) or The Wire (without its scope).
21. True Blood (2008–2014)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
Stars: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten
Votes: 260,220
22. Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
Follows some players in the 80s technological revolution that lead to information society.
Stars: Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Kerry Bishé
Votes: 35,285
Strange mix of spectacular set design, careful US tech industry storytelling and pure soap drama king&queens main characters bathed in golden lightning at any time of year or day. Scoot McNairy's Gordon and Toby Huss' Boz are just great nevertheless.
23. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 999,757
Not really about the villains - nothing at stake there - but it doesn't really matter in this universe and with these actors
24. Godless (2017)
TV-MA | 65 min | Action, Drama, Western
In the 1880s American West, murderous outlaw gang leader Frank Griffin hunts for ex-protege Roy Goode. Frank's chase leads him to La Belle, New Mexico--a town inhabited, after a mining disaster, almost entirely by women.
Stars: Jack O'Connell, Michelle Dockery, Scoot McNairy, Merritt Wever
Votes: 78,690
Just keep it going for years please
25. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 203,246
26. Sense8 (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order.
Stars: Bae Doona, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton
Votes: 163,107
27. I Love Dick (2016–2017)
TV-MA | 32 min | Comedy
In a Texas town, a woman becomes obsessed with one of her husband's companions and creates an art project inspired by him, a series of letters beginning "Dear Dick:"
Stars: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Hahn, Griffin Dunne, Roberta Colindrez
Votes: 4,954
Hail mini-series. Hahn given free reign. Not sure about Mr. Bacon.
28. Mr. Robot (2015–2019)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Elliot, a brilliant but unstable cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global chaos when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation his company is paid to protect.
Stars: Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallström
Votes: 418,562
Perfect cast and tone, though oh so dark and gloomy every single minute. Totally compelling. Probably not re-watchable.
29. Manhunt (II) (2017–2020)
TV-14 | 817 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An in-depth look at how an FBI profiler helped track down the terrorist Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.
Stars: Gethin Anthony, Arliss Howard, Kelly Jenrette, Cameron Britton
Votes: 63,861
30. The Looming Tower (2018)
TV-MA | 41 min | Drama, History
A look at how the rivalry between the CIA and FBI inadvertently set the stage for the tragedy of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan.
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Tahar Rahim, Wrenn Schmidt, Bill Camp
Votes: 17,555
31. The Handmaid's Tale (2017– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle
Votes: 258,193
32. Forever (I) (2018)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
June and Oscar live a comfortable but very predictable suburban wedded life when suddenly they find themselves in a completely otherworldly situation, raising questions about love and marriage in the afterlife.
Stars: Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Catherine Keener, Noah Robbins
Votes: 7,305
33. The Terror (2018–2025)
TV-14 | 60 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Supernatural, semihistorical, horror anthology series, where each season is inspired by a different infamous or mysterious real life historical tragedy.
Stars: Jared Harris, Derek Mio, Tobias Menzies, Kiki Sukezane
Votes: 51,430
34. Tokyo Girl (2016–2017)
30 min | Drama
Asami Mizukawa plays Aya, a woman who arrives in Tokyo in her twenties, then grows and changes along with her career and romances through various residential areas in the glittering city.
Stars: Asami Mizukawa, Sumire Ashina, Hana Hizuki, Saki Ohwada
Votes: 815
35. The Romanoffs (2018– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
Anthology of eight stories about people who believe themselves to be descendant of the Russian Royal family.
Stars: Diane Lane, JJ Feild, Aaron Eckhart, Louise Bourgoin
Votes: 6,485
36. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
After her husband leaves her, young mother of two Miriam "Midge" Maisel discovers that she has a talent for stand-up comedy. Could this be her calling?
Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen, Marin Hinkle
Votes: 143,055
When going over the top go over this one. Spectacular time and set pieces. Funny that 1950-ish comedy isn't really that funny but doesn't really matter for the show. Fantastic cast all around.
37. Electric Dreams (2017–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A sci-fi anthology series with stand-alone episodes based on the works of Philip K. Dick.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, Richard Madden, Timothy Spall
Votes: 18,782
38. Red Oaks (2014–2017)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A coming-of-age comedy set in the "go-go" 80s about a college student enjoying a last hurrah before summer comes to an end--and the future begins.
Stars: Craig Roberts, Ennis Esmer, Oliver Cooper, Richard Kind
Votes: 12,857
quite close to perfect
39. American Crime (2015–2017)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama
Seasonal anthology series. Season 1: The lives of the participants in a trial with significant racial motives are forever changed during the legal process.
Stars: Felicity Huffman, Regina King, Timothy Hutton, Richard Cabral
Votes: 10,155
Most Wire-ish ensemble series I've seen since The Wire. Devoid of any street smarts or humor though. All drama with a D. All cops and corporate and board room scenes seems to end with a walk-out and a looong close up and jaw clenched stare. Skipped S1 but 2 and 3 were great. Regina Carter and Felicity Huffman both fantastic.
40. Homecoming (2018–2020)
TV-MA | 30 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
An anthology series centered around the mysterious Geist Group, an unconventional wellness company and their equally unorthodox program, the Homecoming Initiative.
Stars: Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Hong Chau, Alex Karpovsky
Votes: 27,465
41. American Gods (2017–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A recently released ex-convict named Shadow meets a mysterious man who calls himself "Wednesday" and who knows more than he first seems to about Shadow's life and past.
Stars: Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley
Votes: 92,772
42. Genius (2017– )
TV-14 | 50 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life stories of history's greatest minds, from their days as young adults to their final years: their discoveries, loves, relationships, causes, flaws, and genius.
Stars: Samantha Colley, Seth Gabel, Antonio Banderas, Clémence Poésy
Votes: 20,121
S1. Basil Exposition and set design tour de force.
43. The Heavy Water War: Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb (2015)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, History, War
The story behind Germany's attempt to develop an atomic bomb during World War II and the sabotage of the heavy water program in Rjukan, Norway from the points of view of the Germans, the Allies, the saboteurs, and the company.
Stars: Andreas Döhler, Marc Ben Puch, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Anna Friel
Votes: 7,776
44. Good Omens (2019– )
TV-MA | 55 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
The End of the World is coming, which means a fussy Angel and a loose-living Demon who've become overly fond of life on Earth are forced to form an unlikely alliance to stop Armageddon.
Stars: David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Miranda Richardson, Jon Hamm
Votes: 112,591
45. Fleabag (2016–2019)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Series adapted from the award-winning play about a young woman trying to cope with life in London whilst coming to terms with a recent tragedy.
Stars: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Jenny Rainsford
Votes: 201,884
46. Deutschland 83 (2015)
TV-MA | 42 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Martin Rauch is recruited by the HVA to infiltrate the West Germany army. As a rookie spy, his decisions constantly put his cover at risk and force his agency to take extreme measures.
Stars: Jonas Nay, Maria Schrader, Ulrich Noethen, Sylvester Groth
Votes: 15,035
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