The Next Best TV Shows of All Time
by billjoel | created - 12 Mar 2016 | updated - 18 Feb 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 767,420
2. Terriers (2010)
TV-MA | 45 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack, in an unlicensed private investigation business.
Stars: Donal Logue, Michael Raymond-James, Laura Allen, Kimberly Quinn
Votes: 11,263
3. Southland (2009–2013)
TV-MA | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The lives of Police Officers working for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Stars: Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Ben McKenzie
Votes: 29,123
4. Magic City (2012–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Centers on Miami mobsters and other characters from Miami Beach in the late 1950s.
Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Steven Strait, Jessica Marais
Votes: 13,290
5. 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: 203,245
6. ER (1994–2009)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Romance
The doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
Stars: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Votes: 67,804
7. Rescue Me (2004–2011)
TV-MA | 42 min | Comedy, Drama
Tommy Gavin deals with the fears of his job as a firefighter and seeing his ex-wife dating other men.
Stars: Denis Leary, Michael Lombardi, Steven Pasquale, Andrea Roth
Votes: 27,989
8. Fargo (2014–2024)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Various chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks
Votes: 422,302
9. Nashville (2012–2018)
TV-PG | 43 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Follows the lives and tragedies of rising and fading country music stars in Nashville, Tennessee.
Stars: Hayden Panettiere, Clare Bowen, Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson
Votes: 27,478
10. House of Cards (2013–2018)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama
A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Michel Gill, Robin Wright, Kate Mara
Votes: 531,134
11. Deadwood (2004–2006)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
A show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Brad Dourif
Votes: 117,744
12. Lost (2004–2010)
TV-14 | 5,445 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
Stars: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly
Votes: 595,722
13. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)
TV-PG | 23 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Jedi Knights lead the Grand Army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists.
Stars: Tom Kane, Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor
Votes: 120,554
14. The Good Wife (2009–2016)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Alicia Florrick has been a good wife to her husband, a former state's attorney. After a very humiliating sex and corruption scandal, he is behind bars. She must now provide for her family and returns to work as a litigator in a law firm.
Stars: Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth, Josh Charles, Matt Czuchry
Votes: 82,813
15. Better Call Saul (2015–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama
The trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian
Votes: 648,496
16. The X-Files (1993–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 250,035
17. Life (I) (2007–2009)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Detective Charlie Crews was framed, convicted and cleared for a crime he didn't commit. Twelve years of hard time have given him a unique philosophy on life and criminal investigation. Now he's readjusting to a world that's moved on.
Stars: Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin, Brent Sexton
Votes: 35,288
18. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
Larry David stars as an over-the-top version of himself in this comedy series that shows how seemingly trivial details of day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events.
Stars: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman
Votes: 147,651
19. House M.D. (2004–2012)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Mystery
Using a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.
Stars: Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer
Votes: 514,221
20. Luck (2011–2012)
TV-MA | 52 min | Drama, Sport
A television series centered around characters who are tied to the same horse-racing track.
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina, John Ortiz, Richard Kind
Votes: 6,214
21. Rubicon (2010)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Will Travers is an analyst at a New York City-based federal intelligence agency who is thrown into a story where nothing is as it appears to be.
Stars: James Badge Dale, Jessica Ann Collins, Lauren Hodges, Dallas Roberts
Votes: 11,101
22. Awake (2012)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
After a car accident takes the life of a family member, a police detective lives two alternating parallel lives, one with his wife and one with his son. Is one of his "realities" merely a dream?
Stars: Jason Isaacs, Laura Allen, Steve Harris, Dylan Minnette
Votes: 21,496
23. Boss (2011–2012)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Mayor Tom Kane, diagnosed with a dementia disorder, struggles to keep his grip on power in Chicago.
Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Connie Nielsen, Hannah Ware, Jeff Hephner
Votes: 18,360
24. Fringe (2008–2013)
TV-14 | 46 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An F.B.I. agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.
Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole
Votes: 257,613
25. Treme (2010–2013)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Music
Life after Hurricane Katrina as the residents of New Orleans try to rebuild their lives, their homes, and their unique culture in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in the USA.
Stars: Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, Melissa Leo
Votes: 15,914
26. Nurse Jackie (2009–2015)
TV-MA | 27 min | Comedy, Drama
A drug-addicted nurse struggles to find a balance between the demands of her frenetic job at a New York City hospital and an array of personal dramas.
Stars: Edie Falco, Merritt Wever, Paul Schulze, Dominic Fumusa
Votes: 29,349
27. 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
28. The Closer (2005–2012)
TV-14 | 46 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson runs the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style. Her innate ability to read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city's toughest, most sensitive cases.
Stars: Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett
Votes: 28,937
29. Medium (2005–2011)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Suburban mom Allison DuBois attempts to balance family life with solving mysteries using her special gift. The dead send her visions of their deaths or other crimes while she sleeps.
Stars: Patricia Arquette, Miguel Sandoval, Jake Weber, Sofia Vassilieva
Votes: 31,136
30. 24 (2001–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster.
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert
Votes: 197,107
31. Raising the Bar (2008–2009)
Drama
Former law-school classmates reunite in court when they take on rival clients.
Stars: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Currie Graham, Melissa Sagemiller
Votes: 1,890
32. Animal Kingdom (2016–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Centers on a Southern California family, whose excessive lifestyle is fueled by their criminal activities.
Stars: Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole
Votes: 43,681
33. Ozark (2017–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A financial advisor drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder money to appease a drug boss.
Stars: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Sofia Hublitz, Skylar Gaertner
Votes: 347,189
34. The Resident (2018–2023)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
A group of doctors at Chastain Memorial Hospital face personal and professional challenges on a daily basis.
Stars: Matt Czuchry, Manish Dayal, Bruce Greenwood, Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Votes: 32,895
35. This Is Us (2016–2022)
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A heartwarming and emotional story about a unique set of triplets, their struggles, and their wonderful parents.
Stars: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz
Votes: 159,355
36. Line of Duty (2012–2021)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Drama series following the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit.
Stars: Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, Craig Parkinson
Votes: 70,287
37. Detectorists (2014–2022)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
The lives of two eccentric metal detectorists, who spend their days plodding along ploughed tracks and open fields, hoping to disturb the tedium by unearthing the fortune of a lifetime.
Stars: Mackenzie Crook, Toby Jones, Rachael Stirling, Gerard Horan
Votes: 21,379
38. Condor (2018–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A brilliant, young, idealistic CIA analyst finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that kills everyone else at his office. Can he, with no field experience, stay alive long enough to get to the bottom of it?
Stars: Max Irons, Kristen Hager, Bob Balaban, Sam McCarthy
Votes: 17,799
39. Flaked (2016–2017)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A recovering alcoholic faces reality after a life changing accident in Venice Beach, California.
Stars: Will Arnett, David Sullivan, Ruth Kearney, George Basil
Votes: 12,557
40. Unforgotten (2015– )
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
London detectives investigate crimes from the past, unravelling secrets left buried for years.
Stars: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jordan Long, Carolina Main, Nicola Walker
Votes: 30,560
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