Asklemmy

Avatar The Last Airbender. An animated series with a complete story arch that takes place in a unique world. The characters are very relatable and have great development over time, even the villians are better than what most shows have. The animation is sophisticated in the way it is used to help tell the story, and the story is wonderful, it hooks you in from the intro:

"*Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world."

Batman: The Animated Series

Unique art style (it was drawn on black paper), excellent writing, excellent voice acting.

Expanse was great. Firefly was also great. A good series about relationships was NightSky, sort of a slower paced show about an elderly couple with a hint of SCI-FI.

Futurama!

Farscape. Always farscape.

Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. From the sound of it if you haven't already watched them you would really like them. Sci fi and definitely has the group/team evolving aspect.

You want The Good Place

Better Call Saul. I find it so amazing how they were able to take an existing (brilliant in its own right) story, and extend it in both past and the future. It fits in so nicely. There are very few (if any) plot holes, and the story is enjoyable in its own right. Add to that the superb acting of almost everyone, and the elite cinematography. I don't think there's a single aspect of this show that I don't like.

Monk, Psych, white collar and Frasier are probably my most favorite shows ever. They have all the things i want in a show, comedy and some drama, and really immersed me into the plot

Westworld (Season 1). The other seasons are good and have great moments but season 1 is special.

Poirot. It's charming, full of mostly subtle humor, and generally just well written, acted, and produced. I appreciate that it has a deeply humane perspective where justice matters, and that effort has been put into historical accuracy. It's also sufficiently detached from contemporary reality that its not a downer to watch even though it still has a very honest view of human nature.

Didn’t see it mentioned yet so i’ll shout out:

Devs.

Super super good sci-fi mystery series relating to quantum theory that introduced some … moral quandaries that stick with you. I dont see it talked about much but I really enjoyed it. Nick Offerman plays the main “bad guy” and it was a jarring but refreshing role change, kinda like John Goodman in the second cloverfield movie. God Damn he killed it.

Regular show

Its just so fun to watch and I am glad someone archived all of the episodes in the best quality

A recent one? Resident Alien. It has a lot of unexpected laughs. The female characters in it are also really well done and not one dimensional.

Battlestar Galactica will always be my comfort apocalypse.

@Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml you might enjoy The Good Place — not sci-fi, but awesome group building. Don’t read anything about it online to avoid spoilers, just sit and watch season 1. If you like it, watch the other seasons as well.

Dark

• This is the most intricate show ever. The Sistine Chapel of TV

The Wire

• The most real and relevant show. Much more than just a cop show. I would say this is the best bit of TV ever.

Colin From Accounts

• Hilarious. Kind of insane. First 5 minutes and I can't believe what just happened. Makes me want to visit Australia.

I've just caught up with Slow Horses. The main character is played by Gary Oldman in top form. He's a spy, so decrepit and filthy you can almost smell him. He runs an outpost of British intelligence from a filthy, decrepit office staffed by a bunch of fuck-ups. It's the best thing I've seen in ages. Lots of character development, back stories, car chases, bloodshed, even a tiny splash of romance. It's on its 4th series, so I'm very late to the game. Probably because I don't have Apple+.

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Horses

My top 5 is :

Arcane
Mr. Robot
Breaking Bad
The Good Place
Stranger Things

The X-Files because childhood and Gillian Anderson.

Star Trek TNG because childhood and Gates McFadden.

Futurama. I love how creative it is as well as how it can have its emotional moments, at least with the older seasons.

In no particular order, genre shows include:

• Babylon 5
• Firefly
• X-Files
• Fringe
• Buffy/Angel
• The League of Gentlemen
• Dr Who / Torchwood
• True Blood
• Utopia
• Supernatural
• Third Rock
• Ash vs Evil Dead
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
• Peacemaker
• The Nevers

The first and ONLY season of Altered Carbon. I love the dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi film noir style.

The Magicians. It's like a more mature and dark Harry Potter/Chronicles of Narnia crossover. It has really good character development and isn't afraid to have fun with things like musical numbers and self aware plotlines. The first season is the weakest of the bunch, but it's still pretty good. So give it a chance past then if you are still on the fence.

Smiling friends. The humor isn't anything like I've seen before. I tend to love random humor.

Letterkenny. The insults are top notch.

Scrubs! [0] [1] [2].

It had a great 8 season run (the 9th season doesn't exist, ignore those who incorrectly say it does). The show was funny, insightful, great dialogue, characters, serious moments and a great cast. Additionally the music choices in each episode were always top-notch. Note that "a handful of songs were replaced in the versions released to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu due to licensing issues." [3].

Lastly, "IGN gave the first season a perfect score of 10. The seven following seasons were rated, respectively, 9, 9, 9, 8, 7.5, 8.3 and 7.5" [4].

[0] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/scrubs

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285403/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)#Music

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)#Reception

It's Always Sunny and Bob's Burgers are standouts for me, along with a lot of this thread.

I guess I'd categorize them both as shows where every character, however minor, contributes perfectly to the hilarity and overall vibe of the show. Really, any show with great chemistry/cohesion and ownership of the characters, where you couldn't change a single thing to make it better. Psych and Futurama are a couple mentioned that fit the bill. Others are on the tip of my tongue but not coming to me. Oh, King of the Hill!

The best thing about IASIP and Bob's Burgers is there isn't a single off/bad episode in the first like 12 and 5 seasons, respectively. I stopped keeping up with both at some point when I was up to date and waiting. There's not really a bad episode in any of those shows.

What I really like about Bob's Burgers is how they record all together and have a lot of fast quipping and reactive energy.

Oh, and Archer! At least until things really switched up.

The Wire is one of those shows that portray the detective work with different approaches. They also show brilliant criminal minds, leadership and organization. There are bits of heroism in some rogue characters, too. The political and juducial aspects of organized crime are unashamedly put in front of you. Acting and writing are top-notch. It's just a must watch if you like TV shows.

BTW, great picks Severance and The Expanse, however, the latter had so many problems to find enough financial support that ends up showing on the screen. Being said that, the show is awesome in a Battlestar Galactica way to make things happen no matter the circumstance.

I'm so excited for severance season 2. I can't fathom how they could recreate the perfection of season 1 but I have my hopes up regardless

American Dad. It's Family Guy made way better. The episodes are so original and creative. The first 7 seasons are all gold.

I really like Black Mirror. I watched a bunch of TV shows, started and left midway through others, but I always go back to Black Mirror. Like the creator said, it's sci-fi techno dystopia. And he is working on the 7th season. One of the episodes will be a follow up to USS Callister. Awesome!

It’s not Sci-fi, but I’m shocked nobody has mentioned Six Feet Under, my vote for the best show ever made. With the best ending episode ever made. I never cry watching stuff but I ABSOLUTELY cried when I saw the ending. I tear up just thinking about it or listening to a certain song. I watched it a million years ago, then met someone who I’ve been with for over a decade who became a mortician. I then watched it all over again with them and they felt the same way I did about it. Best show ever.

More recent ones that are really good:

Barry, a show about a murderer that turns out to be really funny.

Snowfall, about drug dealers making it to kingpins. A similar show, Queen of the South is also good.

And some classics that are funny and clever enough to rewatch:

Keeping up Appearances, I think we all know some of these characters in real life

Flight of the Conchords

I like seeing a group evolve and form good friendships. I also like sci fi and weirdness.

You better get on that Scavengers Reign train. There's only one season right now, but it rules, especially from a "weirdness" perspective, and there's not going to be more unless it gets some more attention.

Joe Pera Talks With You

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Pera_Talks_with_You

https://www.adultswim.com/videos/joe-pera-talks-with-you

https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Pera-Talks-With-You/dp/B0B75L86ZG/

I was pretty bummed when it got canceled because it really got me through some hard times. What's there holds up beautifully, however.

It starts off as a Mr. Rogers type vehicle that quickly veers off into strangeness. Joes propensity to talk to the camera like Mr. Rogers, and his propensity to explain human emotions by relating them to scientific ideas like the formation of rocks made this show weirdly comforting for me. It's also just plain goofy.

It also includes Conner O'Malley in the cast and as one of the writers. O'Malley is like if BBC documentarian Adam Curtis instead made David Lynch-esque experimental comedy. He was on a few episodes of Detroiters with Tim Robinson and is in a handful of I Think You Should Leave sketches (in my opinion, most notably in "Honk if you're horny"). For being such a strange guy, he wrote some of the most heartfelt stuff in Joe Pera.

Joes voice is extremely calming to me, and his timing and delivery genuinely kill me. I've had very few comedians that had me crying over something genuinely sweet and sad and then be able to make laugh a few moments later.

I hear people describe shows like Ted Lasso as "kind television" and I think Joe Pera Talks With You fits in that same niche. It's very loving and doesn't seem to really put anyone down and shows off a quiet, beautiful Michigan community. Despite not being from Marquette, originally, Joe has a lot of love for the area, it's clear.

Halt and Catch Fire: It's a really cool drama about a group of very different people, who come together because of one shared goal, and then everyone following their own desires - more or less burning bridges and rebuilding them over 4 seasons of the show.

My favorite shows are the shows I can binge over and over and over and they’re still tons of fun, with enough complexity and depth to still reveal something new after dozens of viewings.

In no particular order:

The Orville
Psych
Community
Bob’s Burgers
Archer
Eureka
Rick & Morty
Home Movies
Warehouse 13
Joe Pera Talks With You
Also, my wife and I watch Friends together a lot.

Honorable mention:
Continuum
Gravity Falls
Roswell (yeah it was from my time)

iCarly

I like seeing a group evolve and form good friendships. I also like sci fi and weirdness.

May I recommend Star Trek: Lower Decks? If you're a fan of animated shows, that is.

Arrested Development & Frasier for wit.

Friends and also the Chicago version of Friends (Happy Endings) for familiarity, knowing and growing w/ characters.

I need laugh tracks so I know when to laugh.

The Leftovers. If I were to ever put together a top 10 list of personal favorites, this would be at the top then in a distant second I could start ranking the rest. I love how fully realized its concepts were. I love how it stuck true to its convictions right up to the end. I love the mashup of science fiction and fantasy and grief and contemporary life. I love the beautiful Max Richter score. For a show that starts pretty bleak in the first few episodes you really feel the love and warmth by the end of the series and the discovery of inner piece.

I always like to add this caveat to anyone jumping in, the first half of season one can be tough. Episode 3 is a good taste of what the show is at its best and episode 6 is one of the best in the series and the point where most people are fully hooked.