My Favorite TV Shows (Live Action)
by lyric_burt | created - 30 Dec 2015 | updated - 13 Jul 2021 | PublicA list of my favorite TV shows... in no particular order. Not including cartoons, sitcoms, or reality shows.
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1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head
Votes: 159,860
2. Doctor Who (2005–2022)
TV-PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
The further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor and his companions from planet Earth.
Stars: Jodie Whittaker, Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Smith
Votes: 246,728
3. Roswell (1999–2002)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
The lives of three young alien/human hybrids with extraordinary gifts in Roswell.
Stars: Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, Katherine Heigl, Majandra Delfino
Votes: 30,722
4. Charmed (1998–2006)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Three Halliwell sisters discover that they are descendants of a line of good female witches and are destined to fight against the forces of evil, using their combined power of witchcraft known as the "Power of Three".
Stars: Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Brian Krause, Rose McGowan
Votes: 91,614
5. The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
TV-PG | 50 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley
Votes: 93,248
6. Star Trek (1966–1969)
TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Votes: 93,002
7. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–1975)
TV-Y7 | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei
Votes: 8,189
8. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
Votes: 136,220
9. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.
Stars: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Cirroc Lofton, Alexander Siddig
Votes: 70,852
10. Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001)
TV-PG | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.
Stars: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill
Votes: 77,404
11. Torchwood (2006–2011)
TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.
Stars: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Kai Owen, Gareth David-Lloyd
Votes: 43,479
12. Firefly (2002–2003)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 281,849
13. The Almighty Johnsons (2011–2013)
TV-14 | 47 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Four brothers living in New Zealand are modern reincarnations of Norse gods.
Stars: Emmett Skilton, Timothy Balme, Dean O'Gorman, Jared Turner
Votes: 4,975
14. Angel (1999–2004)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The vampire Angel, cursed with a soul, moves to Los Angeles and aids people with supernatural-related problems while questing for his own redemption.
Stars: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards
Votes: 75,822
15. Dark Angel (2000–2002)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A group of genetically-enhanced children escape from a lab project. Years later we meet Max, one of the escapees who now works for a messenger service in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest.
Stars: Jessica Alba, Michael Weatherly, Richard Gunn, J.C. MacKenzie
Votes: 34,612
16. Dollhouse (2009–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A top secret organization erases the identities of attractive young people, turning them into blank "dolls" ready for imprints of temporary identities they need to fulfill assignments for clients.
Stars: Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz, Tahmoh Penikett
Votes: 51,815
17. Batman (1966–1968)
TV-G | 25 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
The Caped Crusader and his young ward battle evildoers in Gotham City.
Stars: Adam West, Burt Ward, Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton
Votes: 26,174
18. Teen Wolf (2011–2017)
TV-14 | 41 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
An average high school student and his best friend get caught up in some trouble causing him to receive a werewolf bite. As a result they find themselves in the middle of all sorts of dramas in Beacon Hills.
Stars: Tyler Posey, Holland Roden, Dylan O'Brien, Linden Ashby
Votes: 163,376
19. 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: 999,888
20. American Horror Story (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, showcasing different aspects of horror.
Stars: Lady Gaga, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 344,281
21. Tales from the Crypt (1989–1996)
TV-MA | 25 min | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy
"Tales from the Crypt" was a 1989 horror story anthology series based on the gruesome E.C. comic books of the 1950s presented by the legendary "Crypt Keeper", a sinister ghoul obsessed with gallows humor and horrific puns.
Stars: John Kassir, Roy Brocksmith, Miguel Ferrer, Cam Clarke
Votes: 27,096
22. 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: 767,570
23. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988–1999)
TV-14 | 90 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
In the not-too-distant future Joel Robinson is held captive by Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank, forced to watch B-Grade movies on the Satellite of Love with the help of his robot friends: Cambot, Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.
Stars: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy
Votes: 25,867
24. Queer as Folk (2000–2005)
TV-MA | 47 min | Drama, Romance
Brash humor and genuine emotion make up this series revolving around the lives, loves, ambitions, careers and friendships of a group of gay men and women living on Liberty Avenue in contemporary Pittsburgh, PA.
Stars: Gale Harold, Hal Sparks, Randy Harrison, Michelle Clunie
Votes: 22,464
25. Doctor Who (1963–1989)
TV-PG | 25 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
The adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.
Stars: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker
Votes: 39,545
26. Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990–2000)
TV-14 | 30 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A group of teenagers meet in the woods, and tell scary stories.
Stars: Ross Hull, Daniel DeSanto, Raine Pare-Coull, Jodie Resther
Votes: 16,203
27. Dead Like Me (2003–2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
After being hit on the head by a toilet seat that fell from Mir space station, a young temp clerk becomes a grim reaper in death.
Stars: Ellen Muth, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Mandy Patinkin
Votes: 43,932
28. Once Upon a Time (2011–2018)
TV-PG | 60 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
A young woman with a troubled past is drawn to a small town in Maine where fairy tales are to be believed.
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Robert Carlyle
Votes: 237,165
29. iZombie (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 42 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A medical resident finds that being a zombie has its perks, which she uses to assist the police.
Stars: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley
Votes: 74,622
30. 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: 260,221
31. Noah's Arc (2005–2006)
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Explore the daily lives of Noah, Alex, Ricky, and Chance, four African-American gay men in Los Angeles, through their relationships with their friends and lovers.
Stars: Darryl Stephens, Rodney Chester, Christian Vincent, Doug Spearman
Votes: 1,340
32. Merlin (2008–2012)
TV-PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
These are the brand new adventures of Merlin, the legendary sorcerer as a young man, when he was just a servant to young Prince Arthur on the royal court of Camelot, who has soon become his best friend, and turned Arthur into a great king and a legend.
Stars: John Hurt, Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Richard Wilson
Votes: 87,301
33. The Outer Limits (1963–1965)
TV-PG | 51 min | Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
An anthology series of insightful science fiction tales.
Stars: Bob Johnson, Ben Wright, William Douglas, Robert Culp
Votes: 9,313
34. Sex and the City (1998–2004)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Four female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives (or lack thereof) and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the late 1990s.
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon
Votes: 143,166
35. Drop Dead Diva (2009–2014)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A vapid aspiring model killed in a car crash gets brought back to life as an intelligent, overweight lawyer, hoping to find the meaning of inner beauty.
Stars: Brooke Elliott, Margaret Cho, Kate Levering, April Bowlby
Votes: 21,009
36. Glee (2009–2015)
TV-PG | 44 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A group of ambitious misfits try to escape the harsh realities of high school by joining a glee club headed by a passionate Spanish teacher.
Stars: Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith
Votes: 155,515
37. Scream: The TV Series (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A serialized anthology series that follows a group of teenagers being targeted by a masked serial killer.
Stars: Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, John Karna, Carlson Young
Votes: 45,025
38. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993–1996)
TV-Y7 | 30 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A team of teenagers with attitude are recruited to save Angel Grove from the evil witch, Rita Repulsa, and later, Lord Zedd, Emperor of all he sees, and their horde of monsters.
Stars: David Yost, Richard Steven Horvitz, Ed Neil, Paul Schrier
Votes: 24,682
39. 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: 418,598
40. UnREAL (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 42 min | Drama
A behind-the-scenes look at the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition program.
Stars: Shiri Appleby, Craig Bierko, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Brennan Elliott
Votes: 15,505
41. Charmed (2018–2022)
TV-PG | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Follows the lives of three sisters who, after the tragic death of their mother, discover they are powerful witches.
Stars: Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery, Rupert Evans, Madeleine Mantock
Votes: 17,946
42. Nancy Drew (2019–2023)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Young Nancy Drew makes plans to leave her hometown for college after high school graduation, but finds herself drawn into a supernatural murder mystery.
Stars: Kennedy McMann, Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizani, Tunji Kasim
Votes: 10,886
43. Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
A Taiwanese family makes their way in America during the 1990s.
Stars: Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler
Votes: 28,579
44. The Good Place (2016–2020)
TV-PG | 1,303 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Four people and their otherworldly frienemy struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good.
Stars: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden
Votes: 189,633
45. Will & Grace (1998–2020)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
Gay lawyer Will and straight interior designer Grace share a New York City apartment. Their best friends are gleeful and proud gay Jack and charismatic, filthy-rich, amoral socialite Karen.
Stars: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes
Votes: 60,351
46. Lore (2017–2018)
TV-14 | 40 min | Documentary, Horror, Mystery
Our collective nightmare mythologies are rooted in real-life horror stories.
Stars: Aaron Mahnke, Maimie McCoy, Emmett J Scanlan, Paula Malcomson
Votes: 5,970
47. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 42 min | Comedy, Musical
A young woman abandons a choice job at a law firm and her life in New York in an attempt to find happiness in the unlikely locale of West Covina, California.
Stars: Rachel Bloom, Donna Lynne Champlin, Vincent Rodriguez III, Pete Gardner
Votes: 22,674
48. Schitt's Creek (2015–2020)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
After being a victim of fraud, Johnny Rose and his family go from extremely wealthy to penniless overnight. The only asset left to them is a small, unsophisticated town: Schitt's Creek. They relocate there. Culture shock ensues.
Stars: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy
Votes: 146,310
49. Werq the World (2019– )
Documentary, Reality-TV
This docu-series follows ten of the most famous drag queens in the world as they bring their sickening performances to ravenous fans across Europe.
Stars: Giovanni Palandrani, Detox, Sang-Young Shin, Jason Dardo
Votes: 235
50. Slings and Arrows (2003–2006)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy
In the fictional town of New Burbage, legendary theatrical madman Geoffrey Tennant returns to the New Burbage Theatre Festival, the site of his greatest triumph and most humiliating failure... See full summary »
Stars: Paul Gross, Martha Burns, Stephen Ouimette, Susan Coyne
Votes: 2,903
51. What We Do in the Shadows (2019–2024)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A look into the nightly lives of four vampires who have lived together on Staten Island for over a century.
Stars: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén
Votes: 102,963
52. GLOW (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 35 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A look at the personal and professional lives of a group of women who perform for a wrestling organization in Los Angeles during the 1980s.
Stars: Alison Brie, Marc Maron, Betty Gilpin, Britt Baron
Votes: 50,625
53. Miranda (2009–2015)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
Socially inept Miranda always gets into awkward situations; working in her joke shop with best friend Stevie, being hounded by her pushy mother, and around her crush Gary.
Stars: Miranda Hart, Patricia Hodge, Tom Ellis, Sarah Hadland
Votes: 17,157
54. WandaVision (2021)
TV-PG | 39 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Blends the style of classic sitcoms with the MCU, in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision - two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives - begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris
Votes: 370,453
55. Ally McBeal (1997–2002)
TV-PG | 45 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Follows the personal and professional life of lawyer Ally.
Stars: Calista Flockhart, Greg Germann, Jane Krakowski, Vonda Shepard
Votes: 36,438
56. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As her 16th birthday nears, Sabrina Spellman must reconcile her dual nature as a half-witch, half-mortal while fighting the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit.
Stars: Kiernan Shipka, Ross Lynch, Lucy Davis, Chance Perdomo
Votes: 108,633
57. Horrible Histories (2009–2024)
28 min | Comedy, Family, History
A group of British comedians show the sides of history they don't teach you in school. From the 'Savage Stone Age' to the 'Troublesome 20th Century', you see the full side to history.
Stars: Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Mathew Baynton, Martha Howe-Douglas
Votes: 6,019
58. The Nanny (1993–1999)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
After being fired from her job and dumped by her boyfriend, a cosmetics saleswoman becomes the nanny to the three children of a rich English widower. As time passes, the two fall for each other.
Stars: Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Daniel Davis, Lauren Lane
Votes: 49,371
59. Loki (2021–2023)
TV-14 | 586 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The mercurial villain Loki resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku
Votes: 411,933
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