Best TV shows
by amy-steele1 | created - 14 Feb 2014 | updated - 10 Jan 2023 | Publicthe best TV shows, quality writing and casts. creative. memorable.
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1. The Wire (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
Stars: Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce
Votes: 375,070
2. 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: 22,393
3. Friday Night Lights (2006–2011)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Sport
A drama that follows the lives of the Dillon Panthers, one of the nation's best high school football teams, and their head coach Eric Taylor.
Stars: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Aimee Teegarden
Votes: 72,229
4. 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: 323,248
5. 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: 10,156
6. Orphan Black (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 44 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.
Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard
Votes: 116,666
7. 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: 529,517
8. Justified (2010–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Enforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts
Votes: 118,034
9. M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
Votes: 63,490
10. China Beach (1988–1991)
TV-14 | 120 min | Drama, History, War
The trials of a weary nurse, her friends and colleagues in a Vietnam War field hospital.
Stars: Dana Delany, Marg Helgenberger, Brian Wimmer, Oliver Theess
Votes: 3,522
11. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle
Votes: 223,903
12. Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
Stars: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose
Votes: 148,622
13. Friends (1994–2004)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
Follows the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty year-old friends living in the Manhattan borough of New York City.
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
Votes: 1,083,283
14. Seinfeld (1989–1998)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
The continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.
Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
Votes: 349,651
15. 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: 141,681
16. 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: 29,219
17. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 466,745
18. Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
Stars: Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Kyle Secor
Votes: 14,108
19. Mad Men (2007–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama
A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.
Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones
Votes: 259,544
20. Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the nineteenth century American Midwest.
Stars: Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Rachel Lindsay Greenbush
Votes: 26,610
21. 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: 144,603
22. 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 a millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,272,158
23. 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: 117,162
24. 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: 15,843
25. Rectify (2013–2016)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
Daniel Holden must put his life back together after serving 19 years on Georgia's Death Row before DNA evidence calls his conviction into question.
Stars: Aden Young, Abigail Spencer, J. Smith-Cameron, Adelaide Clemens
Votes: 27,584
26. Happy Valley (2014–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Yorkshire-based crime drama centering on the personal and professional life of Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood.
Stars: Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran, James Norton, Rhys Connah
Votes: 64,014
27. Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After 50+ years apart, Celia (Anne Reid) and Alan (Derek Jacobi) are reunited and decide to marry.
Stars: Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi, Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker
Votes: 8,733
28. 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: 360,119
29. The Knick (2014–2015)
TV-MA | 58 min | Drama, History
A look at the professional and personal lives of the staff at New York's Knickerbocker Hospital during the early part of the twentieth century.
Stars: Clive Owen, André Holland, Jeremy Bobb, Juliet Rylance
Votes: 52,430
30. 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: 35,130
31. Being Mary Jane (2013–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
The life of a young Black woman, her work, her family and the popular talk show which she hosts.
Stars: Gabrielle Union, Lisa Vidal, Raven Goodwin, Margaret Avery
Votes: 4,268
32. Master of None (2015–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
The personal and professional life of Dev, a 30-year-old actor in New York.
Stars: Aziz Ansari, Eric Wareheim, Lena Waithe, Noël Wells
Votes: 76,148
33. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
A woman is rescued from a doomsday cult and starts life over again in New York City.
Stars: Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Carol Kane
Votes: 78,459
34. Longmire (2012–2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Walt Longmire is the dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Widowed only a year, he is a man in psychic repair but buries his pain behind his brave face, unassuming grin and dry wit.
Stars: Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Cassidy Freeman
Votes: 39,803
35. Call the Midwife (2012– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, History
Chronicles the lives of a group of midwives living in East London in the late 1950s to late 1960s.
Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Stephen McGann
Votes: 31,219
36. 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: 25,838
37. Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama
The story of the drama surrounding a family's adult siblings.
Stars: Dave Annable, Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin
Votes: 25,485
38. 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: 592,607
39. Transparent (2014–2019)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
An L.A. family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out.
Stars: Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Landecker, Gaby Hoffmann, Jay Duplass
Votes: 23,403
40. The Night Of (2016)
TV-MA | 525 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: 170,827
41. Big Little Lies (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The apparently-perfect lives of upper-class mothers of students at a prestigious elementary school unravel to the point of murder when a single mother moves to their quaint California beach town.
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz
Votes: 223,292
42. Girls (2012–2017)
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy, Drama
A comedy about the experiences of a group of girls in their early 20s.
Stars: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Adam Driver
Votes: 77,572
43. Pushing Daisies (2007–2009)
TV-PG | 44 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A pastry chef with the power to bring dead people back to life solves murder mysteries with his resurrected childhood sweetheart, a cynical private investigator, and a lovesick waitress.
Stars: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale
Votes: 59,451
44. Pose (2018–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
In the New York of the late '80s and early '90s, this is a story of ball culture and the gay and trans community, the raging AIDS crisis, and capitalism.
Stars: Michaela Jaé (MJ) Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Angel Bismark
Votes: 32,667
45. 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: 50,384
46. 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: 142,194
47. Killing Eve (2018–2022)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After a series of events, the lives of a security operative and an assassin become inextricably linked.
Stars: Jodie Comer, Sandra Oh, Fiona Shaw, Kim Bodnia
Votes: 133,324
48. 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: 199,139
49. Dickinson (2019–2021)
TV-14 | 30 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Set in the 19th century, it explores the constraints of society, gender and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet, Emily Dickinson.
Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Adrian Enscoe, Anna Baryshnikov, Jane Krakowski
Votes: 19,609
50. Hacks (2021– )
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.
Stars: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Mark Indelicato
Votes: 36,852
51. Firefly Lane (2021–2023)
TV-MA | Drama, Romance
Tully and Kate support each other through good times and bad with an unbreakable bond that carries them from their teens to their forties.
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Sarah Chalke, Ben Lawson, Ali Skovbye
Votes: 36,726
52. Halston (2021)
TV-MA | 240 min | Biography, Drama
The story of a man who leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire that's synonymous with luxury, sex, status, and fame, literally defining the era.
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Dayan, David Pittu, Krysta Rodriguez
Votes: 16,940
53. The White Lotus (2021–2025)
TV-MA | 353 min | Comedy, Drama
The exploits of various guests and employees of a luxury resort over the span of a week.
Stars: Jennifer Coolidge, Jon Gries, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco
Votes: 204,580
54. Maid (2021)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama
After fleeing an abusive relationship, a young mother finds a job cleaning houses as she fights to provide for her child and build them a better future.
Stars: Margaret Qualley, Nick Robinson, Rylea Nevaeh Whittet, Andie MacDowell
Votes: 99,651
55. Call the Midwife (2012– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, History
Chronicles the lives of a group of midwives living in East London in the late 1950s to late 1960s.
Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Laura Main, Jenny Agutter, Stephen McGann
Votes: 31,219
56. Yellowjackets (2021– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A wildly talented girls high school soccer team become the unlucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Canadian wilderness.
Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown
Votes: 84,509
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