These are the best TV shows of all time
TV shows all completed on Netflix? Can’t find anything new on Amazon Prime, or are you already Disney’ed out thanks to Disney+? Well, you've come to the right place. We have rounded up the list of the best, and literally ONLY the best TV shows of all time from across all the streaming platforms, spanning multiple decades.
For stellar female-fronted TV, we recommend brand new thriller series Down Cemetery Road and the wonderful Dying For Sex, starring Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. Have your heart broken by One Day, your mind blown by Baby Reindeer and fall head over heels for Channel 4's Queenie.
Not to mention the return of Noughties sweethearts Adam Brody and Kristen Bell for Netflix rom-com series Nobody Wants This. But there's more. The personal and professional lives of three women working at a glossy magazine in NYC in The Bold Type is a perfect five-season watch!
Christmas Eve theft, exes gone awry, and a woman dressed as Santa. All this and more are part of the streamer’s holiday offerings this year.
Or if you want something a bit more dramatic, Ozark and The Morning Show have ruled the Emmys circuit in recent years - and will not let you down. Or you could complete some classic shows like the 1960s drama Mad Men, which introduced us to the talents of Elisabeth Moss. Orrrr, you might want to get ahead of the game (pun intended) and check out the football sitcom Ted Lasso, which will surely be a dubbed classic in the future.
Comedy doesn't really come any better than Schitt's Creek, and all six, including the final series of the show, are on Netflix right now. The comedic show follows a family who suddenly loses all their money, and the last remaining asset they own is a small town aptly called Schitt's Creek, where they are forced to move to with hilarious consequences. It's worth watching for the one-liners of Catherine O'Hara's Moira Rose alone. And yes, she is the mother from Home Alone. Mind. Blown.
Aside from that, of course, there are the modern classics such as the tear-jerking Queer Eye and the best prison drama since Bad Girls, Orange Is The New Black, and those cult classics, Sex and the City, Friends, and The Fresh Prince Bel-Air. So, what better way to switch off from the world than diving into a good boxset?
Here’s our roundup of 103 of the best TV shows ever that you need to watch ASAP…
Ben BlackallAdolescence
Terrifying, confronting, heartbreaking – Adolescence was a huge TV highlight of 2025. It told the story of a young boy who was arrested for murdering a female schoolmate, opening up a larger conversation about the online radicalisation of young boys. Not to mention stand-out performances from newcomer Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty.
Matt TowersDown Cemetery Road
From the voice that brought us sleeper hit Slow Horses, Down Cemetery Road is the hilarious female-led thriller series that we all needed this autumn. Starring Emma Thompson as a hard-nosed private detective and Luther's Ruth Wilson as a kooky art researcher who both get caught up in the disappearance of a young child, leading them to a world much murkier than they imagined.
Sarah Shatz/FXDying For Sex
Arguably the best TV show to drop in 2025. Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate bring the real-life story of best friends Molly and Nikki to life. When Molly Kochan is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, she decides to leave her husband and go on a journey of sexual discovery with the time she has left. It's hilarious, life-affirming and based on Nikki's podcast of the same name.
des willieHostage
We challenge you not to watch this all in one go. Suranne Jones stars as Abigail Dalton, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, whose husband is abducted. The kidnappers tell her he will live – if she resigns. Seriously compelling stuff.
© 2024 Netflix, Inc.Too Much
Starring Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, Lena Dunham's latest TV venture is a hilarious take on the “American girl moves to London” story. Stalter plays Jessica, a workaholic romantic who moves from New York to London for her British fairytale. Instead, she finds Felix, a troubled indie musician. Hilarity ensues, trust us.
Ludovic Robert/NetflixBlack Doves
Starring Keira Knightley, Paddington star Ben Whishaw and Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire, this 2024 Netflix TV series is quintessentially British and addictive. It tells the story of Helen Webb (Knightley) a politician's wife who leaks government secrets to a group of spies called the Black Doves. When her secret lover is killed, she decides to seek revenge and fight to protect her family.
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NetflixSquid Game
Season two of the hit Netflix show is nearly here, dropping on Boxing Day 2024. The premise? Hundreds of financially desperate contestants accept an invitation to compete in odd children's games for a cash prize, but things get deadly very quickly.
BBC PicturesColin From Accounts
A ridiculously charming, insanely funny Australian rom-com TV series starring husband-and-wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who are also the writers. They star as Gordon and Ashley, who meet by chance via a car accident and an (adorable) injured dog. Excellent on the awkwardness around family, relationships and sex.
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Greg Gayne/NetflixAtypical
Follows autistic high school student Sam and his decision to enter the world of dating. An excellent portrayal of the nuances around living with being on the spectrum, as well as having a family member is. Lead Keir Gilchrist is joined by an amazing support cast, including Michael Rapaport, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jenna Boyd – making you root for the entire family and their everyday capers.
Adam Rose/NetflixNobody Wants This
Swoon swoon swoon. Starring Noughties TV stars Adam Brody (from The OC, duh) and Kristen Bell, this Netflix series follows the story of a rabbi and an agnostic sex podcaster and their undeniable chemistry. One problem: their lifestyles are worlds apart. We have a lot of fun watching these two kids fall in love, while fighting to reconcile their differences.
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Courtesy of Channel 4Queenie
Candice Carty-Williams' bestselling novel Queenie has had the TV treatment, and we're obsessed. The author worked as executive producer and showrunner and it shows, it's a fabulous adaptation of an important story. Dionne Brown plays protagonist Queenie to perfection, who is finding her way after a messy break up and dealing with life in South London, which includes navigating microaggressions and a not-so-satisfying job in the media, as well as her own trauma.
HBOThe Regime
Kate Winslet leads this star-studded TV series as the Chancellor of an unnamed autocratic nation in Central Europe. We see her regime (geddit?) come apart at the seams and what happens behind the palace walls as this happens. Hugh Grant, Andrea Riseborough and Matthias Schoenaerts also star.
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Teddy Cavendish/NetflixOne Day
The unforgettable Netflix adaptation of David Nicholl's heartbreaker of a novel. Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall bring best friends and (sometimes) star crossed lovers Emma and Dex to the screen perfectly, and the nostalgic 80s and 90s soundtrack is to die for. If you haven't watched it yet, make sure you have tissues at the ready for the final two episodes. We are not kidding.
The Split
Following a high-profile law firm in the city of London, The Split serves up sibling rivalry, affairs galore and the greatest work wardrobe inspiration you will ever need. You may invest in an evening law course after watching this, we warn you! And a new chapter of the unforgettable show is coming, based in Barcelona.
Courtesy of NetflixBaby Reindeer
One of the most talked about shows of 2024. Comedian Richard Gadd tells a disturbing true story of his experiences of being stalked. His character Donny goes through sexual shame, trauma and establishes a strange connection to the woman stalking him, martha, played by Pride's Jessica Gunning. Trans actor and all-around activist superstar Nava Mau also stars as Donny's girlfriend, Teri. Not to be missed, and not for the faint of heart.
© 2019 HBOBig Little Lies
Featuring perhaps the most star-studded cast ever (Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Zoe Kravitz, to name but a few), Big Little Lies is the gripping, drama-filled series based on Liane Moriarty's bestselling book and created by David E Kelley (Ally McBeal, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing). And a new season is coming!
Peaky Blinders
Gangster family epic set in Birmingham, 1919. Super stylish - and violent - the BBC drama is up there with an HBO budget-buster. And a Netflix movie is also coming soon!
JAKE GILES NETTERLove & Death
Elizabeth Olsen is at her best as a Texan churchgoing housewife in the eighties who decides that her seemingly picture-perfect life isn't cutting it for her anymore. As a result, she decides to pursue an extramarital affair with another married man (Jesse Plemons) in their small town. However, when his wife Betty (Lily Rabe) finds out, the course of Candy's life changes forever. Extraordinarily phenomenal acting by Olsen.
AARON EPSTEIN/NETFLIXFrom Scratch
Get out the tissues for this one! Based on Tembi Locke's real-life story, From Scratch sees American student Zoe Saldana meet and fall in love with Sicilian chef Eugenio Mastrandrea while studying abroad in Florence. The limited series follows the marital highs of their life together as well as the tragic lows of a shocking cancer diagnosis.
Atsushi NishijimaSeverance
Severance follows a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, the workers begin to discover the truth about their jobs.
@Sky UK LimitedThe Staircase
Colin Firth takes on the true-life-inspired role of Michael Peterson in the Sky Atlantic miniseries The Staircase, which explores the life of the American novelist before and after the suspicious passing of his wife Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette). The whole cast, including Sophie Turner, Olivia DeJonge and Juliette Binoche, is brilliant in this.
Candy
Before Elizabeth Olsen took on the role in Love & Death, Jessica Biel was utterly fantastic as the titular character, Candy Montgomery, a seemingly perfect eighties housewife and doting mother who was accused of brutally murdering Betty Gore, her neighbour and wife of her secret lover Allan Gore. Don't miss this five-episode limited series, which is based on a true story.
MARK ROGERS/NETFLIXPieces of Her
Another Toni Collette miniseries masterpiece! Netflix's Pieces Of Her, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Karin Slaughter, sees a young woman (Bella Heathcote) attempt to get to the bottom of her mother's dark past after a violent attack in their small town brings a series of deadly secrets to the forefront.
The Bold Type
Ever wanted to work at a glossy women's magazine in New York City? Well, for five seasons, you can follow Sutton (Meghann Fahy), Kat (Aisha Dee) and Jane (Katie Stevens)'s journies as they navigate the cutthroat world of their journalism careers alongside their personal lives. Easy watching television at its finest!
© 2022 Netflix, Inc.Wednesday
Jenna Ortega as the iconic Wednesday Addams has got to be one of the most perfect casting choices in a long time, and we couldn't be more thrilled for the actress-of-the-moment as it became one of Netflix's top-watched series this year. The eight-part show follows the solemn and spooky titular character as she gets to the bottom of a killing spree while attending Nevermore Academy.
The Patient
The Patient is nail-biting stuff as it follows therapist Alan Strauss (Steve Carell), who is held prisoner by his patient Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), who reveals to him that he is a serial killer. Yikes! Will Alan escape in the nick of time, or will he meet a deadly fate like Sam's other victims? You need to watch to find out...
© Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.The Big Bang Theory
One of the most beloved sitcoms out there, The Big Bang Theory centres on a glamorous woman who forms a friendship with a group of brilliantly clever but socially awkward physicists across the hall from her apartment. Of course, there are plenty of laughs along the way as they all learn a lot from each other's starkly different lives. Starring Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Kunal Nayyar.
RICARDO HUBBS/NETFLIXMaid
Margaret Qualley is absolutely brilliant in the Netflix limited series Maid - for which she was also Emmy-nominated! She takes on the role of a young mother named Alex, who flees domestic violence but still heartbreakingly has to fight to keep custody of her child, all while staying at a shelter, working as a cleaner, and navigating a complex relationship with her mother (who is played by her real-life mother Andie MacDowell). You'll need a tissue for this one.
Saeed Adyani/NETFLIXDead To Me
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are comedy-gold in this Netflix comedy series, Dead To Me, which spans three seasons. Christina plays a tightly wound widow who reluctantly forms a friendship with a free spirit (Cardellini) before a deadly secret comes to life! This is another comedy that did the rounds during the Emmys over the past few years, so definitely worth checking out for some laughs.
DisneyCriminal Minds
Criminal Minds is a popular crime drama that began in 2005 before reaching its conclusion in 2020. The show centres on an elite group of profilers at the F.B.I. Behavioural Analysis Unit (B.A.U.) who analyse the nation's most dangerous serial killers in a bid to stop them before they strike next. The show was so popular that it is now back for a reboot, so catch up on the old episodes before delving into the new!
HBOThe White Lotus
The White Lotus features two seasons' worth of exploits and shenanigans of several guests and employees over the span of a week at a tropical resort. Both Sydney Sweeney and Jennifer Coolidge earned themselves Emmy nominations for the first season of the much-loved comedy-drama, and the second season dominated award season for 2023. Bring on season three!
COURTESY OF NETFLIXOzark
Ozark dominated the award season circuit over the years, and it's no surprise why given its sensational performances by Julia Garner, Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. Ozark, which ran for four seasons, sees the journey of a financial advisor who relocates his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he launders money for a drug boss.
Erin SimkinThe Morning Show
With three seasons available, catch up on the Apple TV+ show that examines the toxic culture behind a network-broadcast morning news program. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, as well as a whole host of talented actors, this series is unmissable.
Colin HuttonTed Lasso
We absolutely love Jason Sudeikis in the titular role of Ted Lasso - an American college football coach who attempts to coach a struggling English Premier League football team. Most of the cast, including Jason, Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham have scooped up Emmy Awards for their portrayals in the comedy television series.
Ben BlackallIt's A Sin
Set in London at the height of the AIDS epidemic of the 80s, It's A Sin simultaneously manages to capture the sheer party spirit of the era while poignantly telling the tale of those who fell victim to the highly misunderstood condition of HIV & AIDS while facing stigma and homophobia. Russell T Davies' mini-series is a must-watch both for its embodiment of an important historical period and its stellar performances from break-out stars Lydia West and Omari Douglas, together with Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander.
CBS productionsThe Good Wife
Quite possibly the best legal drama of all times (sorry, Suits), The Good Wife tells the story of lawyer Alicia Florrick – played by the brilliant Julianna Margulies – who is forced to return to work and work her way up the rungs of the career ladder after her former state attorney husband is imprisoned on a sex and corruption scandal.
BBCI May Destroy You
There would be a good argument for making I May Destroy You compulsory in every school curriculum, as Michaela Coel's masterpiece limited series deals with the topic of sexual consent in a nuanced, sensitive way that is unparalleled. Also featuring incredible, heart-wrenching performances from Weruche Opia and Paapa Essiedu alongside Coel herself.
NetflixSchitt's Creek
Everyone loves an underdog, and Schitt's Creek is it. The riches-to-rags Canadian comedy from father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy (who play Johnny and David Rose, respectively) was a cult watch before it scooped up all four acting category awards at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2020, making it the first show to do so. The history-making awards moment rocketed the show to widespread popularity.
BBCBodyguard
Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio had yet another huge police procedural drama Bodyguard was released on BBC One in 2018. At the time it achieved the highest ever viewing figures for a new BBC drama – although it's not known how much of this was directly attributable to Richard Madden's chiselled good looks together with the show's excellence.
BBCBroadchurch
Starring some of the finest British acting talent of our time (plus two Doctor Whos), this 24-episode crime drama with Olivia Colman, David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker had us in its throes as we followed the investigations of Inspector Alec Hardy (Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Colman).
© 2012 Twin Peaks Productions. All Rights Reserved.Twin Peaks
This American mystery-horror television series, created by (and starring) the dynamic duo of Mark Frost and David Lynch, first premiered in 1990 and has stood the test of time. Inspired by detective fiction, with an added element of the supernatural and a touch of melodrama – it has a one-of-a-kind cult appeal that places it firmly in the essential television canon.
USA NetworkThe Sinner
With its unique ‘Why done it?’ (as opposed to ‘Who done it?’) premise and anthology format, The Sinner is a show that truly reinvented the wheel for the mystery crime drama genre. Spearheaded by executive producer Jessica Biel (who also starred in the first season of four), this Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated show has continued to win critical acclaim over its four seasons.
BBCNormal People
This adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling novel of the same title, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, proved to be the lockdown watch – not least because of its tenderly-shot sex scenes. It's a romantic psychological drama which follows on-off couple Marianne and Connell, a pair both from the same town in Ireland but from very different upbringings who navigate growing up alongside each other.
© HBOSuccession
Succession is the satirical black comedy-drama from Peep Show creator Jesse Armstrong that has captured global attention. Originally planned to be a full-length feature film about the Murdoch family dynasty, Succession instead took on a life of its own. It became the fictionalised story of the Roy family, headed up by extremely flawed patriarch Logan Roy, the owner of a global media and entertainment empire, and centres around the life of Logan and his children Kendal, Roman and Shiv as they fight one another for control and money.
Brian SweeneyLovesick
Originally titled the somewhat polarising Scrotal Recall, Lovesick chronicles the journey of Dylan to inform his previous sexual partners after he is diagnosed with chlamydia. Nostalgic reunions and a surprising amount of romance ensue.
Modern Family
The mockumentary-style sitcom Modern Family follows three endearing, dysfunctional families as they try to juggle the demands of being, well, modern families over the course of eleven seasons. The cast includes Sofia Vergara, Sarah Hyland, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen, Ariel Winter, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Ty Burrell.
Chewing Gum
If you've watched Michaela Coel's drama I May Destroy You on BBC, now's a great time to revisit her BAFTA-winning comedy Chewing Gum. It follows Tracey, who goes on a journey of sexual discovery after being raised in a strictly religious Tower Hamlets flat.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
A mid-century housewife (Rachel Brosnahan) who seems to have it all by 1950s standards wants to break into the comedy circuit and sets her sights on a stand-up comedy career. Feminist LOLs at their best.
Hunters
Brace yourselves, as this will get so addictive you may not sleep tonight. A group of Nazi hunters discover that there are a number of former Nazi officials living in 1970s America, so they take it upon themselves to prevent the officials from creating a fourth Reich.
Derry Girls
Whilst it is set in the less than comical setting of Derry during the Irish Troubles in the mid-nineties, the behaviour of the Derry Girls as they navigate teenage life and all the hilarious obstacles that comes with that is nothing short of comedic gold. Nicola Coughlan, Saoirse Jackson and Dylan Llewellyn star in all three seasons.
Gavin and Stacey
Tracing the love story of a welsh girl, Stacey and her boyfriend, Gavin, this hilarious series will remind you not only of a simpler time but will give you all the escapist comedy you need. James Corden, Ruth Jones, Joanna Page, Mathew Horne, Rob Bryne, and Alison Steadman complete the cast.
NetflixStranger Things
The mysterious Eleven and her gang must confront supernatural forces when people begin to disappear from the town of Hawkins over the course of four terrifying and nail-biting seasons. Stranger Things shot Millie Bobby Brown to stardom, as well as the rest of its young cast, so you can rest assured it's a worthwhile watch!
Line of Duty
One of Britain's best-loved crime TV series, Line of Duty, created by Jed Mercurio, runs for six seasons and stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar.
Fleabag
The whole world fell in love with Fleabag when it graced our screens back in 2016. The sitcom, which is the brainchild of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, follows a young woman trying to navigate life in the big city whilst dealing with a recent tragedy. It’s hilarious, brilliant and jam-packed with epic one-liners - there’s a reason Phoebe received a BAFTA for her performance for the show that also ran for a second season.
Dynasty
Your new Netflix binge comes in the form of two of America’s wealthiest families battling over their fortunes on this Netflix show.
Sex Education
The teenage son of a sex therapist sets up his own under-the-radar sex therapy clinic with his classmate at a high school in Wales. Starring Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling and many more.
Queer Eye
The Fab Five travel through Atlanta, helping to improve the lives of the city's straight men. We're talking a full wardrobe, grooming, diet and home decor overhaul.
Power
In Power, which boasts six seasons, James ‘Ghost’ St Patrick juggles his double life as New York’s most notorious drug distributor and wealthy night club owner catering to the city’s elite.
Killing Eve
Based on the Villanelle Novellas by Luke Jennings, this hit TV show follows a British security operative as she hunts down a highly skilled assassin. The tense game of cat-and-mouse will have you binging the whole series in a day. Jodie Comer catapulted to stardom thanks to this killer performance.
Courtesy of NetflixFriends
If you don't know their names, where have you been?! Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry play six twenty-somethings who navigate the city of New York and all the challenges life throws at them. You'll be in hysterics, you'll be in tears, and you'll fall in love with six friends who help each other through thick and thin.
PA PhotosGossip Girl
Narrated by Kristen Bell, Gossip Girl is a dizzying, glamorous peek into life in New York's affluent Upper East Side. The show centres around love, friendship, heartbreak and, yes, gossip. Warning: You will head over heels in love with the Motherchucker that is Chuck Bass. Oh, and there's a reboot now as well, with a whole new cast.
Rex FeaturesDexter
A forensic blood-splatter analyst by day and a vigilante serial killer at night - this is one fantastically twisted (and gory) show. This is one for viewers who don’t scare too easily.
Rex FeaturesMad Men
Set in a 1960s advertising agency, Mad Men is not only a joy to behold visually, it’s a fascinating insight into the 60s socio-politics (read: sexism). Starring Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, January Jones and many more.
Rex FeaturesSex And The City
The lives and loves of our four favourite friend (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon) in the Big Apple has brought us so much joy – from the very first season, where the characters actually talked to the camera, to the agonising 'Big or Aidan?’ years, and the final sentimental season. A true classic.
Orange Is The New Black
A white, middle-class woman winds up in prison, where she has to navigate the gangs, guards and general gruesomeness of jailhouse life. As the seasons unfold, we learn more about her fellow inmates and their lives before they were banged up. Best for multiple kickass female characters.
HBOGame Of Thrones
Based on the best-selling fantasy book series by George R. R. Martin, GOT boasts a huge ensemble cast and a hugely complicated plot. But it’s a must-watch for its cinematic production values, tour de force performances, outrageous amounts of nudity/graphic violence, and those WTAF moments.
Rex FeaturesBuffy The Vampire Slayer
The much-loved fantasy show from the 90s saw Buffy’s rise from schoolgirl to fearless vampire slayer. As her Scooby gang grows (witch, werewolf, vampire), the character developments make it impossible to walk away from. This is best for nostalgia. We recommend a second viewing. And if it's your first time – lucky you!
Channel 4Homeland
This gripping thriller takes us deep into the heart of the CIA, breaks our hearts, shocks us and spits us out. Regularly. Claire Danes, Damien Lewis, and Mandy Patinkin are brilliant.
Rex FeaturesBreaking Bad
Possibly the best TV show ever – not least because we just simply didn’t see it coming. A teacher who discovers he has cancer sets about developing a batch of crack to fund his chemo. From there, every dark and dank corner of the drug world is visited, and the transformation of our protagonist is epic.
Grey's Anatomy
A medical drama that takes melodrama to the max, from the genius that is Shonda Rhimes. Starting with Dr Meredith Grey (Pompeo) has a surgical intern we follow her and her friends, lovers and colleagues as they grow up, fall in and out of love, and become super-surgeons. We defy you not to be moved to tears by some of the heart-wrenching patients and cases they deal with. Plus, these doctors face A LOT of life and death-situations over the course of nineteen seasons.
Suits
This legal drama centres on the lives of hot-shot lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and college drop-out Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). On paper, Mike Ross is bad news, but Harvey sees something special in him and asks him to join the law firm. There’s only one problem: He isn’t actually a lawyer.
Desperate Housewives
Comedy/drama set in the fictional Wisteria Lane, where not a season goes by without a murder of some sort. As the series develops our relationships with the characters grow stronger and by season eight it’s hard to say goodbye.Terri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, and Marcia Cross star.
Friday Night Lights
Chronicling the highs and lows of East Dillon High’s football team and their coach, Eric Taylor - even if you think American Football isn’t your bag, we guarantee this show will change your mind. And as for the resident bad boy, Tim Riggins... be still our beating hearts.
Nashville
Drama meets country music: the show centres around the Queen of Country, Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) and the young upstart on her heels Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). The music is amazing, the costumes are great, and the complex romantic storyline will have you hooked.
Pretty Little Liars
This American teen drama has all the tortured angst of The O.C with the whodunnit fun of CSI. Who is the mysterious ‘A’ that is taunting our circle of teenage girls? If you love a murder mystery - with a side order of female friendship - this is for you
Rex FeaturesThe O.C.
The show that made us desperately want to be teens in LA - with all its tanned surfers and amazing pool houses (rather than the pigeon-shit splattered bus stop where we drank our cider in miserable old Blighty). ‘Bad boy’ (i.e. poor) Ryan is adopted by the wealthy Cohens and upsets the shiny world of Orange County’s beautiful people.
The Handmaid's Tale
Based on Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel, the series is set in the fictional future following the characters of Gilead, a totalitarian society that used to be labelled the United States. The ruling fundamentalist regime treats the female characters as property of the state, and with a rife infertility problem, women who are able to reproduce are forced into sexual servitude at the service of unfertile families, making them Handmaids. One such woman, Offred becomes the protagonist to the action with terrifying flashbacks to her previous life and the daughter who was taken from her.
The Crown
Following the family behind the crown and the woman behind the political climate, The Crown chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Nest
When a wealthy couple can't conceive a baby naturally, they employ a girl to be their surrogate. Starring Martin Compston of Line of Duty fame, this one-off BBC drama has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is the second season of the true crime anthology television series American Crime Story following the serial killer who murdered the fashion designer Gianni Versace. It's gripping and shocking in equal measure with a fantastic cast: Darren Criss, Penelope Cruz and Ricky Martin.
How To Get Away With Murder
The Queen and Oscar winner, Viola Davis, plays Annalise Keating, a criminal defence lawyer and professor who teaches a group of law students who become tragically interlinked when a murder takes place. It's Viola doing what she does best, serving us pure drama.
Scandal
If you haven't watched this before, prepare to become so obsessed with Olivia Pope that you will want to be her. Scandal follows Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope, who, as the former media consultant for the President of the United States, starts her own crisis management firm, and she's never short of a high-profile client or two. Juicy.
The Sopranos
Often hailed as one of the best TV shows ever made, The Sopranos's protagonist is New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, and the show follows his struggles as a professional mobster and as a family man.
The Affair
Noah Solloway (Dominic West) is a struggling novelist but happily married man with four kids – until he meets Alison Bailey (Ruth Wilson), a waitress in Montauk, New York. Their affair will change the course of their lives – and of those around them – forever.
The West Wing
The West Wing is often hailed as one of the best TV shows of all time. It takes a look inside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.
The End Of The F***ing World
17-year-old James is pretty sure he's a psychopath. Then he meets Alyssa, the dark, moody new girl at school who actually seems to get him. What happens when a budding psychopath and an angsty teen go on a road trip together, in search of said angsty teen's real father? You'll find out.
HBOChernobyl
Using factual information, the show covers the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, a city in the Soviet Union. This was the worst nuclear disaster in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line to save Europe.
HBOInsecure
The creator of the show also stars Issa Rae as Issa Dee, who struggles to navigate the tricky professional and personal terrain of LA along with her best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji). They belong to the same social background and face similar experiences, so we see them power through their problems while serving as anchors to each other. Laughter, sex, dating, family and every topic in between are covered!
NickelodeonMoesha
Moesha Mitchell (Brandy) is a teenager juggling school, friendships and romance. Previously the female head of the household, she's also learning to love and trust her father's new wife. While at home, she does her best to be the "glue" that helps hold the family together! The coming-of-age series you didn't know you needed.
CBS ParamountGirlfriends
Toni, Maya, Lynn and Joan are four young, strong women who face life's ups and downs together. There is lots of laughter, but they touch on serious topics like race, dating, navigating high-flying careers and unemployment, amongst many other things we go through in our 20s. Starring Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, and Jill Marie Jones.
NetflixBlack Mirror
This anthology/collection of unrelated stories had one main theme, the abstrusely dystopian future, several individuals grapple with the manipulative effects of cutting-edge technology in their personal lives and behaviours. All seasons are available on Netflix.
ABCBlackish
Black-ish follows a middle-class African-American family. The father tries to get his mixed-raced family to mingle with the neighbours and form a rapport with them in an effort to fit in and find their place in society. Lots of lessons about family, friendship, navigating life as a person of colour and much laughter.
HuluER
This US drama, which has 15 seasons, follows the busy lives of the hard-pressed doctors, nurses and support staff of a hectic inner-city emergency room.
NetflixBridgerton
One of the most-watched series on Netflix of all time, produced by Shonda Rhymes, the drama takes place in Regency-era London in 1813, focusing on the aristocratic Bridgerton family. As they try to marry off their children during courtship season, and there are a lot of parties, secrets, and sex.
ITVDownton Abbey
The series is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926. It depicts the lives of an aristocratic family and their servants as one of the family members Robert Crawley risks losing the family estate after his heirs die on the Titanic.
Warner BrothersGilmore Girls
The series follows the close-knit relationship between a mother and an intellectual teen daughter as they navigate love, relationships, high school dramas and more. The mother Lorelai Gilmore grew up in Hartford with her old money parents and became pregnant with her daughter Rory at age 16 by her childhood boyfriend. She eventually moves with her one-year-old and builds a life for them. Over the years, Lorelai and Rory develop a very close relationship, living like best friends rather than as typical mother-daughter.
HBOThe Wire
An American crime drama created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, it introduces a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season while retaining characters and advancing storylines from previous seasons. The five subjects are, in chronological order: the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium.
NBCThe Fresh Prince Of Bel Air
The theme tune of the show makes it all very self-explanatory, but essentially, Will's mum sends him away from his rough Philadelphia neighbourhood to live with wealthy Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian and their very privileged children in Bel-Air and its jokes all around.
BBCThe Office
This mockumentary is shot in the format of a reality TV show, but of course, with a much better script and real actors. The show centres on themes of social clumsiness, the trivialities of human behaviour, self-importance and conceit, frustration, desperation and fame, and it will have you laughing out loud.
ParamountSister Sister
Starring Tia and Tamera as identical twin sisters who are separated at birth but then are reunited as teenagers. After their unexpected reunion, Tia Landry is the intelligent twin from the rougher ends of Detroit, where her adoptive mother Lisa works as a seamstress, and Tamera Campbell is the boy-crazy twin from the suburbs, where her adoptive father Ray owns a successful limousine service. After their unexpected reunion, Ray reluctantly allows Tia and Lisa to move in…
NETFLIXEmily In Paris
The series follows American twenty-something Emily (played by Lily Collins), who moves to Paris on a work visa to provide an American point of view to a French marketing firm, the Savoir. There, she struggles to succeed in the workplace while searching for love and experiencing a culture clash from her Midwestern American upbringing.
Buena Vista TelevisionMy Wife And Kids
The show starred Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch of a middle-class African-American family who rules his household with a unique and hilarious parenting style. As he and his wife Jay teach their three children some of life's lessons, they do so with their own brand of humour.
NBCSaved By The Bell
The show follows a group of high school friends and their headmaster at the fictional Bayside High School in LA. Primarily a comedy, it occasionally touches on serious social issues, such as drug use, homelessness, death, women's rights and environmental issues.
