best tv series
by rainbowflat | created - 16 Dec 2016 | updated - 15 Feb 2018 | Publicoutstanding series that I've watched since 2012
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1. I, Claudius (1976)
Not Rated | 669 min | Biography, Drama, History
The history of the Roman Empire as experienced by one of its rulers.
Stars: Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed
Votes: 14,124
2. Brideshead Revisited (1981)
659 min | Drama, Romance
Two young men meet at Oxford. Charles Ryder, though of no family or money, becomes friends with Sebastian Flyte when Sebastian throws up in his college room through an open window. He then ... See full summary »
Stars: Jeremy Irons, Diana Quick, Roger Milner, Phoebe Nicholls
Votes: 5,922
3. Edge of Darkness (1985)
307 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The mysterious murder of an environmental activist leads her straight-laced father, an Inspector of the local police force, through a haunting revelation of the murkiness of the British ... See full summary »
Stars: Bob Peck, Joe Don Baker, Charles Kay, Ian McNeice
Votes: 3,240
4. The Singing Detective (1986)
415 min | Drama, Musical, Mystery
Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
Stars: Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahide, Joanne Whalley, David Ryall
Votes: 3,892
5. A Very British Coup (1988– )
Not Rated | 148 min | Drama
Harry Perkins, steel worker and trade unionist from Sheffield, becomes Prime Minister of the UK by a landslide, partly because of corruption and public disillusionment with the Conservative... See full summary »
Stars: Ray McAnally, Marjorie Yates, Geoffrey Beevers, Hugh Martin
Votes: 719
6. Our Friends in the North (1996– )
623 min | Drama
A nine part series depicting the varying fortunes of four friends, Nicky, Geordie, Mary, and Tosker, from the optimistic times of 1964 to the uncertainties of 1995. Taking nine pivotal ... See full summary »
Stars: Christopher Eccleston, Mark Strong, Gina McKee, Daniel Craig
Votes: 1,339
7. This Life (1996–1997)
45 min | Drama
A series following the lives of Miles, Milly, Warren, Egg and Anna, five young professionals.
Stars: Jack Davenport, Amita Dhiri, Andrew Lincoln, Daniela Nardini
Votes: 1,743
8. That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006–2010)
720 min | Comedy
A comedy sketch show featuring David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
Stars: David Mitchell, Robert Webb, James Bachman, Mark Evans
Votes: 7,528
So many classic sketches.
9. Peep Show (2003–2015)
TV-MA | 25 min | Comedy
Mark and Jez are a couple of twenty-something roommates who have nothing in common - except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal. Mayhem ensues as the pair strive to cope with day-to-day life.
Stars: David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Matt King, Olivia Colman
Votes: 45,649
2003-2015
I don't think there's a show that gives me more lpm (laughs per minute).
10. The Thick of It (2005–2012)
TV-MA | 29 min | Comedy
Set in the corridors of power and spin, the Minister for Social Affairs, is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.
Stars: Chris Addison, James Smith, Peter Capaldi, Joanna Scanlan
Votes: 17,292
11. Black Mirror (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
An anthology series exploring a twisted, high-tech world where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.
Stars: Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen, Michaela Coel, Beatrice Robertson-Jones
Votes: 314,853
Awesomely high-quality show, almost every episode has been memorable.
12. A Touch of Cloth (2012–2014)
Action, Comedy, Crime
DCI Jack Cloth and DC Anne Oldman are paired to investigate a series of grisly murders done by a devious killer.
Stars: John Hannah, Suranne Jones, Navin Chowdhry, Adrian Bower
Votes: 3,070
Half-a-dozen long episodes in total, an amazingly silly spoof of the omnipresent police procedural.
13. In the Flesh (2013–2014)
56 min | Drama, Horror
Four years after the Rising, the government starts to rehabilitate the Undead for reentry into society, including teenager Kieren Walker, who returns to his small Lancashire village to face a hostile reception, as well as his own demons.
Stars: Luke Newberry, Harriet Cains, Marie Critchley, Steve Cooper
Votes: 12,076
I think it's the best thing (movie or series) with zombies. (Other contenders: I guess Les Revenants, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Girl with All the Gifts, and the Romero original.) Not so many episodes, sadly.
14. Moonlighting (1985–1989)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
The quirky cases of a former model and a smart aleck detective who manage a private detective agency.
Stars: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong
Votes: 16,368
Good morrow, sir. I'm Lucentio, come hither for to see fair Padua, pleasant garden of great Italy, to seek out and happily begin a course of learning and studies herein.
You've mistaken me, sir, for someone who careth.
15. The Wire (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 59 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Baltimore drug scene, seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
Stars: Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce
Votes: 244,535
16. Silicon Valley (2014– )
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy
Follows the struggle of Richard Hendricks, a Silicon Valley engineer trying to build his own company called Pied Piper.
Stars: Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr
Votes: 102,796
17. Rick and Morty (2013– )
TV-MA | 23 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson.
Stars: Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, Sarah Chalke
Votes: 269,075
Amazingly good.
18. Nathan for You (2013–2017)
TV-14 | 30 min | Documentary, Comedy
Nathan Fielder uses his business degree and life experiences to help real small businesses turn a profit. But because of his unorthodox approach, Nathan's genuine efforts to do good often draw real people into an experience far beyond what they signed up for.
Stars: Nathan Fielder, Anthony Filosa, William Heath, Brian S. Wolfe
Votes: 13,774
19. City of Men (2002–2018)
30 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In this original variation on the Latin American telenovela (slow, emotional soap), life in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian big city jungle, is told in short, fast alternating scenes from the... See full summary »
Stars: Darlan Cunha, Douglas Silva, Camila Monteiro, Roberta Rodrigues
Votes: 2,653
20. Danger 5 (2011– )
24 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
It's Christmas in the 1980s, Adolf Hitler is alive and has two Yuletide wishes: Danger 5 dead and the world under his Christmas tree.
Stars: David Ashby, Sean James Murphy, Natasa Ristic, Amanda Simons
Votes: 3,866
Crazy and very funny 60s-retro Australian series about a group of agents trying to complete their weekly mission..and kill Hitler.
21. The Killing (2007–2012)
TV-MA | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police detective Sarah Lund investigates difficult cases with personal and political consequences.
Stars: Sofie Gråbøl, Morten Suurballe, Lars Mikkelsen, Bjarne Henriksen
Votes: 21,998
Grr. It's really called Forbrydelsen (The Crime)
22. Borgen (2010–2013)
TV-14 | 58 min | Drama
A political drama about a prime minister's rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.
Stars: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Emil Poulsen, Freja Riemann
Votes: 14,921
Amazingly good.
"about how power changes a prime minister" says the IMDb blurb. Uh.... really? Hmm I don't remember her changing a lot, if at all, over the 3 seasons. Someone else who had this in a list on here wrote that season 1 & 2 are great, season 3 is awful. Funny. I thought season 3 was no weaker than the others, maybe better.
In the user comments to Ikiru on here, someone wrote that the first 1/2 is dreadful, but the 2nd half, the finest in cinema. Someone else wrote the complete opposite. Personally I loved both halves. :-)
23. Rita (2012– )
40 min | Comedy, Drama
Following the life of a very outspoken and rebellious woman, Rita is a school teacher who is competent in the classroom, but seems to need a teacher of her own, when it comes to her personal life.
Stars: Lise Baastrup, Mille Dinesen, Nikolaj Groth, Ellen Hillingsø
Votes: 5,269
24. The Legacy (2014–2017)
55 min | Drama
The death of a matriarch brings forgotten secrets out into the open and causes a prolonged battle for the family inheritance.
Stars: Trine Dyrholm, Marie Bach Hansen, Carsten Bjørnlund, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
Votes: 2,501
25. Forestillinger (2007– )
Drama
Stars: Mads Wille, Sonja Richter, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Pernilla August
Votes: 243
Per Fly's Performances A wonderful 6-part Danish series. A view of a (fictional) staged production of Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis and its cast and their intertwined lives, through the eyes of a different character each episode. Magnificent stuff, unforgettable. Love, life, art, loss, beauty, tragedy, jealousy, madness etc
26. Spiral (2005– )
Not Rated | 52 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of those involved.
Stars: Caroline Proust, Audrey Fleurot, Thierry Godard, Philippe Duclos
Votes: 4,159
It's actual name is "Engrenages" which means nothing like "Spiral". It's more like interlocking gears/mechanisms. This is a fabulous series, am currently desperately waiting for the next season to appear..
27. Un village français (2009–2017)
52 min | Drama
A French village and its inhabitants go through the ups and (mainly) downs of the occupation by the German army from 1940 to 1945. The village doctor is assigned as mayor, and confronted ... See full summary »
Stars: Robin Renucci, Audrey Fleurot, Thierry Godard, Marie Kremer
Votes: 791
I didn't think it likely that this would be anywhere near as good as Engrenages.. but it is.
28. The Returned (2012– )
TV-MA | 52 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The Returned opens in a small mountain community which is rocked to its core when several local people who are presumed dead suddenly re-appear at their homes. Despite having passed away ... See full summary »
Stars: Anne Consigny, Clotilde Hesme, Frédéric Pierrot, Céline Sallette
Votes: 18,402
Les Revenants I loved Season 1, but lost interest soon after that.
29. Spin (2012–2016)
Not Rated | 52 min | Drama
After the french president is killed by an assassin, a political intrigue about the following campaign begins. The best friend of the dead president and his spindoctor installs the ... See full summary »
Stars: Bruno Wolkowitch, Grégory Fitoussi, Philippe Magnan, Yves Pignot
Votes: 588
30. Le Bureau des Légendes (2015– )
TV-MA | 52 min | Drama
After six years of undercover work in Syria, French intelligence officer Malotru returns home, where he struggles to forget his undercover identity, train a young recruit, and investigate when a colleague disappears in Algeria.
Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz, Florence Loiret Caille, Sara Giraudeau, Jules Sagot
Votes: 4,001
31. Mr. Robot (2015– )
TV-MA | 49 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Elliot, a brilliant but highly unstable young cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global dominance when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation he works for.
Stars: Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin
Votes: 276,766
Season 1 I thought was outstanding... season 2 lost the plot and my interest.
32. South Park (1997– )
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
Follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Isaac Hayes, Mona Marshall
Votes: 299,830
33. Paranoia Agent (2004– )
TV-MA | Animation, Drama, Horror
Seemingly unconnected citizens of Tokyo are targeted for bludgeoning by a boy with a golden baseball bat. As detectives try to link the victims, they discover that following the assaults, the victims' lives have improved in some way.
Stars: Shôzô Îzuka, Toshihiko Seki, Michael McConnohie, Liam O'Brien
Votes: 8,017
34. Yes Minister (1980–1984)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy
The Right Honorable James Hacker has landed the plum job of Cabinet Minister to the Department of Administration. At last he is in a position of power and can carry out some long-needed reforms, or so he thinks.
Stars: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds, Diana Hoddinott
Votes: 10,640
35. G.B.H. (1991– )
567 min | Drama
Michael Murray is an ambitious and charismatic politician, Jim Nelson is a much loved headmaster of a local school for disturbed children. When the paths of these two men cross, things are ... See full summary »
Stars: Robert Lindsay, Michael Palin, Dearbhla Molloy, Alan Igbon
Votes: 577
36. Ride Upon the Storm (2017– )
60 min | Drama
The story centers on a family of priests: Johannes, Elisabeth and their sons August and Christian. Johannes is God-like to his sons - he gives, loves, and punishes. His favoritism for ... See full summary »
Stars: Lars Mikkelsen, Ann Eleonora Jørgensen, Simon Sears, Fanny Louise Bernth
Votes: 774
37. Hunderby (2012– )
30 min | Comedy
Set in the 1830s, this black comedy centers on a woman who is washed ashore after her ship is wrecked off the English coast.
Stars: Julia Davis, Alexandra Roach, Alex Macqueen, Rufus Jones
Votes: 787
38. The Wrong Mans (2013–2014)
29 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
From actor/writer duo James Corden and Mathew Baynton, The Wrong Mans series centers on Sam Pinkett and Phil Bourne, office workers for Berkshire County Council, who have their menial ... See full summary »
Stars: Mathew Baynton, James Corden, Sarah Solemani, Dawn French
Votes: 5,898
39. You, Me and the Apocalypse (2015)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
When a group of ordinary people learn that an eight-mile-wide comet is on a collision course with Earth, they hunker beneath the town of Slough to watch the end of the world on television.
Stars: Mathew Baynton, Jenna Fischer, Joel Fry, Gaia Scodellaro
Votes: 6,402
40. Broadchurch (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 48 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
Stars: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan
Votes: 73,799
41. This Is Not My Life (2010)
44 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Alec Ross awakes one morning to find that he doesn't know who or where he is and doesn't recognize his wife or children.
Stars: Charles Mesure, Tania Nolan, Miriama McDowell, Ariana Brunet
Votes: 543
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