It’s tough picking one.
But that’s why I’m asking. It’s easy to do a top 3, even easier to a top 5.
But when you have to choose a singular show? When you’re forced to pare it down? What sticks above the others for you?
Babylon 5 for me.
It’s got plenty of issues but it’s still my darling and despite all the behind-the-scenes BS it’s still the best long-form sci-fi story I’ve seen onscreen.
Edit: Screwed up the title. Bad Dalacos.
I’ll go with “The Good Place”.
To me the show has everything. Comedy, Surprise, deep emotions, and it even is educational. If also is full of positivity, which in today’s times seems harder to do right.
Where lesser shows might have drawn out the ideas over multiple seasons, they constantly moved on from one setting to the next.
And they nailed the finale.
Go team venture!
Archer. Even if you include the 3 “coma seasons” it’s still some of the most consistently funny TV there’s ever been.
Firefly, even after the deluge of post-marvel Whedonesque slop that has worn away some of the charm of the banter. Only a little bit though, it’s fortunately not quite the same.
It managed to slip in just before they killed off episodic story telling for genre shows, but just after there was a very noticeable increase in production quality. So it’s got that rewatch factor nothing made after like 2005 has but without my girlfriend rolling her eyes at sets and costumes that were designed to be viewed on a tiny 4:3 CRT.
Obviously there were other episodic genre shows made in this weird interstitial period but none have nearly as many banger episodes, even those that got additional seasons.
True Detective Season 1. I have never watched a better show than this although there are many good ones out there as well
For me personally it’s gotta be Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Such a fantastic story, and one of the few shows I’ve gone back and re-watched several times. Even got my gf, who is not into anime, to love the show too, though her favourite remains Avatar The Last Airbender.
Honorable mention to Pantheon too, that one kinda broke me for a couple days. Just wish we got a bit more of the show so season 2 didn’t have to be as rushed.
Honorable mention to Pantheon too
I quite liked season 1, still need to watch season 2.
Similar vein to that one I’d recommend if you haven’t seen it, Terminator: Zero. I went in with low expectations but it was surprisingly good.
Oh really? I gave up in like one of the first scenes where someone was dodging a minigun or something like that
Light spoiler: there’s a scientist that has conversations with AI that I found entirely intriguing. Can’t even remember much of the action.
Interesting, I’ll consider giving it another go at some stage then, thanks
The Andy Griffith Show. Genuinely funny show, with a great heart. Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts, is literally the funniest character ever on TV.
From. I just love that show and cannot wait for new seasons!
I’d have chosen Firefly, I never get tired of it, and I just love it.
So many other amazing shows though, a few already mentioned in other comments, like BSG would be a close second to Firefly.
But there are some shows that haven’t been mentioned and I think they deserve it just as much. And because having to choose only one would make me regret losing these other ones, here they are:
Breaking Bad, it absolutely fascinates me and I just can’t get over the character development and the writing and acting from the whole cast.
And probably the newest show that for me is on the very top, and actually I must admit it might have gone past the other ones (except firefly), Arcane. Everything about it, I love. The writing, the animation, the music, the characters, the world building, the character growth, …
If I choose Firefly, I’d regret not choosing Arcane, but I just can’t not choose firefly.
I read Schuiten and Peters graphic novels in the 80s, and Arcane seems like such a rip-off that it just turns me off
Interesting, I didn’t know them and it seems like I might enjoy it. I’ll have to check it out.
The animation studio of Arcane is a small French company, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the artists have grown up reading those graphic novels and were inspired by them. Rip-off sounds a bit harsh though, or is it more blatant than what I could see on a quick search?
I think arcane s2 had some great stuff but a lot of it made very little sense or was outright bad imo. This is from someone who’s deeply immersed in runeterra (which might be a bad thing in this case)
Oh? I’m surprised, I think your comment is the first negative opinion on Arcane that I see (to be fair, I wasn’t really searching for them either). So I’m curious if you don’t mind explaining further, what for example did you find outright bad or making no sense? I would love to hear your opinion, also about season 1 as you specifically mention season 2, was the first better for you? I personally cannot say there was a lot bugging me and usually plotholes or characters acting against their role and background and personality just for the story’s sake bother me plenty.
For context, I did know about runeterra and a bit of the stories from before Arcane came out, but I would never consider myself versed in it. I did read some of the background stories officially posted by Riot, some of the comics, and played a bit of league and legends of runeterra, but of course there’s not that much story in the games anyway.
Better call Saul. Such a great character study. Fun high jinx. Every major character has an arch. Deals with corruption, justice and revenge. The choices they make, where it leads them, and how they reckon with it. It was the show breaking bad tried to be.
I watched it through all seasons for the first time this year and it’s so good. Agreed on the character archs and breaking bad. I had given up after season one with too much lawyer stuff and not enough illegal activity but very glad i picked it back up.
I’d say probably The Adventures of Tintin just because it has the nostalgia value of not just being a show from my childhood but also memories of watching it every Sunday morning at my dad’s house (he had HBO so it was rare to see it).
The greatest TV show of all time, Star Trek: The Next Generation.
I grew up on it so I feel like I’m pretty nostalgic about it but watching it helps me reinforce my value system. It taught me young that our differences are what make us strong and that we can triumph against great odds if we can learn to accept each other and work together. In a world where violence and hate seem so prevalent every day, that message hits a lot harder than it did when I was a kid. Throwing on an episode of TNG lights up that little spark of hope I have left for our species. Well, as long as it’s not episode 4, Code of Honor. Lmao.
Love me some TNG. The scene where Picard berates Riker and La Forge for not trying to get along with Barclay was informative and sadly beautiful.
Also, the episode where La Forge’s visor tech saves a planet where blindness would’ve been eliminated at birth is still a “go-to” of mine as an example of why we need IDIC.
I am currently watching seaQuest (yes it’s in camelCase). Somebody described it as “Star Trek under the sea” to me. Fair enough, I like it.
The plots are OK, but nothing compared to TNG’s psychological insight and complex morals.
SeaQuest unfortunately gets weird towards the end. But i loved it anyways. I thought Darwin was so damn cool lol.
‘Bojack Horseman’. Outstanding in every way, and the only series that I’ve watched twice without a twenty-year break inbetween. Also the only show where I needed to slow playback down a bit to get all the jokes, instead of my usual 110% speed.
Burn the land, boil the sea, you can’t take the sky from me….
The show I’d have to choose if only one is allowed. Not a single bad episode, amazing actors that loved their roles and became a family and it shows. And the best spaceship in all of SciFi.
I don’t know, Red Dwarf is as suprisngly resilient and comfortable ship.
The movie has a quote that breaks me.
“I am a monster.”
An antagonist who knows they don’t get redemption. It was a new thing for me. Shouldn’t, but was.
I’m a leaf on the wind 😭
