My Top TV Series Picks
Each one of the following series lies in its dimension and is very unique. It addresses rare yet profoundly loud and relatable emotions. They are all entertaining and would rate them all 8 and above. This list is not a ranking, it's not in any order.
64. Dr. Death
Christopher Duntsch, a sinister doctor, disregards his Hippocratic Oath and turns into a murderous psychopath. As a result, his fellow colleagues and an attorney set out to stop him.
63. Dopesick
Exploring the epicentre of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Purdue Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community and to the hallways of the DEA.
62. Spy x Family
Spy × Family is a fun and relaxing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The story follows a spy who has to “build a family” to execute a mission, not realizing that his adopted daughter is a telepath, and the woman he agrees to marry is a skilled assassin.
61. Loki
After stealing the Tesseract, Loki comes into contact with a mysterious organization that gives him an ominous ultimatum, either fix the timeline or cease to exist completely.
60. Succession
The Roy family controls Waystar RoyCo, a powerful global media and entertainment conglomerate. However, the unexpected retirement of the company’s patriarch ignites a power struggle.
59. Physical: 100
One hundred contestants in top physical shape compete in a series of gruelling challenges to claim the honour — and cash reward — as the last one standing.
58. Evil
Psychologist Kristen Bouchard reluctantly works together with David Acosta, a priest in training, to investigate and find a logical explanation for every supernatural occurrence within the Church.
57. From
Unravel the mystery of a city in middle U.S.A. that imprisons everyone who enters. As the residents struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy and seek a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest.
56. The Diplomat
In the midst of an international crisis, Kate Wyler a career diplomat lands in a high-profile job for which she was not suited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.
55. Kaleidoscope
A master thief and his crew attempt an epic heist worth $7 billion, but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans. Whats special about this TV series is that its marketed/promoted as a series that can be watched in any order. So, one doesn’t have to follow the default order in which its placed on Netflix.
I watched in the following order.
Orange
Yellow
Pink
Green
white
Blue
violet
What I think would be the best order to watch it. (Almost chronological.)
Violet — Partners in crime, 25 years ago
Green — Prison Break
Yellow — The team
Orange — Introducing the FBI agent
Blue — Hurricare
White — The heist
Red — Regroup
Pink — 6 months after the heist
54. Seven Seconds
When 15-year-old black cyclist Brenton Butler dies in a hit-and-run accident — with a white police officer behind the wheel of the vehicle — Jersey City explodes with racial tension. This crime drama explores the aftermath of the accident, which includes an attempted cover-up by the police department and a volatile trial. Assistant prosecutor KJ wants to prosecute the hit-and-run as a hate crime, in addition to a negligent homicide. The longer the case drags on without a resolution, the more tense the situation becomes. Emmy winner Regina King stars as Brenton’s churchgoing mother, Latrice.
53. Alice in Boderland
Obsessed gamer Arisu suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive. (Live action adaptation of anime)
52. Inside Man
A prisoner on death row in the U.S. and an English vicarage cross paths in an unexpected way.
51. Squid Game
Its an infamous TV series, breaking records. Hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to compete in children’s games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly.
Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father and indebted gambler who lives with his elderly mother, is invited to play a series of children’s games for a chance at a large cash prize. Accepting the offer, he is taken to an unknown location where he finds himself among 455 other players who are all deeply in financial problem. The players are made to wear green tracksuits and are kept under watch at all times by masked guards in pink jumpsuits, with the games overseen by the Front Man, who wears a black mask and black uniform. The players soon discover that losing a game results in their death, with each death adding ₩100 million to the potential ₩45.6 billion grand prize. Gi-hun allies with other players, including his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo and North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, to try to survive the physical and psychological twists of the games.
50. Midnight Mass
Telecast of the Mass conducted at midnight with prayers and scripture readings followed by Communion. A young man returns to his isolated hometown on Crockett Island, hoping to rebuild his life after serving four years in prison for killing someone in a drunk-driving incident. He arrives at the same time as a mysterious, charismatic young priest who begins to revitalise the town’s flagging faith. However, the community’s divisions are soon exacerbated by the priest’s deeds while mysterious events befall the small town.
49. The lincoln Lawyer
Idealistic lawyer Mickey Haller runs his practise out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car, taking on cases big and small across Los Angeles. The story is adapted from the first of several novels featuring the character of Mickey Haller, who works out of a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car rather than an office. Haller is hired to defend the son of a wealthy Los Angeles businesswoman in an assault case. Details of the crime bring up uncomfortable parallels with a former case, and Haller discovers the two cases are intertwined.
48. Death Note
A high-school student discovers a supernatural notebook that grants its user the ability to kill.
47. Under the Banner of Heaven
As Detective Jeb Pyre investigates the murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter in a suburb in the Salt Lake Valley, he uncovers buried truths about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of unyielding faith.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is a nonfiction book by author Jon Krakauer, first published in July 2003.
46. Mare of Easttown
Mare Sheehan, an office police investigator in a small Pennsylvania town, investigates a brutal murder as she tries to keep her life from falling apart.
45. Bates Motel
Bates Motel is an American psychological horror drama television series. Nothing too special about the story, but the admirable performance of acting by Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, makes you spellbound.
44. Madam Secretary
It’s a child of House of cards and Designated Survivor. Having left her job as a CIA analyst for ethical reasons, newly appointed Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord returns to public life at the request of the president, after the suspicious death of her predecessor. Valued by her boss for her apolitical leanings, knowledge of the Middle East, language skills, and creative thinking, Elizabeth drives international diplomacy, battles office politics, and circumvents protocol, while negotiating national and international issues. At home, politics and compromise take on new meaning with her supportive husband and three bright kids.
43. Behind her eyes
It took me a while to add “Behind her eyes” to this list, but it had a long-lasting effect, so it proved that it deserves a seat on this list. The cinematography and music are spell bounding. A single mother enters a world of twisted mind games when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his mysterious wife. An interesting take of people and relationships with a supernatural twist!
42. The Morning Show
Alex Levy anchors The Morning Show, a popular breakfast news program broadcast from Manhattan on the UBA network that has excellent viewership ratings and is perceived to have changed the face of American television. After her on-air partner of 15 years, Mitch Kessler, is fired amidst a sexual misconduct scandal, Alex fights to retain her job as a top news anchor while sparking a rivalry with Bradley Jackson, a haphazard field reporter whose series of impulsive decisions bring her into a new world of television journalism.
41. Hannibal
This is on this list because, its one of a kind. A rare piece of work. I wouldn’t recommend this series for the faint-hearted. There have been other horror and gore series that some people, who are sensitive, avoid. My usual attitude towards them would be that, they should grow the fuck up and really enjoy those series. But, this one is not easy, it just takes a level of emotional maturity to enjoy this series. You either can or cannot, you can’t grow into the mindset. Hannibal the cannibal, a psychiatrist, a master of persuasion and manipulation and a excellent cook. It’s never revealed if he feeds his guests the human meat he consumes. He never feels any amount of guilt in his cannibalism, he just feels the power and very comfortable in the skin of an apex predator. Anyone orbiting around Hannibal may think they are in control of themselves. But he is pulling the strings. There aren’t gore elements, just for the sake of it. Will Graham’s empathy is intriguing and how he slowly loses himself and gets consumed by Hannibal’s intentions. All the display of killing represented as artwork is a rare element to bring into a series and is set up in a different world. The cinematography is amazing. Evil represented in a poetic way and personification of various elements is compelling perspective. A rare work.
“This is my design” — Will Graham
40. Zoo
Animals around the world have started to rapidly undergo mutation and develop features to protect themselves from humans who they perceive as a threat. A group of people trying to find a cure for this rapid mutation to save all the humans, but it comes with a great cost.
39. The last ship
The whole world is dying of a dangerous pandemic. One small team of scientists travel to Antarctica to find the key ingredient to manufacture the vaccine to save the world. But there is a great game of monopoly at play here.
38. 3%
Only the top 3% of the population enjoy all the luxury and privileges there can be. All the others rot in the slum. Every year when teenagers turn 18 they have to go through a series of challenges and tests which decides who gets to be in the top 3%.
37. Modern Love
Different Love stories and great actors. There is a lesson to be learnt from every episode and its soul-stirring.
36. The Good Place
The whole series is happening after the characters have died and apparently reached heaven when one of them is an imposter or so she first thought. There are many twists and turns in this comedy-drama. Its fun to watch.
35. The Good Doctor
A young surgeon doctor who is autistic yet extremely intelligent and solves medical problems. His quirky bedside manner and his unique relationships are well portrayed by the skilled actor.
34. The Big Bang Theory, HIMYM, Friends, The Office, NCIS and more
These are default series and famous comedy classics. Which would be on the list of anyone born in the '90s. Some of which I play for background noise.
33. Designated Survivor
A lower-level cabinet member becomes the president of the US after an attack destroying most of the cabinet members during a gathering. The series revolves around how although put there by fate, his modesty and humbleness become a key factor in his leadership to make tough decisions as a president while trying to find out who and how this attack was struck in the first place.
32. Sex Education
It's the adventures of a teenage boy trying to make money by providing advice and consult for sexual issues in his school while he himself hasn’t started his adolescence yet. It addresses various issues teenagers face with respect to their sexual discoveries, may it be their fetishes, orientation or self-acceptance.
31. Sense 8
How these various people around the world are connected to each other through their 8th sense which enables them to share abilities, knowledge, and experiences which is key in protecting themselves from a dangerous threat to their existence.
30. Suits
A famous legal drama. Mike Ross and Harvey Specter make a great team tackling various legal issues. The mentor-mentee relationship is greatly captured in this series.
29. White Collar
A criminal helps the FBI catch white-collar criminals by educating the FBI with various conning techniques and methods that he is an expert himself, in exchange for reduced sentences. But it's a longer game than that.
28. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
This is a fun police procedural comedy series with quirky characters. The comedy is intelligent and spontaneous. Jake Peralta’s immature and cocky attitude towards everything is really entertaining.
27. Attack on Titan
This is a one-of-a-kind series. A young boy trying to destroy all giant humanoids that almost killed all the humans. His journey trying to solve the mystery of how his own father is related to its creation and how he himself is one of the titans.
26. Modern Family & Breeders
Modern Family : It's an easy-breezy fun series. That one can watch when relaxed. This series made to this list because of one of my favorite on-screen LGBTQ couple, Cam and Mitchell, even though the ones on Grey’s Anatomy have a lot of drama and emotions surrounding them.
Breeders : Paul and Ally struggle to balance their full-time careers while dealing with the many trials and tribulations that come their way while raising their young children, Luke and Ava. Its not entirely a comedy series as it falls under that genre. There are a few things one could learn from in this series, so it made it to this list. The series ‘Working Moms’ could also interest you if you like this one.
25. Money Heist
How an intelligent mastermind forms a group of people who has nothing more to loose to use their skills to pull off one of the greatest heists. He has got everything planned, every move of his opponent is in his chain of events. The professor’s ideals are the ones you would fall in love with. It's a masterpiece.
24. Code Geass
It revolves around a young outcast prince who uses his newly acquired mysterious power to overthrow the empire that has conquered his kingdom and rebel against it. Evil protagonist, a rare gem.
23. Sherlock Holmes
The most famous detective of all time. His investigation and a keen eye for the details and the stories it tells him are what make this series very special. His intelligence and the drama in his relationships with his friend and brother are very unique. How he engages his arch enemies to win them over keeps you at the edge of your seat. It's a must-watch for any crime or thriller fan.
22. A Teacher
A teacher and student fall in love. They deceive themselves and each other and really fall in love, a love which may be true and real at the time but eventually ruins each other's life and family. They both grow older to realize what a grave mistake it was looking back. The climax is what sets this series apart from being any other teacher-student love story. The story portrays how one craves for love and sex, how it's beyond their own logic, intelligence and how they let it overpower them not knowing of its long-lasting consequences.
21. Defending Jacob
Chris Evans plays the district attorney whose son may or may not have committed a murder. He attempts to protect his son and at the same time trying to find the truth. The trauma the mother goes through in all of this process is also portrayed well.
20. Dark
You need to take notes when you start watching this time travel series. Write down the characters and which timeline they originate from and where they are now and how they are impacting other people in other timelines. It's a messed-up network where everything is connected. It's a mentally exhausting series that has to be binge-watched or else you will lose the pace. I don’t even understand myself yet. But don’t forget to take notes.
19. The 100
A dystopian series, where a group of 100 criminals is sent down to Earth from a space station of survivors of a nuclear war, to find if Earth is safe enough from the radiation to come back and colonize it. But finds survivors on Earth and how they have adapted, mutated, and evolved to form their own small civilizations. Also shows a very unique role Artificial Intelligence can play in keeping people living.
18. The haunting of Hill House & Bly Manor
Chilling and entertaining horror series. One of a kind takes a special seat among all the horror-themed entertainment out there. Unique and unpredictable is set up with its own laws of the world of ghosts and spirit.
17. House of Cards
It portrays the political moves a secretary of state makes to climb the ladder of his democrat party and overthrow the sitting president and eventually become a president himself. The drama between him and his wife, his business allies, his chief of staff who making things disappear, and how he deals with presidential situations and conflicts with other countries is captivating. Every time Frank Underwood turns to the audience (Shakespeare's drama style) and talks to them he shares his wisdom, you will become his fan.
16. Criminal
There are different series under this umbrella term. The whole series happens within four walls where detectives try to get confessions and ask questions trying to find proof of a crime that may or may not be committed by the suspect sitting across the table.
15. Mindhunter
FBI agents trying to understand and document the psychology of serial killers in an attempt to create a profile and predict the behavior of serial killers who haven’t been caught yet, thus helping and aiding the FBI. The series portrays the weird behaviors and ideals of these serial killers in captivation.
14. Chernobyl
The true story of how the nuclear reactor failed in Chernobyl which causes an explosion and causing radioactive materials to rain down many kilometers from the epicenter. To date efforts are made to reduce the radioactive core from impacting the surroundings and people.
13. Breaking Bad
The only reason I started watching breaking bad was that people rated it higher on IMBD compared to Game of Thrones. I came to learn that people loved how breaking bad ended. After watching it, I understand why the ending was so great and loved. One of the best series I watched, it’s engaging, entertaining, suspenseful, and has a great storyline. But personally, it's nothing compared to Game of thrones.
12. Sword Art Online
Teenagers get stuck inside a newly released virtual reality game and the only way to get out is by finishing and winning the boss in the game. People who die in the game, die in real life.
11. Kakeguri
It makes you think outside the box and betting your life on your intelligence. How this new student in the academy reads her opponents and wins them is really entertaining.
10. No Game No life
In a world where everything is decided based on gamble including justice. A young man wins everyone through his intelligence and wit.
9. The Slasher
Each season deals with a murderer killing a group of people motivated by revenge. It's horror-themed and there is a lot of suspense. You would start picking your suspects, but they might get killed and that’s the twist. It's really engaging.
8. Unabomber
It's a true story of a serial bomber who kills through couriers. Set up in a time when computers weren’t used much. Portrays the challenges a young detective faces while tracking the killer using unconventional methods.
7. The Sinner
Portrays the psychology and motivation behind crime committed by normal people leading normal lives. Each season revolves around a crime. It's mysterious and the suspense is chilling.
6. Dirty John
True Stories of love gone wrong. Played by really good actors, whose messages from their lips and eyes don’t match. Story of treachery and deception in love.
5. Unbelievable
It's a police investigation on trying to find a serial rapist and revolves around many rape victims. You will in the beginning not believe what the victims are saying, it even makes you doubt the real course of events. Beautifully depicted miniseries of crime and investigation.
4. Black Mirror
It's a dystopian science fiction which focuses the effects of technology in people’s personal life and behaviors. Each episode is completely different from the other. It's futuristic, mind-blowing, and perplexing.
3. Naruto
Naruto played a deep and huge role in my emotional development. I often pushed myself in real life telling myself, “Naruto wouldn’t give up and so shouldn’t you”. Also, I guess it raised my standards of how I define “Friendship”. Itachi’s sacrifice for the greater good. Top choice for anyone setting out to watch anime.
2. Grey’s Anatomy
Very close to my heart. I wish I had watched this when I was in my school days. Would have inspired me to become a doctor, more specifically a neurosurgeon. I would google the disease and procedure on the side trying to understand the medicinal part of Grey’s Anatomy. But it's far more than just that. Life is hard and bad things happen to really good people. It's just how it is, so random and not because someone deserves it. The character development is extraordinary and each one of them inspires you to be an emotionally stronger person. A lot of episodes are inspired by real medical events, so it was fun learning those facts when I cross-checked them. A must-watch for anyone.
- Game of Thrones
This series has been a huge part of my entertainment. I have spent a lot of time trying to predict what the next sequence of events would be. It always managed to keep me on the edge of my seat. When Ned Stark was killed, I didn’t believe it. I was waiting for some character to wake up and realize that it's a dream. I waited and waited, but the show kept going on without Ned Stark. It was surreal. Soon after I get attached to a character they died. I loved watching the dragons grow up. Loved Khaleesi’s ideals and how she dealt with her enemies and conquered her empire. Loved how so many scenes and dialogues foreshadowed what the character will eventually be succumbed by. Tyrion’s wit, Arya’s courage, Baelish’s wisdom kept me hooked. Although a lot of people didn’t like how the show ended. I felt quite satisfied, I was prepared for the bittersweet ending. I sometimes, play the events differently in my mind and that would have been satisfactory too, there are always many ways it could have ended. But it was very beautiful and poetic the way it ended. You either die a hero or wait long enough to end up becoming the villain.
Let me know your suggestions!!! If something great has been missed to be on this list.
