Best TV Shows
by michael-k-williamson | created - 06 May 2014 | updated - 27 Jul 2017 | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. 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: 472,151
2. The Shield (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Drama series following the lives and cases of dirty cop Vic Mackey and the corrupt LAPD unit under his command.
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent, Walton Goggins, Michael Jace
Votes: 88,206
3. Oz (1997–2003)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.
Stars: Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters
Votes: 106,747
4. 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: 377,986
5. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Votes: 215,612
6. 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 millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,287,167
7. 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: 149,562
8. 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: 531,150
9. The Killing (2011–2014)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police investigation, the saga of a grieving family, and a Seattle mayoral campaign all interlock after the body of 17-year-old Rosie Larsen is found in the trunk of a submerged car.
Stars: Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Billy Campbell, Liam James
Votes: 123,501
10. Hannibal (2013–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and a young FBI criminal profiler who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne
Votes: 276,861
11. Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham
Votes: 203,250
12. Extras (2005–2007)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
Andy Millman is an actor with ambition and a script. Reduced to working as an extra with a useless agent, Andy's attempts to boost his career invariably end in failure and embarrassment.
Stars: Ricky Gervais, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Shaun Williamson
Votes: 60,410
13. The Office (2001–2003)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
The story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary film crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.
Stars: Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis
Votes: 123,230
14. Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000)
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Drama
A high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.
Stars: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine
Votes: 153,332
15. American Horror Story (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, showcasing different aspects of horror.
Stars: Lady Gaga, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 344,260
16. Black Mirror (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Featuring stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.
Stars: Wunmi Mosaku, Monica Dolan, Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen
Votes: 640,692
17. Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A biker struggles to balance being a father and being involved in an outlaw motorcycle club.
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior, Kim Coates
Votes: 323,789
18. The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan
Votes: 1,083,163
19. True Detective (2014– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law.
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch
Votes: 657,187
20. 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: 15,915
21. The Newsroom (2012–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
A newsroom undergoes some changes in its workings and morals as a new team is brought in, bringing unexpected results for its existing news anchor.
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill
Votes: 124,780
22. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,139,412
23. Louie (2010–2015)
TV-MA | 22 min | Comedy, Drama
The life of Louie C.K., a divorced comedian living in New York with two kids.
Stars: Louis C.K., Hadley Delany, Ursula Parker, Pamela Adlon
Votes: 82,236
24. 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: 595,761
25. 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: 117,747
26. Southland (2009–2013)
TV-MA | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The lives of Police Officers working for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Stars: Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Ben McKenzie
Votes: 29,123
27. Eastbound & Down (2009–2013)
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Many years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach Physical Education at his old middle school.
Stars: Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon Greer, Elizabeth De Razzo
Votes: 64,173
28. 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: 147,664
29. Southcliffe (2013)
47 min | Drama, Thriller
Following a rash of shootings in an English market town, the crimes are retold through the eyes of a journalist and the tragedies' victims.
Stars: Rory Kinnear, Shirley Henderson, Al Weaver, Sean Harris
Votes: 2,935
30. Peaky Blinders (2013–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
A gangster family epic set in 1900s England, centering on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby.
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Helen McCrory
Votes: 650,761
31. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014– )
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show
Former Daily Show host and correspondent John Oliver brings his persona to this weekly news satire program.
Stars: John Oliver, David Kaye, Ryan Barger, Noel MacNeal
Votes: 95,821
32. 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: 260,766
33. The Ricky Gervais Show (2010–2012)
TV-MA | 30 min | Animation, Comedy, Talk-Show
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant talk to Karl Pilkington about important things in life whilst Karl provides anything but intelligent answers. Comedy at its finest with wonderful animation.
Votes: 17,155
34. Derek (2012–2014)
TV-MA | 23 min | Comedy, Drama
Derek is a loyal nursing home care assistant who sees only the good in his quirky co-workers as they struggle against prejudice and shrinking budgets to care for their elderly residents.
Stars: Ricky Gervais, Kerry Godliman, David Earl, Tim Barlow
Votes: 35,609
35. Narcos (2015–2017)
TV-MA | 50 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A chronicled look at the criminal exploits of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, as well as the many other drug kingpins who plagued the country through the years.
Stars: Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Alberto Ammann
Votes: 470,793
36. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015–2024)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.
Stars: Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki, J. Patrick Burns, Dick DeGuerin
Votes: 51,778
37. Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018)
TV-MA | 30 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
Ash has spent the last thirty years avoiding responsibility, maturity, and the terrors of the Evil Dead until a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind and Ash becomes mankind's only hope.
Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Lucy Lawless
Votes: 80,000
38. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013–2018)
TV-PG | 42 min | Documentary, Adventure
Anthony Bourdain visits countries, delving into their political issues as well as indigenous food and culture.
Stars: Anthony Bourdain, Tom Vitale, David Scott Holloway, Eric Ripert
Votes: 6,932
39. The Fall (I) (2013–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A seemingly cold but very passionate policewoman goes head to head with a seemingly passionate father who is in fact a cold serial killer in this procedural out of Belfast. The only thing they share is their common complexity.
Stars: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch, Aisling Franciosi
Votes: 119,767
40. Westworld (2016–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
At the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, waits a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Thandiwe Newton
Votes: 533,275
41. Stranger Things (2016–2025)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, David Harbour
Votes: 1,338,065
42. American Gods (2017–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A recently released ex-convict named Shadow meets a mysterious man who calls himself "Wednesday" and who knows more than he first seems to about Shadow's life and past.
Stars: Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley
Votes: 92,776
43. The Leftovers (2014–2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Three years after the disappearance of 2% of the global human population, a group of people in a small New York community try to continue their lives while coping with the tragedy of the unexplained nature of the event.
Stars: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler
Votes: 112,464
44. 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: 64,687
45. The Missing (2014–2016)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Tony and Emily Hughes' vacation turns into a nightmare when their 5-year-old son Oliver disappears from a large celebrating crowd in Northern France.
Stars: Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, James Nesbitt, Frances O'Connor
Votes: 30,257
46. Insecure (2016–2021)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the awkward experiences and racy tribulations of a modern-day African-American woman.
Stars: Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis, Natasha Rothwell
Votes: 22,401
47. The Night Of (2016)
TV-MA | 66 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: 171,940
48. 11.22.63 (2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Jake Epping, a teacher, gets a chance to travel back in time to avert the death of John F. Kennedy. However, history's aversion to alteration and his love for the era and a woman endanger him.
Stars: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper
Votes: 99,438
49. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,904
50. Jessica Jones (2015–2019)
TV-MA | 56 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Following the tragic end of her brief superhero career, Jessica Jones tries to rebuild her life as a private investigator, dealing with cases involving people with remarkable abilities in New York City.
Stars: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Eka Darville, Carrie-Anne Moss
Votes: 226,869
51. Better Call Saul (2015–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama
The trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian
Votes: 648,601
52. Silicon Valley (2014–2019)
TV-MA | 30 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: 165,978
Tell Your Friends