My Favorite TV Shows

I don't watch a lot of television, but when I find a show that I love, not much can compare with the experience of taking a two or three (or seven!) season journey with a group of great characters in an interesting setting. 

There are still a bunch of highly acclaimed shows that I want to get to, but I can't imagine too many challenging the following as my all-time favorites. 

I've split comedies and dramas into separate lists, as I couldn't think of a way to accurately compare such different types of programs. For each list, I've got my Top 5 Favorites, plus five honorable mentions.

COMEDY SERIES

1) Arrested Development (FOX/Netflix, 2003 – Present?)

Whenever someone asks what my favorite TV show is, there’s no hesitation on my part: Arrested Development. Everything about AD just works so well - the cast is fantastic, the writing (plot, characters, and dialogue) is next-level brilliance in action, and the use of music is wonderful. I think it’s practically a perfect show. Even though the much maligned fourth season can’t live up to the first three euphoric seasons, it’s still a stellar example of nuanced, intelligent, and hilarious entertainment that gets markedly better with each viewing. I have heard rumors since the fourth season aired that another season and/or a movie would follow, and I’ll always be in the mood for more of my favorite show, no matter how long I have to wait. 

2) Parks and Recreation (NBC, 2009 – 2015)

Very few shows have such a unique mix of laugh out loud and heartfelt moments like Parks and Rec did throughout its seven season run. I know it started out as almost a companion piece to The Office – same creators, same “documentary” style – but I’ve never seen any of that series so nothing about this hilarious series felt stale to me. The cast (lead by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, but everyone is great) gelled together really quickly after a somewhat shaky first season and their rapport with each other drove the show. There are episodes of Parks and Rec that make me howl with laughter and shed tears of pure emotion, with both extreme emotions sometimes coming in the very same scene. I think that’s a mark of a great show.  

3) The Larry Sanders Show (HBO, 1992 – 1998)

The Larry Sanders Show is very similar to Arrested Development – razor sharp writing, mostly unsympathetic characters, and the same sort of tone and feel – and could almost be considered a precursor of a lot of modern television series. Garry Shandling was not a great actor, in my opinion, but he was perfect as the insecure, frustrated, and sometimes bumbling talk show host, Larry Sanders. As a “behind the scenes” look into a show very similar to The Tonight Show, I loved the inside Hollywood approach, which included hundreds of celebrity appearances, with some playing outlandish versions of themselves. Jeffrey Tambor (who later went on to costar in my #1 pick) and Rip Torn (who later went on to be completely bonkers) turn in two of the best supporting performance in any comedy I’ve ever seen. Their scenes alone make The Larry Sanders Show worth watching, but everything else is pretty damn great, too.

4) Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 2000 – Present)

Larry David, the co-creator of Seinfeld and (in my mind, at least) certifiable genius, has quite the deal worked out with HBO: He is free to make as many seasons of this award winning series as he’d like, with no pressure or deadlines. The most recent season aired in 2011, but a new season just started airing at the beginning of October and I couldn’t be more excited to see what Larry and his crew are up to now. Curb Your Enthusiasm is caustic, mean-spirited, and features a heavy amount of jealousy, revenge, and back biting – so it’s pretty much perfect for a guy like me. Larry David’s portrayal of an alternate reality version of himself, where he gets to do and say everything he’d really like to do and say but can’t due to social norms and constrictions, is a terrific character to base a show on. Over the course of 85 episodes, he has demonstrated the ability to get himself in and out and back into trouble in so many outlandish (yet every day) situations and has so many funny interactions with everyone around him that I could watch a hundred more episodes.

5) 30 Rock (NBC, 2006 – 2013)

Another inside showbiz series about a television show, this one a sketch comedy series similar to Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock was the brainchild of creator/writer/star Tina Fey, who was responsible for some great moments during her time on SNL, but really blossomed into a fantastic performer here. Despite her excellence, Fey isn’t the best thing about the cast, either. That’d be Alec Baldwin’s scene-stealing, career-reviving, and unforgettable portrayal of Jack Donaghy, one of my all-time favorite TV characters. The main difference between 30 Rock and the first four entries on this list is that it’s not quite as even, in terms of the quality of each season. There are some rough moments starting in season five (“Queen of Jordan” is easily the single worst episode of any show on these lists and the character of “Hazel”, who is introduced in season six, is absolutely awful and gets way too much screen time), though each of the final two seasons are still very good and better than the majority of most comedies, they can’t compare to the first five.

Honorable Mentions:

DRAMA SERIES

1) The Shield (FX, 2002 – 2008)

The cop/detective genre has a long and varied history on television, but I think The Shield really broke new ground when it debuted in 2002. Right from the very first episode, you know you’re in for something different when it comes to the character of Vic Mackey, superbly played by Michael Chiklis. He’s ruthless, conniving, hostile, and doesn’t hesitate to break the law in order to further his own agenda. The show is packed with fantastic performances from a large cast and features some great writing, from beginning to end. Speaking of the end, The Shield may have the best series finale that I’ve ever seen, as well. If it wasn’t for the cinematography, which is adequate in its best moments and downright terrible at times, The Shield could be a serious contender to displace Arrested Development as my favorite show ever. The fact that so much of the series is visually ugly might fit with the narrative themes, but the cinematography is so distracting at times, that it can't be overlooked. Other than that one aspect, The Shield is nearly perfect.

2) Treme (HBO, 2010 – 2013)

Set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Treme tells a sprawling story about dozens of characters and has a constant current of wonderful music throughout. Even though the plot lines are complicated (dealing with music, politics, legal issues, and human drama to name a few), it never gets convoluted or confusing. The characters are intriguing, all the actors are perfectly cast, and I loved every single episode during it’s short (way too short, in my opinion) run. I wish Treme had been able to find a larger audience and keep going. It’s a show that constantly surprised me by going in different directions with the story and characters, never ending up quite like I imagined it would. It was created by David Simon, famous for The Wire, but I think this under seen gem is far superior.

3) Deadwood (HBO, 2004 – 2006) 

Much like Treme, I think Deadwood was cut way too short, but I’m content with what I’ve got. It’s a perfectly blended mix of drama, action, suspense, and comedy. Deadwood featured amazing characters, some of the finest television acting I've seen (especially from Ian McShane, Brad Dourif, and William Sanderson), and the elaborate and extravagantly foul dialogue for which it became widely known. McShane's character, saloon owner Al Swearengen, is probably my favorite TV character of all-time and is always the first thing to come to mind when I think of Deadwood. Another fantastic aspect of the show is the intricate storylines that weave from episode to episode and season to season. Deadwood is a show that encourages and rewards multiple viewings and I never fail to notice small details that I had previously missed when I rewatch the series.

4) Orange is the New Black (Netflix, 2013 – Present)

While I was drawing up my lists, this is one entry where I was a bit confused where to place it. Orange is the New Black is almost a perfect split of drama and comedy, but I ended up deciding on the drama section since that’s the category where the show competes during the Emmy Awards. In the end, it’s either the most shocking, sad, and intense comedy ever or the funniest drama ever, but however you classify it, Orange is brilliant. The ensemble cast might be the best of any series - there are probably more than 20 regular characters and each and everyone is marvelously portrayed. I could spend ten paragraphs singing the cast's praises, but I don't want to do that. The characters and story lines are all top notch and, man, do they know how to deliver captivating and infuriating cliffhanger season finales. Season 5 was a considerable drop off in quality as compared to what came before it, but even at its worst Orange is better than almost everything else on television and I'm still excited for next June when I can binge another 13 episodes over one weekend.

5) Fargo (FX, 2014 – Present)

When I first heard a television series based on Joel and Ethan Coen’s masterpiece Fargo was going to get made, I was very skeptical. From the premiere episode, however, I was hooked and I devoured each episode from the first two seasons as they were released. Season three concluded earlier this year and while it wasn't quite as strong as the others, it was still highly entertaining and solid throughout. The anthology theme - each season takes place at a different time and features mostly different characters - allows the series to add to and expand the Fargo universe that the film created so well, changing time periods, casts, and even themes from one to the next. Series creator Noah Hawley does his best to channel the Coen brothers and writes such terrific characters, dialogue, and plots, that I might even prefer the show to the movie at this point, which would have seemed sacrilegious to me a few years ago. It's recently been announced that season four might not come until three or four years down the road or - and this would really disappoint me - not at all. I'm fine with waiting until Hawley has the time and inspiration for another season, though, as I'd rather have him take his time and not resort to churning out something less than the standard he's already committed to.

Honorable Mentions:

There are my lists! I know some very prestigious and much-loved shows aren’t included. Stuff like Breaking Bad, Lost, and Game of Thrones didn’t impress me (though I admit to having a very short leash when trying out new programs and I may have given up on them too quickly) and I’ve yet to give The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Six Feet Under a chance, though I have high hopes for them all.

Did I miss any of your favorites? Do you love or hate any of my choices? I’m always looking for new shows to watch, so comment down below and leave me some recommendations!

Up next in the series, my Favorite Films of the 1990's!