I am just as fussy about what I watch on television as I am when it comes to movies and that's mainly because I have to be discerning. Just one season of television can require anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to get through, so if I am going to invest in something then it had better be worth the effort.
Fortunately, there are TV series that are so good that they can hold my interest for more than just one season, for many of them in fact, for years and years, and they are the ones that I seriously lament when they end. In short, they are unmissable TV experiences. I'm talking about the kinds of TV series that I find myself talking about for years after I have watched them, and I have been fortunate enough to see quite a few absolutely brilliant television series that I would consider to be absolutely unmissable.
I have made a list below of the TV series that I consider to be the best viewing experiences (so far). They are listed in no particular order because everything on this list is excellent and worthy of your viewing time. Some of these series are old, but they have stood the test of time and in my opinion, they are still worth hunting down and seeing if you missed them during their glory days. I couldn't even hazard a guess at how many hours it would take to get through this lists...hundreds, maybe thousands I would imagine, but I assure you that I did have hundreds of joyous hours watching them all when I saw them.
I hope that you find something new to watch from my recommendations, happy viewing!
The Sopranos
Six Feet Under
Breaking Bad
Mad Men
Deadwood
Girls
Big Little Lies
Better Call Saul
Master of None
Succession
Nurse Jackie
Enlightened
Making a Murderer
Transparent
Mozart in the Jungle
Peaky Blinders
Mr Inbetween
Killing Eve
This is England
Ozark
Comedy:
Atlanta
Broad City
The IT Crowd
Fleabag
Psychoville
Parks and Recreation
Derek
Kath and Kim
The Good Place
Absolutely Fabulous
The Office (British version)
Black Books
The Inbetweeners
Sally 4eva
Barry
Seinfeld
Awkwafina is Nora From Queens
The Detectorists
The Kominsky Method
The Community
Extras
Flight of the Conchords
Gavin and Stacey
Workaholics
The Let Down
Schitt's Creek
This Country
Bad Move
Arrested Development
Please Like Me
The Righteous Gemstones
Nighty Night
Moone Boy
The Last O.G.
SMILF
Raised by Wolves
Uncle
Better Things
Swedish Dicks
Avenue 5
Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet
Dave
Sci-Fi/ Fantasy:
Firefly
Mr Robot
Britannia
Game of Thrones
The Dark Crystal
Lost
Inside No. 9
Black Mirror
Dr Who
Stranger Things
American Gods
Doom Patrol
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Watchmen
Dirk Gently
The Magicians
Devs
Forever
The Mandalorian
The X Files
Art House:
Dispatches from Elsewhere
Twin Peaks
Kidding
Carnivale
Perpetual Grace
The Mighty Boosh
Horror/ Horror-Comedy:
American Horror Story
Ash vs Evil Dead (HC)
Penny Dreadful
Santa Clarita Diet (HC)
Castle Rock
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Marianne
Preacher (HC)
What We Do In The Shadows (HC)
The Servant
Black Summer
Wellington Paranormal (HC)
Outstanding Limited Series:
The Night Of (Drama)
Lambs of God (Drama)
Unbelievable (Crime)
Sharp Objects (Crime)
Godless (Drama)
Escape from Dannemora (Drama)
Love, Death and Robots (Sci-fi)
Chernobyl (Drama)
Problems (Comedy)
Trust (Drama)
A Young Doctor's Notebook (Drama)
When They See Us (Drama)
One Strange Rock (Documentary)
The Act (Drama)
Good Omens (Fantasy)
The Miracle (Fantasy/ Foreign)
True Detective Season 1 (Crime)
Patrick Melrose (Drama)
Alias Grace (Drama)
Maniac (Sci-fi)
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (Documentary)
Les Miserable (Period Drama)
Feud: Bette and Joan (Drama)
John Safran's Music Jamboree (Documentary)
John Safran vs God (Documentary)
Release Date: 2004
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 200 mins
I have always been a huge John Safran fan, and even though I know that this documentary is more of a TV series than a movie, I think that it is well worth hunting down and seeing on DVD, so I am making an exception and reviewing it on Spicywatch. I myself have always been fascinated with the cultures, traditions and religions that are practiced around the world, and Safran takes us on a tour of those very things in this eight part series.
Safran, an Australian Jewish man, delves into well known and more esoteric practises in his pursuit to find God, or at least the meaning of God. His tongue in cheek style of 'travelogue' journalism takes him around the globe on various odd, and sometimes disturbing adventures, as he engages all manner of devout religious followers.
This style of documentary is not going to appeal to everyone's sensitivities, especially since Safran is quite insensitive as he tries to add humour to everything that he does, but it is truly riveting to watch. Make sure that you watch the extras on the DVD version to get the full story behind the final episode when John himself undergoes an exorcism, intriguing stuff!
FINAL SAY: Until next time, go to hell.
4 Chilli Peppers