“The good programs are all being produced as 10 part “shows” independently and are on streaming services.”
100% correct:
below, is my “Great TV series” list. no particular order; streaming or cable only; fiction with only a few exceptions.
Common denominators are character-driven, excellent story-telling, excellent production values, excellent writing, dark humor.
Deadwood (based on real life events during early days of gold rush in Deadwood, South Dakota ... top ten TV series ever)
Justified (based on Elmore Leonard book, Fire in the Hole ... top ten TV series ever)
The Larry Sanders Show (insanely funny 1990’s HBO series starring Gary Shandling that parodies late night TV talk shows)
The Expanse (EXCELLENT scifi based on book series by James S. A. Corey ... top ten TV series ever)
Sherlock (modern sherlock series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman)
Doc Martin (very engaging UK comedy series about doc in fictional English village who gets nauseous at the sight of blood)
Midsomer Murders (UK dark comedy series about a homicide detective in fictional English county)
Death In Paradise (light weight, UK dark comedy series about an English detective assigned to a Caribbean territory)
Preacher (Awesome, insane bizarre, occult series about a criminal/preacher who accidentally obtains the superpower to compel people with his voice)
Fargo (the series) (Very dark comedy loosely connected to Fargo the movie)
Mr. Robot (good for the first couple of years, but degenerates after that)
Bosch (homicide detective show based on the books by Michael Connelly)
Ray Donovan (series about a Hollywood “fixer” starring Liev Schreiber; really, only the first couple of seasons are good)
True Detective (short-lived detective anthology series)
Hap & Leonard (dark comedy buddy series about two low rent Texas life-time friends, one black and one white based on Joe R. Lansdale books)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (comedy about a young Jewish housewife who stumbles into standup comedy in the 1950’s - 1st two years only; totally sucks later)
Silicon Valley (insanely hilarious comedy about a group of Silicon Valley programmers trying to found a startup tech company; vicious parodies of SV companies and personalities)
Westworld (compelling modern series based on the 1973 Michael Crichton movie of the same name -1st season only; totally sucks after that)
Broadchurch (UK detective/crime series)
Happy Valley (UK police crime series set in “council” housing projects)
The Fall (UK detective crime series)
John Adams (excellent mini-series about John Adams)
Foyle’s War (compelling UK detective series set in London during WWII)
Hinterland (UK detective crime series)
Band of Brothers (WWII mini-series)
Weeds (dark comedy series about a broke California housewife wno decides to be a pot dealer - earlier seasons best)
Entourage (comedy series about a young fictional superstar and his entourage)
Californication (insane [and insanely funny] comedy series about a degenerate writer starring David Duchovny)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (three movies turned into a limited series - subtitled)
The Wire (superb series about drug detectives in Baltimore - many talented black actors got their start in this series)
True Blood (vampire series based on the excellent Sookie novels by Charlaine Harris - first few years are great; last few years totally suck)
The Walking Dead (the ultimate zombie series - compelling during the earlier seasons, really peters out badly during the last few years, though)
Game of Thrones (awesome until last year which is terrible and last episode truly atrocious) (fantasy medieval world based on Georee Martin books, except the last season when the producers ran out of novels and faked it, REALLY BADLY)
House of Cards [US] (loosely based on UK series; great until the last year, especially the terrible last episode)
House of Cards [UK]
Sopranos (David Chase tour de force about contemporary fictional new jersey mafia family ... top ten TV series ever)
Breaking Bad (compelling series about broke, dying, high school chemistry teacher ruthlessly becoming the world’s biggest meth producer/distributor - top ten TV series ever)
Dexter (sociopath blood-spatter expert channels his homicidal impulses against evil killers who escape justice - based on the Dexter books; disappointing ending, though)
Maniac (brilliant mini-series, grossly mistitled)
Tiger King (imagine if Honey Boo Boo was a documentary, only with tigers, mayhem, and homicide)
Bordertown (Finnish detective series across the river from St. Petersburg; subtitles)
The Office (UK) (Ricky Gervais’s brilliant comedy about a fictional office in the UK)
Hatfields & McCoys (mini-series)
Terriers (detective show; only a single season)
Better Call Saul (spin-off of Breaking Bad; uneven in quality and interest, but SOME great episodes and characters)
Chernobyl (2019 mini-series; must-see TV)
Orphan Black (about a multitude of cloned sisters who discover each other and realize they’re being hunted - earlier seasons are the best)
Portlandia (insanely funny comedy; last two seasons totally sucked, though: the two comedians fired their writers and tried [and failed miserably] to write it themselves)
Rectify (extraordinarily powerful series about a man wrongly-convicted of murder as a teen who is released from death row, and the profound transformations of those close to him and those in the small town he returns to)
Santa Clarita Diet (dark comedy)
Bloodline (drama about family secrets of homicide set in the Florida keys, starts out great, degenerates last few seasons)
The Terror (excellent mini-series based on Dan Simmons’ book, which is based on John Franklin’s doomed 1845 arctic naval expedition)
Archer (animated, fantastically funny, last 2-3 seasons not very funny)
Ugly Americans (animated, one of the funniest series ever made! VERY biting social satire.)
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (dark comedy: rich flapper turns amateur detective in 1920’s Australia; amazing sets and costumes)
Jack Taylor (engaging short-lived irish detective series)
New Tricks (brilliant, hilarious 12-season BBC detective/murder-mystery series about cold case files investigated by three retired detectives)
Mine are just four.
“The Thin Man’’
“Casablanca’’.
“The Shawshank Redemption’’.
“Saving Private Ryan’’.
catnip, you’ve got an impressive list. I’d add:
The Shield
Hidden
Line of Duty
Wisting (Norwegian)
Mystery Road (the 1st series with Judy Davis)
Longmire
Trapped (Icelandic)
Great one and clean enough, but most of you list include the filthiest talk a sex scenes I have ever had the misfortune of trying to watch.
Great post! agree with many of your favs. For me, any iota of gay turns me off so much I can’t watch/waste aother minute.
Wow, good list. I enjoyed Bosch, Maisel and Yellowstone.