I'm not a big tv guy, but it's a medium of storytelling that fascinates me because because it's so similar to comics.
I've already watched what are considered the three greatest television shows of all time, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos (I'd swap Sopranos with the first season and a half of Twin Peaks or the first three seasons of Fargo, or Louie, but I digress). I'm wondering what shows are of the same level of quality?
TV Shows I've watched:
The Shield
Did the people who made the Mike Myers Cat in the Hat movie design the police station? Couldn't get past the first season
Californiacation
Watched the first couple episodes, didn't find the protagonist particularly compelling.
Six Feet Under
It breaks my heart how hit or miss this show is
Girls
I found this show to be really endearing. I stopped midway through season 3 because I felt the show lost steam.
Carnivale
Great antagonist in an otherwise uninteresting show.
Hannibal
This show's version of Hannibal Lecter might be my favorite character in all of television. Mads Mikkelssen blows Anthony Hopkins out of the water and Hugh Dancy & Lawrence Fishburne are spectacular too. But Caroline Dhavernas' character could be cut entirely.
Watchmen
Tries to reengineer the brilliance of the original with the same storytelling techniques without the characters and worldbuilding that made the comic so great in the first place.
The People Vs OJ Simpson
As someone who was never interested in the OJ Simpson trial, I found this very compelling.
The Assassination of Giani Versace
Serial killers are a well worn trope, but I thought every facet of this show was masterfully done.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Seeing Larry David never learn from his mistakes is extremely depressing.
True Detective
Season one is brilliant, season two was more flawed but just as interesting as the last one. Stopped midway through season three because it felt like it was trying too hard to emulate the first season.
Trust
I liked it.
Shameless
Judging by the pilot, it seems more like sitcom than a drama, which doesn't interest me.
Big Little Lies
Beautifully directed, but not for me.
Game of Thrones
Watched the first episode, saw the Peter Dinklage sex scene, dedided it wasn't for me.
The Leftovers
Solid, but a little too sci fi for my tastes.
In Treatment
I only watched the first episode, but I love it so far. I hear it's still going. Did they replace the main character?
Atlanta
Despite my bias against comedy and shows with self contained episodes I thought the first season was nothing short of incredible. It's not really my thing so I didn't stick around for the following seasons.
Ballers
I watched the first two episodes and the main characters seem very shallow. Doesn't help that I know close to nothing about football.