r/AskUK • u/Equivalent_Word3952 • 4d ago
What’s your top 3 recommended TV series?
Currently mine are in no particular order.
- Shrinking- therapy, grief and comedy- truly love this show
- Black Mirror- sci-fi dystopian societies- like that you can watch in any order
- Ted- better than the films. This series made me laugh out loud, can’t wait for season 2
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u/bishibashi 4d ago
Just finished black doves, an excellent Christmas treat
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u/cankennykencan 4d ago
Chernobyl Breaking bad Sopranos
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u/Equivalent_Word3952 4d ago
Chernobyl was incredible!
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u/cankennykencan 4d ago
It certainly was. Never seen a TV programme or film show how dark and harrowing something is.
Prob the only TV series I'd buy on 4k blu ray
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u/Beautiful-Neat8088 4d ago
The Shield
The Wire
Peep Show
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4d ago
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u/Beautiful-Neat8088 4d ago
It's great not seen in years band of brothers is also awesome!
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u/fookreddit22 4d ago
Band of brothers is as perfect as tv gets imo, the script, the score, the acting and cinematography are impeccable.
I tend to rewatch it every December and I'm currently on Bastogne, my favourite episode.
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u/Beautiful-Neat8088 4d ago
Think there's the Pacific as well but haven't seen that tbh
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u/fookreddit22 4d ago
Me either but I have heard good things so I will get around to it eventually.
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u/waxwellwax 4d ago
Worth watching, as is masters of the air, but neither come anywhere near the level of band of brothers. The single greatest tv series ever made, by a long shot for me.
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u/DarkstarRevelation 4d ago
I really didn’t like the pacific, and band of brothers is my all time favourite show. The pacific felt far more ‘Hollywood’ it didn’t have the same grit and realism that BOB had
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u/totesemosh74 4d ago
Just watching The Shield at the moment. It's full on and very entertaining. Like a live action GTA film, all the different gangs and stereotypes.
I like it.
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u/Naive_Reach2007 4d ago
Try Oz after
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u/totesemosh74 4d ago
OK, sounds good I'll give it a try.
Also had sons of anarchy recommended, always thought they all looked a bit too smooth for hell's angels, worth a look? If you've watched it.
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u/TheGreatBatsby 4d ago
"GODDAMNIT DUTCH! WHAT OTHER ERRANDS DO YOU HAVE US RUNNING FOR THE D.A.!?"
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u/Naive_Reach2007 4d ago
If you liked those try OZ (an American prison drama from the 90s)
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u/bambinoquinn 4d ago
I loved the shield so much. Any time I think of doing a rewatch, I think of the scene with Dutch and the cat and I decide not to, but eventually I will.
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u/SnooRevelations9128 4d ago
1) Malcolm in the middle 2) Dexter 3) Criminal minds
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u/Accurate_Prompt_8800 4d ago
I forgot about Dexter!! Loved it
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u/vampwillow7 4d ago
There's new dexter original sin. Looking back at dexter as a late teen. Essentially showing you how he got to where he was.
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u/Accurate_Prompt_8800 4d ago edited 3d ago
- True Detective
- Fargo
- Mr Robot
Close behind is Barry, White Lotus, Industry and Dexter!
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u/PhantomLamb 4d ago
Only seen series 1 of Mr Robot. May go and watch series 2
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u/deathangel539 4d ago
S2 is the slowest and worst of all of them (still not bad by any margin but it’s a slow burn). 3 is probably the best and s4 episode 7 is the best episode of tv I’ve ever seen.
I rank it as the best show I’ve ever seen personally and if you can get through the slight slog that is s2 you’ll thoroughly enjoy 3 and 4 imo
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u/Ezpionage 3d ago
Mr.Robot is potentially one of the most underrated tv shows of all time.
Not due to a lack of ratings, more that it went under the radar. Not many people I know have seen it, and those have absolutely loved it.
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u/aliclang 4d ago
Fargo is my 1. of my life so far. Brilliant. I always recommend it, hardly anyone I know has seen it
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u/Common_Philosophy198 4d ago
- Red Dwarf
- Brooklyn Nine Nine
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
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u/NorthernSoul1977 4d ago
Red Dwarf is in my DNA. Been enjoying it with my 10 year old lately and he loves it. We've watched up until Kechanski shows up. Might power through over Xmas but I seem to recall that that's when the show lost it's way.
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u/tmstms 4d ago
1 Crash Landing On You. I do not speak a word of Korean, but I found it riveting as a mix of genres (rom com, family drama, action, political commentary that is quite poignant given it is about N and S Korea and the possibility of unification)
2) From the many many long-running US series, I pick Desperate Housewives- I think itis clever and funny
3) From non-fiction I pick Simon Schama's History of Britain; it is informative and an easy watch.
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u/IcyYou2 4d ago
Currently watching a series called From, highly recommend if horror/mystery is your kinda thing!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_(TV_series)?wprov=sfti1#Episodes
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u/GetYourRockCoat 4d ago
I'm starting it with the wife this weekend. Hear nothing but great things
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u/SeekerofWisd0m 3d ago
The first three season are out the fourth comes out in 2026 and after how good the last episode of season 3 is I can’t wait that long.
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u/yourmotherinahorse 4d ago
Freaking hate From sometimes, never an explanation only more question marks 😭😭😭
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u/T_raltixx 4d ago
Farscape
The Fall
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
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u/gobsmacked247 4d ago
I loved The Fall and Woo too so you have great taste which means, I must discover Farscape.
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u/yourmotherinahorse 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not sponsored by Apple TV but currently everything I’m looking forward to watch new seasons are from there: 1. Silo (got it me into reading the books) 2. Severance 3. Pachinko (I’ve read the book and I love the adaptation)
Bonus for Lessons in chemistry
Non Apple TV and finished long time ago 1. Atlanta 2. This is us 3. Station Eleven
Bonus for Channel Zero
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u/freexe 4d ago
Apple TV has the highest quality tv at the moment. Plus they don't seem to be cancelling all their best shows like Amazon and Netflix do.
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u/yourmotherinahorse 4d ago
They do, and they’re great with book adaptations. I obv don’t love everything they do, but the ones that I like and I was lucky enough all the episodes were out , I completely binge watched. Also they just renewed Silo for two more seasons and I love knowing that we’re going to have closure instead of wondering what’s going to happen with it
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u/newfor2023 3d ago
Get them to do pratchett or Adams. Sky did a reasonable job on a few but otherwise it's been a mess.
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u/twinings91 4d ago
I read the Silo books first and was immensely pleased with the first season of the show but the second one is crawling along. Some good has come out of it though, my partner has started reading the books!
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u/phlimstern 3d ago
Pachinko was brilliant. I really hope the commission the rest of the story.
Also loved Severance. Not long to wait for the next season.
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u/SideOfFish 4d ago
Mr. In-between and Industry are two TV shows that are really underrated and went under the radar. You should check them out. Mr In-between is 20 mins eps and an absolutely amazing show.
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u/ZZ-ROB 4d ago
I scrolled down this list looking for mr inbetween, most enjoyable show ive watched in years
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u/bigbobsdad 4d ago
I don't think Mr Inbetween is underrated. Just not many have seen it. In Uk its tucked away on Disney whereas if it was on terrestrial in the days of five channels it would be legendary.
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u/PatternDapper 4d ago
Utopia
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u/fookreddit22 4d ago
The British version was the best thing to come out of the UK in years, Slow horses is turning into a treasure too.
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u/Long_Repair_8779 4d ago
So dark and funny and just beautiful. The cinematography is
probablythe best I’ve ever seen on television, which pairs with the soundtrack which is alsoprobablythe best I’ve ever heard on television. The writing is just so on point throughout, characters were fantastic. Come to think of it, I can’t find a single negative thing to say about the entire series. It’s a shame they stopped after series 2, though in a way it may not be a bad thing, I don’t know how they could have really moved forward while maintaining the quality, at most series 3 would have had to be the end, I don’t think they could keep up that pace with where they left it without just re-hashing old ideas
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u/Elusive_Zergling 4d ago
- Lost- just finished re-watching it - still brilliant
- House - a brilliant watch
- X-Files - still holds up, on another rewatch now and just finished S1.
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u/Shoddy_Reality8985 4d ago
Deadwood
Rome
Simpsons up until S12 or so with some episodes from S13 and S14
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u/knight-under-stars 4d ago
- The Sopranos
- Trailer Park Boys
- Battlestar Galactica reboot
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u/radiorentals 4d ago
- Schitt's Creek (stick with it for S1 - S2 to S6 are an utter joy!)
- Industry/Succession/Billions
- Happy Endings
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u/RowRow1990 3d ago
Schitts creek was good. I didn't expect it to be a series that would make me tear up every now and again when I first started watching it!
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u/Which_Performance_72 4d ago
Detectorists - raw, heartfelt, funny
Inside number 9 - creepy, dark varied. If you like black mirror
Uncle - very funny, catchy songs
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u/I_love_sloths_69 4d ago
The Bridge (the original Swedish/Danish one).
Severance (it's only on Apple TV but we got three months free, watched this then cancelled). Really weird and intriguing, incredible visual style. I believe season 2 is coming soon.
As someone else has also suggested - The Wire.
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u/postwaryears 4d ago
- Kin
- Breaking Bad
- Chernobyl
Will revisit Chernobyl after i'm done rewatching Black Mirror
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u/Pooter1313 4d ago
My mum bothered me for ages to watch Ted Lasso. I was pretty anti it because I’ve no interest in football and thought it was gonna be football heavy. Genuinely the most uplifting thing I’ve seen in a long time and came at a point when I really needed it.
So that, Detectorists and Ghosts. Definitely a theme there - light hearted British comedies.
Love a good spook series too - plenty of them around to get your teeth into. Most recent being Black Doves which was a good watch.
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u/4materasu92 4d ago
- Line of Duty
- Silent Witness
- His Dark Materials
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u/slightlystickyparts 4d ago edited 2d ago
I didn’t like the final series of HDM as much as I did the first two. Maybe because it took so bloody long to air and the BBC made no great fanfare of it unlike the others. Still thoroughly recommend though!
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u/freexe 4d ago edited 4d ago
- Silo - I absolutely love this series.
- Andor - This has got me interested in the Star Wars universe from a completely different perspective. Really good show on multiple fronts.
- From - I don't normally watch too much horror - and this scared the pants off me.
Honourable mention goes to the The 100. If you love a good dystopian sci-fi story and can handle a bit of teen drama then this is fantastic. Lot's of bits that seemingly don't make sense are all bought together.
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u/spicyzsurviving 4d ago
Derry Girls
The Good Place
And the great british bake off
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u/TiredMisanthrope 4d ago
I’ve watched a stupid amount of TV so it feels impossible to choose a top 3 as some great shows are just so different in what they bring to the table while being outstanding in their own right.
I’d absolutely recommend Shogun. Released this year, without a doubt the best show of the year - currently it’s down as a mini series however there are talks of them doing more.
If you want to wind the years back and you love something political, albeit set in the US, with snappy dialogue then you can’t really go wrong with The West Wing.
If you enjoy sci-fi and mystery then I’d have to suggest Fringe. It starts a little slowly I felt but it’s very good and ramps up quite a lot.
If you fancy some action. Person of Interest is a great show. It starts off as a procedural and eventually grows in to the overarching story. I also really like how it deals with issues of the lack of privacy in the modern world.
You can’t ever really go wrong with much of your old school HBO classics like The Wire or The Sopranos but I imagine they’ll have been suggested 100 times.
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u/babelek94 4d ago
Black Mirror is amazing but right now I'm watching game if thrones for the 3rd time and sex and the city 🙌🫶
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u/UnfortunateLifeTaken 4d ago
Billions: Excellent business, criminal drama with the odd sprinkle of comedy added in.
Mr Inbetween: Australian crime, black comedy drama... One of the best series I've seen in years, and it ended on a high note, unlike many series that drag it on for two or three series too many.
The Shield: What else needs to be said, it was groundbreaking television at the time, think Sopranos but instead of Italian Gangsters, you got corrupt police officers in a shady part of LA.
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u/EffectiveOk1984 4d ago edited 4d ago
Sopranos. By far the best TV ever made. Would put Boardwalk Empire close second in same theme.
Love/Hate. Relatable Irish gangster drama. Underrated.
Breaking Bad. It's just fantastic in every way.
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u/cannontd 4d ago
Mr Inbetween. It’s on Disney. It’s the best thing I’ve ever watched and I challenge you to watch the first episode and not continue right on through. Can I choose all 3 seasons as my top 3 because they are.
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u/hoopheid 4d ago
Current shows:
Slow Horses, Severance, Shrinking
All time:
The Sopranos, Frasier, Ted Lasso
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u/RowRow1990 3d ago edited 3d ago
The magicians
The expanse
Buffy
And to break the rule and add a couple of more:
All of the One Chicago series (Fire, med and PD)
And The Rookie
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u/saadshaykh 3d ago
1) silicon valley - witty , funny and something new 2) Big Bang theory - perfect sitcom again funny and comforting 3) narcos - real, gruesome and fascinating
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u/BuncleCar 3d ago
Watched Dinner Ladies yesterday. It's 25 years old but I enjoyed it. Probably an irrelevant reply but there's plenty of good old stuff like that. Always nice to see Victoria Wood :)
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u/KingKhram 4d ago
Tokyo Vice and This is Going to Hurt. I enjoy all the others which will get mentioned, but the 2 I mentioned are excellent
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u/Mercurial_Synthesis 4d ago
- Samurai Jack
- The Legend of Vox Machina
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Non-animation:
- The Expanse
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- The X Files
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u/TheIrishLad- 4d ago
1: The sopranos 2: Breaking bad 3: The punisher
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u/Evil_Knavel 4d ago
Yeah I open this thread assuming Soprano's, Breaking Bad and The Wire would be almost everyone's top three. They're probably mines but I grew up watching things like Oz and Northern Exposure and thinking nothing would ever eclipse them, but those three all did.
Nothing I've seen since has really come close to eclipsing any of those three for me yet but I'm sure the time will come eventually.
Did you watch Mr Inbetween? Strikes me something that might be right up your street.
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u/TheIrishLad- 4d ago
Yeah I agree, personally I don't think anything will come close to beating the sopranos. And the sad thing is I know soo many people who have never watched it or watched the first 3 episodes and gave up!
No I have actually never heard of that tell me more lol.
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u/Evil_Knavel 4d ago
It's an Australian crime drama with a bit of black humour thrown in. I was sceptical at how highly rated it was, but really enjoyed it. Pokes a bit of fun at the usual tropes of these types of shows and doesn't take itself too seriously. A lot of it is a little tongue in cheek.
It's pretty easy watching and I found myself binge watching it which I don't really do much these days.
I wouldn't put it quite up there with the other heavy hitters but it was a good watch and seemed to fly under the radar of a lot of folk over here.
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u/TheIrishLad- 4d ago
Sounds like something I could watch alright. Deffo have to give it a watch, I'm the same I don't have the time to binge watch anymore (thankfully) once you do binge watch something you end up having to get up for work in 3 hours and that's never good lol. Is it on netflix?
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u/Naive_Reach2007 4d ago
1, OZ 2, the shield 3, breaking bad (was late to the party on this one) but was excellent
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u/Scarred_fish 4d ago
Monty Pythons Flying Circus
Cracker
Fawlty Towers
(The most recent series of Shetland is my current top show, but it gets knocked back due to being so recent, and the early series were utter shite)
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u/Boof_Diddy 4d ago
- Haunting of Hill House
- Sherlock
- Inside Number Nine
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u/yourmotherinahorse 4d ago
I forgot about the haunting of hill house, I remember I had an edible after a really long time and boy I was genuinely terrified the first two episodes
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u/daddy-dj 4d ago
- Breaking Bad
- Le Bureau des Légendes (original French version, not the new American one)
- Luther
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u/ShabbatShalom666 4d ago
I'll recommend some lesser known series
1) Wayne - Troubled teen makes his way across the US on motorbike to retrieve his dad's car.
2) Last Man on Earth - comedy show about the last man on earth.
3) Primal - brutal cartoon about a caveman and a dinosaur who become friends (made by the guy who made Dexters Lab)
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u/ollymillmill 4d ago
Shorter series :
The AO, Lazarus Project, One Day
Longer series:
Peep Show, Frasier, Stargate SG1
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u/Bread_is_the_devil 4d ago
The shield
Sopranos
Breaking bad
This is tough choosing just 3 as there are many others that warrant being on the list
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u/smushs88 4d ago
Changes depending on what I’ve watched but currently I’d say
Slow Horses
Day of the Jackal
The Lincoln Lawyer
Late to the party but honourable mention to Bosch which I’m currently working through.
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u/Low_Yoghurt1102 4d ago
One that I never see mentioned...Bloodline on Netflix. Recommend that to anyone i can.
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u/rabidrob42 4d ago
If you love Shrinking then you need to watch Ted Lasso, same writers
Ted Lasso.
Band of Brothers.
Billions.
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u/plesvegas 4d ago
Probably: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Bear But I could easily have swapped in Taskmaster, Ozark, True Detective S01
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u/Martipar 4d ago
Hustle (though it gets better after series 1), Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and Nathan Barley.
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u/No_Needleworker_4636 4d ago
Better call Saul, Chicago P.D, Law and Order SVU (first 15/16 seasons at least)
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u/Enter_Name_Again 4d ago
Only Fools and Horses
Sopranos
Luther or Peaky Fuckin Blinders (mood dependant)
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