Ruzzfeed: TV Series GOATs
What are my fav series of all time?
I judge a series in its entirety - it has to stick the landing with a satisfying conclusion. It’s not enough to just start with a flashy mysterious premise or with some amazing character arcs that can’t believably resolve (GoT…sigh).
Genres mostly pre-filled from TMDB as a hint. Tap “about” for a spoiler-free one-liner on anything, and/or see my random brief notes. I am by no means a critic; they’re just the kind of things I hear myself saying when sharing recommendations with folks.
The GOATs
| # | Show | Genre | About | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wire2002 | genreCrime, Drama | aboutA novelistic portrait of Baltimore, told season by season through the drug trade, the docks, city hall and the schools. | notesmoving, funny, educational, timeless. Any hype you've heard is justified. |
| 2 | Dark2017 | genreCrime, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery | aboutA child's disappearance in a small German town unearths a mystery that binds four families across generations. | notessuch a satisfyingly woven mystery; the less you know before you start watching, the better. |
| 3 | The Capture2019 | genreCrime, Drama, Mystery | aboutA soldier cleared of a war crime walks free — into an investigation where the video evidence stops adding up. | notesfirst season in particular is an exquisite thriller, but the whole premise is just so topical and fascinating, and the writers aren't afraid of taking you to uncomfortable places with it. |
| 4 | Severance2022 | genreDrama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutOffice workers surgically split their memories between work and home, until one of them starts asking why. | notestechnically unfinished I think, but so stylish and unsettling and funny that it's already on the list. Thoroughly, uniquely engrossing. |
| 5 | Years & Years2019 | genreDrama, War & Politics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutOne Manchester family's lives ripple across fifteen years of political, technological and personal upheaval in near-future Britain. | notesI keep wanting to talk about this show so much because it's such a firehose of fascinating and provocative commentary on where the world is heading, from so many angles. Almost feels like a multi-part Black Mirror story, in the best way. |
| 6 | Breaking Bad2008 | genreDrama, Crime | aboutA terminal diagnosis pushes a mild-mannered chemistry teacher into the meth business, with a former student as partner. | notessuperb slow burning drama that wratchets up the tension and emotional investment to sublime levels by the time you hit the later seasons. IYKYK. |
| 7 | Luther2010 | genreCrime, Drama, Mystery | aboutA brilliant, haunted London detective matches wits with twisted killers while skating his own moral edge. | notesjust ignore the movie that came out a few years after the series. The series is just so deliciously dark and gritty. Idris at his best since the Wire imo. |
| 8 | Mad Men2007 | genreDrama | aboutThe ad men and women of 1960s Madison Avenue sell the American dream while quietly rewriting themselves. | notesYou think it's about the men, but it's really about Peggy. So epicly quotable and enjoyably acted; a very satisfying opera that goes way deeper than the few episodes might suggest |
| 9 | Chernobyl2019 | genreDrama | aboutA taut dramatization of the 1986 nuclear disaster, and of the people ordered to clean up an invisible catastrophe. | notesIncredibly moving, educational, epic. The truth of it aches. |
| 10 | Top Boy2019 | genreCrime, Drama, Action & Adventure | aboutTwo men climb the ladder of East London's drug trade as the ground keeps shifting beneath them. | notesamazing |
| 11 | I May Destroy You2020 | genreDrama | aboutAfter a night out leaves her with fragmented memories, a young London writer pieces together what happened to her — and what consent really means. | notesYou can't really binge this. Expect it to spark conversations. Powerful stuff. |
| 12 | Succession2018 | genreDrama, Comedy | aboutThree squabbling siblings orbit a media-mogul father, each jockeying for a throne he won't vacate. | notesAmazing writing, amazing performances, so cringe and funny too. |
| 13 | The White Lotus2021 | genreComedy, Drama, Mystery | aboutGuests and staff at a luxury resort discover that paradise has sharp edges, with a new destination each season. | noteshilarious, uncomfortable, great acting, great writing |
| 14 | True Detective2014 · S1 | genreDrama, Mystery | aboutTwo mismatched Louisiana detectives spend nearly two decades circling a single, strange murder. | notesmoody, great writing, even better acting |
| 15 | Fleabag2016 | genreComedy, Drama | aboutA sharp-tongued Londoner narrates her own unravelling straight to camera, fourth wall and all. | notesHilarious and moving at the same time. So so so rewatchable. |
| 16 | Mr. Robot2015 | genreCrime, Drama | aboutA lonely cybersecurity engineer is recruited by an anarchist collective that wants to erase the world's debt. | notesstylish, weird, mesmerising, great cast |
| 17 | Bodyguard2018 | genreCrime, Drama, War & Politics, Mystery | aboutA war veteran turned protection officer is assigned to a home secretary whose politics he despises. | notesSuch a tight, well produced miniseries - gripping. |
| 18 | Beef2023 · S1 | genreComedy, Drama | aboutA road-rage encounter between a failing contractor and a flourishing business owner metastasizes into all-out war. | notesFunny, poignant writing, well executed. |
| 19 | The Day of the Jackal2024 | genreDrama, Action & Adventure, Mystery | aboutAn elite assassin and the intelligence officer chasing him play a continent-spanning game of cat and mouse. | notesI love a good cat & mouse thriller. This one was immensely satisfying and Lashana Lynch shines in particular - on-screen representation matters! |
| 20 | Devs2020 | genreSci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Mystery | aboutA programmer digs into her boyfriend's disappearance at a quantum-computing lab. | notesAnother great mystery where the less you know the better going in. Really ejoyable storytelling |
| 21 | Stranger Things2016 | genreAction & Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutWhen a boy vanishes in 1980s Indiana, his friends uncover government secrets and something monstrous next door. | notesIt's hard to pull off an ensemble cast across many seasons but the results are amazing when you do. Charming and surprisingly grim-watching at times but ultimately very entertaining. |
| 22 | All Her Fault2025 | genreMystery, Crime | aboutA mother arrives to collect her son from a playdate — and the woman at the door has no idea who she is. | notesGreat performances for a moody, winding, tense mystery. Sarah Snook (post-succession), earning her place in my will-watch-it-if-she's-in-it bucket of actors. |
| 23 | Narcos2015 · Escobar era | genreCrime, Drama | aboutThe rise of the Medellín cartel, told from both sides of the DEA's pursuit of Escobar. | notesThere's something really cool about how real-life photos are interspersed with the dramatic retelling of Escobar's notoriety! |
| 24 | Adolescence2025 | genreDrama, Crime | aboutAcross four single-take hours, a 13-year-old's arrest for the murder of a classmate ripples out through his family, his school and the investigation. | notesPoignant, gripping, tense. |
Feel-good Runner-ups
| Show | Genre | About | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn Nine-Nine2013 | genreComedy, Crime | aboutAn immature but brilliant detective and his deadpan new captain anchor the chaos of a Brooklyn precinct. | notesnothing but net. Literally no bad episodes. |
Parks and Recreation2009 | genreComedy | aboutA relentlessly optimistic bureaucrat drags her small Indiana town toward greatness, one park at a time. | notestakes a while to find its feet but then the characters flesh out to be a hilarious ensemble. |
Shrinking2023 | genreDrama, Comedy | aboutA grieving therapist starts saying exactly what he thinks to his clients, professional ethics be damned. | noteswholesome AF, and somehow self-ware about it without being annoyhing. Also I could watch Jessica Williams all day. |
Crashing2016 | genreComedy, Drama | aboutTwentysomethings squat as “property guardians” in a disused London hospital, muddling through adulthood together. | notesvery, very funny modern British comedy |
Rick and Morty2013 | genreAnimation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutAn alcoholic genius scientist drags his anxious grandson across dimensions, mostly to everyone's detriment. | notesdensely packed with wild, fun concepts and characters |
Archer2009 | genreComedy, Action & Adventure, Animation | aboutA world-class spy with world-class personal problems sends up the intelligence business one mission at a time. | notessilly, charming, comfortingly consistent |
South Park1997 | genreComedy, Animation | aboutFour Colorado boys lurch from one absurd civic crisis to the next, offending absolutely everyone along the way. | notesRediscovering the later seasons as an adult, they're so good at tackling the current newscycle with savage absurdity. Feels like watching a good standup set most times - you giggle and then end up having a really poignant conversation / shower thought later. |
Peaky Blinders2013 | genreDrama, Crime | aboutA razor-capped Birmingham crime family sharpens itself into an empire between the wars. | notesBasically Jason Bourne but if he was from Birmingham. Formulaic, but pleasingly so - you know the blinders will win, but the joy is in trying to guess how. Also some great performances |
Sherlock2010 | genreCrime, Drama, Mystery | aboutA modern-day Sherlock Holmes solves London crimes at the speed of his own deductions, with Watson blogging it all. | notesfun mysteries, charmingly produced. |
Cowboy Bebop1998 | genreAnimation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutBounty hunters with unresolved pasts drift through a jazzy, melancholy solar system, one session at a time. | notesYou can save some time Shazamming each episode and just search for the soundtrack, but it's pretty delightful to immerse yourself in such a an intense aesthetic. I've been told to ignore the live-action adaptation, and I did. |
Community2009 | genreComedy | aboutA disbarred lawyer's comeback plan leads to a quirky community college study group he never expected to love. |
Active Potential Additions (i.e. still going)
| Show | Genre | About | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Paradise2025 | genreCrime, Drama | aboutA mystery-thriller set in an idyllic town where nothing is quite what it seems. | notescome for the murder mystery, stay for the unusual premise? |
The Agency2024 | genreDrama, Mystery | aboutA covert agent is pulled back to London HQ and ordered to abandon the lover he left behind, just as a mole hunt closes in. | notesmodern espionage thriller with an unusual focus on the mental toll of being a good spook (originally based on the French Le Bureau that reportedly stuck the landing after 5 seasons so that bodes well for the time investment so far) |
The Diplomat2023 | genreDrama, War & Politics | aboutA career diplomat becomes US ambassador to the UK and finds international crises easier to manage than her marriage. | notesanother current drama/thriller with some very funny moments |
Industry2020 | genreDrama | aboutYoung graduates fight to survive the pressure cooker of a prestigious London investment bank. | notesfelt like a guilty pleasure at first because the first season is a bit trashy but each subsequent season has been better and better |
Honorable Mentions
| Show | Genre | About | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
The OA2016 | genreSci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery, Drama | aboutA blind woman returns after a seven-year disappearance with her sight restored and an impossible story to tell. | notesheartbreakingly cancelled after the most fascinating and trippy journey you can imagine. Cult following, for good reason. Would be on course for top spot if it was still around. |
Y: The Last Man2021 | genreSci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | aboutIn a world where every mammal with a Y chromosome suddenly dies, one man and his pet monkey are left behind. | notescancelled after 1 season but you should read the source graphic novel! Ambitious premise to adapt but I was enjoying the attempt. |
Killing Eve2018 | genreCrime, Drama | aboutA bored security officer and a chic international assassin become obsessed with catching each other. | notesstrong start, meh finish, but that start is amazing. |
House of Cards2013 | genreDrama | aboutA passed-over politician and his equally ruthless wife claw their way toward power, breaking the fourth wall on the way. | notesstarted so well but was foiled by Kevin Spacey being outed as a menace before the final season could wrap properly so it ends a bit meh. |
Still on the to-watch list (don't @me)
| Show | Genre | About | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Better Call Saul2015 | genreCrime, Drama | aboutThe slow transformation of a struggling lawyer into Saul Goodman, years before Walter White walks into his life. | |
The Sopranos1999 | genreCrime, Drama | aboutA New Jersey mob boss juggles family life and the family business, with a therapist on the side. | |
Pluribus2025 | genreDrama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutThe most miserable person on Earth must save the world from a happiness that's spreading. | |
Silo2023 | genreSci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | aboutTen thousand people live in a giant underground silo under rules they believe keep them safe — until someone starts asking what's outside. |
Anthologies
Not strictly a series in the same sense but too good to not be mentioned as recommendations - firmly in the less-you-know-the-better camp imo; better to just let yourself be taking for a ride through the gallery of storytelling:
| Show | Genre | About | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Black Mirror2011 | genreSci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Mystery | aboutStandalone near-future stories where technology twists ordinary life just one degree too far. | |
Love, Death & Robots2019 | genreAnimation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy | aboutA rotating anthology of animated shorts spanning horror, sci-fi and comedy, each from a different studio. |
Show links and poster art via The Movie Database (TMDB).