Favourite TV and Streaming Series
As I keep getting older my list of favourite series keeps getting longer. There are a lot of shows on here that I haven't seen in years, but they meant a lot to me when they were on, so it wouldn't feel right to take them off the list.
Also, a lot of my favourite shows were cancelled early. Maybe if they'd gone on longer the quality would have started to drop, but as it is they've stuck in my mind as delightful little bundles of unrealized potential.
Quantum Leap
When I was still a kid, this series about Dr. Samuel Beckett leaping through time into other people's lives "putting things right that once went wrong" was probably the first show I watched regularly that was made for adults. It introduced me to a lot of big issues and gave me a way to connect to recent history. Also I get the feeling that Al - a holographic image of Sam's best friend - is the reason why I love including characters who aren't quite in the same world as the rest of the story.
Currently Watching
These may or may not make the favourite list someday, but here are the shows I'm currently committed to, or waiting impatiently for the next season of:
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Avenue 5
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The Bear
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Doctor Who
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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
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Resident Alien
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The Rookie
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Severance
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Stranger Things
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Saturday Night Live
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The Umbrella Academy
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Young Sheldon
Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel
Joss Whedon's writing has influenced so many people (myself included) that I think if you watch Buffy now, it's easy to miss how unique and refreshing the show was when it first aired. I was watching this show just as I was getting serious about writing, and Buffy definitely influcenced my early dialogue in a big way. It is also introduced me to the power and passion of online fandoms.
Dead Last
I thought this series about three band members who see ghosts sounded goofy and didn't start watching until after it had already ceased production 13 episodes in. Imagine my horror at discovering it was not only smart and highly entertaining but also had an uncommon but highly effective five-act structure. I watched as many of the the reruns as I could back in my university days, but I don't think I ever even saw all 13. I hold out hope it will show up on a streaming service, someday. As a side note - the whole cast was good, but Canadian Tyler Labine was scene-stealing awesome.
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More Favourite Shows
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The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
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Angie Tribeca
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Arrested Development
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Breaking Bad
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Daily Planet
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Detectorists
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Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
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Elementary
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Eli Stone
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E.N.G.
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Enlisted
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Firefly
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Flight of the Conchords
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The Good Guys
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Good Omens
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The Good Place
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House
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Joan of Arcadia
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Kevin (Probably) Saves the World
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Lost
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Mad Men
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M*A*S*H
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Monty Python's Flying Circus
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Mork and Mindy
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The Muppet Show
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New Girl
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Night Court
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Northern Exposure
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Pushing Daisies
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Raising Hope
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Sherlock
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The Simpsons (the early years)
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Ted Lasso
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The West Wing