Yes – it’s an Emmy!
Exactly what it says on the tin – my Top 10 TV Series.
Well, perhaps not quite exactly as my Top 10 TV Series list is easily my most fluid top ten.
That is because TV series suck – at some point or other, usually when ending or in their final season but sometimes simply not being able to match the quality of their standout first season. That’s right, I went there, but I’ve been betrayed too many times now to pretend otherwise – first Game of Thrones and then Stranger Things, to name only the big names or higher profile series.
And that’s if I make the ending. Many, perhaps most, simply miss the mark for me at the outset. Those that do hit the mark generally fall away quickly or don’t have an enduring (or consistent) quality – or they endure too long, sadly waning until they limp into their final season, and even if they end on their own terms (or perhaps especially if they end on their own terms), they don’t end in a satisfying way. Stranger Things wasn’t quite so bad as the archetypal example, for me as it was for so many others, of Game of Thrones, in which the failure to stick the proverbial landing – or dare I say it, King’s Landing (heh) – in the final season left a bitter taste that filtered back throughout the series or at least its later seasons.
Even when a TV series does endure in quality or finish with a satisfying conclusion, they can often just become dated – particularly for fantasy & SF TV series, reliant as they are on technology for special effects, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer perhaps being the archetypal example.
Hence, I have resolved these issues in two ways.
Firstly, I tend to have a high turnover for shuffling entries into my special mentions, particularly as series conclude or wane, with so few entries having the consistent or enduring quality to rank in the top ten itself – or remain there.
Secondly, I’ve given up on trying to maintain separate genre lists for fantasy & SF TV series or comedy TV series – with the notable exception of my separate Top 10 Animated TV Series, as those are more enduring. Hence, if it’s live action – whether fantasy or SF, comedy or otherwise – I rank it all in one top ten list. As a general rule of thumb, with the exception of a few series that endure in my esteem – or my re-watch list – after finishing, entries in my top ten list are series that are either presently screening (as in they have ongoing or upcoming seasons) or that I persist in wanting to revisit or see through to the end.
This is distinct from my top ten lists for films, where I do maintain separate lists for different genres. I know you can make similar complaints for film franchises, particularly in fantasy and SF, as I do for TV series, but it just seems easier to compartmentalize the good films from the bad films. Of course, individual films tend to be more self-contained, while TV series tend to have an ongoing narrative from season to season – such that a bad conclusion in the later or final seasons can sour the narrative in earlier seasons.
That said, I will mark entries as fantasy / SF or comedy. Also, occasionally fantasy or SF elements pop up in my non-genre TV series, which I’ll also note in entries. Also, almost every TV series has comedic elements or at least the odd gag – after all, one could classify almost every narrative work by the comedy-tragedy dichotomy of classical Greek drama – so I’ll note thoese as well.
Anyway, these are my Top 10 TV Series.
(10) FANTASY & SF: THE ETERNAUT
(NETFLIX 2025 – PRESENT: SEASON 1+)
Argentinian SF TV series on Netflix scored my wildcard tenth place entry for best of 2025 with its first season in that year. This one surprised me, particularly as I heard about it in the most roundabout way – I would not have picked it otherwise, or picked that I found it as intriguing as I did.
It starts with an intriguing premise – a post-apocalyptic scenario of a toxic snowstorm (where the snow is instantaneous lethal to the touch) of unknown geographic extent, potentially global, combined with an EMP effect and only gets more intriguing from there, as it is only the start of something worse. Much worse – with each twist making it worse dropped in cliffhangers, including the season finale.
Bonus points for being based on a comic – obviously an Argentinian one to reflect its origin.
FANTASY & SF
One of two fantasy or SF series in my top ten TV series (as opposed to special mentions), post-apocalyptic SF to be exact. As post-apocalyptic SF, there’s not many comedic elements.
RATING:
X-TIER (WILD TIER)
Netflix promotional art
(9) GUY RITCHIE – THE GENTLEMEN
(NETFLIX 2024-PRESENT: SEASON 1+)
“Everything you want from a Guy Ritchie caper”.
My usual wildcard tenth place entry for best of the present or previous year – in this case, The Gentlemen as best TV series in 2024. (Disclaimer – I have yet to see Shogun, which from what I heard might well have eclipsed The Gentlemen for this spot).
The Gentlemen is a spin-off created by Guy Ritchie for Netflix from his 2019 film of that name. By spin-off, I don’t mean a spin-off from a character or characters in the film, or even the plot, but the premise of the film of English aristocratic estates fallen on hard times and seeking a reversal of fortune by high times instead, by growing cannabis on a plantation scale.
Like the film, it profits from a charismatic cast with good chemistry – and the usual Ritchie narrative twists or gags, such as that chicken suit from the standout (black) comedy scene of the series.
FANTASY & SF
Not really – Ritchie tends to steer clear of fantasy or SF elements, except perhaps for a certain comedic surrealism.
Speaking of which…
COMEDY
The works of Ritchie tend to be action-comedies – and The Gentlemen is no exception, albeit Ritchie’s comedy tends to be black, character-driven, and dry.
RATING: 4 STARS****
B-TIER (HIGH TIER)
(8) BEEF
(NETFLIX 2023-PRESENT: SEASON 1+)
Beef was my favorite (non-genre) TV series of 2023 (and hence former wildcard tenth place entry as best of 2023).
It’s a series by Korean-American showrunner Lee Sung Jin, featuring an Asian-American cast led by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong – and is virtually a parable or fable of the all-consuming, self-destructive nature of vengeance as its two star-crossed leads escalate a feud originating from random road rage into a roaring rampage of revenge. And oh boy – that leads to some very dark place indeed.
Originally a mini-series, there’s a second season on the way – but by way of anthology series, with a new cast to a similar premise.
FANTASY & SF
Not really – except for some literally toxic trippy moments
COMEDY
Yes, indeed – dark comedy
RATING: 4 STARS****
B-TIER (HIGH TIER)
(7) BARRY
(2018-2023: SEASONS 1-4)
Its unprepossessing title belies just how much this series rocks as dark comedy and drama, named for its protagonist, a Marine sniper veteran from the war in Afghanistan turned hitman now seeking to take a much more bizarre turn into something completely different…acting. That happens after he stumbles into a theatric acting class of laughably bad amateur actors while stalking his latest hit in Los Angeles, a fitness instructor having an affair with a Chechen mafia kingpin.
Unfortunately for Barry, he’s a good hitman – with a stone-cold combat-honed talent – but not so good an actor. Even worse, his career as a hitman is not so easy to quit – or in the words of the third Godfather film, “just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” – as it constantly throws out its tentacles to ensnare his best efforts to escape it. Not least by his former associates – his slimy “agent” Monroe Fuches (masterfully played by Stephen Root) – and by his former client (and fanboy), Chechen mafia lieutenant NoHo Hank (hilariously played by Anthony Harrigan).
Bill Hader absolutely, dare I say it, kills it with his performance as the titular protagonist – showing his dramatic chops as well as his comic roots, particularly in the penultimate episode of the first season which won him an Emmy, as he showcased all his character’s emotional turmoil as Barry delivers a single line in his bit part in Macbeth with breathtaking intensity.
FANTASY & SF / COMEDY
Not really much fantasy or SF – but I could well have classed the series as comedy for its dark comedy.
RATING: 4 STARS****
A-TIER (TOP-TIER)
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(6) FARGO
(NETFLIX 2014-2024: SEASONS 1-5)
What can I say? Given how highly I rank the Coen brothers – Joel and Ethan Coen – in my top 10 Films, it was only to be expected that I would rank this TV series based on their film of the same name highly. Although the Coen brothers only take the role of executive producers, the creator and primary writer is Legion’s Noah Hawley, who seamlessly adapts their cinematic style to the TV screen – so much so that it is essentially Coen Brothers The Series. It’s an anthology series, with each season as self-contained storyline and new set of characters at different points of time in the wider Fargo-verse in Minnesota and the Dakotas, although each season “retains similar themes and tropes that ultimately keep them connected” (and just enough trademark Coen fantasy or surreal elements)
The first season remains my favorite as it follows insurance salesman Lester Nygaard – played by Martin Freeman in a distinct turn from his more characteristic nice-guy roles – descent into his heart of darkness after shady ‘fixer’ Lorne Malvo – played by Billy Bob Thornton with more than a hint of the actual devil about him (not to mention No Country for Old Men’s Anton Chigurh) – influences him to stop absorbing the disappointment of his mundane life and start lashing out against those who belittle him. (And how!)
FANTASY & SF
Characteristically for the Coen brothers, there’s more than a touch of surreal fantasy or SF – as noted above, Billy Bob Thornton’s Lorne Malvo has more than a hint of supernatural devil about him in Season 1, while there’s recurring UFO visitation in Season 2.
COMEDY
Even more characteristically for the Coen brothers, it could well be classified as comedy – albeit black or dark comedy.
RATING: 4 STARS****
A-TIER (TOP TIER)
(3) FANTASY & SF: FROM
(2022 – PRESENT: SEASONS 1-3+)
An American SF horror series with labyrinthine twists – the closest comparison is usually with Lost, “as an improved second attempt at Lost” or “what if Lost got a healthy injection of horror”. I understand the comparison to Lost extends to Lost actor Harold Perrineau having a similar role in From, where he is the sheriff and de facto mayor of the town. Now that I think about it, the comparison extends to their titles as four letter words (with o as the vowel). Fortunately, I never saw Lost so I came in clean to this series with no such comparison.
The basic premise is introduced in the very first episode – while on a road trip, the Matthews family find themselves trapped in a “strange small town in middle America”. The town traps those who enter, as the Matthews family find that any attempt to drive away or back the way they came simply has them circling back to the town, in some sort of weird dimensional loop. It also is an eldritch location, drawing people in from different locations throughout the United States.
Worse, you don’t want to be outside – or inside without the protection of a mysterious amulet – at night. The town is literally nightmarish, stalked at night by mysterious shapeshifting but humanoid creatures that kill anyone they find and as gruesomely as possible, as we see in the very first opening scene.
And that’s just getting started…
FANTASY OR SF
One of two fantasy or SF genre series presently in my top ten. Elements of it have a distinct fantasy or supernatural feel to it but I ultimately lean towards it having an extradimensional SF tone. Not surprisingly for a series in which the fantasy or SF has distinct horror elements, there’s no real comedic elements.
RATING:
A-TIER (TOP TIER)
(4) IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
(2005 – PRESENT: SEASONS 1-17+)
The Gang gets ranked in my Top 10 TV Series!
TV comedies tend to rely on unsympathetic comedy protagonists or outright comedic sociopaths, although for best effect they tend to limit this, typically to a single standout character. However, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia takes this to the extreme with the main cast – the titular “Gang” of its episode titles – consisting entirely of unsympathetic comedy protagonists or outright comedic sociopaths. Seriously, they’re all terrible people. The only real question is which is the worst. Spoiler alert – it’s Dennis. D.E.N.N.I.S.
Indeed, it is hard to find the member of the Gang that is the least terrible person. Perhaps Charlie, because you get the sense that much of his terrible character is a result of his profound intellectual limitations or psychological problems. Or perhaps Deandra or “Sweet Dee”, Dennis’ twin sister, because you get the sense that she occasionally has better moral impulses, but is dragged down by the rest of the Gang. Or perhaps Mac, because you get the sense that much of his terrible character comes from his repression. The original Gang of four in the first season became the Gang of five we all love to hate with the introduction of Danny De Vito as Dennis and Dee’s father Frank, who is almost as much an unredeemed terrible person as Dennis.
Together, they (barely) run Paddy’s Pub, a South Philadelphia Irish-themed bar, although that really serves as their venue for their hare-brained schemes or misadventures.
COMEDY
One of two comedy series ranked in my top ten. (No fantasy or SF elements, except perhaps in the absurdism of its comedy – and it’s hard to imagine its sociopathic cast existing in reality, let alone in some sort of harmony together).
RATING:
A-TIER (TOP-TIER)
(3) BREAKING BAD
(2008-2014: SEASONS 1-5+)
“I am the one who knocks!”
This needs no introduction – just say the name.
A neo-Western crime drama – or Macbeth makes meth. In this case, Macbeth is mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher Walter White, who takes one hell of a left turn in Albuquerque to rise to the throne as a drug kinpin. However, his three witches are not so much a literal trio of fates spouting prophecies of the throne, but more metaphorical fate and grim prophecy in the form of a diagnosis of inoperable lung cancer, that threatens to destroy his family’s financial future. And his Lady Macbeth is also more metaphorical – although many would be happy to cast his wife Skyler in that role more literally – as not so much his equally ambitious and power-hungry wife pushing him to become king through crime, but the opportunity he sees while on a ride-along with his DEA brother-in-law Hank Schrader. After seeing a former student of his, Jesse Pinkman, escape a drug bust through dumb luck, he sees a potential opportunity to entrap Jesse with a proposition to use his chemical expertise and Jesse’s drug connections to manufacture crystal meth and make them both rich. And after that, like Macbeth, one bloody footprint leads to another as the pair find themselves entangled by the worst kind of attention from both local drug pushers and law enforcement – and even more so toll it takes from their lives, loves and psyches.
FANTASY & SF / COMEDY
Not really much fantasy or SF – but surprising quite a lot of black comedy, although not predominant enough that anyone would call it a comedy.
HONORABLE MENTION: BETTER CALL SAUL
(2015-2022: SEASONS 1-6)
Honorable mention within this entry goes to this spinoff featuring one of the more interesting side characters from Breaking Bad, the dodgy lawyer Saul Goodman, and his origin story of how he fell to idealism to become the character we know.
It has one of my favorite openings in any first episode in any series.
RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GOD-TIER)
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(2) BLACKADDER
(1983 – 1989: SEASONS 1-4+)
“I have a cunning plan”
“A tastefully vicious” comedy series centered on various generations (or incarnations) of the quintessentially English Blackadder family through history or more precisely, its recurring family member consistently named Edmund Blackadder, played by Rowan Atkinson. Each Blackadder is similarly saddled throughout history with recurring generations or incarnations of family known only by Baldrick (or perhaps Sod-off Baldrick), as his manservant – or more precisely his dogsbody, in pretty much every derogatory connotation of the term.
As for Edmund Blackadder himself, I’ll quote TV Tropes – “a cynical, snide, and outright caustic British nobleman (he’d be a Deadpan Snarker if he could just stop sneering) who never seems to succeed at most of his schemes, but never quite loses either (except usually at the end, where he dies horribly or wins spectacularly)…His typical foil is a classic Upper-Class Twit of far higher social station than his own, whom he is forced to serve hand and foot”.
A word of caution – I’d definitely recommend not starting with the first season, set in England during a somewhat alternate history of The War of the Roses. Written by Rowan Atkinson and Rowan Curtis, with Edmund in his highest ranking social position as prince, second in line to the throne (and hoping to claim it), it featured Atkinson playing Blackadder closer to the comic buffoonery of Atkinson’s subsequent Mr Bean character, albeit with some devious hints of cunning. Perhaps more jarringly, it features Baldrick as his more clever servant, whose cunning plans are actually…cunning. Accordingly, I’d recommend starting with Season 2 and watching through to Season 4, before trying out Season 1.
Season 2 (and thereafter through to the final season or Season 4) saw the substitution of Ben Elton for Atkinson as writer and the rest is, dare I say it, history – with Edmund Blackadder emerging as the magnificent bastard we all know and love. Season 2 featured “the dashing but impulsive Lord Blackadder” as a nobleman in Queen Elizabeth’s court, hoping to win her favor or at least avoid her capricious vapidity. Interestingly, the further seasons continued to see a decline in Blackadder’s social fortune – with Season 3 featuring “the cool and ruthless E. Blackadder Esq” as butler to Prince George in Regency England, hoping to win fame and fortune (and aptly, as the most evil incarnation of Blackadder, succeeding by unexpected twist) and Season 4 featuring “the weary, rather less evil but more witty and intelligent Captain Blackadder”, hoping to survive the trenches of the First World War. Elton’s writing saw “a greater emphasis on clever dialogue, running gags, and historical subversion” and the series become a comedy institution – as well as through its stars Atkinson and Tony Robinson (as Baldrick), “whose comic instincts combine to produce some of the most delightfully snarky wit that has ever been seen on television”.
COMEDY
The second of two comedy series in my top ten – still my favorite comedy series of all time and enduring as my second favorite TV series. No fantasy or SF elements, except for comedic purposes.
RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GOD-TIER)
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(1) DAVID ATTENBOROUGH – LIFE
(1979-2008)
When you peel back the layers of my mind to the deepest part of my psyche, you will find it narrated by David Attenborough. The man is one of my personal heroes – indeed, he transcends mere heroism to become legend. And he is responsible for my enduring love of natural history and television nature documentaries – with his Life series, particularly the series that started it all, Life on Earth, at the heart of it all. (His books, adapted from his scripts for the series, feature equally as prominently at the peak of my Top 10 Science & Philosophy Books). Indeed, he taught me to see everything as part of the story – nay, grand narrative – of life on earth. It would not be exaggerating to say that Life on Earth is essentially my bible.
David Attenborough himself needs no introduction – in the words of TV Tropes, “a British broadcaster and naturalist, most famous as a nature documentary producer and narrator, long fondly stereotyped and much mimicked for his hushed yet enthusiastic delivery” (similar perhaps to what I like to call the whispered menace of Clint Eastwood) “and ability to find (and make) any plant or animal interesting”. And I would add not just interesting but compelling in his ability to make me think about them in ways I had never imagined previously. And further – “he has long been THE face and voice of natural history, having created what can safely be called the definitive—and usually technically groundbreaking—series of television nature documentaries, spanning all parts of the globe and every type of living creature (yes, including humans)”.
For me, it is his epic Life series that is his definitive work – beginning with 1979’s Life on Earth and continued through 2008 with The Living Planet, The Trials of Life, Life in the Freezer, The Private Life of Plants, The Life of Birds, The Life of Mammals, Life in the Undergrowth and Life in Cold Blood.
Although his Life series is unequalled, it doesn’t really matter to me if any of the other series he’s narrated as is his work as such (in terms of its writing) as long as he’s narrating them (and they’re produced by the BBC) – they’re all awesome in production and quality.
FANTASY & SF / COMEDY
None of the former and little of the latter – it is nature documentary after all.
RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GOD-TIER)
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TOP 10 TV SERIES (TIER LIST)
S-TIER (GOD TIER)
(1) DAVID ATTENBOROUGH – LIFE
(2) COMEDY: BLACKADDER
(3) BREAKING BAD
You know the line – if David Attenborough’s Life series and Blackadder are my Old Testament of TV series, then Breaking Bad is my New Testament.
A-TIER (TOP TIER)
(4) COMEDY: IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
(5) FANTASY / SF: FROM
(6) COEN BROS – FARGO
(7) BARRY
B-TIER (HIGH TIER)
(8) BEEF
(9) GUY RITCHIE – THE GENTLEMEN
X-TIER (WILD TIER) – BEST OF 2025
(10) FANTASY / SF: THE ETERNAUT
