I haven't been watching much in terms of actual shows for a good while, then while listening to a podcast a host casually mentioned they had rewatched Chernobyl, how it still holds up, that there's a reason it got as much acclaim as it did, etc. So I thought I'd give it a go and wow, loved it (still one episode left to watch).
Had me thinking, what else have I missed out on? What are some "absolute cinema" TV shows that still hold up and and are considered must watch?
27 Jun 2026 05:34
I always plug Scavenger's Reign. It's a a sci fi survival show about a set of people who get stranded on an alien planet animated kind of like a graphic novel. The creators used a bunch of nature documentaries as inspiration to create a truly alien and interdependent ecosystem, but the
theme tells you everything you need to know about the tone.
Also, animated sci fi comedy, The Venture Bros
27 Jun 2026 06:07
Battlestar Galactica 2000s remake. It's soooo good
27 Jun 2026 06:30
I'm always ready to plug _Bojack Horseman_. Yes, it's an animated show about an anthropomorphic horse, with tons of silly, animal puns and visual gags, and cartoon-ish storylines, and it will sometimes just rip you open emotionally. Will Arnett is a phenomenally gifted voice actor. And despite this, one of the best episodes of television I've ever seen is one in which he has barely any lines.
The usual advice, of course, is that it takes until the middle of the first season to get really good. (The first few episodes aren't bad, they're just light comedy.)
27 Jun 2026 06:54
Nobody seems to have watched it, but "Counterpart". It's a mind fuck Science Fiction show. Only 20 episodes, so manageable.
It was cancelled, but the writers knew beforehand and wrote an absolute perfect conclusion for the last episodes.
Also it's best to go in blind. There are events predicted in the show that later happened for real (I don't want to spoil it), and it's fun to think "oh that is how and why it happened"!
Also J.K. Simmons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpart_(TV_series
I can't recommend this show enough.
27 Jun 2026 07:06
What a great premise, gone too soon.
27 Jun 2026 07:45
Midnight Mass is up there for me, but particularly because I really enjoy the themes present. I thought it was even better than Haunting of Hill House (which is phenomenal). But I have a friend who fucking hated it and refused to finish it, so uh, your mileage may vary lol.
Also, I don't know if I would call it "cinema", but Taskmaster is probably the funniest shit I've ever seen consistently across 20+ series and I hope it never fucking ends.
27 Jun 2026 07:51
For one you likely haven't heard of before:
Infinity Train.
Best to go in blind with no spoilers. I wish I could watch it for the first time again.
27 Jun 2026 08:00
Amazing info. I loved scavengers reign and just started common side effects, but haven't put the names together as the same creator. Both are mind bending shows, so more from the same creator is a great get.
27 Jun 2026 08:02
Better Call Saul
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Call_Saul
This show is better than Breaking Bad IMHO.
27 Jun 2026 08:03
It did some really cool experimental stuff as well, such as:
- An episode that's 90% the main character's monologue, delivered straight into the 'camera'.
- An episode from the perspective of someone with advanced dementia, where a lot of the important details are scribbled out.
- An episode from the perspective of someone who's (perhaps) dying, and it's all explicitly stated to be a hallucination as their neurons are misfiring.
- A lot of exploration into themes of nihilism and pointlessness.
And it all
works. That show is amazing.
27 Jun 2026 08:05
The Good Place. Season one is just to set it up, please stick with it through at least S2. The ending makes me cry every time I watch it
27 Jun 2026 08:08
Chernobyl was devastating but a must-watch. Five Days at Memorial is a similar vibe but don't watch it while eating.
27 Jun 2026 08:10