Best (non-comedy) TV shows of all time

[XelaM]

Having just finished Season 3 of "Succession" I feel bereft and looking to find something good to watch.

"Succession" is the best thing I have seen on TV probably ever, but equally great I found
"Breaking Bad" (first 4 seasons); and
"Ozark".

Are there any other shows out there that can rival those three in brilliance of script, acting and twists? Looking for inspiration.

It's a while since it was on and I don't remember where, but John Adams was really really good if slow and needed a bit of googling for those of us with a reduced knowledge of American history.

Call the Midwife, especially the earlier series.

Some of the Doctor Who series, but not all.

Sharpe And for the non-fiction category, Time Team. I miss the 90s!

The Mentalist - on Prime, I think, and just one of the best TV shows ever.

The Handmaid's Tale.
In Treatment.

I enjoyed The Serpent, and Big Little Lies was quite good. I used to watch The Americans and thought it was excellent but gave up eventually as couldn't work out what was going on. I love Killing Eve. Final episode next week! I.hope all will become clear as it sure as hell isn't now!

Chernobyl. Not an easy watch but by far the best TV I've ever seen.

Also, Its a Sin, Cracker (if you're going old school) and I loved The Tourist

@BiggerBoat1 Oh, lots of people have been recommending Chernobyl when it came out, but I was a bit reluctant to watch it, as my grandfather was the head of the Institute (in USSR) that investigated the Chernobyl disaster and he had written a lot about it, and I thought I wouldn't like it if it didn't follow the real events exactly.

@tearinghairout Loved "Big Little Lies" - it was brilliant, but I think it finished with season 2?

Thank you everyone else for the recommendations and I'm collecting Tesco Club points for Disney+ (thank you to the PP the ho mentioned this)

who*

It’s a Sin

Life on Earth. Quite simply the best tv series ever made.

Cagney and Lacey
House
Downton
The Crown
Brideshead Revisited
Wolf Hall
Sherlock
A Very English Scandal
The Blue Planet
The early series of ER (now on Netflix again)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Pride and Prejudice

West Wing & Fleabag (but those are comedy dramas)

There's one more that is bugging me that I can't think of!

Oh yes I also liked:

Scott and Bailey
Morse (but has dated badly)
Flambards

Cold feet

@Tezza1
I came on to say “I, Claudius” we watched it with DD (16 at Italian Classics High School and very hard to impress) on YouTube recently.

She was bouncing on the sofa, screaming “This is great!!”.
So it’s obviously stood the test of time…

I'm just rewatching Better Call Saul in readiness for the final season coming out next week, and I have to agree that it's even better than Breaking Bad (which I have watched 3 times). Just such high quality story telling, it's incredible.

Going to try The Americans after that based on all these comments!

I have started watching The Americans and The Mentalist again as it has been years since they were first on

I also really enjoyed Brothers and Sisters, and the first few series of 24. If it doesn’t have to be in English, then Spiral is brilliant. It’s currently available on iPlayer.

The West Wing - takes a few episodes to hit its stride but honestly one of the best tv shows ever made.

Sherlock- because, well, Cumberbatch!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - defined my teenage years and was way ahead of its time with strong female role models

Also, Life On Mars. I didn’t enjoy Ashes to Ashes as much, but that’s also good.

@3ormorecharacters

The Americans was a brilliant show, up there with all those mentioned above but didn't get nearly enough recognition.

Yes to this!

Boardwalk Empire
Penny Dreadful

I miss both those series so much!

Absolutely the West Wing. Best TV show ever made.

If you can find it, two series of a legal drama called Murder One, features the excellent Stanley Tucci. Made in the mid-nineties. No-one I met has ever heard of it, but it's quite fabulous.

Chernobyl
The Night Of (make sure it's the American version)
Dopesick
Used to love Hill Street Blues
The Killing
Shtisel (loved this)

Do you ever find yourself watching a TV series that gets high praise and when you watch it you like it but not enough to stick with it? Happens to me a lot. Sometimes I go back to it and get into it again.

The Shield - best cop drama ever
The Sopranos
Boardwalk Empire
The Americans
The Mentalist
Dexter
Ozark
Mare of Eastown