THE TOP 10 BEST T.V. DRAMAS CURRENTLY STREAMING ON NETFLIX*
10) Lost (2004-2010) (ABC)
Created By: J.J. Abrams
Showrunners: Damon Lindelof & Jeffrey Leiber
GRADE: B-
Seasons Available to Stream: 6
Seasons Available to Stream: 6
Brief Description: The first 2 seasons of the show are great, and frankly, if you stropped there, you'd be fine. The show kind of goes off the rails after Season 3, but overall, a great show to finally catch up on if you missed it when it originally aired.
9) Heroes (2006-2010) (NBC)
Created By: Tim Kring
GRADE: B-
Seasons Available to Stream: 4
Seasons Available to Stream: 4
Brief Description: With the Heroes Reborn mini-series coming out in 2015, you should catch up on the original show today. The first season is by far the best season, and even though creator Tim Kring does have a problem with finales, and if you completely throw out the second season which was marred by the writer's strike, then you get a solid show.
8) Arrow (2012- current) (CW)
GRADE: B
Seasons Available to Stream: 1
Brief Description: While Marvel may have a stranglehold on superhero movies, DC Comics is going to rule the airwaves. With a Constantine, The Flash, and Gotham T.V. shows soon to be released thanks to the success of Arrow, I can't wait to see superheroes on the small screen.
7) House of Cards (2013-current) (Netflix)
Created By: Beau Willimon
GRADE: B+
Seasons Available to Stream: 2
Seasons Available to Stream: 2
Brief Description: The first season of this political drama is excellent, and was one of the best shows of 2013. The second season however? Pretty dreadful. The median of the show seasons equals a B total. While I understand that I am in the small, small minority about not liking Season 2, there's too much good stuff in this show as a whole not to binge watch it.
6) Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) (NBC)
Created By: Paul Fieg
GRADE: A-
Seasons Available to Stream: 1
Seasons Available to Stream: 1
Brief Description: While this brilliant show was only able to air one season, it sure as hell made the most of it. Set in 1980, it paints a vivid picture of the unfortunate aspects of high school without being cliche or melodramatic. Plus, it's fun to see a super young Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and James Franco.
5) Terriers (2010) (FX)
Created By: Ted Griffin
GRADE: A
Seasons Available to Stream: 1
Brief Description: Terriers is another great one season show that aired on the talent rich, yet hardly watched FX channel. The horrible title that makes no sense didn't help either. The show follows a recovering alcoholic and disgraced ex-cop turned private investigator and his partner as they try to undercover the seedy undergoings of their small California town.
4) Sherlock (2010-current) (BBC)
Created By: Mark Gattis & Steven Moffat
GRADE: A
Seasons Available to Stream: 2
Brief Description: The creator of Doctor Who created Sherlock Holmes but for the modern day and with the BBC model. While there's only two seasons up on Netflix (the third one aired at the beginning of this year), each season is only three episodes long, but with each episode being 90 minutes long.
Created By: Ted Griffin
GRADE: A
Seasons Available to Stream: 1
Brief Description: Terriers is another great one season show that aired on the talent rich, yet hardly watched FX channel. The horrible title that makes no sense didn't help either. The show follows a recovering alcoholic and disgraced ex-cop turned private investigator and his partner as they try to undercover the seedy undergoings of their small California town.
Created By: Mark Gattis & Steven Moffat
GRADE: A
Seasons Available to Stream: 2
Brief Description: The creator of Doctor Who created Sherlock Holmes but for the modern day and with the BBC model. While there's only two seasons up on Netflix (the third one aired at the beginning of this year), each season is only three episodes long, but with each episode being 90 minutes long.
Created By: Jenji Kohan
GRADE: A
Seasons Available to Stream: 1 (Season 2 will be released June 6)
Brief Description: Last year, the television critics rated OITNB as the second best show of an incredibly deep year. It's certainly helped by the fact that it only has one season (the second season of House of Cards is the reason that show isn't higher on this list), but it's also helped by the fact that the show is amazing. Based on the book by the same name (but MUCH better), the show follows Piper Chapman as she spends 15 months in a minimal security federal prison.
2) Mad Men (2007-current) (AMC)
Created By: Matthew Weiner
GRADE: A+
Seasons Available to Stream: 6
Brief Description: Easily the best written show of all time, Mad Men follows manly-man Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a powerful ad executive of a firm on Madison Avenue, as he travels through the strange time in American that was the 1960's.
Created By: Vince Gilligan
GRADE: A++
Seasons Available to Stream: 5
Brief Description: Hand down, without any doubt in my mind, Breaking Bad is the greatest television show that has ever existed in the history of man kind. I will not rest until everyone in the world watched Breaking Bad. And now, all 62 episodes are available on Netflix. Gilligan always said he wanted a show that, "turns Mr. Chips into Scarface". He most certainly did that with mild mannered chemistry genius Walter White (Bryan Cranston)
BONUS: Dramas I've heard are great by have not actually watched yet
- 24
- Awake
- Damages
- Friday Night Lights
- Parenthood (I've seen a handful of episodes and I enjoy it a lot)
- Sons of Anarchy
- Top Of The Lake
- Twin Peaks
- The West Wing
- The X Files
THE TOP 15 BEST COMEDIES CURRENTLY STREAMING ON NETFLIX*
15) Arrested Development (2003 -2013) (FOX/Netflix)
Created By: Mitchell Hurwitz
GRADE: C
Seasons Available to Stream: 4
Seasons Available to Stream: 4
Brief Description: Arrested Development is probably the smartest comedy ever written and a show that everyone who watches (which isn't very many people) adores. Except for me. I personally was not a big fan of the show, but since I'm in the minority of "1", and this list is mainly dedicated to bringing people underrated gems, I'm obligated by law to recommend it.
Created By: Steve Franks
GRADE: B
Seasons Available to Stream: 6
Brief Description: Psych is the standard USA show. It's not serialized, it doesn't take itself seriously, and it's extremely enjoyable. It will be missed.
Created By: Ricky Gervais & Steven Merchant
GRADE: B
Seasons Available to Stream: 3
Brief Description: Described as a real life "Homer Simpson", the creators of "The Office" take their friend Karl Pilkington and send him all over the world to places that he's extremely uncomfortable with.
Created By: Bonnie and Terry Turner
GRADE: B
Seasons Available to Stream: 8
Brief Description: Seriously? Do you not know anything about "That 70's Show"? Solid show, and worth a look at every now and then.
Created By: Bill Lawrence
GRADE: B+
Seasons Available to Stream: 9
Brief Description: Scrubs was the last of a dying era: successful, funny sitcoms airing on NBC. That's not to say NBC haven't been funny since (just like a look at #1 and #2 on this list), but the success of NBC's Thursday night line up has been replaced by Modern Family and FOX's Tuesday night line up. Scrubs was, and still remains, a great and funny show though.
Created By: Jeff and Jackie Schaffer
GRADE: B+
Seasons Available to Stream: 4
Brief Description: A show that's almost completely improv works great as a bunch of friends who play in a fantasy football league together do the worst things possible to each other.
Created By: Adam Reed
GRADE: B+
Seasons Available to Stream: 4
Brief Description: A parody of James Bond and spy thrillers, Archer is probably the funniest show on television.
Created By: Marc Maron
GRADE: A-
Seasons Available to Stream: 1
Brief Description: Famed comedian and podcaster takes his life into the television realm. I binge watched all 10 episodes and couldn't help but fall in love with the show.
Created By: Carter Bays & Craig Thomas
GRADE: A-
Seasons Available to Stream: 8
Brief Description: The first five seasons of the show are excellent, and feel free to stop watching the show after then. Or you can just check out my list of the 10 Best How I Met Your Mother Episodes and be done with it.
Created By: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant
Showrunner: Greg Daniels
GRADE: A-
Seasons Available to Stream: 9
Brief Description: Similar to HIMYM, The Office has some great seasons, and some below average ones. But when they're great, they're excellent. In fact, you can pin point the exact episode The Office became terrible- it's Episode 6 of Season 6- the episode immediately following Jim and Pam's wedding. It's an episode entitled "Mafia" and it's awful. Luckily, the show picks up again in Season 7 for the Michael Scott Farewell Tour when Steve Carell decided to leave the show to star in terrible movies, but for the moments he's on the show, it's pretty darn good.
Created By: Elizabeth Meriwether
GRADE: A
Seasons Available to Stream: 2
Brief Description: At the time it seemed like an odd move for Zooey Deschanel, a borderline movie star, to go do TV. This was a move normally dedicated to movie actors who stopped finding work in movies, but Deschanel did not seem to be on that path (maybe she was and we didn't know it). However, no matter what her motive was, it's great news for us, because we get to watch her in an excellent TV show.
Created By: Rob McElhenney
GRADE: A+
Seasons Available to Stream: 8
Brief Description: The best way to describe It's Always Sunny is that the show is a warped and darker version of Seinfeld. The plots are similar in that nothing really happens to a group of friends, except in It's Always Sunny, the group of friends become addicted to crack, adopt a baby they found in the dumpster, and fights against gay marriage because a transexual won't date them. I never said it was nice, but it is hilarious. Plus, very few shows are able to be consistently funny for as long as It's Always Sunny has been.
Created By: Loren Bouchard
GRADE: A+
Seasons Available to Stream: 3
Brief Description: From the creator of Dr. Katz and Home Movies comes The Simpsons for the millennials (even though the millennials DO have The Simpsons, they don't have the glory days of Season 2-10 like what we grew up with). Unfortunately, you can only get the shows first 2 seasons streaming on Netflix, but those seasons are worth binge watching when you're bored one weekend.
Created By: Tina Fey
GRADE: A+
Seasons Available to Stream: 7
Brief Description: I think when history unfurls itself, Tina Fey will go down as the best comedy writer of this generation. She wrote the excellent Mean Girls, some great sketches on Saturday Night Live, the wonderful book BossyPants, and of course one of the best sitcoms ever- 30 Rock.
Created By: Greg Daniels & Michael Schur
GRADE: A+
Seasons Available To Stream: 5
Brief Description: After giving it this much thought, I have decided that Parks and Recreation is one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. I like it better than 30 Rock and, as a whole, much better than The Office. No other show consistently makes me laugh while caring as much about the characters as I do on Parks and Rec. Even after 6+ seasons, the show is one of the best ever.
BONUS: I've seen 4 episodes of FXX's "Legit" currently streaming on Netlfix, and it's great
*That I've Seen
What is your favorite TV show that you can currently stream on Netflix?
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