On the TV...
This really has been a golden age of television, with TV in some ways surpassing movies.
(updated June 2026)This article provides a reference guide for TV series. It contains a table with two sections. The first section, "Completed," lists series viewed in their entirety, including the occasional TV movie or special, complete with a rating out of 10.
Sadly, almost every show comes packaged with an agenda or a political slant or some type of propaganda. If we started to worry about that, most everything would get the boot, so the rating is for things like entertainment ability, novelty/innovation, acting, production value and the like.
The second section, "Fails," lists shows that were trying past the point of endurance (and I made an effort to persevere), like when they just can't seem to hide their toxicity. No rating, but the season and episode I gave up is listed in the table. Note that doesn't preclude some completed series from getting a failing grade.
These programs are of their era, and things like production and writing standards improve with time, so we can't expect old episodic TV to compete with modern serialized shows (like Breaking Bad) or hybrid shows (like The X-Files), where there's an overarching, progressing storyline, but with episodic "stories of the week" that are resolved each episode. As such, earlier shows (60s-70s-80s), were they released today, might suffer slightly in their ratings.
A rating score of seven and above is a good score. Six is watchable. At a rating of five, a show starts to become mildly annoying.
| On the TV… Summary Reviews | ||||||||||
| Completed | ||||||||||
| Title & Date | R | Notes | ||||||||
| 1883 (2021) | 7 | mini-series, prequel to Yellowstone | ||||||||
| 1923 (2022) | 7 | mini-series, also prequel to Yellowstone | ||||||||
| A Touch of Cloth (2012) | 7 | British comedy | ||||||||
| Agent Carter (2015) | 8 | Captain America squeeze Peggy Carter as a 1940s secret agent | ||||||||
| Almost Human (2013) | 6 | Karl Urban as a cop paired with an android | ||||||||
| American Restoration (2010) | 9 | reworked final season a letdown | ||||||||
| Americans, The (2013) | 9 | period drama one of the best shows on TV, based on actual deep-cover spies | ||||||||
| Archer (2010) | 9 | spy parody sitcom notable for animation style and cocaine Pam | ||||||||
| Avengers, The (1961) | 7 | classic British espionage series best remembered for John Steed & Mrs. Peel | ||||||||
| Avengers, The (2010) | 8 | animated, based on the Marvel Comics characters | ||||||||
| Avenue 5 (2020) | 7 | science fiction comedy where passengers get stuck in a bungled “space cruise” | ||||||||
| Banshee (2013) | 9 | over the top nuts, but fun | ||||||||
| Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008) | 9 | animated; fulfills unrealized potential of the old '60s DC comics | ||||||||
| Better Call Saul (2015) | 9 | deep dive into life of crooked lawyer Sal Goodman/Jimmy McGill | ||||||||
| Black Dynamite (2012) | 6 | spoof/farce that’s okay, but somewhat repetitive | ||||||||
| Black Mirror (2011) | 10 | horror/speculative fiction anthology series one of the best ever | ||||||||
| Black Sails (2014) | 7 | repetitive and slow-paced at times, but good acting and writing | ||||||||
| Blackout (2021) | 4 | European 6-episode mini-series | ||||||||
| Boardwalk Empire (2010) | 8 | interesting depiction of 1920s Atlantic City criminals, based on real-life events | ||||||||
| Boys, The (2019) | 8 | yes, flawed, but you watch it for Urban’s & Starr’s performances | ||||||||
| Breaking Bad (2008) | 10 | masterpiece and reference work | ||||||||
| Cannon (1971) | 6 | heavy-set detective in LA eats and solves cases | ||||||||
| Chucky (2021) | 8 | they killed this one prematurely | ||||||||
| Continuum (2012) | 5 | ultimately a waste of time with no payoff | ||||||||
| Copenhagen Test, The (2025) | 5 | uninvolving, formulaic, actors have no presence | ||||||||
| Counting Cars (2012) | 8 | 10 seasons of car customization | ||||||||
| Crashing (2017) | 7 | timid comedian tries to get gigs and a following in the rough world of stand-up | ||||||||
| Creature Commandos (2024) | 6 | allows DC to exploit some of their (much) lesser-known characters | ||||||||
| Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) | 9 | Larry David plays himself, as a neurotic man with no filter | ||||||||
| Daredevil (2015) | 8 | decent take on Marvel’s Daredevil character | ||||||||
| Deadwood (2009) | 9 | entertaining Western drama, highly appreciated by viewers | ||||||||
| Defenders, The (2017) | 7 | four Marvel superheroes join forces to fight crime in NYC | ||||||||
| Devs (2020) | 5 | prettily filmed but lots of cringy, nonsensical sci-fi exposition, rife with problems | ||||||||
| Dexter’s Laboratory (1996) | 8 | animated; had an unfortunate downturn in final season | ||||||||
| Doom Patrol (2019) | 6 | satirical, metafictional, surreal adaptation of the old DC comic, “The Doom Patrol” | ||||||||
| Downton Abbey (2010) | 9 | classic prime-time soap | ||||||||
| Dr. Death (2021) | 8 | should wake some people up | ||||||||
| Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story (2021) | 7 | documentary of Christopher Duntsch; not quite as harrowing as the series | ||||||||
| Entourage (2004) | 8 | entertaining dramedy-satire was attacked by the cancel culture crowd | ||||||||
| Fargo (2014) | 8 | anthology “weird crime” series | ||||||||
| Firefly (2002) | 6 | interesting concept but left something to be desired | ||||||||
| Full Circle (2023) | 3 | lackluster, irrational and uninvolving | ||||||||
| Gen V (2023) | 7 | teen soap-opera superhero mash-up | ||||||||
| Ghosts (2019) | 6 | overrated but passable comedy series | ||||||||
| Good Place, The (2016) | 4 | would have been a good show if they didn’t have to insert their usual poison | ||||||||
| Grand Tour, The (2016) | 9 | series ended, may resume with new cast | ||||||||
| Guardians of Justice, The (2022) | 6 | satire of DC Comics and the Justice League | ||||||||
| Hacks (2021) | 7 | comedy series definitely has its moments, good acting | ||||||||
| Hardcastle & McCormick (1983) | 6 | very ‘80s comedy/action/adventure series | ||||||||
| Hustle (2004) | 7 | okay series about a group of con artists but a bit shallow | ||||||||
| Invaders, The (1967) | 10 | one of the few 10s, an anomaly for the ‘60s, too intense for some? | ||||||||
| Iron Fist (2017) | 7 | not liked by everyone, but it’s okay | ||||||||
| Justice League Action (2016) | 8 | animated, based on the DC Comics characters | ||||||||
| Last One Laughing UK (2025) | 5 | often dull | ||||||||
| Legion of Super Heroes (2006) | 7 | animated, based on the DC Comics characters | ||||||||
| Loki (2021) | 6 | imaginative ideas and aesthetic but seems like punching at shadows by the end | ||||||||
| Lost in Space (1965) | 6 | they couldn’t keep up the quality of the 1st episodes | ||||||||
| Lost in Space (2018) | 6 | high production values but a chore to get through this low-stakes children’s show | ||||||||
| Luke Cage (2016) | 6 | not fun like the real Luke Cage | ||||||||
| Mad Men (2007) | 8 | real attention to detail in this period drama | ||||||||
| Mannix (1967) | 7 | “You a cop?” “Private.” | ||||||||
| Marvel’s Inhumans (2017) | 3 | had to struggle to get through this completely misconceived mess | ||||||||
| Mission: Impossible (1966) | 5 | good childrens’ show, disappointing for adults | ||||||||
| New Batman Adventures, The (1997) | 7 | most all the Warner/DC cartoons are of good quality | ||||||||
| Office, The (2001) | 7 | original British mini-series | ||||||||
| Office, The (2005) | 9 | American version of the Ricky Gervais BBC program | ||||||||
| Our Flag Means Death (2022) | 7 | bungling pirates swish and swash their way around the Caribbean | ||||||||
| Pan Am (2014) | 6 | woman’s fantasy, thought it would be prestige, but it’s kibble | ||||||||
| Parks and Recreation (2009) | 8 | solid comedy feat. eccentric govt. staff in Parks & Rec. Dept. of “Pawnee, Indiana” | ||||||||
| Peacemaker (2022) | 7 | entertaining enough if you enjoy the shock and absurdist humor | ||||||||
| Penguin, The (2024) | 8 | finally a good performance from Farrell | ||||||||
| Penny Dreadful (2014) | 8 | Victorian-era monsters and madmen in a well-developed format | ||||||||
| Pentaverate, The (2022) | 6 | somewhat mocking but tolerable Mike Myers comedy rehashing his old characters | ||||||||
| Persuaders!, The (1971) | 6 | Roger Moore & Tony Curtis solve crimes in this lighthearted action-comedy | ||||||||
| Police Squad (1982) | 7 | short-run comedy that led to the Naked Gun movie series | ||||||||
| Preacher (2016) | 7 | gets weaker toward the end, but okay | ||||||||
| Prisoner, The (1967) | 9 | marvelous paranoid allegory | ||||||||
| Punisher, The (2017) | 8 | not the authentic, but an alternate universe Punisher, but good action | ||||||||
| Punisher, The: One Last Kill (2026) | 3 | farce Punisher a failure on every level, like Disney, Marvel and Bernthal himself | ||||||||
| Queen's Gambit, The (2020) | 6 | a bit grating, but okay | ||||||||
| Rehearsal, The (2022) | 8 | strikingly original and challenging concept | ||||||||
| Return of Frank Cannon, The (1980) | 5 | TV Movie follow-up to the series, Cannon (1971) | ||||||||
| Rome (2005) | 8 | well-done | ||||||||
| Saint, The (1962) | 7 | lighthearted crime-adventure series with Roger Moore as a gentleman/rogue | ||||||||
| Shield, The (2002) | 9 | best cop show ever? | ||||||||
| Silicon Valley (2014) | 10 | peak, incisive satire | ||||||||
| South Park: 25th Anniversary Concert (2022) | 8 | musical special | ||||||||
| South Park: Joining the Panderverse (2023) | 8 | special episode | ||||||||
| South Park: Not Suitable for Children (2023) | 8 | special episode | ||||||||
| South Park: The End of Obesity (2024) | 9 | special episode | ||||||||
| Space Force (2020) | 6 | tries hard but is lacking somehow | ||||||||
| Spartacus (2010) | 9 | well-produced action/fantasy | ||||||||
| Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) | 9 | picking up the ball from Spartacus (2010) | ||||||||
| Star Trek (1966) | 8 | unusually good series for the ‘60s despite several dud episodes, still re-watchable | ||||||||
| Stargirl (2020) | 8 | fun for everyone | ||||||||
| Succession (2018) | 7 | cast is good, though characters are unlikeable & show is slightly overrated | ||||||||
| Superman & Lois (2021) | 5 | potentially good series ruined with intolerable shrews, forced drama and wokeness | ||||||||
| Telemarketers (2023) | 7 | telephone annoyers are showcased | ||||||||
| True Detective (2014) | 6 | as with Continuum, a time waste, red herring, no payoff | ||||||||
| Twin Peaks (1990) | 7 | surreal, always intriguing as to what’s going to happen next | ||||||||
| UFO (1970) | 7 | unique and quirky | ||||||||
| Utopia (2013) | 6 | drama/mystery/thriller/sci-fi mix | ||||||||
| WandaVision (2021) | 7 | cleverly done | ||||||||
| Watchmen (2019) | 4 | woke race-bait | ||||||||
| What If? (2021) | 7 | animated; mixed bag, but some excellent episodes | ||||||||
| What We Do in the Shadows (2019) | 10 | outstanding, particularly for the well-delivered deadpan humor and surprises | ||||||||
| Yellowstone (2018) | 7 | final episodes of this melodrama were the big let-down | ||||||||
| Yellowstone: One-Fifty (2022) | 7 | four episode documentary | ||||||||
| Fails | ||||||||||
| Title & Date | S | E | Notes | |||||||
| 12 Monkeys (2015) | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Abbott Elementary (2021) | 1 | 3 | bland, dour, drab Parks & Recreation ripoff | |||||||
| Amerika (1987) | 1 | 4 | mini-series with a few good messages so poorly presented no one will care | |||||||
| Black Lightning (2018) | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons (1967) | 1 | 5 | good childrens’ show, but it’s no Thunderbirds Are Go! | |||||||
| Castle Rock (2018) | 1 | 8 | this would try anyone’s patience | |||||||
| Enlightened (2011) | 1 | 5 | managed to get this far via fast-fwd. | |||||||
| Expanse, The (2015) | 1 | 2 | crap | |||||||
| Farscape (1999) | 1 | 5 | woeful | |||||||
| Flight Attendant, The (2020) | 2 | 5 | managed to get this far thru 2nd season via fast-fwd. | |||||||
| Freak Brothers, The (2021) | 1 | 5 | not the Freaks; unfunny, unfaithful, misguided, brain-dead plop | |||||||
| Game of Thrones (2011) | 1 | 4 | guess it’s just not for me | |||||||
| Guardians of Justice, The (2022) | 1 | 2 | poorly implemented and uninspired | |||||||
| His Dark Materials (2019) | 1 | 5 | meaningless, annoying childrens’ show, nice graphics though | |||||||
| Humans (2015) | 2 | 1 | ridiculous | |||||||
| It Takes a Thief (1968) | 2 | 13 | this show became intolerable | |||||||
| Jack of All Trades (2000) | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| Jessica Jones (2015) | 2 | 2 | 1st season not bad, but fizzled in 2nd | |||||||
| Killing Eve (2018) | 2 | 4 | obnoxious characters in a story that didn’t need to be told | |||||||
| Land of the Giants (1968) | 1 | 4 | was okay, but it’s always more of the same | |||||||
| Magicians, The (2015) | 2 | 1 | why are so many of these shows written with a weird agenda? | |||||||
| Man from U.N.C.L.E., The (1964) | 1 | 14 | tedious | |||||||
| Miracle Workers (2019) | 1 | 5 | tedious and desperately grasping | |||||||
| Money Heist (2017) | 1 | 2 | a bit of an embarrassment | |||||||
| New Avengers, The (1976) | 1 | 3 | big fail | |||||||
| Night Manager, The (2016) | 2 | 6 | this was a one (season) and done, there was no need to resurrect it | |||||||
| One Foot in the Grave (1990) | 1 | 3 | humor by people with no sense of humor | |||||||
| Orphan Black (2013) | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| Orville, The (2017) | 1 | 2 | wretched | |||||||
| Peaky Blinders (2013) | 2 | 2 | bloody boring, I don’t care about Tommy S. or his ugly clan of goofs | |||||||
| Professionals, The (1977) | 1 | 2 | about as throwaway a series as you’ll ever see | |||||||
| Riverdale (2017) | 1 | 2 | uses “Archie” comic’s familiar names to frame an unrelated teen drama | |||||||
| Secret Agent (1960) | 1 | 7 | was okay, but it’s always more of the same | |||||||
| Six Feet Under (2001) | 1 | 3 | cringe | |||||||
| Spooksville (2013) | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020) | 1 | 7 | forced and arbitrary humor; Family Guy on a spaceship | |||||||
| Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022) | 2 | 4 | never fails to disappoint | |||||||
| Stranger Things (2016) | 2 | 1 | the strange thing is the overblown hype for this nonsense | |||||||
| Terra Nova (2011) | 1 | 3 | garbage | |||||||
| Titans (2018) | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
| Utopia (2014) | 1 | 5 | fairly witty Australian office-place comedy becomes tedious | |||||||
| Westworld (2016) | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| Wire, The (2002) | 1 | 4 | low energy | |||||||
| Witcher, The (2019) | 1 | 8 | guess it’s just not for me | |||||||
| Young Justice (2010) | 3 | 2 | animated | |||||||
For chuckles, you can see how I didn't even make it through the first or second episode of some. This is usually when they shamelessly push a transparent agenda.
In some cases, the series fell victim to the problems of episodic television (a particular problem in the '60s, '70s and '80s), being too repetitive and predictable. Or too bland and shallow. Or, wanting in continuity. Or, with too many bad filler episodes. It's an achievement worthy of celebration when you have a '60s series that doesn't suffer (as much) from those problems, like The Invaders.
Here's a weird connection, Invaders=>Married with Children. David Vincent drives by a sign advertising Bud's Diner. The name in a later shot has changed to Kelly's Diner! Al is partner to David. Didn't see a reference to Peg or Marcie, but, of course, Al Bundy is the dad in Married, Bud and Kelly, the two kids.
Old sitcoms are notably missing. In fact, most older shows are. You can't go back to most of them since they were topical, or, of mediocre (but rarely poor) quality. When I've gone back and watched old Get Smart episodes, I find that they aren't as funny as I used to think, but are tedious. However, some programs were of very high quality. Old Gilligan's Island episodes are excellent. Timeless. Beverly Hillbillies also is consistently good. I'd probably rate Gilligan and Hillbillies between eight to ten, though it's doubtful I'll go back and re-watch both series in their entirety to give a final conclusion!
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