Ten TV Series to Get to Know Me
I watch terrible television, so you don't have to.
This January, I’m posting a few “get to know me better” pieces. Weekly TV recaps will return Sunday.
Television is my favorite medium of storytelling. In terms of narrative cohesion and thematic vision nearly every other option tells “better” stories. Better is in quotes because I’d argue that while nearly every other option may tell more competent stories, TV stories are more engaging. Films, novels, even games, have a structure, a plot with a beginning, middle, and end, and their characters and relationships exist to enhance and fulfill it. Self-contained stories “make sense” because they are built to. TV is not focused on telling the story. TV isn’t focused on the story at all. TV is focused on the set-up and the characters within it. Neither can change too much because they are what the show is about. Thus, the story is formulaic and structureless at the same time. The characters never evolve, they just become more firmly themselves. Relationships are static but messy because that’s the most dramatic. Closure doesn’t exist. There are no happy endings because nothing ever ends. It’s a lot like life that way.
For some time now, I’ve described my relationship with television as “I watch terrible television, so you don’t have to.” The ‘terrible’ is used with affection. Prestige TV bores me. If a show makes top ten lists or wins awards or everyone talks about how great it is, I probably don’t like or watch it. See: The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Succession, Community, Arrested Development, Six Feet Under, The Office. If a show has a passionate following, I’m wary. See: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Our Flag Means Death, The X-Files, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, Parks & Recreation. I didn’t watch The West Wing until the pandemic for both these reasons. I’m sure some series on the lists above meet my criteria for terrible, and some of the series on my list below are more widely considered ‘good.’ But more often, my shows are the shows that people are embarrassed to admit watching and/or liking unless it’s as a guilty pleasure. The ones talked about with sarcasm and irony and negativity, if they are talked about at all. They may do well in ratings but it’s because they are mainstream and therefore bunk. I love quirky, I love overwrought, I love flawed. I love shows that take their nonsense seriously and try to be more than the sum of their parts and every so often succeed.
So, to introduce myself and my terrible tastes, here are ten TV series I not only love but I think say something about me. With one exception they’ve finished airing new episodes. With one exception again I’m presenting them in order of premiere.
Why: what the show means to me
Genre: the type of show it is
Summary: what the show is about
One Episode: an episode that expresses my why; not necessarily the best or my favorite, but meaningful
One Character: the character that matters the most to me, usually because I relate to them
One True Pairing: the relationship that matters the most to me, kissing often encouraged
Also: other shows like this one that I love
Now: current shows that fit this mold
E.R. (NBC, 1994-2009)
Why: Medical shows are special. Something horrible and something wonderful happens in every single episode, and the stakes start out dramatically high, so over-the-top emotions are a given. To this day E.R. remains my standard, no other series has come close to pushing it off the pedestal. I’ve been threatening for some time to write a full post about why and someday I will. For now, I’ll say that E.R. provides everything I watch medical shows for and more: melodrama, catharsis, weird diseases, scathing commentary on US healthcare, romance amid crisis, gallows humor, nuanced characters with obvious flaws who do the best they can, people helping people, absurd emergency situations, sorrowful pop songs played over slow-motion surgeries, a parade of that guys in guest roles, a parade of movie stars in special guest roles, and quiet moments about nothing that stick with me for decades.
Genre: medical drama
Summary: the working and personal lives of the medical staff at a busy county hospital in Chicago
One Episode: “Night Shift” (season 3, episode 11)
One Character: Abby Lockhart
One True Pairing: Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway
Also: New Amsterdam, The Resident, Transplant, Good Sam
Now: Chicago Med, 9-1-1
Star Trek Voyager (UPN, 1995-2001)
Why: I love the crews of the Enterprise, but I’ve never felt I’d belong there. Ensign Ro Laren was the first Star Trek character I felt really represented me — and she decided she didn’t even belong in Starfleet. The second character I thought represented me was Ezri Dax. Like the crews of the Enterprise, until Ezri, Deep Space Nine was populated by people who are fully formed. Who know who they are, and what they want, and often how to get it.
But on Voyager, Captain Janeway is the only one who really, fully fits that description. Voyager, both the show and the ship, is populated by misfits, by people who don’t think they belong anywhere. Biracial engineering phenom B’Elanna Torres’s struggle to accept all sides of herself and her heritage best represents this idea, but every character fits it. An indigenous man who resented his culture until it was destroyed by the Cardassian War. A Vulcan security officer who joined Starfleet later in life. Starfleet royalty who succumbed to the pressure of expectations and ended up in prison. An introverted ensign consistently overlooked because he never learned how to stand out. A Hologram created to be a stop-gap measure required to evolve into much more. A girl born underground who wanted to reach the stars. A junk dealer who chooses to leave his home behind to help Voyager find theirs. And a little girl raised by monsters who has to learn how to be human again.
I read a lot of ‘young adult’ fiction because I love the messiness of ‘coming of age’ stories. But I love them even more when they’re told about adults, about people who have experienced the ups and downs of life and know what it means —and what it takes—to keep going. Or more to the point, to keep growing. Even (or especially) Janeway fits that part of Voyager’s misfit narrative. Voyager isn’t about getting home. It’s about creating home—creating a community, a family, of people who didn’t belong anywhere until now.
Genre: space opera
Summary: the crew of the starship Voyager cross the Delta Quadrant to return to Federation space
One Episode: “Year of Hell” (season 4, episodes 8 & 9)
One Character: Seven of Nine
One True Pairing: Kathryn Janeway and Tuvok
Also: I love every Star Trek, even the ones I don’t like. My other favorites are TNG, Picard, and Prodigy. I also love Battlestar Galactica (2004), The Expanse, Killjoys, Lost in Space (Netflix)
Now: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
La Femme Nikita (USA, 1997-2001)
Why: If my hyper-focus on character over plot didn’t make it clear I love stories about identity. About what makes us who we are when we strip away the many layers of pretense and performance. Stories about people playing pretend are intrinsically about identity. And they also tend to be about figuring out how to do the most good in impossible circumstances. Spies live in the shadows and in the grey. In other versions of Nikita (the original French film and the later CW series), Nikita is a killer before Section recruits her, but here she is set up. The femme fatale is fully formed by training which makes Nikita a relatable power fantasy for me. Plus there are gadgets, fashion, spy tips, sleek dark underground sets, European vibes, a techno dance soundtrack, doomed romance, and family shenanigans. I’ve imagined so many different Section One AUs for so many different fandoms because it’s such a rich idea.
Genre: spy
Summary: a covert organization of highly trained individuals affects change
One Episode: “Adrian’s Garden” (season 2, episode 21)
One Character: Nikita
One True Pairing: Nikita and Michael Samuelle
Also: Burn Notice, Leverage, The Americans, Person of Interest, Fringe, Timeless
Now: Andor, Leverage Redemption, Slow Horses, Black Doves, The Night Agent, the FBIs are this-ish
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC, 1999-present)
Why: Crime shows are comforting because they depict a world with rules that function for good. They provide the illusion of control. SVU is an alternate universe where victims are believed, their feelings are validated, and the system works to give them closure if not always justice. It’s a fantasyland but it’s a very powerful one. SVU is accused of being sensational, exploitative, formulaic, insensitive, too liberal, too conservative, torture porn, and copaganda. And yes, it’s all of that. But in Olivia Benson’s universe, everyone and everything matters, and that matters to me.
Genre: crime procedural
Summary: In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.
One Episode: “Sheltered Outcasts” (season 17, episode 19)
One Character: Elliot Stabler
One True Pairing: Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler
Also: Cold Case, CSI, Prodigal Son
Now: Still SVU, OG Law & Order (my OG crime procedural), Law & Order: Organized Crime (the terrible TV show of my heart), High Potential, Elsbeth, Alert: Missing Persons Unit, NCISs, the FBIs are also this-ish
The Good Wife (CBS, 2009-2016)
Why: I like shows that play with their boundaries—not pushing them exactly, more like tickling them. The Good Wife is a good representation of this. It sets everything up to knock it down, usually in a way that makes me react strongly and loudly with laughter, tears, and cheers. It’s a very smart kind of funny, sometimes running right up to the line of farce. No characters, relationships, or situations are black and white, good or evil; they’re all layers of nuance and disappointment. There are a lot of political and legal shenanigans, discussions of privilege, classism, sexism, and racism, and family and romantic dramaz.
The Good Wife hasn’t entirely aged well (and it hasn’t even been 10 years since it ended), mostly due to Chris Noth being a creep but there’s also the treatment of Archie Panjabi and general behind-the-scenes drama. Meanwhile, on-screen, the whole series is based around the politics of sexual relationships which is not great given waves hands at the US political scene. Plus while the death of Will Gardner makes season 5 more interesting, seasons 6 and 7 really suffer from the loss of his relationship to Alicia and the others (imo the showrunners failed to capitalize on the existing relationships, choosing instead to introduce new fake Wills that pale in comparison). But it still gets on the list.
Genre: political drama, legal drama
Summary: defense lawyer Alicia Florrick navigates scandal while redefining herself outside of her marriage
One Episode: “Death of a Client” (season 4, episode 18)
One Character: Alicia Florrick
One True Pairing: Alicia Florrick and Cary Agos
Also: LA Law, The West Wing, Fairly Legal, Madam Secretary, Conviction, For the People, The Good Fight, All Rise, So Help Me Todd, The Newsroom
Now: Andor fits here too, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Diplomat, The Morning Show, OG Law & Order dabbles in this
Hellcats (CW, 2010-2011)
Why: Of all the series on this list, this is the most niche, the least known, the one only I remember. But I will remember it forever. I have a tattoo from this series. I literally permanently marked my body in tribute to Hellcats.
So, here’s the thing, Hellcats is a sport show and a school show. It also has a legal drama within it and a bit of crime procedural, and it’s about identity, and the coming of age of misfits, and class divisions, and messed up family relations, and a small group of highly trained people who want to change the world. And there’s singing and dancing and hot people jumping in and out of bed. It’s all the things. Centered on two young women who are both strong and fragile, outspoken and vulnerable, seeking and hiding, in opposite ways. The final episode is completely insane and ends on a cliffhanger (cliffhangers) that will never be resolved and almost 15 years later I am still not over it. I’m a Hellcat for life.
Genre: sport, teen melodrama
Summary: the Lancer Hellcats cheerleading team compete, study, and explore relationships in Memphis, Tennessee
One Episode: “Woke Up Dead” (season 1, episode 18)
One Character: Marti Perkins
One True Pairing: Marti Perkins and Savannah Munroe
Also: Make It or Break It, Bunheads, Tiny Pretty Things, Flesh and Bone, Spinning Out, Zero Chill, Big Shot
Now: Cobra Kai
Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Why: I hate the very end of Game of Thrones as much as anyone but I love season 7. In season 7 they stop pretending the show is more than a soap opera with dragons and go for broke with the zombie plot and Jon Snow’s origin story. It all becomes very absurd and very clear that they only have the concept of a plan for the ending. And I love it. I love it because all of the characters and relationships I care about are preserved and valued, and the story it tells is a story I like. The opposite happens in season 8. But even there, it would only take two small changes for me to be on board with the narrative as presented. And despite that disappointment, it still makes this list because I still love the show, and watching it (or reading my recaps) will tell you something about me.
Genre: fantasy
Summary: various dynasties fight for control of seven kingdoms
One Episode: “And Now His Watch is Ended” (season 3, episode 4)
One Character: Daenerys Targaryen
One True Pairing: Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister
Also: Willow, various Star Wars series
Now: House of the Dragon, Rings of Power
Hart of Dixie (ABC, 2011-2015)
Why: Hart of Dixie is so winning that it makes me want to move to a cute little Southern town full of personalities even though I know it’s a fantasy and I would hate that. At its core, the show is again about figuring out who we are outside of expectations, our own or others. The show sometimes pretends to be a medical show and every so often a legal show, but mostly it’s just about people. Every single one of them has a story to tell and when they come together it’s magic. Best series finale ever.
Genre: slice-of-life, fish out of water
Summary: New Yorker Zoe Hart takes over her late father’s medical practice in Bluebell, Alabama
One Episode: “Hell’s Belles” (season 1, episode 11)
One Character: Lemon Breeland
One True Pairing: Zoe Hart and Wade Kinsella
Also: Dawson’s Creek, Gossip Girl, UnREAL, Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman
Now: Doctor Odyssey
Loki (Disney+, 2021-2023)
Why: Like spy stories, multiverse stories are also about uncovering our core identity and learning to work between the lines. Loki is easily my favorite villain in the MCU. He has a (glorious) purpose for his villainy, and his arc from anti-villain to anti-hero is everything I want it to be. Loki also gives us Sylvie, the feral lady Loki we all deserve and I love, and all the other Lokis, so many of whom are so tragic it’s my catnip. I love every Loki, and I love their disjointed, odd little story that again sprinkles in a few different genres and tropes.
Ultimately, Loki is a story about stories. Best of all, the series compliments the Loki movies (Thor, Avengers, Thor: A Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame), and his final form as Yggdrasil gives him the strongest, best, most beautifully fulfilled character arc in all the MCU and maybe film. It’s very unfortunate Jonathan Majors (convicted of domestic violence) plays such a big part in season 2 because the show doesn’t deserve to have that asterisk. I could write a thesis on how MCU Loki is a powerful representation of Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy as described in Capitalism & Schizophrenia. Yes, really.
Genre: modern fantasy
Summary: Loki is recruited by the Time Variance Authority to catch himself
One Episode: “Journey Into Mystery” (season 1, episode 5)
One Character: Loki
One True Pairing: Loki and Sylvie
Also: Halt and Catch Fire (yes, really)
Now: Wednesday
House MD (Fox, 2004-2012) and Once Upon a Time (ABC, 2011-2018)
These two series count as one because I have not seen the later seasons of either. They are both modern AUs of literature and star Jennifer Morrison.
House MD
Why: On a recent episode of the podcast Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams on the topic of what havoc the likes of RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz could wreak on US Health and Human Services (because YIKES), Stacey suggested, “We need to be more like Doctor House than we are like Law and Order” in regards to science. Meaning that we don’t make science fit our argument, we use science to figure out our response. I’ve been screaming that since the pandemic (i.e., Yes, the messaging of the CDC changed as we learned more because we learned more. That is how science works. It is constantly changing because we are constantly trying to learn more. That is the whole point of science!) but it was also a fun take on House. House is another show about pushing boundaries (literally, that’s Dr. House’s entire thing) and determining core identity while solving mysteries. It’s infuriating how stubbornly House remains the same, but it’s applying the scientific method to House’s hypothesis that people don’t change, so it is also brilliant.
The show very much does not know how to write romance or flirting. And it thinks there are only two types of women in the world and destroys both in spectacular fashion for the benefit of the asshole protagonist. Seasons 1-3 are good to great, season 4 is AMAZING, and season 5 has its moments. I haven’t seen most of the episodes in between Cameron’s exit in season 6 and the finale, but the finale is excellent.
Genre: crime procedural as medical drama
Summary: brilliant asshole Gregory House solves medical mysteries with the help of his staff, his boss, and his best friend
One Episode: “Airborne” (season 3, episode 18)
One Character: Allison Cameron
One True Pairing: Gregory House and James Wilson
Also: Elementary
Now: Brilliant Minds
Once Upon a Time
Why: Once Upon a Time is another story about stories, in this case literally. I love fairy tales, Disney, modern retellings, villains who are also victims, and stories about identity so I am THE audience for this series. The execution never lived up to the potential but I still love this hot mess of a show. They reset the curse over and over, and no one ever learns anything. They introduce more and more characters and relationships and storylines that go nowhere and disappear. There’s a once upon a time and a happily ever after and in between absolutely nothing makes sense. I have not seen any of the episodes without Emma.
Genre: modern fantasy
Summary: every character from an animated Disney film is cursed to live in Maine
One Episode: “The Price of Gold” (season 1, episode 4)
One Character: Emma Swan
One True Pairing: Emma Swan and Regina Mills
Also: WandaVision, Agatha All Along, Alien Nation, Life, Forever, iZombie, Gotham
Now: TBD 2025
There are no comedies because I prefer dramedies but there are no competitive reality series or animated series because I chose to keep them separate. Here are five of each of those as a bonus.
Comedy
Night Court (NBC, 1984-1992)
The Golden Girls (NBC, 1985-1992)
Murphy Brown (CBS, 1988-2018)
Veep (HBO, 2012-2019)
The Good Place (NBC, 2016-2020)
Competitive Reality
Iron Chef (Fuji Television, 1993-2002)
Survivor (CBS, 2000-present)
America’s Next Top Model (UPN, 2003-2018)
Project Runway (Bravo, 2004-present)
Top Chef (Bravo, 2006-present)
Animated
TaleSpin (Disney Channel, 1990-1991)
Macross 7 (JNN, 1994-1995)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Tokyo, 1995-1996)
Star Wars: Rebels (Disney XD, 2014-2018)
Arcane (Netflix, 2021-2024)
ER is not terrible television. I cried when Mark Greene died. 😭