Top 10 TV Series
Written on November 26th, 2025 by Dr Hobo
These are 10 TV series (or specific seasons) that have stuck with me over the years. No ranking - just shows I love and think are worth your time. As of November 2025.
Rule: Only one season per show - I’m picking the season that hit hardest… unless it makes sense to group them!
Doctor Who - Seasons 12 & 13 (Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen)
Network: BBC
Year: 1974-1976
Ah, the inspiration for my alias and my childhood obsession - Doctor Who. A surprising entry in some respects, as I was in the only modern British generation that grew up without a live Doctor Who serial running regularly on TV. So it fell to my dad to indoctrinate me from an early age – and he did so intelligently, beginning with black and white episodes from the Hartnell and Troughton eras before allowing me to watch the peak Who eras of Pertwee and Baker. Indeed, it was hard to pick between Baker and Pertwee as my favourite, with the latter’s excellent run of stories with Jo Grant and the Master (Season 8). However the winning combination of Tom Baker and Sarah Jane Smith with classics like ‘The Seeds of Doom’ and ‘Genesis of the Daleks’ was the difference. This show is probably why sci-fi is my favourite genre across all entertainment media and how I became such an avid reader. Growing up without access to the internet meant the only way to discover certain Dr. Who stories was by reading, and my love of second-hand bookshops and car boot sales came from 8-year-old me trying to find these often-elusive book copies of the missing TV episodes!
💬 Favourite Quotes
I have to put in one by Jon Pertwee:
Brigadier, a straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.
And it's so hard to choose from so many by Tom Baker - but this one 'wins' as it's so very relevant today:
The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common - they don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views... which can get very uncomfortable if you're one of the facts that need altering.
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (Prequel Season)
Network: Starz
Year: 2011
John Hannah at his absolute best. The ‘Roman’ style dialogue throughout is incredible - savage, poetic, and endlessly quotable. I couldn’t get into seasons 3 & 4 due to the lead actor change and the dialogue not quite hitting the same heights. But this prequel season? Perfection – blood, gore, intrigue, betrayal, love, and death. If Ridley Scott’s Gladiator left you wanting more, then come here (not its sequel). Season 1 of Spartacus is also great, despite the poor opening episode – so make sure you get through it. Be warned too: if there was a higher rating than ‘18’, this would certainly qualify. Definitely worth it though. Batiatus (John Hannah) is worth the price of admission alone.
💬 Favourite Quote
Basically anything said by Batiatus works!
That shit fuck beckons me to the city only to spurn me like a thin-waisted whore. Once again the gods spread the cheeks and ram cock in fucking ass!
The End of the F***ing World - Season 1
Network: Channel 4 / Netflix
Year: 2017
Dark, twisted, and surprisingly heartfelt. Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden have incredible chemistry as two messed-up teenagers on a road trip that spirals brilliantly. The dry British humour is perfect for this story – I won’t give spoilers, but you can’t help but laugh at its most disturbing moments. Based on a graphic novel by the same name, this show is unmissable and underrated. Two great but painfully short seasons - so not a commitment to get into either.
💬 Favourite Quote
To be mad in a deranged world is not madness, it's sanity.
Black Sails - Season 2
Network: Starz
Year: 2015
It is criminal that hardly anyone I know has seen this. I know it’s ‘Pirates’, but this ain’t the Depp Caribbean vintage, and with production values that rival Game of Thrones, it became something better than it had any right to be. Hard to pick a best season, but Season 2 is where this show hits its stride - the political manoeuvring, the action set pieces, and the character depth all come together. Toby Stephens as Flint is mesmerising, and the show treats piracy as the brutal business it was. So, so underrated – an absolute gem if you can get into it, and it’s great across all four seasons.
💬 Favourite Quote
Everyone is a monster to someone. Since you are so convinced that I am yours, I will be it.
24 - Season 1
Network: Fox
Year: 2001-2002
The modern ‘golden age’ of TV began with shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, and of course 24. As a very young teen, it was 24 out of these five that was the most accessible, and it soon became a family event to watch the latest episode together. Of the many early great seasons, Season 1 has to be my pick, for it changed TV. Having 24 episodes, 24 hours, one insane day was revolutionary. Kiefer Sutherland makes Jack Bauer iconic from episode one. The tension never lets up, the twists keep coming, and that mole storyline? Gripping. Before it became repetitive in later seasons, this was groundbreaking action television. Not sure if it would hold up today, but man, it was peak entertainment at the time.
💬 Favourite Quote
I'm federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life.
Breaking Bad - Season 5
Network: AMC
Year: 2012-2013
The obvious entry into this list, and I can’t deny its cultural power – it must be on here. In fact, any top ten TV series list without Breaking Bad would be de-facto invalid. It’s perhaps also the only TV series in which each season improves, hence why Season 5 is my favourite. It is the perfect ending to one of TV’s greatest shows. Walter White’s transformation is complete - this is Heisenberg at his most dangerous and most tragic. The final run of episodes is masterclass television, with every storyline paying off perfectly. Cranston and Paul at their absolute best, delivering an ending that stuck the landing – unlike certain other TV shows on this list…
💬 Favourite Quote
So many epic ones... Pinkman's quote cracks me up every time:
I gotta pay taxes now? What the hell is up with that? That's messed up, yo. That's Kafkaesque.
But I've got to go with my boy Mike:
Just because you shot Jesse James, don't make you Jesse James.
Game of Thrones - Season 1
Network: HBO
Year: 2011
You had one job, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and you did it perfectly for three seasons and nine episodes: faithfully adapt George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. The less said the better about the final few seasons. However, those first four were quite incredible. Until Game of Thrones, I thought I hated fantasy, especially high fantasy, as a genre – until I watched Season 1 in 2011. I immediately devoured all the books and also tried other fantasy authors (looking forward to a Joe Abercrombie adaptation in the future), such was the first season’s impact on me. I loved the fact it was based upon political interests and intrigue, not good vs evil for the sake of being good or evil. Having believable characters caught between difficult moral decisions was immensely appealing to me - and this show brought the book to the screen with perfect casting and faithful adaptation, whilst even improving on parts. No matter how many times I re-watch Season 1, I’m still shocked to see Ned Stark’s decapitation.
💬 Favourite Quote
Tyrion is the king of both wit and wisdom with lines like:
Never forget who you are. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.
But I always remember this one from Ned Stark the most:
"Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?" "That is the only time a man can be brave."
StartUp - Season 2
Network: Crackle / Netflix
Year: 2017
I don’t actually know anyone who has seen this series. It’s perhaps the least ‘acclaimed’ series on my list, but one I thoroughly enjoyed nonetheless. It’s an underrated gem about cryptocurrency, crime, and capitalism. It helps that I’m a fan of Adam Brody too. The series revolves around three very different people forced together as two very different worlds collide: tech startups and gang violence, and in the process also provides a bit of a deep dive of a city I knew nothing about – Miami. I’ve gone for Season 2 as the best of the three; it ramps up everything - the stakes are higher, the choices darker, and the consequences sometimes brutal. Give it a try if you liked Ozark (unfortunately Season 3 is probably worth missing).
💬 Favourite Quote
From the trailer:
What does a banker from Brickell, a hacker from Hialeah, and a thug from Little Haiti have in common?
Farscape - Season 2
Network: Sci-Fi Channel
Year: 2000-2001
Another nostalgia choice. I associate this one with my younger sister – during our bickering early teens, this was the one thing we would agree on. Farscape became a weekly tradition for us during its runtime on BBC at around 6:30pm. It’s hugely imaginative with clever dialogue, humour, and such grand ambition in the design of its aliens and worlds. Takes you on a journey with an eclectic mix of characters that are constantly tried and tested in unique situations. Also, it’s mostly done with prosthetics, puppetry, and costume - rather than a heavy reliance on CGI. And yes, it is better than Firefly. As for the best season – and they’re all pretty good with the odd cringey filler episode – it’s a close run between 2 and 3. The latter is more consistent, but having the dynamic of the original crew is what edges it for Season 2.
💬 Favourite Quote
The opening monologue is forever stitched into my brain:
My name is John Crichton, an astronaut. A radiation wave hit and I got shot through a wormhole. Now I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a living ship, full of strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please. Is there anybody out there who can hear me? I'm being hunted by an insane military commander. Doing everything I can. I'm just looking for a way home.
But it's this zinger from Rygel that's my favourite quote:
If Earth is to be remembered at all, it will be for the quality of its manual labour.
The Office UK (Complete Series)
Network: BBC Two
Year: 2001-2003
The cringe is unbearable….but in the best way; you watch through your fingers, but you can’t look away. It is such a unique viewing experience, especially the first time you see it - nothing like at all (except maybe ‘This Country’). Unlike the US Office version, which became warm and fuzzy, this stays brutal, awkward, and painfully real. Only two seasons plus specials, but every episode lands. The documentary style, the uncomfortable silences, the truth about office life - comedy excellence.
💬 Favourite Quote
For me, this quote is the peak of the best episode of the best sitcom in history, making it literally the peak of comedy:
I think there's been a rape up there.
Honorable Mentions
These almost made the list, and on another day, some of them might have:
-
Better Call Saul - Season 5 (2020)
Network: AMC
The spin-off from Breaking Bad is as good (almost!?) as its parent. Whilst the lawyering doesn't offer as much 'action' as drug dealing, the character development, tension building, and emotional payoff are just as good, if not better, than in Breaking Bad. The transformation of Jimmy McGill into Saul Goodman is fascinating, and Bob Odenkirk plays the role with aplomb. I've gone with its final season as it achieves that rare feat of sticking the landing of a long series with its perfectly executed conclusion of how Jimmy finally destroys himself – the cameos by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are also handled beautifully in this final season.
Favourite Quote:
Again, how to choose... One favourite:
The only way that entire car is worth 500 dollars is if there is a 300 dollar hooker in it.
But I'm going for:
Can we all three just parachute down from cloud cuckoo land?
- Mr. Robot - Season 1 (2015)
- Arrested Development - Season 2 (2005)
- The Inbetweeners - Season 1 (2008)
- Chernobyl (2019)
- True Detective - Season 1 (2014)
- Lost - Season 3 (2006-2007)
- The Fall - Season 1 (2013)
- Peep Show - Season 4 (2007)
- Extras (Complete Series, 2005-2007)
- Dexter - Season 1 (2006)
- This Country (Complete Series, 2017-2020)
- Ozark - Season 3 (2020)
- The Outlaws - Season 1 (2021)
- Prison Break - Season 1 (2005-2006)
- The Walking Dead - Season 1 (2010)
What are your top TV series? Disagree with my picks? Drop a comment and let me know what I’m missing!
