Must see television. It's that simple

100% completely Spoiler Free, spoiling a movie or tv show is the work of evil

Welcome to my second blog post! Today, we are tackling my absolute favourite subject: must-watch television. This month, I am focusing entirely on American shows—with British and Australian recommendations coming very soon.

I know television is highly subjective. However, the masterpieces on this list are not just casual "have you seen this?" or "you might like it" recommendations. These specific shows represent truly groundbreaking television for multiple reasons.

Modern movies simply cannot compete with the way Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, or Fargo are filmed. The sheer scope, scale, atmosphere, and visual feel are unmatched. You know a series is genuinely special when it makes you reach for your phone to Google house prices in North and South Dakota! Meanwhile, the raw, pure grit of The Wire and The Sopranos proved to be lightyears ahead of their time. Twin Peaks makes an appearance in the artwork, just to throw you off.

Do not worry, there will be absolutely zero spoilers in this blog. Coming into brilliant gems like these completely blind is my personal treat to you. To set you up, I am going to share a few fascinating facts about each show from Wikipedia, include the main cast lists, note the years they premiered, and guide you on exactly where you can stream them right now in the UK, the US, and Australia.

Aired 2008 – 2013 / 6 Seasons / 62 Episodes / AMC

Breaking Bad follows Walter White, a financially struggling high school chemistry teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who enters the local methamphetamine trade after being diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer. Seeking to secure his family's financial future, Walter begins producing methamphetamine with his former student Jesse Pinkman in a rolling meth lab. Their operation gradually expands as they produce a highly pure form of blue methamphetamine that becomes widely sought after. Walter adopts the alias "Heisenberg" to conceal his identity. His involvement in the drug trade brings him into conflict with his family, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) through his brother-in-law Hank Schrader, local gangs, regional distributors, and Mexican drug cartels, placing him and his family at risk. The events of the series take place between 2008 and 2010.

It premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, and concluded on September 29, 2013, after five seasons and 62 episodes. Its first season received generally positive reviews, while later seasons, especially the fifth and final season, received widespread critical acclaim for the performances, writing, direction, cinematography, and character development. The series had modest viewership during its first three seasons, before viewership increased after it became available on Netflix prior to the fourth season. Viewership rose further during the second half of the final season in 2013, and the series finale became one of the most watched cable television episodes of its era.

Since its conclusion, Breaking Bad has been widely regarded by critics as one of the greatest television series of all time.

Main cast

Walter White, Bryan Cranston

Jesse Pinkman, Aaron Paul

Skyler White, Anna Gunn

Hank Schrader, Dean Norris

Marie Schrader, Betsy Brandt

Walter White Junior, RJ Mitte

Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk

Gustavo Fring, Giancarlo Esposito

Mike Ehrmantraut, Jonathan Banks

Stream

UK Netflix / USA Netflix / Australia Stan

Aired 2015 – 2022 / 6 Seasons / 63 Episodes / AMC

Better Call Saul is a spin-off of Breaking Bad, a popular crime drama television series that ran from 2008 to 2013. It is primarily a prequel that focuses on Jimmy McGill, a former con artist aiming to gain respectability as a public defender, and chronicles his gradual transformation into his eventual Breaking Bad persona of Saul Goodman, the flamboyant criminal lawyer with ties to the drug cartel. Most of the show takes place over a two-year period before the events of Breaking Bad, spanning approximately 2002 to 2004.

Jimmy is inspired by his older brother Chuck McGill to leave his Chicago-area conman past, when he was known as "Slippin' Jimmy". He initially works in the mailroom at his brother's Albuquerque law firm, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), where managing partner Howard Hamlin becomes his nemesis. While at HHM Jimmy befriends Kim Wexler, a fellow mailroom employee who completes law school and becomes one of the firm's associates, and their friendship later turns romantic. Jimmy is motivated by Chuck's success to finish college and complete a Juris Doctor degree through a correspondence law school, the University of American Samoa.

Main cast

Jimmy McGill / Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk

Mike Ehrmantraut, Jonathan Banks

Kim Wexler, Rhea Seehorn

Howard Hamlin, Patrick Fabian

Nacho Varga, Michael Mando

Chuck McGill, Michael McKean

Gustavo Fring, Giancarlo Esposito

Lalo Salamanca, Tony Dalton

Stream

UK Netflix / USA Netflix / Australia Stan

Aired 2014 – 2024 / 5 Seasons / 51 Episodes / FX

A black comedy crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley for FX. It is based on the 1996 film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coens, whose other films also heavily influenced the series, were originally uninvolved but joined as executive producers after being impressed by Hawley's script for the first season. The series premiered on April 15, 2014.

Fargo is an anthology series consisting of self-contained seasons, although they all share the same continuity as the film and feature minor overlaps. Five seasons of the show have been released between 2014 and 2024, each with a different setting, cast and characters; the time periods also largely vary, ranging from 1950 in season four to 2019 in season five, although they all take place in the American Midwest, primarily Minnesota. The storylines differ with each season, but typically follow large casts of characters made up of organised criminals, law enforcement and regular civilians, who stumble into a seemingly minor conflict that quickly spirals into chaos and bloodshed.

Main cast

Lorne Malvo, Billy Bob Thornton (Season 1)

Lester Nygaard, Martin Freeman (S1)

Lou Solverson, Patrick Wilson (S2)

Peggy Blumquist, Kirsten Dunst (S2)

Gloria Burgle, Carrie Coon (S3)

Emmit & Ray Stussy, Ewan McGregor (S3)

Loy Cannon, Chris Rock (S4)

Josto Fadda, Jason Schwartzman (S4)

Dorothy 'Dot' Lyon, Juno Temple (S5)

Sheriff Roy Tillman, Jon Hamm (S5)

Stream

UK Amazon Prime Video / USA Hulu or Disney+ / Australia Stan or SBS

Aired 2002 – 2008 / 5 Seasons / 60 Episodes / HBO

Created and primarily written by American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered on June 2, 2002, and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising 60 episodes over five seasons. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of Simon's writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher.

Set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire introduces a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season while retaining characters and advancing storylines from previous seasons. The five subjects are, in chronological order: the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium. Simon chose to set the show in Baltimore because of his familiarity with the city.

When the series first aired, the large cast consisted mainly of actors who were unknown to television audiences, as well as numerous real-life Baltimore and Maryland figures in guest and recurring roles. Simon has said that despite its framing as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed".

Main cast

Jimmy McNulty, Dominic West

Bunk Moreland, Wendell Pierce

Stringer Bell, Idris Elba

Avon Barksdale, Wood Harris

Cedric Daniels, Lance Reddick

Kima Greggs, Sonja Sohn

Omar Little, Michael K. Williams

Bubbles, Andre Royo

Tommy Carcetti, Aidan Gillen

Stream

UK HBO Max, NOW, and Sky / USA HBO Max / Australia Binge, Foxtel Now, and HBO Max

Aired 1999 – 2007 / 6 Seasons / 86 Episodes / HBO

Psychological crime drama television series created by David Chase for HBO. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey Mafia boss who has panic attacks. He reluctantly begins seeing psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), who encourages him to open up about his difficulties balancing his family life with his criminal life. Other important characters include Tony's family, Mafia colleagues, and rivals, most notably his wife Carmela (Edie Falco), his nephew and protégé Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), and his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese).

Having been greenlit in 1997, the series was broadcast on HBO from January 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007, spanning six seasons and 86 episodes. The show was broadcast as a part of HBO's newly launched Sunday night programming block. After its original HBO run, the series entered broadcast and cable syndication in the United States and other territories. The series was produced by HBO in association with Chase Films and Brad Grey Television. It was primarily filmed at Silvercup Studios in New York City, with some on-location filming in New Jersey. The executive producers throughout the show's run were Chase, Brad Grey, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Ilene S. Landress, Terence Winter, and Matthew Weiner.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time, it has been credited by media commentators with ushering in the Second Golden Age of Television, marked by high-quality serialised dramas. The series won multiple awards, including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons, 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, and 5 Golden Globe Awards. The Sopranos has been the subject of extensive critical analysis and debate for its portrayal of organized crime and Italian-American identity, and has been referenced or parodied in other media, including a video game, soundtrack albums and podcasts. It has inspired tie-in merchandise. When the series premiered, several cast members had limited mainstream exposure; many subsequently received major award nominations or appeared in high-profile film and television roles.

Main cast

Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini

Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Lorraine Bracco

Carmela Soprano, Edie Falco

Christopher Moltisanti, Michael Imperioli

Corrado 'Junior' Soprano, Dominic Chianese

Silvio Dante, Steven Van Zandt

Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri, Tony Sirico

A.J. Soprano, Robert Iler

Meadow Soprano, Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Stream

UK HBO Max, NOW, and Sky / USA HBO Max / Australia Foxtel Now, and HBO Max

Next month

Tele show's that are currently airing that make the shiny 'must see' list.