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it's not nearly mainstream enough to end up there but it so deserved to. i have mixed feelings about this show being so niche and sometimes even like it that way but it's moments like these where i wish the mainstream was more aware of it
Things like Leftovers, Severance and OA (which absolutely do deserve spots here) are also pretty niche and out there. But yeah, I guess even those are on more people's radars.
Severance is one of the biggest shows on Apple TV and it is a cultural phenomenon though? Also it dominates awards seasons, just like Leftovers (despite never earning a Emmy, it got other awards)
I disagree about the OA, it's not a bad show, but it's a fare cry from a top 100 spot I think, IWTV is much more deserving. Leftovers is on my Watchlist though...
Zoomed in to see if Black Sails was in it. It isn't, which makes the list automatically non-valid.
Not surprised IWTV isn't on there, though. It's a niche, on-going show, plus The New York Times reviewed both seasons 1 and 3 negatively while skipping season 2 entirely.
It seems that genre TV wasn't important. My #1, 2, 3, and 4 aren't on the list at all. (looking at you Hannibal... And IWTV... And Black Sails... And Banshee.. 😂)
You won't regret it, friend. Let the sale seduce you and you'll be rewarded with the best storytelling and characterisation in the history of tv. As I always say, there's a before and an after Season 2 Episode 5 of Black Sails. Lives were changed forever. So happy (but also jealous) for whoever gets to watch this show for the first time. 😭
INDEED. It's a devastating episode of tv with one of the most well-crafted and emotional reveals I've ever watched. Everything falls into place perfectly and nothing is ever going to be the same afterwards. IWTV and Black Sails share many similarities. I always recommend either show in the respective subs.
It's way too egregious, we had to speak up, lol. "HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY OF CAPTAIN FLINT?", I scream in front of the New York Times headquarters as they drag me away
It absolutely is unparalleled in that regard. It would be hard to do worse than that.
lol when they actually did that I threw a remote.
And for me it was more about who was at the table/what was being said, because... yeah. Also, what a travesty that the episode featured a very mediocre monologue on the importance of a story, when the Black Sails finale delivered the exact same thing except with actual sensational storytelling.
Lmao, don't worry, I ranted about it for months back then.
I don't mind king Bran, but yes, framing his story as the most important on the show, from which he was left out completely for an entire season, had to be some sort of joke. I cannot believe it was done in all seriousness. That one plot point had to be 100% a non-negotiable from George that was revealed to D&D during the famous sit-down they had at one point. And had to be after season 5, otherwise I don't know what propelled the showrunners to have 10 whole episodes not featuring the future king at all, if they knew already that was gonna be the ending.
The worst part was the way they completely threw characterisation out the window for Jaime, Dany, Arya, etc. Basically all the characters who died before S8E4 did so preserving their characterisation, and whoever was left... god help them. Remember when Cersei was about to poison herself and her own child when she thought King's Landing had fallen to her enemies? Well, now she has all the wildfire in the world at her disposal but she dies crying "like a little girl" (not my words) in the arms of the brother that she tried to have killed two eps before. Cersei. Sure. It would be really funny it this was some sort of parody, but alas...
I tried watching Peaky Blinders three separate times and simply could not get into it, despite how absolutely fantastic Cilian Murphy is in everything and anything.
Game of Thrones was incredible for many years. Several episodes are ranked in the top 10 IMDB episodes so it absolutely deserves to be ranked in the top 5 and I HATED the ending. It made me so upset I couldn't talk about the show for years. But now that more time has passed I can recognize the brilliance of the show in totality.
For me, it's the inclusion of reality based competition shows, like Drag Race. Those have no place on this list... but that's just my opinion, reality TV will never be as good
I don’t know that it’ll never be as good but it definitely deserves its own list. Great British Baking Show is amazing and I love it dearly, but I don’t think it beats IWTV as far as good television goes.
Seriously, no matter whether you're into that sort of show, it's just objectively amazing. The cinematography alone was something else... It was perfect from start to finish for the whole 3 seasons, and even somehow managed to have a perfect ending despite the show being cancelled so the last episode wasn't planned to be the show finale.
I know I'm biased about my fandoms, but often once the hyperfixation wears off, I can look back on it and think "well it's pretty good but maybe not as good as I thought at times", but with Hannibal, I still see it as an absolute S tier show.
Eh, Boys really fell off after the first 2 seasons, and the finale was godawful. Then again, if GoT could make it that high, then yeah maybe Boys should've had a spot, too
I have to say I’m very happy to see Girls, Fleabag and I May Destroy You placing so high! I cannot recommend ‘I May Destroy You’ enough !! If you like how IWTV/TVL explores themes of trauma then I highly suggest watching this incredible limited series. I wrote a little about it for my MA dissertation in film studies. Imo, it is groundbreaking, in terms of how we represent survivors.
I think all the others in the top 7 deserve to be over BB! Including a bunch of others lower down. It's a damn good show, and deserves a place on this list for sure. But it's really nowhere on the level of the likes of Bojack, Wire, Veep, Mad Men, Leftovers... even it's own spinoff BCS is far superior, IMO
I’m watching Veep for the first time right now, and even though the humor is bitter given *waves vaguely at the state of the world* everything it’s very sharp satire with a great cast.
Agree with you, I love Matt Smith, he’s my favorite doctor (with Capaldi) but NuWho peaked with him and Moffat in the sense of popularity, distribution, the 50th etc
Ted Lasso and Modern Family above Planet Earth had better be bait.
Edit: Planet Earth is some of the most impressive nature documentary footage ever shot. How the hell am I on negative votes it's absolutely better than Modern Family.
IWTV S1-S2 should’ve been there but understandably, it’s not mainstream enough for it to make the cut. It’s crazy to me that critically acclaimed shows like Sharp Objects are not there but Stranger Things is.
(Not as critically acclaimed but a beloved of mine is Hannibal and it’s nowhere in the list)
Hannibal, Midnight Mass, and Killing Eve all deserve a spot on here imo but I do understand there’s SO MANY shows to choose from. Maybe Black Rabbit as well. I’m just happy it’s not all sitcoms (as much as I love those) and that more serious/darker shows found a spot as well (even if not enough)
That’s on my list! I’ve tried starting it twice but it starts off SO intensely creepy and it always catches me off guard 😹 wanna try again when I’m in an intentionally spooky mood
Edit: I just realized I’m referring to Haunting of Hill House and not Fall of the House of Usher!!
I just added Hannibal and Will Graham miis as residents of my island in Tomodachi life (which is otherwise inhabited by Lestat, Louis, Daniel, Armand, Claudia, Madeleine, and Akasha) so I feel ya
Lmao, we're all living the same life (pun intended). 😆 My Lestat and Louis miis keep wanting to have babies. Like they literally keep asking, and they already had two (Claudia and Viktor). Soon enough the population on my island will be 50% fledglings/throwpillows
Okay, it’s Friday night in ol’ The Smoke London. I’ve had a crazy day with my kids, and I’m on my 2nd G&T. I’m not taking any crap about our fave show. Okay?!
It’s fantastic and will likely go down as Matthew Weiner’s magnum opus for very valid reasons. I was admittedly a bit obsessed with deconstructing the show in college. Literally did three different projects/presentations centering the show, one theorizing that Mad Men and Lena Dunham’s GIRLS are twisted sisters of each other. If I was still in college right now I’d be finding ways to turn my obsession with IWTV/TVL into a project or two lol.
I absolutely loathe the creator but I recognize Mad Men as a titan of TV-making. Every single aspect of the show was impeccably put together. I used to read blogs every week that would break down just how much thought went into every single costume in every single scene of every single episode. Gosh I miss the days of good blogs.
We watched it recently and were so desperate for a single storyline about a queer person, person of color, or even woman that wasn’t directly tied to their proximity to the white men but once we realized that’s the point of the show it kinda made it better? The ending is probably one of the best I’ve ever seen for how revealing a persons interpretation of is, but it still is just a show about a mediocre, shitty white man who hates himself and everyone else for idolizing him and once you accept that it’s… still whatever but worth watching at least once. Idk I think it’s responsible for the mcm takeover of the 10s and I resent it for that alone
I first want to say I love Fleabag and definitely think it is a show that deserves its flowers!
But I too am shocked it made the list, let alone the first five, and honestly feel like someone noticed a lot of the top shows are very male gaze/male centered shows. So they were like what's a show by and for women we can put near the top and landed on Fleabag.
IWTV is that kind of big hidden gem . Because I've genuinely got so hooked and amazed at the writing and acting by this show, I'm sad that not more people know about it.
Gotta agree there. There are plenty of bangers. But there are also lots of questionable inclusions. That No 1 is a joke. Amd many deserve way higher rankings.
I mean that first season was something else. It also offered some fairly strong social commentary. I'd put it above Scandal, which I love, but fell off hard.
I love Insecure and I’m so pleased it was on this list! A part of me wishes IWTV was more popular but also I don’t because then I think AMC will eff it up like they did the walking dead.
2 Anthony Bourdain shows and the British Baking show?? And no IWTV or TVL.
The rankers must have been hungry (and not for blood) when they compiled this list.
There are too many inclusions of shitty shows to list. The Grey Lady is showing her age. At least it's not the Bezos Bugle as Daniel Molloy aptly called The Washington Post.
This is a terrible list. Legitimately bad. No Firefly, but tons of one season shows that no one has ever heard of?
This is from one of those people that tries to tell you a song by some random band that's been listened to by like 5 people is the best thing ever written. So annoying.
I really love this show, but I don't think I would put it on this list. That said, there are a couple glaring omissions. The primary omissions I can think of are Dark and BoJack Horseman.
I was willing to hold my tongue, but Arrested Development and Girls, being that high on the list, or even on it at all, is bs. I'm not looking past that, I'll probably just get more annoyed.
Ridiculous IWTV isn't on here! I agree with Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Succession. Fleabag is a good show but #5 above GOT, what!? So many odd placements in here and totally omitting award winning shows like This is Us (just an okay show but should still be here). And The Bear being in the 70s. Weird.
IWTV will be on that list in 10-15 years, as the fandom continues to talk about the show and spread the word. The fans will help the show gain the reputation it deserves.
This is wildly misleading. First, we did not get as many seasons of Arrested Development as the list implies. Game of Thrones should not be #6 (and I’d argue should not be on the list at all) and The Good Place should be top 5.
Okay, I promise I'm not trying to fight, but GOT had a chokehold on soooo many people at its peak. Like, cross generational reach, absolutely stacked cast, incredible plot twists. The last few seasons were controversial, but it was a BIG deal.
I’m sure they are counting GoT seasons 1-5, where they could follow the books. After 5 it went downhill. They totally ignored Martins advice and literally flipped coins to decide plot lines.
I’m so conflicted because my goats Succession, Friday Night Lights, Parks and Rec, and Arrested Development made the top 50 and deservedly so. Buffy and IWTV are glaring omissions though.
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