Strange_Bundle (Level 18)

I first saw just a smidgen of this when it was broadcast during its notoriously flubbed airing. It wasn't until later, when my wife told me she'd heard of the series and how good it was, that I decided to give it a try. I'm still amazed at how well its aesthetic doesn't distract from its science fiction underpinnings. A real love letter to science fiction that manages to do science fiction BETTER than many of the shows it references, and like many of the shows in this list it gives the audience credit, both for paying attention and for our ability to read between the lines. Outstanding.

One of the few police shows that approached the truth of the business. Just look at that board filled with unsolved crimes and you know there's something special going on here. Law and Order owes more to Sherlock Holmes and Poirot than it does to real life, while Homicide, based upon a nonfiction book by the series creator David Simon, is a reflection of real life: its bitterness, exhaustion, and small victories amid larger defeats. Looking forward to seeing David Simon's The Wire.

I know folks that don't like this series, but for me this is one of the few series that managed to elevate the art of mystery without overdoing it. I've felt other series dangled too many phantom carrots, but for some reason the emphasis on philosophy and belief as presented in Lost kept me interested.

It didn't get good until season 3 for me, but by then you needed all the prior episodes to build up the story. Like Firefly it manages to create a more believable science fiction universe while still telling good stories. The writing, some of the acting, and the episode plotlines weren't always good (what, another cousin in danger?) but the overall arc made you care deeply about what was going to happen. The series struggled to stay alive, but I'm glad it did.

Few science fiction shows have better illustrated alienness for me than Farscape. Sure they look human (they're actors, of course) but there's some seriously weird stuff going on there, with a galaxy both hostile and full of wonders.

I'm surprised how endearing this series is despite its very rough edges. Perhaps it's more endearing BECAUSE of them, I dunno :)

One of my all-time favorite series, ever.

Probably the single most important series in my life.

Brilliant tour of history. Even if you don't buy every one of Burke's conclusions, there are so many interesting tidbits and fascinating interrelationships in history that it's hard not to come away feeling enriched by it.

One of the best illustrations of the horror of absolute power

While my tolerance of its eccentricities has diminished over time, I still love it for its belief in human perseverance and its willingness to take risks with narrative and philosophical conclusions.

Say what you like about its cheesy effects, dated styles and sensibilities, and uneven scripts. The best episodes of this series has more gravity and drama than most mainstream shows. It's a study of the banal terror of dictatorships, cults of personality, and the folly (and virtues) of selfishness.

Great comedy just on the realistic side of absurd, with a near short-film level of shot quality and captured moments. A [obviously white collar] crime it never lived longer.

A comedy filmed entirely as if from first person perspective, with plenty of honesty and human ugliness, and a bit of heart. I found myself rooting for characters in hopeless situations-- a good sign.

A Star Trek series that criticizes the excesses of Star Trek! I'm down with that, even if the Babylon 5 connection seems like more than a coincidence. I'll freely admit that I love them both.

This is a seriously slick-looking show. Damn.