the best set

[deird1]

TV shows that I consider to be worth watching the whole way through, from start to finish:

Buffy (obviously)
Angel
Farscape
Stargate SG1
The West Wing
The Good Place
How I Met Your Mother (with the exception of the last 10 minutes)
Frasier
Elementary
Leverage

...and that's really it. I expected there to be a few more – but despite loving a tonne of other shows, I usually love them for only a few seasons, and then I leave.



Honourable mentions to The Orville (not finished yet), Ted Lasso (not finished yet), and a whole bunch of British tv from the 70s.

Comments

[lirazel]

The late 90s/very early 2000s was good to us.

[deird1]

They really were!

It feels weird making this list, because I feel like I'm being horribly unfair to a whole bunch of other shows that I really love. But… I love them, and then I stop watching them before they end, because I run out of interest. There are only a few that keep me interested the WHOLE way through.

[zeborah]

I keep meaning to get hold of Farscape.

Other shows I've enjoyed all the way through:

* Star Trek Deep Space Nine (I've *watched* almost everything else too, but DS9 is one that keeps getting better and rewards watching the whole thing)
* Battlestar Galactic (the more recent one)
* Yes (Prime) Minister
* Pushing Daisies
* Dead Like Me

(granted these last few are short seasons or short series)

[deird1]

Farscape is excellent – but horribly uneven. They took risks, which meant they were occasionally spectacular, and occasionally crash and burned. (I would absolutely recommend you watch it – but the first season is… slow to get good.)



Yes Minister is the main reason I gave an honourable mention to the 70s. :)

I loved Battlestar Galactic, but only the first two seasons. After that, I never could be bothered tracking down season 3.

And I've never watched DS9. I really should – it sounds fantastic.

[out_there]

* Pushing Daisies
* Dead Like Me

Oooh, good choices!

[out_there]

I applaud your first three choices! (ALthough I don't have an appropriate icon.)

I never watched Stargate. I fell out of love with the West Wing around s4 (I did watch some of the later seasons, I'm sure, but I've certainly never rewatched the entire series.)

[deird1]

Stargate is fun, but rather silly sometimes. (My LJ had a "stargate is annoying me" tag for all the times the show just didn't make sense, but in the end I loved it so much I didn't really care when it was ridiculous.) Well worth a go if you're in the mood for something vaguely Star Trekky.

I watched The West Wing on endless repeat while I was pregnant. And yes, seasons 4 and 5 were rough. But the stuff Josh does for the last two seasons was very enjoyable, so season 7 ended up as one of my favourites.

[immer_am_lesen]

Firefly!
...so....many...seaons, after all. Does one season count? ;-)

[deird1]

I excluded Firefly because it's only a single season, so there's basically no way not to watch it all. But it definitely got into my mental list. :)

(And you see what you've done to me? It is entirely your fault that I'm thoroughly obsessed with Stargate.)

[immer_am_lesen]

My fault? Surely we must blame Mr. Browder for switching shows. :-D
I can't even remember...did *I* get you on to SG? Really? Wow.
It's thanks to SG1 with BB in it, that my friend I met at a con met my bro-in-law who was lonely and wanted to watch SG with us....and they met...and now I have two nieces.

[deird1]

Yes, yes you did. You continually forced seasons of Stargate into my hands until I had to admit I'd started loving it. :)

[elisi]

I will probably be back when I think of other shows, but I had to nominate The Bridge (the Scandinavian original). 4 seasons of top-notch crime drama - each season with its own villain, but exploring the overall theme(s) from different angels. And for the main character (the incomparable Saga Noren) a four-season arc* that is one of the most beautiful and satisfying I have ever witnessed.

*separate from the overall themes

[deird1]

Interesting! I wonder if it's available in Australia somehow...

[elisi]

If it is, watch!

We watched as it first came out and then re-watched the whole show fairly recently, and omg it was so rewarding to be able to see it all unfold and be able to pick up on all the themes much more clearly.

Also one of the best portrayals of an autistic character on screen. <3