This is an updated list to last month’s Top 10.
My Top 10 TV Shows
1. Schitt’s Creek (Seasons 1-6)
Pure comedic gold! Perfection in each episode. This was a much-needed
TV series to watch and rewatch during the early years of the pandemic from
2020-2021.
2. Twin Peaks Season 3 (The Return, 2017)
Some have argued this to be considered as a movie but I
consider this as a TV show. This series became must watch TV for me as I tuned
in weekly to see the newest glimpse into David Lynch’s enigmatic world.
3. Delhi Crime (Seasons 1-2)
Brilliantly acted and directed by Ritchie Mehta, both
seasons use real life crimes (horrific in the case of Season 1) to create a tension
filled nerve-wracking show.
4. Call My Agent (Seasons 1-4)
A witty and hilarious look at the chaotic world of talent
agents who go to great lengths to meet their client’s ever increasing demands.
This French series also gives a peek into some of the background scenarios
involving film production, distribution and film festivals.
5. Sacred Games (Seasons 1-2)
A hearty mix of politics, crime, religion, Film industry,
terrorism. Based on Vikram Chandra’s novel of the same name, this series brings
together a stellar cast and directors (Vikramaditya
Motwane and Anurag Kashyap). And it ends on a cliffhanger to end all
cliffhangers. Please let there be a Season 3!
6. Ted Lasso (Seasons 1-3)
Like Schitt’s Creek, Ted Lasso was much needed during the
Pandemic. A charming, delightful series that is perfectly acted.
7. Chernobyl
The series is based on the 1986 Nuclear reactor disaster but
its 2019 release date foreshadowed the response of many nations towards the
pandemic. This is because at its core, the series highlights the damage to
society when poor planning and leadership are combined.
8. The Wire (Seasons 1-5)
This is one of those rare TV shows that uses the long form
to properly create stories and characters which examine society both from a
micro and macro level. The focus of all five seasons is the cat-mouse game
between cops and drug dealers, with the series illustrating the logistics of
drug dealing and police surveillance. The show also covers evolution of
surveillance from pay phone and landlines to cell phones and the challenges
that came with the technology change. Season 2 covers the port and how drugs
are smuggled in, Season 3 focuses on local municipal politics, Season 4 highlights
the school system and how funding impacts level of education while Season 5 parks
itself in a newsroom and observes how journalists cover stories.
Many key characters are present in all 5 seasons even though
some of them change jobs. This changing perspective of some characters and their different jobs smartly depicts how imbalances
in society impact lives of people across all economic scales. The series covers
an entire social, political, economic spectrum of Baltimore via this lens of
drugs trade.
The power of the show weakens with each season and Season 4
and 5 are the weakest of the lot and contain many episodes/scenes which pale in
comparison to Seasons 1-3.
10. Justified (Seasons 1-6) tied with Mad Men (Seasons 1-7)
Honourable mentions (in no particular order):
Severance (Season 1)
Farzi (Season 1)
The Family Man (Seasons 1-2)
Note: this is the Indian TV series that stars Manoj Bajpai
The White Lotus (Seasons 1-3)
Slow Horses (Seasons 1-4)
