TV recommendations for the hard to please
January 18, 2017 6:38 PM Subscribe
AI have super picky, specific tastes in TV. Help me find more shows that meet my criteria. Exact preferences and shows I already enjoy or dislike under the fold.
Things I like in my shows:
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
-Ensemble casts.
-Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually.
-Political commentary, overt or subtle.
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself, if that makes sense? Like, Jessica Jones, in addition to being a superhero drama, is more broadly about dealing with trauma. Steven Universe, in addition to all the goings-on with the gems and life in Beach City, is also about consent and power in relationships and the nature of family.
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally.
Specific shows I like: The aforementioned Steven Universe and Jessica Jones. (Luke Cage is next on the to watch list.) Battlestar Galactica, until it went off the rails in the last season. Sense8. Stranger Things. Revolutionary Girl Utena. Inexplicably, Bojack Horseman. Firefly, though it's been a long time since I've seen it and I don't think I'd like it as much now.
You might think from that list that I'm only looking for speculative stuff, but I could see myself liking some sort of slowly unfolding family drama set on earth as we know it.
Things I dislike:
-Mystery/monster of the week type things.
-Excessive gore/gridmark rape and violence. (Folks I trust tell me I would hate Game of Thrones).
-Things centered on straight dudes behaving badly.
-Most sitcoms.
-Humor based on embarrassment. (E.g. The Office, some of Arrested Development.)
Things I have disliked: Mad Men (couldn't tell the characters apart or keep track of who was sleeping with who, couldn't deal with Don Draper.) All incarnations of Doctor Who. (Too monster of the week, plus I'm sick of everyone I know insisting that of course I'll love it I just haven't found the right doctor yet.) Downton Abbey. (Boring.) Rick and Morty. (Can tend toward rape jokes, everyone is awful.) All of the early 90s sitcoms and dramas that I'm supposed to harbor nostalgia for as an almost 30-something. (I grew up with parents who heavily restricted my TV watching, completely missed the window for those things to imprint.)
What else is out there for me?
Things I like in my shows:
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
-Ensemble casts.
-Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually.
-Political commentary, overt or subtle.
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself, if that makes sense? Like, Jessica Jones, in addition to being a superhero drama, is more broadly about dealing with trauma. Steven Universe, in addition to all the goings-on with the gems and life in Beach City, is also about consent and power in relationships and the nature of family.
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally.
Specific shows I like: The aforementioned Steven Universe and Jessica Jones. (Luke Cage is next on the to watch list.) Battlestar Galactica, until it went off the rails in the last season. Sense8. Stranger Things. Revolutionary Girl Utena. Inexplicably, Bojack Horseman. Firefly, though it's been a long time since I've seen it and I don't think I'd like it as much now.
You might think from that list that I'm only looking for speculative stuff, but I could see myself liking some sort of slowly unfolding family drama set on earth as we know it.
Things I dislike:
-Mystery/monster of the week type things.
-Excessive gore/gridmark rape and violence. (Folks I trust tell me I would hate Game of Thrones).
-Things centered on straight dudes behaving badly.
-Most sitcoms.
-Humor based on embarrassment. (E.g. The Office, some of Arrested Development.)
Things I have disliked: Mad Men (couldn't tell the characters apart or keep track of who was sleeping with who, couldn't deal with Don Draper.) All incarnations of Doctor Who. (Too monster of the week, plus I'm sick of everyone I know insisting that of course I'll love it I just haven't found the right doctor yet.) Downton Abbey. (Boring.) Rick and Morty. (Can tend toward rape jokes, everyone is awful.) All of the early 90s sitcoms and dramas that I'm supposed to harbor nostalgia for as an almost 30-something. (I grew up with parents who heavily restricted my TV watching, completely missed the window for those things to imprint.)
What else is out there for me?
Okay, so you said you hate gore buuuut I'm gonna go there and suggest Hannibal. I hate gore, too. I hate horror movies, cannot watch them at all, not even the "funny" ones. Hannibal is my favorite show. There is quite explicitly no sexual violence, and while it's dark (like whoa), it's not grimdark if you see the distinction. The first season kind of flirted with a monster-of-the-week typed format but only half-heartedly and there's always the greater story that is taking up at least 50% of the time even in that first season. Eventually the MotW idea just gets completely abandoned and it's one big wild ride.
But it is super violent. I won't lie. You rarely see violence actually being committed, but you see the aftermath, graphically. Often with enough telegraphing of what you're about to see that you can look away in time, which I appreciate. Like I say: I'm a hug wuss. The fact that I could get over that aspect is a testament to how much I love this show.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:50 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
But it is super violent. I won't lie. You rarely see violence actually being committed, but you see the aftermath, graphically. Often with enough telegraphing of what you're about to see that you can look away in time, which I appreciate. Like I say: I'm a hug wuss. The fact that I could get over that aspect is a testament to how much I love this show.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:50 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Veronica Mars might be too mystery-of-the-week for you, but it does have season-long plots that unfold alongside the mystery-of-the-week, as well. It's not much for queer characters (though a lot of people read that into the character of Mac) but it has a lot to say about class differences.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:51 PM on January 18, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 6:51 PM on January 18, 2017 [12 favorites]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
posted by praemunire at 6:53 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 6:53 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Crazy Ex Girlfriend has some embarrassment based humor but it's in service of the story, and I feel like the show really lets its characters respond and then evolve in a real way. It definitely has layers, and the cast is just superb. It's not a mystery, obviously, but the unfolding of certain parts of the story and the way things are revealed to different characters shares a lot of the same type of tension.
Oddly my immediate thought was Bojack Horseman so it's funny that you think your appreciation of it was inexplicable!
posted by padraigin at 7:03 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Oddly my immediate thought was Bojack Horseman so it's funny that you think your appreciation of it was inexplicable!
posted by padraigin at 7:03 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Veronica Mars.
You may also like 'How to get away with Murder' and in the same vein (same creator) Scandal.
posted by cgg at 7:06 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
You may also like 'How to get away with Murder' and in the same vein (same creator) Scandal.
posted by cgg at 7:06 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Farscape, particularly since you liked BSG. Like most long running sci-fi can be a little monster-of-the-week at times. Character development is really good over the duration of the series. It is less violent than BSG.
posted by jeoc at 7:07 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by jeoc at 7:07 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Babylon 5
posted by Freedomboy at 7:07 PM on January 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Freedomboy at 7:07 PM on January 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
Remington Steele
posted by Michele in California at 7:15 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Michele in California at 7:15 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Transparent?
posted by theodolite at 7:20 PM on January 18, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 7:20 PM on January 18, 2017 [8 favorites]
Leverage?
check - Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
check - Ensemble casts.
you can make an OT3 argument, but not really - Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually.
check - Political commentary, overt or subtle.
check -Themes that are bigger than the show itself
check - Glimpses of hope at least occasionally.
I hear good things about Wynonna Earp, but I haven't seen it yet.
posted by wintersweet at 7:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
check - Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
check - Ensemble casts.
you can make an OT3 argument, but not really - Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually.
check - Political commentary, overt or subtle.
check -Themes that are bigger than the show itself
check - Glimpses of hope at least occasionally.
I hear good things about Wynonna Earp, but I haven't seen it yet.
posted by wintersweet at 7:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think The Good Wife fits, although I only watched seasons 5-7 and know of seasons 1-4 only indirectly:
* Long story arcs, check, although maybe not as much of the "mystery aspects that unfold gradually"
* Ensemble cast, check, an outstanding cast all around
* Queer characters, check
* Political commentary, in spades
* Themes bigger than the show itself, yes, although a lot of it ties into the politics
* Glimpses of hope, yes occasionally, although I wouldn't say the show was brimming with hope
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:35 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
* Long story arcs, check, although maybe not as much of the "mystery aspects that unfold gradually"
* Ensemble cast, check, an outstanding cast all around
* Queer characters, check
* Political commentary, in spades
* Themes bigger than the show itself, yes, although a lot of it ties into the politics
* Glimpses of hope, yes occasionally, although I wouldn't say the show was brimming with hope
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:35 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
I might suggest
posted by mce at 7:39 PM on January 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
- Orphan Black
- Dead Like Me
- And nth Veronica Mars & Person of Interest especially the last 2 seasons.
posted by mce at 7:39 PM on January 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
Princess Jellyfish seems like a pretty solid match for those likes/dislikes, particularly since your examples include an anime series. TBH, I have no idea how well it's received by trans viewers and wonder if a few details internal to the series may be too problematic (if so, sorry!), though I found one reading that sounds like it would work with your willingness to go on subtext, and I can at least confirm that reading accurately reflects things that happen in the show.
posted by Wobbuffet at 7:39 PM on January 18, 2017
posted by Wobbuffet at 7:39 PM on January 18, 2017
The expanse!
posted by furnace.heart at 7:41 PM on January 18, 2017
posted by furnace.heart at 7:41 PM on January 18, 2017
The Americans. Although it does get violent sometimes, it is always (to my mind) in service of the story. (I say this as someone who got very VERY turned off by the season before the last of GoT and actually quit it for a while over the violence/rape.) It is GREAT.
As far as your checklist goes:
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually: YES
-Ensemble casts: YES
-Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually: not that I recall but I may be forgetting someone, there is a HUGE cast of secondary characters.
-Political commentary, overt or subtle: Uh, yes. Maybe more than ever.
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself, if that makes sense? Like a million percent
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally: Weelllllllll. Maybe? I think way deep down. It's not the peppiest show in the world, but nor is Jessica Jones to my mind, so I think you'll be okay.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 8:13 PM on January 18, 2017 [7 favorites]
As far as your checklist goes:
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually: YES
-Ensemble casts: YES
-Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually: not that I recall but I may be forgetting someone, there is a HUGE cast of secondary characters.
-Political commentary, overt or subtle: Uh, yes. Maybe more than ever.
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself, if that makes sense? Like a million percent
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally: Weelllllllll. Maybe? I think way deep down. It's not the peppiest show in the world, but nor is Jessica Jones to my mind, so I think you'll be okay.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 8:13 PM on January 18, 2017 [7 favorites]
These are shows I think will fit your criteria.
- The OA
- Lost
- Fringe
- Hannibal (a bit gore but is worth it)
- The Wire
posted by ruben at 8:15 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
- The OA
- Lost
- Fringe
- Hannibal (a bit gore but is worth it)
- The Wire
posted by ruben at 8:15 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Have you seen Tiger & Bunny? It's an anime about corporate-backed superheroes in an AU New York. Ensemble cast, a canonically queer character, some monster of the week, but there is a longer story arc that is resolved, and most of the characters are adults, which is not always the case in anime. There are 24 episodes and 2 movies.
posted by betweenthebars at 8:21 PM on January 18, 2017
posted by betweenthebars at 8:21 PM on January 18, 2017
Travelers on Netflix was pretty good.
posted by Caxton1476 at 8:28 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Caxton1476 at 8:28 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
I forgot to mention before that Person of Interest has a canonically queer pairing (Shaw and Root, played by the supremely awesome Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker, respectively).
posted by rtha at 8:48 PM on January 18, 2017
posted by rtha at 8:48 PM on January 18, 2017
Because you mentioned Steven Universe! Avatar: The Last Airbender. NOT The Legend of Korra.
* Long story arcs - it's a kids' show, but it is largely about a kid growing up with A Lot of Pressure hurled at him.
* Ensemble cast - yep
* Queer characters - more in Korra, but fan fiction assures me there's subtext in both.
* Political commentary - oh man like crazy.
* Themes bigger than the show itself - absolutely
* Glimpses of hope - yep.
And honestly, The Last Airbender is just a beautifully crafted story with lots of world building. It's one of my favorite shows and what I watch when I'm sad. Korra is really dark. It's at its worst at the end of season three. Everyone I know found it DEEPLY upsetting because you care about the characters. It deals a lot with themes that dance around rape. They treat those themes respectfully, but...it's REALLY hard to watch. I'd read up on it before you decide to watch it.
posted by Bistyfrass at 8:50 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
* Long story arcs - it's a kids' show, but it is largely about a kid growing up with A Lot of Pressure hurled at him.
* Ensemble cast - yep
* Queer characters - more in Korra, but fan fiction assures me there's subtext in both.
* Political commentary - oh man like crazy.
* Themes bigger than the show itself - absolutely
* Glimpses of hope - yep.
And honestly, The Last Airbender is just a beautifully crafted story with lots of world building. It's one of my favorite shows and what I watch when I'm sad. Korra is really dark. It's at its worst at the end of season three. Everyone I know found it DEEPLY upsetting because you care about the characters. It deals a lot with themes that dance around rape. They treat those themes respectfully, but...it's REALLY hard to watch. I'd read up on it before you decide to watch it.
posted by Bistyfrass at 8:50 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Babylon 5
You can't just drop that without commentary, otherwise it's not going to have any chance of sticking IMO. The first season has a bunch of kinda monster of the week type stuff. And it is the most ludicrous example of Gary Stu-ing I have come across: the creator has not one, but TWO, space jesus-type characters who share his initials.
But if you can get past that (with perhaps the help of a skip guide for the former issue, the other one you'll just have learn to laugh at), I think it's worth it.
I'll also ditto Person of Interest with the same caveat about the monster-of-the-week-ing in the early going that rtha mentioned.
posted by juv3nal at 9:07 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
You can't just drop that without commentary, otherwise it's not going to have any chance of sticking IMO. The first season has a bunch of kinda monster of the week type stuff. And it is the most ludicrous example of Gary Stu-ing I have come across: the creator has not one, but TWO, space jesus-type characters who share his initials.
But if you can get past that (with perhaps the help of a skip guide for the former issue, the other one you'll just have learn to laugh at), I think it's worth it.
I'll also ditto Person of Interest with the same caveat about the monster-of-the-week-ing in the early going that rtha mentioned.
posted by juv3nal at 9:07 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
The Good Place (FanFare)! It's a strongly serialized ensemble sitcom about a woman who is wrongly sent to the "good" and her efforts to become worthy enough to stay.
posted by Small Dollar at 9:13 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Small Dollar at 9:13 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Prime Suspect
The Wire
Babylon 5 (follow a skip guide if you must)
Gilmore Girls
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
30 Rock
Parks & Rec
posted by nickggully at 9:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
The Wire
Babylon 5 (follow a skip guide if you must)
Gilmore Girls
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
30 Rock
Parks & Rec
posted by nickggully at 9:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Carnivàle (Amazon, orig. HBO)
Ticks most of the + boxes, especially the mystery arc, ensemble, and queer characters (though it's set in the 1930s). Avoids most of the - boxes, being basically the opposite of a sitcom. Gore is pretty minimal, and mainly the show aims for creepy, but violence happens periodically, both pretty normal (e.g. fistfights) and . . . not. The historical stuff is pretty cool. Scenes tend to be pretty slow-paced in a sort of David Lynch way, which is not everybody's thing. The first two episodes are fairly representative; it first gets really amazing (imho) in episode 5.
posted by Spathe Cadet at 9:38 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Ticks most of the + boxes, especially the mystery arc, ensemble, and queer characters (though it's set in the 1930s). Avoids most of the - boxes, being basically the opposite of a sitcom. Gore is pretty minimal, and mainly the show aims for creepy, but violence happens periodically, both pretty normal (e.g. fistfights) and . . . not. The historical stuff is pretty cool. Scenes tend to be pretty slow-paced in a sort of David Lynch way, which is not everybody's thing. The first two episodes are fairly representative; it first gets really amazing (imho) in episode 5.
posted by Spathe Cadet at 9:38 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Treme
Really one of the best things I've ever seen. I got it on dvd from the library. 4 seasons, amazing cast.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:03 PM on January 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
Really one of the best things I've ever seen. I got it on dvd from the library. 4 seasons, amazing cast.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:03 PM on January 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
I agree with Person of Interest, it definitely progresses into interesting things after the first season. Fringe, yes. Orphan Black, absopostivilutely.
Humans, which I just started a couple of days ago but is really interesting. I haven't finished watching so can't say for sure; no excessive gore so far, also no queer characters but I am hopeful.
Maaaaaybe Penny Dreadful, though there is gore. And spiders. And scorpions. Just sayin'. However it ticks many of your other boxes - ensemble cast, something bigger going on, queer stuff, also feminist stuff. Even some politics. S2 did not end terribly hopefully, but it was good.
Homeland. It is very high drama but amazingly good.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:12 PM on January 18, 2017
Humans, which I just started a couple of days ago but is really interesting. I haven't finished watching so can't say for sure; no excessive gore so far, also no queer characters but I am hopeful.
Maaaaaybe Penny Dreadful, though there is gore. And spiders. And scorpions. Just sayin'. However it ticks many of your other boxes - ensemble cast, something bigger going on, queer stuff, also feminist stuff. Even some politics. S2 did not end terribly hopefully, but it was good.
Homeland. It is very high drama but amazingly good.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:12 PM on January 18, 2017
You're a bit younger than MetaFilter skews, eh?
Veronica Mars lays a lot of groundwork for many of the (current) shows that you like.
Tina Majorino plays 'Mac' in Veronica Mars and had an 'ironic' role in 'True Blood.'
If you're ok with self-indulgy romp (while disrespecting the even campier source material), give True Blood a chance.
posted by porpoise at 10:19 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Veronica Mars lays a lot of groundwork for many of the (current) shows that you like.
Tina Majorino plays 'Mac' in Veronica Mars and had an 'ironic' role in 'True Blood.'
If you're ok with self-indulgy romp (while disrespecting the even campier source material), give True Blood a chance.
posted by porpoise at 10:19 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I feel you, I have very similar proclivities in television series genres (although I love a good comedy). May I present to you these fine shows:
Nthing Dead Like Me. It has such a warm quirky vibe to it, while still being poinent. In fact, anything Bryan Fuller creates is great, leading to:
Wonderfalls- a cynical mid-twenties protagonist suddenly finds herself being guided to do seemly non-sensical deed by inanimate objects. It is so much better than that description. If you watch one show off my list, make it this one.
Six Feet Under- wonderfully done show about death that remains my favorite tv series. It tells the story of a family that runs a funeral home, and their life's outside of it. Peter Krause, Michael C Hall, amazing ensemble cast.
Don't judge it on the pilot, it only grows from there.
Daria- I too, missed a lot of tv pop culture not having cable, and found this in college. It's a cartoon, but if you liked Bojack, this is just as depth filled, and unlike most cartooons, the characters actually age and change by the bed of the series. If you're unfamilair. this aired on MTV (as an offshoot from beavis and butthead but is very different!) and had a great soundtrack. Try and watch the series with the
original music if you can!
The West Wing- Aaron Sorkin's masterpiece. It hits almost every aspect on your list, and it is a must watch.
The Killing- I really liked the first two seasons, it is a mystery that spans the first two seasons, and it takes place in Seattle and is just bleak, but so well done, and has an amazing cast.
Twin Peaks, if you haven't seen it.
Nthing Veronica Mars (with an amazing soundtrack to boot)
Black Mirror (all but the newest season) has very timely political allegories, and is the second coming of the original Twilight Zone series, if you like that kind of thing!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 10:41 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Nthing Dead Like Me. It has such a warm quirky vibe to it, while still being poinent. In fact, anything Bryan Fuller creates is great, leading to:
Wonderfalls- a cynical mid-twenties protagonist suddenly finds herself being guided to do seemly non-sensical deed by inanimate objects. It is so much better than that description. If you watch one show off my list, make it this one.
Six Feet Under- wonderfully done show about death that remains my favorite tv series. It tells the story of a family that runs a funeral home, and their life's outside of it. Peter Krause, Michael C Hall, amazing ensemble cast.
Don't judge it on the pilot, it only grows from there.
Daria- I too, missed a lot of tv pop culture not having cable, and found this in college. It's a cartoon, but if you liked Bojack, this is just as depth filled, and unlike most cartooons, the characters actually age and change by the bed of the series. If you're unfamilair. this aired on MTV (as an offshoot from beavis and butthead but is very different!) and had a great soundtrack. Try and watch the series with the
original music if you can!
The West Wing- Aaron Sorkin's masterpiece. It hits almost every aspect on your list, and it is a must watch.
The Killing- I really liked the first two seasons, it is a mystery that spans the first two seasons, and it takes place in Seattle and is just bleak, but so well done, and has an amazing cast.
Twin Peaks, if you haven't seen it.
Nthing Veronica Mars (with an amazing soundtrack to boot)
Black Mirror (all but the newest season) has very timely political allegories, and is the second coming of the original Twilight Zone series, if you like that kind of thing!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 10:41 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
I am really curious about whether or not you would like Westworld. It seemed at first (like in the first 20 minutes) like it would be a very gory show about straight men behaving badly but then it turned into something very different and more interesting. Definitely has:
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
-Ensemble cast
-Political commentary, overt or subtle.
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself, if that makes sense?
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally.
Not so great on the queer characters though there is certainly some subtext going on.
I should say, there is gore and there are men behaving badly throughout (women too), so if those are deal breakers then it's out.
posted by lunasol at 10:43 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
-Ensemble cast
-Political commentary, overt or subtle.
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself, if that makes sense?
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally.
Not so great on the queer characters though there is certainly some subtext going on.
I should say, there is gore and there are men behaving badly throughout (women too), so if those are deal breakers then it's out.
posted by lunasol at 10:43 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Seconding The Expanse. It's only just going into the second season, but there's a book series behind it and it's been a pretty promising adaptation so far. I'd say it checks off many of the boxes.
posted by Pryde at 10:45 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Pryde at 10:45 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Farscape, particularly since you liked BSG.
I would think that if you don't like Dr Who, you're unlikely to like Farscape (or Lexx for that matter). They share a... I dunno. They smell similar.
I mostly wanted to also recommend The Expanse -- none of the centerpiece characters are queer (but it's pretty explicitly a queer-people-are-no-big-deal setting), and it might be a bit grimdark in tone for you, but it is 100\% pure story arc with no anything-of-the-week. Who knows how long they'll get to keep doing it, but they are putting pieces on the board now that, at the rate they're moving through books, won't pay off for several years.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:01 PM on January 18, 2017
I would think that if you don't like Dr Who, you're unlikely to like Farscape (or Lexx for that matter). They share a... I dunno. They smell similar.
I mostly wanted to also recommend The Expanse -- none of the centerpiece characters are queer (but it's pretty explicitly a queer-people-are-no-big-deal setting), and it might be a bit grimdark in tone for you, but it is 100\% pure story arc with no anything-of-the-week. Who knows how long they'll get to keep doing it, but they are putting pieces on the board now that, at the rate they're moving through books, won't pay off for several years.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:01 PM on January 18, 2017
I have similarly picky tastes. Why does no-one understand how much sitcoms make me stabby?
I finally sat down and binge-watched The Wire and HOLY SHIT it's good. Uh, Buffy, duh (it starts off a little pedestrian but the arc ramps up and then UP AND UP.) Also, Firefly.
(I really wanted to like Orphan Black but I just couldn't get into it.)
posted by desuetude at 11:15 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
I finally sat down and binge-watched The Wire and HOLY SHIT it's good. Uh, Buffy, duh (it starts off a little pedestrian but the arc ramps up and then UP AND UP.) Also, Firefly.
(I really wanted to like Orphan Black but I just couldn't get into it.)
posted by desuetude at 11:15 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Orange is the New Black is not mystery driven, though it does have some overarching arcs. It fits your other requirements.
posted by jojobobo at 11:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jojobobo at 11:21 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
FTR I stopped watching The Americans about three dos in due to the grimness and sexual violence. And I've stuck with game of thrones.
posted by Iteki at 1:15 AM on January 19, 2017
posted by Iteki at 1:15 AM on January 19, 2017
Also enjoyed The OA* - I noticed a few reviews seemed to link it with Stranger Things.
The best series I've watched in a long time was The Young Pope. It's very surreal, funny, weird, compelling, cinematic, engaging. Well I thought so, anyway... but absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it's not for everyone.
*though I did struggle a bit with a spot of interpretive dance.
posted by thingonaspring at 1:32 AM on January 19, 2017
The best series I've watched in a long time was The Young Pope. It's very surreal, funny, weird, compelling, cinematic, engaging. Well I thought so, anyway... but absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it's not for everyone.
*though I did struggle a bit with a spot of interpretive dance.
posted by thingonaspring at 1:32 AM on January 19, 2017
You might enjoy Lost Girl, if you're a bit flexible about having monsters. Gloriously diverse cast, generally. It is more fun than my usual fare, but not in a sitcom way at all.
Dark Matter is made by the same creators, and has another great cast with more structured and layered story. Less fun than Lost Girl. Stylistic similarities to BSG.
Don't think I saw it mentioned, so the first season of Quantico was soap opera-ish, but I enjoyed it. If you like being annoyed by what the writers get away with.
Nthing, Person of Interest, Veronica Mars, Leverage, Fringe. Yes, all of the recommended shows have monster/case/number of the week, but they're all very well done. Dollhouse is good too, if you haven't seen it.
(Aside from what I've mentioned above, I love BSG, Jessica Jones, Agents of Shield, Burn Notice, and am rationing out Crazyhead. I am (even if most are no longer in production) very fond of Eureka, Warehouse 13, Elementary, Strike Back, Covert Affairs, House, The Closer, Midsomer Murders, and Endevour. I like and eventually watch NCIS, Arrow & The Flash, iZombie, Longmire, and The Blacklist. I kind of liked but lost interest in Psych, Nurse Jackie, Royal Pains, Continuum, Castle, Prison Break, and Miss Fisher. Couldn't get into most popular period drama like Mad Men, The Americans and Downton, also The Wire, Stargate, Farscape, The West Wing, Orphan Black, Heroes, Suits, Homeland, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 30 Rock, Grimm, and many other shows. Have not tried Game of Thrones or Lost.)
posted by monopas at 2:36 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Dark Matter is made by the same creators, and has another great cast with more structured and layered story. Less fun than Lost Girl. Stylistic similarities to BSG.
Don't think I saw it mentioned, so the first season of Quantico was soap opera-ish, but I enjoyed it. If you like being annoyed by what the writers get away with.
Nthing, Person of Interest, Veronica Mars, Leverage, Fringe. Yes, all of the recommended shows have monster/case/number of the week, but they're all very well done. Dollhouse is good too, if you haven't seen it.
(Aside from what I've mentioned above, I love BSG, Jessica Jones, Agents of Shield, Burn Notice, and am rationing out Crazyhead. I am (even if most are no longer in production) very fond of Eureka, Warehouse 13, Elementary, Strike Back, Covert Affairs, House, The Closer, Midsomer Murders, and Endevour. I like and eventually watch NCIS, Arrow & The Flash, iZombie, Longmire, and The Blacklist. I kind of liked but lost interest in Psych, Nurse Jackie, Royal Pains, Continuum, Castle, Prison Break, and Miss Fisher. Couldn't get into most popular period drama like Mad Men, The Americans and Downton, also The Wire, Stargate, Farscape, The West Wing, Orphan Black, Heroes, Suits, Homeland, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 30 Rock, Grimm, and many other shows. Have not tried Game of Thrones or Lost.)
posted by monopas at 2:36 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Deep Space 9 has everything in your list, and season by season gets better until you cry yourself to sleep at the last episode !
posted by krisb1701d at 2:59 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by krisb1701d at 2:59 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
After I finished Stranger Things I jumped into Halt and Catch Fire on Netflix because I wanted to stay in 1983 for awhile. If you can get past the first couple of episodes where it seems to want to be "Mad Men but with computers" it's totally worth it: women in STEM, 1980's costume and sets, one of the mains is bi, computers and their implications, etc. The second season is golden.
posted by wheek wheek wheek at 3:10 AM on January 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by wheek wheek wheek at 3:10 AM on January 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
If you liked Utena, you will like its spiritual successor Princess Tutu. It starts as flowery ballet magical girl shoujo and goes to much more complex narrative places. It does not have explicitly queer characters, sadly.
Yuri‼ On Ice DOES have explicitly queer characters and manages to be a solid sports romantic comedy while also handling deeper issues like dealing with mental health.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:22 AM on January 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yuri‼ On Ice DOES have explicitly queer characters and manages to be a solid sports romantic comedy while also handling deeper issues like dealing with mental health.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:22 AM on January 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
Pushing Daisies is fantastic. Also, based on your preferences, I'm guessing you will hate Westworld. Evan Rachel Wood is amazing, but in general, the show is humorless, salacious, just for the sake of it, and decadent, in the true sense of the word.
posted by mirabelle at 5:52 AM on January 19, 2017
posted by mirabelle at 5:52 AM on January 19, 2017
Search Party - a murder mystery miniseries on TBS. Hits most of your bullet points, but doesn't have very likable characters. It's like a noir mystery with present day Brooklynites as the cast.
Twin Peaks - very likable characters, although none of them are notably queer. The mystery wraps mid season 2, and you could probably stop watching there.
The OA - some silly plot points, but I found it super compelling. It's also beautifully shot.
Polar Bear Cafe - A sweet little slice of life anime about three friends. Fairly funny, and mostly a situation comedy, but with some overarching plots. It reminds me of Cheers. Maybe outside your list of requirements, but I also don't like sitcoms that much and ended up really loving Polar Bear.
Mob Psycho 100 - You might like this if you liked Utena. It's similarly a genre deconstruction show, namely one that focuses on deconstructing Shonen anime. Strong central storyline, likable characters, no real gore (although lots of fighting). No notable queer characters, however, and it doesn't have very strong female characters.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell: Adapted from the Susanna Clark novel. Tells the story of magic returning to England in the Napoleonic War era. Character based, centering on Jonathan, but with strong female characters. Very nice production values and strong performances.
posted by codacorolla at 7:02 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Twin Peaks - very likable characters, although none of them are notably queer. The mystery wraps mid season 2, and you could probably stop watching there.
The OA - some silly plot points, but I found it super compelling. It's also beautifully shot.
Polar Bear Cafe - A sweet little slice of life anime about three friends. Fairly funny, and mostly a situation comedy, but with some overarching plots. It reminds me of Cheers. Maybe outside your list of requirements, but I also don't like sitcoms that much and ended up really loving Polar Bear.
Mob Psycho 100 - You might like this if you liked Utena. It's similarly a genre deconstruction show, namely one that focuses on deconstructing Shonen anime. Strong central storyline, likable characters, no real gore (although lots of fighting). No notable queer characters, however, and it doesn't have very strong female characters.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell: Adapted from the Susanna Clark novel. Tells the story of magic returning to England in the Napoleonic War era. Character based, centering on Jonathan, but with strong female characters. Very nice production values and strong performances.
posted by codacorolla at 7:02 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
You might like the BBC's London Spy, a spy story with two queer main characters. It has a pretty specific tonal quality that some people hated, but I loved it.
posted by megancita at 8:06 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by megancita at 8:06 AM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
Halt and Catch Fire for sure.
Quantico. It comes up short on the political-ness, but it has everything else.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:07 AM on January 19, 2017
Quantico. It comes up short on the political-ness, but it has everything else.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:07 AM on January 19, 2017
I can't believe no one has mentioned BBC's/PBS' Call the Midwife. Ticks all of your boxes. I never miss it and I have all the DVDs as backup.
posted by apartment dweller at 8:22 AM on January 19, 2017
posted by apartment dweller at 8:22 AM on January 19, 2017
(One of the characters who joins the cast in the fourth year (if I remember the year correctly) is gay; she is not there at the beginning of the series, though.)
posted by apartment dweller at 8:26 AM on January 19, 2017
posted by apartment dweller at 8:26 AM on January 19, 2017
My tastes are almost identical to yours! I will nth The Good Wife (although it can be a little case-of-the-week at first), Veronica Mars, Buffy (although also monster of the week, it's never boring), and the OA.
I will also heartily recommend Jane the Virgin - despite the title, it is a really excellent show. It's soap-opera-y but in a wink-wink kind of way, where you can tell that the show is both celebrating and poking fun at the telenovela genre on purpose and it does a great job. The main characters are mostly non-white and multiple characters are queer. There are overarching themes and definitely lots of hope!
posted by jouir at 9:08 AM on January 19, 2017
I will also heartily recommend Jane the Virgin - despite the title, it is a really excellent show. It's soap-opera-y but in a wink-wink kind of way, where you can tell that the show is both celebrating and poking fun at the telenovela genre on purpose and it does a great job. The main characters are mostly non-white and multiple characters are queer. There are overarching themes and definitely lots of hope!
posted by jouir at 9:08 AM on January 19, 2017
Yuri! On Ice is FANTASTIC. We demolished the entire season in a day. You must must must check it out.
posted by nerdfish at 9:09 AM on January 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by nerdfish at 9:09 AM on January 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
+++Orphan Black (sci-fi drama with great worldbuilding & long story arcs; several explicitly queer characters)
++Leverage (fun heists/capers with an overtone of politically progressive morals; characters aren't explicitly queer in the show but the OT3 is canon by word of god)
and yeah consider Crazy Ex -- if you can deal with the omg-no-why cringiness of some of Bojack's situations, then you can probably enjoy this. despite the title it's one of the most clever & feminist things on TV right now. multiple explicitly queer characters; plot arcs focus on character development.
and perhaps also Jane the Virgin! it's both a parody of over-the-top telenovelas and a sweet domestic dramedy. the plot arcs move forward consistently and there are several explicitly queer characters.
posted by anotherthink at 1:05 PM on January 19, 2017
++Leverage (fun heists/capers with an overtone of politically progressive morals; characters aren't explicitly queer in the show but the OT3 is canon by word of god)
and yeah consider Crazy Ex -- if you can deal with the omg-no-why cringiness of some of Bojack's situations, then you can probably enjoy this. despite the title it's one of the most clever & feminist things on TV right now. multiple explicitly queer characters; plot arcs focus on character development.
and perhaps also Jane the Virgin! it's both a parody of over-the-top telenovelas and a sweet domestic dramedy. the plot arcs move forward consistently and there are several explicitly queer characters.
posted by anotherthink at 1:05 PM on January 19, 2017
2nd Black Mirror (on netflix). It's British, each episode is it's own encapsulated novella, and it deals with large themes of technology, society, and humanity.
Also, sounds like you might enjoy one of the old Adult Swim shows called Home Movies. I will warn that the first season was done in squigglevision, but after that its not. It deals with innocence, maturity and fun in an understated comic way. One of the creators went on to create Bob's Burgers.
posted by WeekendJen at 1:18 PM on January 19, 2017
Also, sounds like you might enjoy one of the old Adult Swim shows called Home Movies. I will warn that the first season was done in squigglevision, but after that its not. It deals with innocence, maturity and fun in an understated comic way. One of the creators went on to create Bob's Burgers.
posted by WeekendJen at 1:18 PM on January 19, 2017
Seconding Twin Peaks. Granted, it is from the early 90s, but it ticks a lot of your boxes, especially the first two. No idea if it's on Netflix but it is on On Demand, at least if you have Comcast.
posted by SisterHavana at 2:15 PM on January 19, 2017
posted by SisterHavana at 2:15 PM on January 19, 2017
i only saw one person mention transparent, so i'm going to second that. it IS set on earth as we know it. it's about a dysfunctional family, and gender issues, and a lot more; plus none of the stuff you dislike.
it has:
-Long story arcs
-Ensemble cast
-Queer characters
-Political commentary
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself
-Glimpses of hope
also 2nd or 3rd halt and catch fire, it too has all of the above and no gore.
posted by iahtl at 3:30 PM on January 19, 2017
it has:
-Long story arcs
-Ensemble cast
-Queer characters
-Political commentary
-Themes that are bigger than the show itself
-Glimpses of hope
also 2nd or 3rd halt and catch fire, it too has all of the above and no gore.
posted by iahtl at 3:30 PM on January 19, 2017
Black Sails fits the bill on several aspects:
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
-Ensemble casts. Captain Flint and Long John Silver are the focus of the general plot, but there are a lot of characters gravitating around them and stealing a large portion of the scenery, including, count'em, 5 main female characters and a handful of secondary characters
-Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually. Oooh boy does it have you covered here :)
-Political commentary, overt or subtle. Lots. Black Sails is much more about politics than you would expect from a pirate show that's a prequel to Treasure Island.
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally. Um.
For the don't:
-Excessive gore/gridmark rape and violence. There's a lot of gore and a lot of violence, unfortunately. There's also a rape scene in the first season that pretty much everyone agrees is the nadir of the plot, but then the woman picks herself up and climbs to the top of the social ladder and never lets the rape define her.
-Things centered on straight dudes behaving badly. There aren't that many straight dudes in the show and they're all tangential on the action. They all behave badly, though.
posted by snakeling at 12:55 AM on January 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
-Long story arcs with mystery aspects that unfold gradually.
-Ensemble casts. Captain Flint and Long John Silver are the focus of the general plot, but there are a lot of characters gravitating around them and stealing a large portion of the scenery, including, count'em, 5 main female characters and a handful of secondary characters
-Queer characters, canonically or sub-textually. Oooh boy does it have you covered here :)
-Political commentary, overt or subtle. Lots. Black Sails is much more about politics than you would expect from a pirate show that's a prequel to Treasure Island.
-Glimpses of hope at least occasionally. Um.
For the don't:
-Excessive gore/gridmark rape and violence. There's a lot of gore and a lot of violence, unfortunately. There's also a rape scene in the first season that pretty much everyone agrees is the nadir of the plot, but then the woman picks herself up and climbs to the top of the social ladder and never lets the rape define her.
-Things centered on straight dudes behaving badly. There aren't that many straight dudes in the show and they're all tangential on the action. They all behave badly, though.
posted by snakeling at 12:55 AM on January 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
The 3% on Netflix could fit the bill. It's a Brazilian sci-fi dystopian drama. I don't remember it having canonically queer characters, but it has everything else. I would watch it in Portuguese and use the English subtitles.
Thirding Orphan Black.
I found Westworld to be much too "Straight men behaving badly" for my tastes, but YMMV.
posted by Anonymous at 2:57 AM on January 20, 2017
Thirding Orphan Black.
I found Westworld to be much too "Straight men behaving badly" for my tastes, but YMMV.
posted by Anonymous at 2:57 AM on January 20, 2017
I wonder if you might like Alan Plater, if you can find his stuff? I have really loved The Beiderbecke Chronicles and Oliver's Travels.
Neither has a HUGELY long story arc, just because they're such short series (Beiderbecke has a grand total of 12 episodes over 4 seasons, and I think Oliver's Travels is 8?), and sadly, no queer characters, but I think they hit all your other points, and they are just wonderful.
posted by kristi at 11:19 AM on January 21, 2017
Neither has a HUGELY long story arc, just because they're such short series (Beiderbecke has a grand total of 12 episodes over 4 seasons, and I think Oliver's Travels is 8?), and sadly, no queer characters, but I think they hit all your other points, and they are just wonderful.
posted by kristi at 11:19 AM on January 21, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
It's all on Netflix.
posted by rtha at 6:44 PM on January 18, 2017 [6 favorites]