Macrodata Refinement

I enjoy shows where I get completely engrossed in the world and the story. I love shows that I can fall in love with again on a rewatch. And I want to have lingering thoughts about it when it’s over.

True Detective S1 (2014) is perfect television, but is too old for the last-decade list.

The only other definitive Top 3 is Dark (Netflix)

Other candidates:

- Frieren

- Better Call Saul

- Arcane

- Midnight Mass

- Counterpart (underrated)

- Andor

Is it too late to watch True Detective S1 then? Old as in dated?

Old as in not made in the last 10 years, so not in the list's window (2015-2025)

If you like Counterpart, see Fringe, an earlier show with parallel universe.

+1 for both Andor and Arcane (although I would probably do a +10 for Arcane given how amazing it was inside the genre even not knowing anything about the background story)

Also check out Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It's got an infectious positivity that we need more of in this day and age.

Arcane was really something. Hard to think of anything like it.

John Noble as Dr. Bishop is amazing. And manages to keep it cohesive given later... developments.

You should absolutely watch True Detective Season 1. It definitely holds up a decade on.

> I enjoy shows where I get completely engrossed in the world and the story.

Have you watched LOST?

If not, don't read anything on the internet (you'll get spoilers in search results) and give it a shot.

It's timeless.

I watched when it was originally aired, but never came back to it. It didn't come together in the end in a satisfying way.

I will!

He later appeared in the Sleepy Hollow series, which had a great first season.

Having caught a few episodes since it ended, I think the real tragedy of LOST is how good each individual episode was in comparison to how terrible the overall planning was. It was engrossing during the episode, but any time spent outside that trying to tease out meaning or clues was just wasted time. Ostensible foreshadowing was really just "wouldn't it be cool if?" with no further thought behind it.

Devs, scavengers reign

So glad I watched Midnight Mass on a whim. Incredible show.

I'd argue that quality actually makes it an amazing show to binge. It wouldn't "work" in the current climate of one-episode-per-week with bountiful time to analyze and Internet sleuths/theorists often coming up with better plots than the actual writing in each next episode, but Lost promises high quality episode after high quality episode for you to, well, just get lost in.

For anyone who hasn't seen it: you're in for a wild ride. Don't look up spoilers.

Counterpart may be the best show of that sort I’ve ever seen.

Have you seen Patriot?

From is quite fun too. It is extremely similar to lost in its vibes and writing style. For the record I think both of these shows are not good shows, but are definitely entertaining shows.

When it first aired, people definitely did that on the internet.

I'm of a firm opinion that there are two very different kinds of Lost viewers -- ones who care about the characters first and plot second vs ones who only care about the plot.

Personally, I took it as 'We're getting to see these things through these characters' eyes and how they react.' And we probably wouldn't have given a shit about the plot, if we hadn't actually cared about the characters first.

Lost did characterization very well. (Helped by an insanely talented cast!)

Not familiar with all the other shows mentioned, but strong upvote for Andor. Possibly the best Star Wars anything. It's a shame that people might not give it full credit for the drama it is because of the Star Wars association.

Hehe, I'm essentially the only person I know who loved the ending.

I appreciated that it was a tribute to the characters we'd grown to love, and also kind of a middle finger to the plot bits that didn't line up perfectly.

I'd rather watch a show with plot gaps and great characters than a perfectly plotted show with middling characters.

Counterpart was excellent - until it got cancelled :/

True Detective S01 seems more cultural for a time, rather than a good story. It's a very drawn out, non-interactive (meaning you can't figure anything out) detective story that's really more of a convoluted buddy cop story with lots of time skipping around. One cop is unlikable and the other is weird (nihilist). The best part is the title theme song and the main character actor performances. My wife and I think it's some kind of nostalgia for when there was nothing better on. Nic Pizzolatto was writing up until 2019 and the subsequent seasons weren't lauded. Probably because he's not that great of a writer.

True Detective was great, but the last episode of season 1 really was a crappy ending.

No, watch it.

And speaking of old goodness, The Wire, possibly the best TV series ever. And with the 1080p re-release, I’m going to claim it’s younger than 10 years old.

Edit: oops. 1080p happened in 2014. https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/28/7457291/the-wire-hd-scre...

Disagree. All True detective have some plot holes. Yet all the seasons are still in highest tier of the genre. Every season has very different setting. Because its series very much about mood people were upset after season 1 that instead of rural occult mystery they got casino gangster corruption. But if you accept its all completely separate mini series each season is pretty good on its own.

[Spoilers]

I lost interest when they reached back.

Although I definitely like "unexplainable" stories like Twin Peaks.

If we are talking old TV, definitely check out The Wire. It's up there in the classics, but people nowadays don't talk about it much.

Yeah, I rate The Wire among literature. It transcends television.

It's great, and also very enjoyable.

Meh. Saw it at the time. After season 2 I certainly got lost, but not “in it”.

The plot always thickens, back then there was the promise/hope that “everything will be explained”, but then the show ended with sooo many loose ends and inconsistencies. Utter disappointment, I’d like my time back please.

It's fine, it's wrapped up enough. Watching it is totally worth it, and it won't leave you hanging. The authors were saying that a third season would've pursued a different storyline anyways.

It started off as one of the best tv shows ever. Each season after that made you think it couldn't sink any lower, Game-of-Thrones-season-8 style. I think season 4 might actually have been trying to make fun of the first season, though I have no evidence for it. I do not accept seasons 2 through 4. I reject them.

The box contains everything.

I’d love for one of the streaming services to take another crack at Lost. Desmond in the hatch is some of my favorite TV ever.

Scavengers Reign is an amazing, 10/10 show and it's so depressing we'll never get a second season. I miss my telepathic dead wife salamander addiction metaphor.

From is pretty good.

Scavenger's Reign made me remember how much I missed the batshit crazy Liquid TV animation of the 90s.

The SR episode with the moment in the cave wall is the most profound and beautiful animated thing I've seen in awhile.

Amazing how tame everything has gotten by comparison.

Yes. Best vampire show ever!