Showtime Shows, a list by Travis Kelly

8.2

/17410/

80

/714/

84

/176/

4.3

/33322/

90

/47/

90

76

/25/

3.5

age 16+

A chronicle of a decades-long volatile romance between two men — from their first meeting during the height of the 1950s Lavender Scare to the AIDS crises of the 1980s.

82

IMDb 83

8.5

/326951/

84

/16988/

81

/3150/

82

/137/

82

age 18+

Chicagoan Frank Gallagher is the proud single dad of six smart, industrious, independent kids, who without him would be... perhaps better off. When Frank's not at the bar spending what little money they have, he's passed out on the floor. But the kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him. They may not be like any family you know, but they make no apologies for being exactly who they are.

82

8.2

/138334/

80

/9106/

78

/1453/

91

/101/

90

74

/60/

age 18+

Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama.

82

8.1

/46070/

80

/3023/

76

/470/

84

/23/

88

age 14+

When her life comes to an abrupt end, George discovers that death is nothing like she thought it would be. Recruited to collect the souls of others as they die, she suddenly finds herself an unwilling participant in a line of work she never knew existed: Grim Reaping!

81

7.9

/33225/

76

/1280/

74

/258/

4.0

/11887/

89

/62/

93

78

/27/

age 15+

The stranger-than-fiction account of a prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015, which spawned a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers who were aided in their escape by a married female prison employee with whom they both became sexually entangled.

81

IMDb 27

8.3

/378421/

82

/25160/

75

/2446/

85

/264/

85

81

/143/

age 17+

CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. With the help of her long-time mentor Saul Berenson, Carrie fearlessly risks everything, including her personal well-being and even sanity, at every turn.

80

8.2

/12056/

82

/739/

77

/120/

age 16+

This daring original series stars postmodern bad boys of magic Penn & Teller as they question many of our culture's most cherished and widely held beliefs. From the truth about palm readings and TV psychics to the reality behind Feng Shui and Ouija boards, the archly comic masters of misdirection host this eye-opening analysis of the middle-ground between perception and reality.

79

8.0

/21247/

76

/1144/

76

/328/

88

/88/

91

68

/35/

age 17+

Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, is an icon of children's TV. But when his family begins to implode, Jeff finds no fairy tale or fable or puppet will guide him through this crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: a kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

79

7.9

/40013/

76

/2910/

70

/396/

84

/143/

85

83

/69/

age 18+

William Masters and Virginia Johnson are real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a midwestern teaching hospital to the cover of Time magazine and multiple appearances on Johnny Carson's couch. He is a brilliant scientist out of touch with his own feelings, and she is a single working mother ahead of her time. The series chronicles their unusual lives, romance, and unlikely pop culture trajectory.

78

7.8

/37600/

75

/2337/

71

/198/

80

/87/

90

age 15+

A British husband-and-wife comedy writing team travel to Hollywood to remake their successful British TV series, with disastrous results.

78

7.9

/32536/

76

/1662/

71

/241/

81

/134/

88

75

/70/

age 18+

Every day is a matter of life and death in a hectic New York City hospital, but for Nurse Jackie that's the easiest part. Between chronic back pain that won't quit, and a personal life on the constant edge of collapse, it's going to take a white lie here, a bent rule there, and a handful of secret strategies to relieve the pain, and stay one step ahead of total disaster.

78

7.6

/8212/

72

/559/

66

/100/

4.0

/4642/

98

/51/

74

84

/25/

age 18+

Enslaved teenager Henry Shackleford, aka Little Onion, becomes a member in abolitionist John Brown’s motley family during the Bleeding Kansas era before the Civil War.

78

8.0

/26262/

78

/1303/

70

/160/

85

/45/

86

72

/39/

age 16+

Tara's multiple personalities include "T" the wild-child teenager, "Buck" the rough and tumble biker dude, and "Alice" the type-A homemaker. But with a family that loves her just the way she is, Tara never gives up hope that someday she can just be herself.

78

8.3

/98742/

80

/5971/

74

/805/

72

/83/

85

74

/57/

age 17+

Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, Ray Donovan does the dirty work for LA's top power players, and makes their problems disappear. His father's unexpected release from prison sets off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core.

78

7.9

/56087/

78

/2673/

75

/506/

85

/65/

84

69

/35/

age 18+

Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.

78

IMDb 39

8.6

/905707/

83

/44033/

82

/5175/

71

/239/

82

76

/103/

age 16+

Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.

77

8.5

/23760/

82

/1192/

82

/522/

61

/26/

age 16+

Brash humor and genuine emotion make up this original series revolving around the lives, loves, ambitions, careers and friendships of a group of gay men and women living on Liberty Avenue in contemporary Pittsburgh, PA. The show offers an unapologetic look at modern, urban gay and lesbian lives while addressing the most critical health and political issues affecting the community. Sometimes racy, sometimes sensitive and always straight to the heart.

77

7.7

/14734/

79

/506/

76

/229/

Anthology series of composed of distinct story episodes, sometimes with a plot twist at the end, with occasional recurring story elements that were often tied together during season-finale clip shows.

77

7.9

/51466/

76

/2329/

66

/394/

85

/133/

77

81

/58/

age 18+

The emotional effects of an extramarital relationship between Noah, a New York City schoolteacher and budding novelist with a wife of twenty years and four children and Alison, a young waitress and wife from Montauk at the end of Long Island, trying to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragedy.

77

8.3

/116892/

82

/6206/

77

/989/

87

/139/

67

71

/64/

age 17+

A complex drama about power politics in the world of New York high finance. Shrewd, savvy U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades and the brilliant, ambitious hedge fund king Bobby "Axe" Axelrod are on an explosive collision course, with each using all of his considerable smarts, power and influence to outmaneuver the other. The stakes are in the billions in this timely, provocative series.

76

7.7

/112479/

75

/4851/

74

/904/

92

/202/

64

74

/83/

age 15+

This equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama tells the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.

76

7.6

/16890/

74

/767/

72

/172/

88

/44/

86

65

/24/

age 16+

In early 90s Boston, an African-American District Attorney comes in from Brooklyn advocating change and forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran invested in maintaining the status quo. Together they take on a family of armored car robbers from Charlestown in a case that grows to encompass and eventually upend Boston’s city-wide criminal justice system.

77

76

7.9

/7011/

79

/394/

74

/78/

76

/34/

90

68

/46/

A chilling and unflinching look at all sides of a complicated issue, focusing on an African-American Muslim who joins an Islamic sleeper terrorist cell in the United States while working undercover for the FBI.

76

7.5

/9416/

79

/586/

78

/202/

73

/25/

age 16+

A relevant, timely and distinctive coming-of-age story following a half dozen interrelated characters in the South Side of Chicago. The story centers on Brandon, an ambitious and confident young man who dreams about opening a restaurant of his own someday, but is conflicted between the promise of a new life and his responsibility to his mother and teenage brother back in the South Side.

75

7.2

/11342/

72

/841/

74

/192/

3.5

/461/

87

/30/

78

68

/16/

age 15+

An extraterrestrial alien arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.

75

7.9

/121725/

78

/8422/

74

/944/

70

/114/

80

71

/85/

age 17+

After the unexpected death of her husband, a suburban mom resorts to selling weed to support her family.

75

8.1

/86278/

78

/3229/

78

/792/

69

/75/

83

66

/55/

age 18+

The Tudors is a history-based drama series following the young, vibrant King Henry VIII, a competitive and lustful monarch who navigates the intrigues of the English court and the human heart with equal vigor and justifiable suspicion.

75

8.4

/107111/

86

/9655/

82

/1726/

48

/8/

age 10+

The story of Stargate SG-1 begins about a year after the events of the feature film, when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called the Stargate can access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets. SG-1 is an elite Air Force special operations team, one of more than two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators, and the Ori.

74

8.0

/146602/

75

/6699/

79

/1465/

3.6

/50943/

77

/54/

74

61

/29/

age 18+

10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, we find him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.

74

8.0

/35014/

75

/1435/

76

/302/

4.1

/18730/

90

/68/

45

80

/32/

age 18+

A critical and often humorous look at the upper class, tracking the protagonist's harrowing odyssey from a deeply traumatic childhood through adult substance abuse and, ultimately, toward recovery.

73

7.2

/7949/

68

/380/

64

/57/

85

/48/

78

76

/22/

age 16+

In the early 1990s, a recently widowed, impoverished Orlando water park employee schemes and cons her way up the ranks of the multi-billion dollar pyramid scheme which ruined her financially in the first place.

73

8.3

/194194/

81

/11220/

76

/1230/

57

/88/

77

64

/50/

age 18+

A self-loathing, alcoholic writer attempts to repair his damaged relationships with his daughter and her mother while combating sex addiction, a budding drug problem, and the seeming inability to avoid making bad decisions.

72

8.3

/21343/

75

/1040/

73

/176/

4.0

/8657/

57

/68/

86

59

/22/

age 17+

A satirical half-hour series from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen exploring the diverse individuals, from the infamous to the unknown across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate our unique nation.

72

7.9

/15265/

76

/544/

73

/121/

3.7

/2325/

55

/65/

90

61

/29/

age 17+

The rise and fall of Fox News founder Roger Ailes, focusing primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in his life.

72

71

7.5

/6526/

72

/386/

71

/104/

68

/31/

85

63

/18/

age 15+

Mark and his 12-year-old daughter’s lives were changed forever 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire. Locked in at age 12, perhaps forever, Eleanor lives a closed-in life, able to go out only at night, while her father does his best to provide her with the minimal amount of human blood she needs to stay alive.

74

71

7.7

/8542/

73

/279/

68

/56/

79

/34/

75

/31/

age 18+

A working-class Irish family rules a city built on loyalty and corruption. The Caffee brothers, Tommy, a rising politician desperate for reelection, and Michael, a hardened criminal returning from seven years on the run and eager to reclaim his turf, fight for survival on opposite sides of the law. In their ruthless quest for power, the entire Caffee family is driven to lies, betrayal and infidelity -- threatening to tear them and the city of Providence, RI apart.

71

8.1

/18828/

76

/822/

71

/111/

55

/63/

76

68

/47/

age 16+

A suburban mother faces her cancer diagnosis while trying to find humor and happiness as well.

71

7.4

/14153/

70

/407/

71

/301/

63

/17/

79

73

/18/

An anthology series written and directed by the most famous names in horror.

71

7.7

/30327/

77

/1227/

76

/844/

57

/48/

78

63

/25/

age 18+

A group of lesbian friends struggle with romance and careers in Los Angeles.

76

70

7.5

/5171/

73

/193/

70

/31/

3.7

/2174/

86

/36/

72

71

/23/

3.5

age 15+

A chronicle of the country music power couple George Jones and Tammy Wynette, whose complicated-but-enduring relationship inspired some of the most iconic music of all time.

71

70

7.4

/9020/

76

/399/

76

/119/

60

/14/

age 17+

In this sequel to The L Word, we continue to follow the intermingled lives of Bette Porter, Alice Pieszecki and Shane McCutcheon, along with a new generation of diverse, self-possessed LGBTQIA+ characters experiencing love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A.

69

7.1

/16834/

69

/1051/

63

/155/

4.2

/53661/

93

/74/

45

76

/34/

age 15+

An alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.

70

69

7.4

/6670/

72

/434/

69

/81/

69

/50/

79

57

/29/

age 17+

Travel back to October 19, 1987 – aka Black Monday, the worst stock market crash in Wall Street history – this is the story of how a group of outsiders took on the blue-blood, old-boys club of Wall Street and ended up crashing the world’s largest financial system, a Lamborghini limousine, Don Henley’s birthday party and the glass ceiling.

69

7.4

/27495/

75

/2505/

65

/207/

63

/28/

age 18+

Charming, fast talking Marty Kaan and his crack team of management consultants know how to play the corporate game better than anyone, by using every dirty trick in the book to woo powerful CEOs and close huge deals. In the board rooms, barrooms, and bedrooms of the power elite, corruption is business as usual and everyone's out for themselves first. Nothing is sacred in this scathing, irreverent satire of corporate America today.

81

68

7.8

/2869/

73

/151/

68

/20/

3.9

/2823/

99

/69/

79

83

/25/

3.5

age 15+

During his nearly 50 years in show business, Bill Cosby became one of America's most recognizable black celebrities: his career was a model of excellence for millions of Americans, until the painful testimonies of dozens of women uncovered the sinister grimace behind the smile of the so-called America's dad.

68

7.3

/10664/

72

/627/

68

/85/

68

/28/

69

63

/20/

age 14+

Each season of this anthology series explores a story that rocked the business world to its core and changed culture. The first season tells the story of Uber, one of Silicon Valley’s most successful and most destructive unicorns.

68

7.6

/78926/

77

/3492/

81

/1645/

3.6

/13356/

49

/57/

67

59

/32/

age 16+

New Orleans judge Michael Desiato is forced to confront his own deepest convictions when his son is involved in a hit and run that embroils an organized crime family.

68

67

7.5

/10591/

71

/385/

69

/73/

3.2

/3272/

66

/41/

65

58

/28/