Metacritic Must-Watch TV Shows, Ranked by Metascore, a list by Truck Clancy

8.5

/10037/

77

/413/

77

/86/

100

/58/

72

95

/69/

age 15+

Comic Garry Shandling draws upon his own talk show experiences to create the character of Larry Sanders, a paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show. Larry, along with his obsequious TV sidekick Hank Kingsley and his fiercely protective producer Artie, allows Garry Shandling and his talented writers to look behind the scenes and to show us a convincing slice of behind the camera life.

87

86

8.7

/16837/

81

/411/

80

/136/

92

/33/

90

95

/20/

age 14+

An American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.

91

IMDb 36

9.2

/561710/

91

/18465/

86

/3234/

92

/176/

96

94

/93/

age 17+

The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.

83

?

7.7

/303/

68

/24/

78

/4/

3.9

/598/

93

/15/

4.0

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James’ fascinating and complex portrait of contemporary Chicago delivers a deep, multifaceted look into the soul of a quintessentially American city, set against the backdrop of its history-making 2019 mayoral election, and the tumultuous 2020 summer of COVID-19 and social upheaval following the police killing of George Floyd.

82

7.4

/9357/

72

/478/

71

/143/

4.1

/7572/

95

/110/

76

92

/37/

4.0

age 16+

Follow young Cora’s journey as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping her Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil.

82

8.4

/23167/

79

/733/

76

/147/

92

/19/

age 14+

The life of a 15 year-old high school student, whose angst-ridden journey through adolescence, friendship, parents, and life teaches her what it means to grow up.

87

8.6

/97229/

83

/5578/

79

/808/

98

/186/

85

92

/99/

age 15+

Two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives and the lives of their families.

90

8.7

/240005/

86

/11131/

83

/1721/

100

/140/

93

92

/40/

age 17+

A portrait into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, porn-watching, grief-riddled woman, trying to make sense of the world. As she hurls herself headlong at modern living, Fleabag is thrown roughly up against the walls of contemporary London, with all its frenetic energy, late nights, and bright lights.

85

8.1

/277130/

76

/12136/

78

/1333/

4.1

/1035477/

97

/113/

74

91

/29/

4.0

age 15+

When a 13-year-old is accused of the murder of a classmate, his family, therapist and the detective in charge are all left asking: what really happened?

83

59

8.0

/2010/

75

/96/

69

/19/

4.2

/4997/

91

/16/

4.0

A celebration of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s iconic careers and decades-long partnership. Director Ethan Hawke brings life and color to this definitive history of their love, lives, and philanthropy.

86

8.3

/22005/

80

/1024/

76

/150/

4.4

/23368/

96

/45/

92

91

/20/

age 15+

The unvarnished truth of life as a doctor working in obstetrics and gynaecology.

88

8.6

/40314/

84

/1299/

79

/215/

4.3

/31395/

97

/78/

92

91

/26/

age 17+

A chronicle of five friends during a decade in which everything changed, including the rise of AIDS.

86

9.0

/39413/

86

/939/

83

/299/

4.3

/6053/

75

/8/

92

91

/15/

age 6+

David Attenborough travels to the end of the earth, taking viewers on an extraordinary journey across the polar regions of our planet.

92

IMDb 57

9.3

/422897/

91

/17764/

86

/2530/

95

/149/

96

91

/95/

age 18+

Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

88

8.7

/16670/

84

/967/

81

/125/

100

/46/

91

90

/20/

age 16+

In a uniquely hilarious odyssey of self-discovery and cultural observation, documentary filmmaker and self-described "anxious New Yorker" John Wilson covertly and obsessively films the lives of his fellow New Yorkers while attempting to give everyday advice on relatable topics. The awkward contradictions of modern life are eased by Wilson’s candid, unpolished commentary. Building upon Wilson’s previously released "how to" short films, each episode takes wildly unexpected turns but is grounded in John's refreshing honesty.

88

8.4

/190912/

81

/7618/

79

/1233/

4.2

/48803/

94

/87/

93

90

/40/

4.0

age 16+

After a night of partying with a female stranger, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.

86

84

8.5

/5903/

80

/310/

77

/73/

4.2

/1367/

100

/14/

88

90

/21/

The Corner presents the world of Fayette Street using real names and real events. The miniseries tells the true story of men, women and children living amid the open-air drug markets of West Baltimore. It chronicles a year in the lives of 15-year-old DeAndre McCullough, his mother Fran Boyd, and his father Gary McCullough, as well as other addicts and low-level drug dealers caught up in the twin-engine economy of heroin and cocaine.

89

9.1

/35707/

86

/747/

82

/205/

4.5

/16181/

96

/49/

94

90

/19/

An immersive 360-degree narrative telling the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Featuring testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.

81

71

7.6

/3416/

71

/210/

76

/24/

100

/37/

79

89

/17/

age 14+

From the creator of "BoJack Horseman" comes this animated comedy about a family over time, following siblings from childhood to adulthood and back again.

88

8.5

/84292/

83

/1320/

82

/927/

4.1

/13501/

95

/90/

94

89

/62/

A re-imagining of the original series in which a "rag-tag fugitive fleet" of the last remnants of mankind flees pursuing robots while simultaneously searching for their true home, Earth.

87

8.3

/27885/

79

/1595/

79

/311/

99

/142/

91

89

/54/

age 14+

Four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma steal, rob and save in order to get to the exotic, mysterious and faraway land of California.

86

8.3

/17930/

79

/651/

71

/72/

100

/76/

94

89

/26/

age 14+

Sam is a true Kansan on the surface but beneath it all struggles to fit the hometown mold. As she grapples with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders that don’t fit in but don’t give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere.

81

65

8.2

/2641/

74

/57/

78

/29/

91

/24/

75

89

/41/

Theodore 'Teddy' Hoffman is a highly-regarded defense attorney in a prestigious Los Angeles law firm. Having successfully defended the wealthy but suspicious Richard Cross in a much-publicised murder trial, he is now involved in the defense of Neil Avedon, a famous young actor who has been suffering from severe drug and alcohol problems - and has been charged with the murder for which Cross was acquitted.

86

8.3

/29050/

80

/970/

76

/291/

4.2

/15656/

94

/62/

95

89

/34/

age 14+

A look at a seemingly placid New England town that is actually wrought with illicit affairs, crime and tragedy, all told through the lens of Olive, whose wicked wit and harsh demeanor mask a warm but troubled heart and staunch moral center. The story spans 25 years and focuses on Olive's relationships with her husband, Henry, the good-hearted and kindly town pharmacist; their son, Christopher, who resents his mother's approach to parenting; and other members of their community.

87

8.4

/121737/

83

/9859/

79

/1020/

96

/277/

94

89

/154/

age 16+

Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI Counterintelligence agent.

88

8.6

/22660/

82

/808/

80

/222/

98

/90/

91

89

/37/

age 15+

When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship.

84

8.0

/22148/

78

/1772/

74

/282/

97

/59/

90

89

/39/

In the shadow of an enormous hydraulic dam, the lives of the residents of a small French town are changed to their core when hundreds of previously dead relatives all return home on the same day.

88

8.7

/96205/

86

/4896/

81

/815/

90

/121/

96

89

/46/

age 16+

The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

80

57

8.1

/2433/

75

/63/

61

/18/

96

/26/

89

/31/

Each episode of this series, set in contemporary Los Angeles, examines one crime from many different viewpoints - uniformed cops, detectives, witnesses, the media, the fire department and rescue squad, even the criminals themselves.

82

7.7

/186430/

75

/7138/

76

/1045/

4.0

/602704/

99

/70/

80

88

/18/

age 16+

When a struggling comedian shows one act of kindness to a vulnerable woman, it sparks a suffocating obsession which threatens to wreck both their lives.

85

7.6

/45353/

79

/2477/

80

/1076/

96

/31/

96

88

/32/

age 12+

Chris is a teenager growing up as the eldest of three children in Brooklyn, New York during the early 1980s. Uprooted to a new neighborhood and bused to a predominantly white middle school two-hours away by his strict, hard-working parents, Chris struggles to find his place while keeping his siblings in line at home and surmounting the challenges of junior high.

76

?

8.7

/576/

35

/5/

75

/3/

100

/11/

88

/17/

Brooklyn Bridge is an American television program which aired on CBS between 1991 and 1993. It is about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the middle 1950s. The premise was partially based on the childhood of executive producer and creator Gary David Goldberg. Brooklyn Bridge won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy Award as for outstanding television series in 1992, after its first season. The cast was led by Marion Ross; Art Garfunkel performed the theme song, which was titled "Just Over The Brooklyn Bridge." In 1997, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was ranked #46 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

82

80

7.6

/7197/

73

/329/

74

/59/

100

/31/

85

88

/20/

age 17+

When Miri Matteson returns home after eighteen years, can she integrate back into her old life? With a terrible event from her past hanging over her, it won’t be easy.

87

73

8.8

/2879/

80

/66/

77

/37/

4.2

/1851/

100

/16/

94

88

/21/

Chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and influential family in American politics. It is the first time in a major documentary television series that their individual stories have been interwoven into a single narrative. This seven-part, fourteen hour film follows the Roosevelts for more than a century, from Theodore’s birth in 1858 to Eleanor’s death in 1962.

85

9.0

/1075880/

88

/51877/

85

/6130/

78

/168/

83

88

/67/

age 14+

A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.

86

8.3

/139477/

81

/7585/

78

/1072/

98

/241/

89

88

/86/

age 17+

A listless hitman is enthralled by theatre acting and becomes eager to leave his old life behind in pursuit of a new career.

89

8.8

/163274/

84

/5573/

81

/837/

100

/33/

96

88

/26/

age 14+

High school mathlete Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts (the "freaks"), while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends (the "geeks").

86

8.3

/28810/

81

/1975/

76

/282/

96

/96/

92

88

/66/

age 14+

After 19 years on Death Row for the rape and murder of his teenage girlfriend, Daniel Holden is going home. His conviction has been vacated due to new DNA evidence. Now he has to return to a world he no longer knows and his reentry into the outside world may be as unforgiving as prison. Daniel is haunted by the past, dogged by the present, and uncertain of the future. As he struggles to adapt to his new life, his homecoming reignites the fears of a small town and threatens to shatter his family’s fragile peace. Daniel’s alleged crime divided a community. Will his freedom tear it in half?

82

7.9

/19906/

76

/1247/

72

/193/

98

/166/

83

88

/84/

age 16+

Sam Fox is a single, working actor with no filter trying to raise her three daughters – Max, Frankie and Duke – in Los Angeles. She is mom, dad, referee and the cops.

83

8.2

/154623/

81

/7354/

84

/4684/

88

/26/

age 13+

A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.

81

IMDb 8

8.0

/105659/

80

/5734/

79

/567/

98

/115/

66

87

/38/

age 15+

The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.

86

8.5

/35856/

82

/1963/

80

/237/

96

/103/

89

87

/45/

age 13+

With a construction crew, a legion of actors, and seemingly unlimited resources, Nathan Fielder allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design. When a single misstep could shatter your entire world, why leave life to chance?

84

8.2

/60203/

80

/2544/

74

/308/

99

/220/

84

87

/91/

age 16+

Explore a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.

84

8.4

/17580/

80

/960/

78

/234/

97

/102/

92

87

/51/

3.0

age 13+

This sweeping saga chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive.

84

8.6

/464298/

82

/24269/

80

/10527/

85

/141/

87

/16/

age 12+

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

73

72

6.9

/13732/

70

/416/

66

/83/

87

/30/

age 14+

Felicity Porter, a sensitive and intelligent girl from the San Francisco Bay Area, decides to give up a slot at Stanford University's pre-med program to follow her long time crush to college in New York City. Things get even more complicated when she meets her dorm's resident advisor and they fall in love.

85

8.2

/25581/

78

/1268/

75

/159/

98

/161/

92

87

/47/

age 17+

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan write and star in a comedy that follows an American man and an Irish woman who make a bloody mess as they struggle to fall in love in London.

87

8.5

/72145/

82

/2470/

79

/364/

98

/91/

94