30 Best Drama TV Shows Ever
The required television drama shows of all time. Genre defining or redefining masterpieces of the small (or now not so small) screen. In order from very best to equally as solid. TV show quality, budget and mastery have gone up over the years, but even in the 1990s and early 2000s, some shows paved the way to high quality drama, action, fantasy an science-fiction.
So below are the 30 best shows aired from 1993-2023 (31 years) and no show before was as compelling. Note that two sci-fi ones were cancelled prematurely and one political drama lost its lead actor in mid-shooting for the last season... for political (cancel culture) reasons!
Beyond US, UK and Canada series, there is also a solid show from Denmark. Many countries' best shows were explored to give the widest range in geography and time. Please comment below for more international suggestions.
1-14 are 10/10 masterpieces
15-29 are 9/10 excellent and engaging
30 is 9/10 and the best ANTHOLOGY series ever
31-32 Bonus related o 2 Shows
13 Runner Ups:
The First (2018) - 1 season - 8 episodes (cancelled)
The Romanoffs (2018) - 1 season - 8 episodes (cancelled)
The Get Down (2016) - 1 season - 11 episodes
Salvation (2017) - 2 seasons - 26 episodes
Rome (2005) - 2 seasons - 22 episodes
Warrior (2019) - 3 seasons - ONGOING
The Newsroom (2012) - 3 seasons - 25 episodes
Battlestar Galactica (2004) - 4 seasons - 73 episodes
Shtisel (2013) - 3 seasons - 30 episodes
BeTipul - aka In Therapy - (2005) - 2 seasons - 80 episodes
Narcos: Mexico (2018) - 3 seasons - 30 episodes
Empire (2015)- 6 seasons - 102 episodes
True Detective (2014) - 4 seasons - 30 episodes
[Seasonal Anthology like Fargo (2014)]
9 Ongoing / Stellar Debut:
Beef (2023)
Your Honor (2020)
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Ethos (2020)
Undone (2019)
The Mandalorian (2019)
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Ozark (2017)
Westworld (2016)
Yet to See:
Atlanta (2016)
The Boys (2019)
BEST HORROR Special Mention
American Horror Story (2011) - 10+ seasons - ONGOING
So below are the 30 best shows aired from 1993-2023 (31 years) and no show before was as compelling. Note that two sci-fi ones were cancelled prematurely and one political drama lost its lead actor in mid-shooting for the last season... for political (cancel culture) reasons!
Beyond US, UK and Canada series, there is also a solid show from Denmark. Many countries' best shows were explored to give the widest range in geography and time. Please comment below for more international suggestions.
1-14 are 10/10 masterpieces
15-29 are 9/10 excellent and engaging
30 is 9/10 and the best ANTHOLOGY series ever
31-32 Bonus related o 2 Shows
13 Runner Ups:
The First (2018) - 1 season - 8 episodes (cancelled)
The Romanoffs (2018) - 1 season - 8 episodes (cancelled)
The Get Down (2016) - 1 season - 11 episodes
Salvation (2017) - 2 seasons - 26 episodes
Rome (2005) - 2 seasons - 22 episodes
Warrior (2019) - 3 seasons - ONGOING
The Newsroom (2012) - 3 seasons - 25 episodes
Battlestar Galactica (2004) - 4 seasons - 73 episodes
Shtisel (2013) - 3 seasons - 30 episodes
BeTipul - aka In Therapy - (2005) - 2 seasons - 80 episodes
Narcos: Mexico (2018) - 3 seasons - 30 episodes
Empire (2015)- 6 seasons - 102 episodes
True Detective (2014) - 4 seasons - 30 episodes
[Seasonal Anthology like Fargo (2014)]
9 Ongoing / Stellar Debut:
Beef (2023)
Your Honor (2020)
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Ethos (2020)
Undone (2019)
The Mandalorian (2019)
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
Ozark (2017)
Westworld (2016)
Yet to See:
Atlanta (2016)
The Boys (2019)
BEST HORROR Special Mention
American Horror Story (2011) - 10+ seasons - ONGOING
List activity
1.2K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
39 titles
- CreatorSam EsmailStarsRami MalekChristian SlaterCarly ChaikinElliot, a brilliant but unstable cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global chaos when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation his company is paid to protect.4 seasons - 44 episodes
- CreatorCarlo BernardChris BrancatoDoug MiroStarsPedro PascalWagner MouraBoyd HolbrookA chronicled look at the criminal exploits of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, as well as the many other drug kingpins who plagued the country through the years.3 seasons - 30 episodes
- CreatorAlan BallStarsPeter KrauseMichael C. HallFrances ConroyWhen death is your business, what is your life? Laced with irony and dark situational humor, the show approaches the subject of death through the eyes of the Fisher family, who owns and operates a funeral home in Los Angeles.5 seasons - 63 episodes
- CreatorMichael CrichtonStarsAnthony EdwardsGeorge ClooneyJulianna MarguliesThe doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.15 seasons - 331 episodes
See full review here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108757/reviews-49 - CreatorDavid SimonStarsDominic WestLance ReddickSonja SohnThe Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.5 seasons - 60 episodes
- CreatorJoseph MallozziPaul MullieStarsMelissa O'NeilAnthony LemkeAlex Mallari Jr.In the dystopian 27th century, six people wake up on a deserted spaceship with no memory of who they are or what they're doing there. They reluctantly team up and set off to find answers with the help of a female android.3 seasons - 39 episodes
(Cancelled - 5 seasons story) - CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsReese WitherspoonNicole KidmanShailene WoodleyThe apparently-perfect lives of upper-class mothers of students at a prestigious elementary school unravel to the point of murder when a single mother moves to their quaint California beach town.2 seasons - 14 episodes
- CreatorJesse ArmstrongStarsNicholas BraunBrian CoxKieran CulkinThe Roy family is known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company in the world. However, their world changes when their father steps down from the company.4 seasons - 40 episodes
- CreatorRick BermanMichael PillerStarsAvery BrooksRene AuberjonoisCirroc LoftonIn the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.7 seasons - 173 episodes
See full review here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106145/reviews-169 - CreatorSam LevinsonStarsZendayaHunter SchaferJacob ElordiRue Bennett is a drug addict fresh from rehab, who's struggling to stay clean and make sense of her future. Her life changes drastically when she meets Jules Vaughn, a trans girl who recently moved to town following her parents' divorce.2 seasons - 18 episodes - ONGOING
- CreatorMatthew WeinerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserA drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper.7 seasons - 92 episodes
- CreatorPeter NowalkStarsViola DavisBilly BrownJack FalaheeA group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives.6 seasons - 90 episodes
- StarsYûto UemuraShin'ya TakahashiMike HaimotoFollowing a tragedy, Thorfinn embarks on a journey with the man responsible for it to take his life in a duel as a true and honorable warrior to pay homage.2 seasons - 48 episodes - ONGOING
- CreatorNoah HawleyStarsBilly Bob ThorntonMartin FreemanAllison TolmanVarious chronicles of deception, intrigue, and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. All of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.5 seasons - 51 episodes
- CreatorVince GilliganPeter GouldStarsBob OdenkirkRhea SeehornJonathan BanksThe trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to and past his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.6 seasons - 60 episodes
- CreatorBeau WillimonStarsKevin SpaceyMichel GillRobin WrightA Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.6 seasons - 73 episodes
Seasons 1-5 are incredible and 6th regrettable - CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student to secure his family's future.5 seasons - 62 episodes
- StarsKatherine ParkinsonGemma ChanLucy CarlessIn a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a 'Synth'--a highly-developed robotic servant that's so similar to a real human--is transforming the way we live.3 seasons - 24 episodes
(Cancelled) - CreatorAdam PriceStarsSidse Babett KnudsenBirgitte Hjort SørensenSøren MallingA political drama about a prime minister's rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.3 seasons - 30 episodes
- CreatorChristopher CantwellChristopher C. RogersStarsLee PaceScoot McNairyMackenzie DavisFollows some players in the 80s technological revolution that lead to information society.4 seasons - 40 episodes
- CreatorDavid BenioffD.B. WeissStarsEmilia ClarkePeter DinklageKit HaringtonNine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.8 seasons - 73 episodes
Seasons 5-6-7 are amazing - CreatorTom FontanaStarsErnie HudsonJ.K. SimmonsLee TergesenA series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.6 seasons - 56 episodes
- CreatorRobert CochranJoel SurnowStarsKiefer SutherlandMary Lynn RajskubCarlos BernardCounter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster.8 seasons - 196 episodes
- StarsRyan EggoldJanet MontgomeryJocko SimsA new medical director breaks the rules to heal the system at America's oldest public hospital.5 seasons - 89 episodes
- CreatorBrian KoppelmanDavid LevienAndrew Ross SorkinStarsPaul GiamattiDamian LewisMaggie SiffNew money means no mercy as Mike Prince takes the Axe Capital throne. Chuck Rhoades is convinced no one should have that much wealth - or power. As all the players seek out new alliances, only one thing's for certain - wealth means war.7 seasons - 84 episodes
