I recently started on the show Masters of Sex and I’m a few episodes in. It’s good, albeit a little slow. It has a very strong Mad Men feel to it, but maybe that’s because of the era it plays in (late 50s).
It has been renewed for a second season which will start in July.
House of Cards.
Great watch, completely absorbing
I sort of admire Frank Underwood, does that make me a bad person?
I watched the third episode of Breaking Bad last night and I like it better. It has one thing in common with Sons of Anarchy in that I find myself thinking “Nobody is that stupid.” Then I realize that, yes, at that level of criminal behavior, people are quite often that stupid. I can see the gears turning (sometimes a little too obviously) in Walter’s head that suggest he’s beginning to learn from his mistakes.
Sons of Anarchy is good choice for a binge watching marathon, if you can get past the whole ‘trip to Ireland’ sidetrack.
I just finished binge watching Game of Thrones. I think that it is a rare case where the television show does a better job of telling a story than the book does. The show is more focused and flows better.
Heartily second Terriers
Yes, it ends prematurely after one season, but only one thread is left hanging, and it’s more of a character issue than a plot issue. All the main storylines from the season have been resolved. If you enjoyed Breaking Bad, I think you’ll enjoy Terriers. It also has flawed protagonists, but they are on the other side of the law (usually) this time.
Another one I liked a lot but was cancelled prematurely was Good Christian Bitches. A Desperate Housewives clone, but very enjoyable.
The two main characters have such awesome chemistry that I think that alone elevates the show far beyond its subject material.
Frank is perfect - he is the perfect example of the ultimate pragmatist who does whatever it takes to get exactly what he wants. Or a sociopath. Tomayto, potahto.
I assume you’re referring to the David Fincher/Kevin Spacey adaption, but the original UK series was really good, although you need to understand a bit about the UK parliamentary system.
I strongly recommend Top of the Lake
It’s a Jane Campion effort; and is typically dark and stunningly beautiful. And with realistic characters.
It may be a bit “slow” compared to many of the suggestions above (it sure aint “Game of Thrones”) but I strongly recommend it.
Also, the Danish version of “The Killing” - “Forbrydelsen” - a dark, scary and lovely series with believable characters.
I’ve got to disagree with “Hush” as a test episode. Yes, it’s a very good episode, but not the most representative of the series. “The Zeppo” (season 3 episode 13) is, IMO, much more representative of the show’s style (it has a few minor spoilers, but nothing important). “School Hard” (season 2 episode 3) is also good, and is a good place to start watching, as that’s around when the show hit its stride.
Doctor Who? (The new ones, starting with Eccleston).
I’m surprised I didn’t see that in here at all (unless I managed to miss it).
The British version of HofC is vastly superior.
To the OP, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is well worth the viewing time.
Similar, but in my opinion better, is the recent British mystery series Broadchurch, about a child’s death in a small town and how it affects the police and the citizens of the town. Gripping and well done.
However, you really have to choice. You MUST watch both Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. Then when you are done you can return to this thread and we can discuss other shows 
I don’t think this is a hijack:
I just started Buffy on Netflix. If I were to not watch the entire series, what episodes (or seasons) should I be sure to see?
That’s somewhat outside the scope of this thread… I’d say that you could skip large amounts of the fairly weak season 1… I’d just watch the 2-part premiere, then the episode entitled Angel, then the season finale.
Starting in season 2 it’s a lot more consistent week to week. If you don’t enjoy watching most episodes of season 2, the show is probably not for you.
This is my favorite show on currently and perhaps my favorite ever. In addition to the actors you named, Noel Fisher has taken the character of Mickey from almost a caricature of a Tough Guy TM to a nuanced, heartbreaking, complex man.
For a while we were doing Shameless threads, but people were losing interest, it seemed. I plan to spend the long, horrible dry spell between now and S5 binging on the UK version. (And watching Nurse Jackie, but as a 30-minute show, it fails the OP’s requirements).
I’m watching and highly recommend Borgen, a Danish political drama. It’s brilliant, and it’s only possible flaw is that it can be too emotionally exhausting to binge watch. Netflix has all three seasons on dvd.
Here’s a review by Salon:
New York Times:
Here is the thread for the current season. It’s only one thread for the entire season, but there are several of us active there.
[clears throat] Um, people, he’s already seen Breaking Bad.
As mentioned here:
…and again here:
mmm
Well, he didn’t mention Breaking Bad in the OP, so that explains some of the recommendations.
The Office, American. Also, naturally, the original Brit one, but they quickly become way different; the US one gently genial and still witty-to-side-splitting at times. Perfectly written and filmed.
Just binged for the second time.