I do not enjoy watching shows for forever. I like story arcs, even if they take a while. So for example I watched, and enjoyed the first five seasons of Supernatural but won’t watch anymore. Why would I? The story was done, it had a neat ending, and I just can’t watch anymore.
I love (or liked):
X-Files (though deeply disappointed with the lack of an ending)
Babylon 5
Doctor Who
Sherlock
Firefly
Cowboy Bebop
Hated:
Battlestar Galactica
Buffy
Torchwood
Won’t watch
sitcoms of any stripe
drug shows (no moralizing; just totally, totally not interested)
Lost
Terminator
I tried to watch The Next Generation but got bored, and then sickened by Westley. Is there a point where I can jump ahead and really enjoy it?
I thought about watching DS9 but am afraid it will be bad in retrospect, and it also goes on forever and ever.
What about The Prisoner, is it worth it?
I also tried Stargate SG-1 but that ended when I found myself yelling at the TV “QUARANTINE! QUARANTINE YOU FUCKS!” Yeah.
Quantum Leap? Is that good?
Alien Nation?
Farscape?
I don’t want to watch Red Dwarf; it was entirely too weird and not serious enough for me.
Fringe?
I’ve watched most of TOS.
Prefer sci-fi but am willing to watch a very few non sci-fi shows. Prefer brainy leads to brawny ones. Would love shows with lots of guys and not too many women. (Supernatural was great in this respect). And I vastly prefer British telly to almost any American telly, though I will watch American programs if they are good.
I admit to not being crazy about anime. I prefer live actors. If there is an amazing show on anime, by all means mention it, but I may not put it on the top of my list.
Whew! Even with those comments/restrictions there’s got to be a million shows out there I’ve never touched. PLEASE HELP!
The ending of The Prisoner is interesting, though hardly satisfying.
Same for Quantum Leap, which really didn’t have an arc, but rather a wrap-up episode.
Homicide: Life on the Street was a story arc, with a great ending, though the arc was somewhat tenuous (there was also a wrap-up movie that resolved a few other issues).
For ST:TNG, the eps where Riker has a beard are better than those where he doesn’t. Pulaski eps suck. Seasons 5, 6, & 7 have some of the best eps of the series. The final TNG ep is quite good. It both wraps things up and keeps things open.
I’d recommend DS9. It strikes a good balance between being episodic while advancing story-arcs in each episode, and despite its length, doesn’t drag. Most of the character arcs come to fairly satisfying conclusions.
The first season of Rome is complete in and of itself. I enjoyed it very much but felt absolutely no need or desire to watch season two. All the character arcs I was interested in wrapped up.
Same thing with season one of Once Upon A Time. I know season two is running, and I may watch it later, but I enjoyed season one a lot and liked how they wrapped up the season, leaving me leery of watching season two in case it spoils season one for me.
Season 2 does the same thing. They found out they weren’t being renewed half-way through the second season, and so it gets a little rushed midway through while they get through a bunch of stuff they thought they’d have another season to develop. But they manage to get there in the end, and things wrap up pretty satisfactory.
in any case, I’d recommend that show (both seasons) to the OP as well
However, watching a lot of TNG episodes first will add to your enjoyment. Basically any Klingon, Cardassian, or Bajoran episode that took place before DS9 actually started. It really takes off at the end of season 2, so don’t let it drag you down before then.
Yes, Newhart was a sitcom, so was Red Dwarf, which I guess explains why you didn’t like it. I must say that your blanket rejection of sitcoms, a very broad and varied genre that undoubtedly includes some of the best TV ever made (although perhaps also even more utter dreck than most other genres) rather narrow minded, but chacun à son [or sa] goût, I guess.
The Wire, of course (five seasons). And while Deadwood could have used a fourth season, the ending could have been worse.
There was just one season of Kidnapped (with Jeremy Sisto as a go-to guy to retrieve kidnap victims). Satisfactory ending, since they knew there wouldn’t be a second season.
You say no Buffy but how about Angel?
ETA: The Wire isn’t a “drug show”, even though it features drug dealers and users.
I’d say Fringe is worth your time. The four seasons previously aired do actually come to a conclusion, and even though it meandered a bit at the beginning of the fourth season, the showrunners did wrap it up nicely (the final episode of the fourth season was filmed before they knew if they were going to be renewed). I haven’t (yet) seen the currently-airing fifth season, but my understanding is it is for all intents and purposes a spin-off series featuring most of the same characters in a completely different timeline.
They just ended Leverage after the 5th season. Pretty good show, pretty good run. It’s not really SF or fantasy, but the characters are fun.
I felt the same way, but eventually gave it a try, and it’s working. It’s worth it. More characters, new interactions of old characters, still good writing.
Season 1 of Veronica Mars was pretty good. And it neatly wrapped up a couple of major story lines, and at least made the continuation of other minor ones tolerable. Seasons 2 & 3 each were a step below the fabulousity of Season 1.
Teenage girl private detective mystery show with some soap-y elements
You are basically right and I have seen S5. It’s really good and I’m quite optimistic about the final couple episodes. Watch this.
It’s a great show, but if the OP wants an ending, it does not have one. Just great resolutions to individual storylines. The ending of the show is just a season finale, with no ending or resolution to overall themes and characters.
