# "Perfect" television shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 22, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366 "2025-04-22T15:42:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/61 "2025-04-22T19:33:46Z")
I’ll agree with BB and BCS. I’ll add: **Freaks & Geeks** (yes, it was cancelled too early, but what’s there is perfect, and it even has a somewhat-satisfying conclusion). **Mad Men** (I’m rewatching this for the second time, and every episode hits. maybe it lags later, but through Season 5, ep 8, it’s stellar.) **Star Wars Rebels** (unlike Clone Wars, which was also very good, it doesn’t have lame droid-focused filler episodes) **Curb Your Enthusiasm** (I don’t think there’s an episode that’s not spectacular, imo. sure, there’s a lot of silliness, but every episode has value. I think Seinfeld is the better show, but there are a few clunkers, especially the last few seasons after Larry David left. I guess I’m just a sucker for LD. I suppose if you hate Larry David, this show is as far from perfect as you can get.) **Succession** (probably one of the most-engrossing shows I’ve ever watched. couldn’t wait for each new season/episode, and was never disappointed) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/62 "2025-04-22T19:39:32Z")
The show’s not over yet, so it could still turn sour, but **Slow Horses** is four seasons in and there hasn’t been a weak episode yet. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/63 "2025-04-22T19:40:12Z")
_ **Mad Men** _ I’ll agree with heartily, along with _ **Boardwalk Empire** _, _ **The Americans** _ (I never would have thought I’d end up hating Kari Russell’s guts), and _ **The Sopranos** _. If I were stranded on a desert island, these would keep me happy for years. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/64 "2025-04-22T19:42:21Z")
Maybe it’s cheating since the show isn’t over yet but _Shrinking_ is pretty damn perfect. Maybe it will fall off a cliff in season 3. _Fawlty Towers_ is the perfect sitcom but that might be cheating as well. They kept the amount of episodes low purposely so it wouldn’t dip in quality. > [@Sitnam](#): > > I wanted to add Derry Girls, but COVID did a number on season 3 on top of the puberty. Puberty? Closer to impending middle age. The girls were 25,25, 31 and 31 when the show started. James was 26. Four years later they were looking pretty old for high school. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/65 "2025-04-22T19:44:08Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **I, Claudius** _ should be included here, since it was based mainly on the writings of Suetonius, and Jacob Bronowski’s _ **The Ascent of Man** _ was a university-level course on civilization presented in 13 episodes. I was going to say _ **I, Claudius.** _ So good, with so many memorable scenes. Critiques of it mention blocking. The actors and the camera move around flawlessly. [This is one of my favorite scenes.](https://youtu.be/xA6QbwPGlgk?t=2209) They set everything up just so they could catch Tiberius’s little gasp of appreciation when he realizes Caligula’s evil. I love watching John Hurt’s face as Tiberius makes him his heir. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/66 "2025-04-22T19:50:00Z")
I thought the main characters in Derry Girls were high school age not twenty something adults? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/67 "2025-04-22T19:50:19Z")
I would nominate HBO’s Deadwood as my “perfect” TV show. Unfortunately, it ended abruptly due to differences between the producer David Milch, who was also the creator and main writer, and HBO execs. It was a very expensive show to make, and HBO needed a larger audience to justify the cost. There was a Deadwood feature film that was released 10 years after the series ended that tied up some loose ends, but I really wish HBO would have let it run at least a few more seasons before it went off the air. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/68 "2025-04-22T19:51:48Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > It was a very expensive show to make, and HBO needed a larger audience to justify the cost… I really wish HBO would have let it run at least a few more seasons before it went off the air. I feel the same way about _ **Rome** _. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/69 "2025-04-22T20:01:11Z")
Definitely. I loved Rome. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/70 "2025-04-22T20:04:27Z")
It’s been a long time since I saw _Slings and Arrows_, so I can’t vouch for no bad episodes, etc. But I really loved that show, by turns funny, thoughtful, quirky. Yes, I’ll admit to being a theater fan. (I’m also on board for _Derry Girls_, _Firefly_, and _A Good Place_.) ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/71 "2025-04-22T20:05:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Mad Men** _ I’ll agree with heartily, along with _ **Boardwalk Empire** _, _ **The Americans** _ (I never would have thought I’d end up hating Kari Russell’s guts), and _ **The Sopranos** _. If I were stranded on a desert island, these would keep me happy for years. Yes to all of these! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/72 "2025-04-22T20:05:24Z")
I was talking with my daughter the other day about John Hurt. She knows him from the Harry Potter movies, but has never seen _ **I, Claudius** _. I told her that no one ever played a pure psychopath better than Hurt did as Caligula. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/73 "2025-04-22T20:15:24Z")
I don’t think any show can be perfect, but some come really close. IMHO _Star Trek DS9_ comes close. The characters were all memorable and enjoyable. Even minor / recurring characters like Grand Nagus Zek (played by a top of his game Wallace Shawn), Vic Fontaine, Leeta, and of course Garak, all had more depth and were more interesting to watch than the main characters on some of the other _Trek_ shows. The main villains, Gul Dukat and Kai Winn, fall into the “I love to hate them” territory in a good way, and came across as sympathetic in some of the earlier seasons. The only mis-steps I’d knock DS9 for would be for missed opportunities. I would have enjoyed seeing Data in a DS9 episode, even if for just one scene at Quark’s bar, sitting at a table with Bashir and Garak. > [@Lancia](#): > > _Northern Exposure_ (which is debatable – some of the Phil Capra episodes fell flat but they were still good episodes overall). Close, but not perfect. Fleischman was my favorite character. Once he left _Northern Exposure_ went from being at the very top to still really good but not as good as it once was. > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Recently watched the pilot episode of **Cheers**.Even then they had the Sam-Dianne relationship down perfectly, and the Carla and Norm characters were well drawn. (Cliff joined the cast in Episode 2 and Coach got his character-defining story in Episode 5.) > > I’m especially impressed how well they handled the Coach-Woody and Diane-Rebecca transitions, and how perfectly the Frasier and Lillith characters fit into the ensemble. Another very good but not perfect show. Oddly enough though, my opinion on why it isn’t perfect would likely be in the minority. I don’t care for Diane and Coach. For me Rebecca and Woody were much better fits for an ensemble comedy. Had they started with Rebecca and Woody, maybe _Cheers_ would have gotten there, or at least even closer than it already is. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/74 "2025-04-22T20:18:45Z")
I hated the mirror universe episodes of Deep Space Nine. They seemed an excuse for the actors to get into different costumes and ham it up. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/75 "2025-04-22T20:30:39Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > **Mad Men** (I’m rewatching this for the second time, and every episode hits. maybe it lags later, but through Season 5, ep 8, it’s stellar.) This was my first thought. Some episodes aren’t as great as the best but I don’t think any episode dips below a C+ and none made me feel like “Well, that was a suck of an hour”. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/76 "2025-04-22T20:31:07Z")
I love _ **Cheers** _. Rebecca was a great character, but I found her perpetual insecurity and whining to be a bit much as the series neared its end. She was originally intended to be an insufferable martinet, but it was found she’d be funnier if she lightened up a bit. Woody taking up the Coach’s role as the loveable idiot was one of the best transitions ever made on TV. I’d like to slip in a neat little Canadian comedy series here: _ **Corner Gas** _. I’ve seen every episode from the beginning more than once. It’s pure silliness but silliness of absolutely uniform quality. I can’t find a single flaw in any of its six seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/77 "2025-04-22T20:31:40Z")
So many that have been mentioned are great - but not quite “perfect” - in my opinion. **Barney Miller** , which I have a soft spot for, had several missteps in the early going. Barney’s wife was quickly whisked away for a reason, and the Millers’ at-home scenes were standard sitcom lameness. Wojo’s early gum-smacking dumb Polack (can I say that?) was waaay over-the-top; thankfully, that was reined in. **The Dick Van Dyke Show** , another personal favorite, had Ritchie (as mentioned above), but also leaned way too much on Sally’s “old maid” status. And the talent episodes - Sally singing, Buddy telling jokes, Rob & Laura dancing - seemed to have been dropped in from another program. **Cheers** hung around too long. I never did warm to Rebecca (I know, that’s just me). So…I’ll endorse **The Wire** , **The Good Place** , and **Better Call Saul** (which I actually prefer to **Breaking Bad** ). I’ll also introduce two new players into the mix, one being **Homeland**. And, my ultimate perfect show: **Frasier**. mmm ETA: I don’t think **Golden Girls** ever got sucky, did it? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/78 "2025-04-22T20:47:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I love _ **Cheers** _. Rebecca was a great character, but I found her perpetual insecurity and whining to be a bit much as the series neared its end. She was originally intended to be an insufferable martinet, but it was found she’d be funnier if she lightened up a bit. Woody taking up the Coach’s role as the loveable idiot was one of the best transitions ever made on TV. That’s part of why I liked her better than Diane. Her whining and insecurity plays well into her being a character that can be funny. Diane came across as being too serious, or at least as being someone that should be taken seriously when everyone else was just trying to unwind, goof off, and have a good time. The whining and insecurity kept Rebecca from crossing into the “I’m too serious to care about having fun” territory, which is where I saw Diane at. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/79 "2025-04-22T20:54:27Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Two comedies: _Derry Girls_ and _Fleabag_ _Fleabag_, absolutely. One of the best written and acted shows of all time. I’ll add another British one in here: _Broadchurch_ with David Tennant and Olivia Colman. The Brits have it easier with their shorter seasons. Less room to screw it all up 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366/80 "2025-04-22T21:17:16Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Maybe it’s cheating since the show isn’t over yet but _Shrinking_ is pretty damn perfect. Maybe it will fall off a cliff in season 3. You mean use the same plot twice? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-television-shows/1017366.md?page=5)