
We've all been watching a lot of television of late, haven't we?
Don't lie. This is a safe space.
Quarantine and lockdowns aside, this is the golden age of television. While the movie theaters are dominated by big blockbuster bonanzas raking in billions of bucks, television has evolved into the premiere visual storytelling medium. There are captivating shows, on a dozen or more streaming services, all at your fingertips.
What are the best, start to finish, shows ever?
Keep this list handy the next time you don't know what to start watching.
Reddit user, Aggressive_Sea_8206, wanted to know what we should all get started binging today when they asked:
"What TV show managed to be consistently fantastic from the first episode to the finale?"
The saddest part about some of these shows is they were never allowed to go longer than a few seasons before they were being cancelled. Still, sometimes one season is enough to make an impact.
The Balance Of Power Is Shifting
"Rome was unfortunately canceled after 2 amazing seasons"
Joyce_Windu
"The weakest part of Rome is the rushed pacing in the 2nd season, and that's just because they were trying to wrap it up when they were told they were being cancelled."
gregorygummo
I Would Love You In Any Way That I Could
"Pushing Daisies was a really fun and pretty show."
ftminsc
"A victim of the writers strike. That show was so lovely and charming."
vicki_chicki
The Belief In Evil Is Not Necessary
"Criminal Minds"
"Boring show description but it was amazing from the beginning to the end I don't ever remember a bad episode, every episode kept me entertained"
Arsonc0mmitter
Cause Freaks Go All The Way
"Freaks and Geeks."
"…and they cancelled it."
EquippedCafe
"This is the one show that REALLY bothers me they can never make again. That cast was literally perfect, and they’ll never be that young again. I know that can be said about a lot of shows…but it kills me this show wasn’t ever finished."
Dangerous-Yam-6831
Netflix To The Rescue
"Lucifer. They managed to make me not only sympathise and want the best for Satan, but his girlfriend, daughter, step-daughter, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, his demoness best friend and her wife, while also making fun of religion without it being too overblown or central, and every single member of the supporting cast is excellent."
"I’m so glad that Netflix picked it up, because the Fox finale was perfect, but the Netflix finale broke me"
PiXLANIMATIONS
Are We Having Fun Yet?!?
"Party Down. I answer the same way every time this question comes up (like twice a week), and it seems like I'm the only person who watched it."
Quijanoth
The Oscars aside, animation always has, and always will, be a superior form of storytelling because they can tell the tale "real life" productions never could.
Sometimes I Feel Like I’m Just Like A Boat Upon A Winding River...
"Over the garden wall."
dpahl21
"Over the Garden Wall is the closest thing to a masterpiece I’ve ever seen."
Manybreadloaves
"100%. It's like nothing else I've ever seen while being so reminiscent of growing up in the 70s in the USA. All those folklore cartoons with quirky humor. The sometimes odd unintended creepiness of kids shows. The song and dance numbers. It felt like so many of the short films on reels that teachers would show their in their classrooms...even that flickering quality of watching projected movies was somehow conveyed. All those stories that had lessons in them and the danger to children if not heeded. The music and the art of the animation were incredible. Loved this show so much."
Unique_name256
Unstoppable Is Just Another Kind Of Stoppable
"The Dragon Prince is forever my favourite series"
uwontfindthisacc
"So, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that The Dragon Prince is like a... spiritual successor to Avatar: TLA. Is that true? Or is it that it kinda has the same "feeling" as Avatar?"
Aggressive_Sea_8206
"I've never heard of anybody relating it to avatar in any way shape or form but I guess it has a similar feel"
uwontfindthisacc
Finally, I Have Them All
"Gravity Falls"
nanie05
“Gruncle Stan….. I trust you 🙆♀️.”
Dry-Ad7432
"It so perfectly captured that melancholic aspect of every coming-of-age story. The show made me nostalgic for a preteen summer in the Pacific northwest that I never even had"
According_Scallion
Good News, Everyone!
"Futurama. As an adult now, I love rewatching it and finding out more hidden jokes and Easter eggs."
Rangeless
"Agreed. It was "funny" as a kid but as an adult it's an amazing show"
Fuwet
Sometimes a show is so perfect, you can feel the detail, the love, the care, the consideration, placed into every scene, making you have to go from one episode to the next. These aren't the shows that you binge because they're so trashy you can't stop watching. These are the ones you keep watching because you want to absorb visual brilliance.
This, At Last, Is The Gift Of Chernobyl
"Chernobyl. Perfect Television."
paint_everywhere
"Yes, I was just talking with a friend about how I have so much respect for the show runners choosing to only do 5 episodes. I will happily take 5 absolute perfect episodes that fully tell a story instead of 10-22 episodes or countless seasons. Chernobyl is easily top 3 shows ever made and does so much with only ~5 hours of screen time."
RunsWthScizzors
Give Me All The Bacon And Eggs You Have
"PARKS. AND. RECREATION."
"Now, this is coming from a huge office fan. However, I know enough to admit that Parks and Recreation is just better. Of course, I will always identify as an office fan. All my friends associate the office with me to an extreme. But I know deep down that I truly like Parks and Recreation more."
"This is the first time that I’ve ever admitted this, but it is absolutely, undoubtedly true. Each episode EXCEEDS expectations, no matter how many times I’ve watched it (way too many to count) Please watch it. I swear you won’t regret it."
"Sincerely, An Office (Parks and Rec) Fan <3"
"EDIT: Much like the office, I advise you to skip the first season. It took them a minute to find their rhythm."
AudreysReddit333
Say My Name
"Breaking bad."
"It seemed impossible that they could end such an amazing show and have the finale be any good, but they pulled it off."
Metalcashson
You're Dead, You're Dead, You're Dead
"What we do in the shadows"
jayesh2
"Jackie Daytona."
COSurfing
"That's human bartender Jackie Daytona to you, sir!"
Badwolf84
"Only got better and better as it went on! I tried it out of sheer boredom one day and ended up binging it! Can't wait for season 4."
Din135
Jason Figured It Out?!?
"The Good Place"
FiveDollarRimjobs
"I have to thank Jason Mendoza for all my knowledge about Jacksonville."
shartnado3
"It really did have a good running story line that evolved without being predictable. I literally had no idea what to expect, was completely taken by surprise by the big twist, loved all the characters, and they even wrapped the series up with a very satisfying conclusion."
"It was great"
LurkJerk55
Why are you still reading this? Get watching. Clearly there's tons of brilliant television to take in.
What television show do you think was perfect from start to finish? Tell us about it in the comments!
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With things inching closer and closer back to normal after three years of the global pandemic, people are more eager than ever to go on a vacation.
And the possibilities of where to travel are endless.
Be it a soothing beach vacation in Turks and Caicos, enjoying the romantic hustle and bustle of Paris, or letting one's imagination run wild at an amusement park.
But are there some places one should make a point of avoiding as a vacation destination?
Be it for political unrest, unsafe conditions, or simply because there isn't much to do.
Redditor Blowmansalad was curious to know the answer, resulting in their taking to Reddit to ask:
"Where should you NOT go on vacation?"
Hatí
"Haití."
"At least not until some form of functioning government actually takes place."
"After the magnicide it's been nothing but a turf war between gangs better armed to than most small countries and everybody that could, aka, the rich, left the country due to the constant threat of getting kidnapped and all the violence that has been taking place."- logiqaltech
Russia, at least for now.
"Americans might wanna put that Russia vacation on hold for a lil bit."- flip_phone_phil
Salem, Massachusetts, in the fall...
"Salem around Halloween."
"I'm a local."
"It's a damn tourist trap."
"Nowhere to park and if you haven't booked all your reservations by February you're SOL."
"The summer is a 10x better time to visit Salem."
"For those asking, I am referring to Salem Massachusetts."- jlm2299
The pyramids might be best seen in pictures...
"As an Egyptian I am definitely not looking forward to reading these replies."- d7oom175
"Egypt."
"The common folk are warm and welcoming and would give you the food off their table and clothes off their backs."
"But the cops, the scammers, the vendors, phew."
"It is one big tourist trap."- TwistedChopstick
"If you’re a woman, I’ve been told that Egypt is best avoided unless you have male friends or family that can safely escort you about in public."
"Otherwise, any country in an active war."- chibinoi
Unless you never want to leave your hotel.
"I took my wife to Jamaica for our honeymoon."
"We wound up in a resort in Montego bay."
"The resort was nice but began to feel like a prison."
"If you went out people would grab her by the wrist and drag her to some shack they were selling trinkets in."
"The locals that worked in the resort were fantastic."
"Best prison guards you can imagine."- jabsaw2112
"Jamaica."
"They actively tell people to stay on resort property because they can't protect tourists otherwise."- MrPuzzleMan
Maybe one day.
"Afghanistan."
"No question about it."- DatRobloxKid
If you can't take the heat...
"Phoenix in July."
"It’s a monument to man’s arrogance."- TacoDoc
Of course, when choosing a vacation spot, one wants somewhere where they can relax, take in the sights, and escape from their current realities for a week or so.
So, traveling to somewhere where you're constantly on alert, your mind is constantly racing, and/or there's nothing to see... might not be the best choice.
Thankfully, be it near or small, there is always somewhere to fall back on.
TV leaves a special impact on the viewer, sometimes more than movies.
It's because we live with these characters.
We take several journeys with them, not just a quick two hour ride.
That's why the finales are so special.
They can complete us or leave us broken for life.
Let's discuss the good.
Redditor KvK_07 wanted to discuss some of the best endings to television shows we love.They asked:
"Which show had a proper satisfying ending?"
My favorite endings for my shows? The list is long. But The Golden Girls & Buffy are up there.
Goodbye
"Cheers."
atahualpaFX
"Sorry, we’re closed."
livefast6221
"Ok. So the end itself was good but in the final episode they never once said NORM and it just hurts me a little when I think about it."
Maleficent_Ad_7617
Onward Story
"Avatar, The Last Airbender."
Frosty_Connection867
"Love how they continued the story in The Search and The Promise comics though. I know there are more Avatar comics but I haven’t gotten around to reading those yet. Plus it was recently announced that Avatar Studios’ first project would be an animated movie about Aang and the others as young adults. We’ll probably be seeing him and Zuko build Republic City."
Flat_Weird_5398
Genius
"The Good Place."
diphappy
"I came to say the exact same thing - I absolutely adored this show and and while I’m sad it’s over I’m also so glad they ended it when they did instead of letting it go on for too long and ruining the show."
acrossthestreetinthe
"I was told over and over to 'just watch the show for the ending.' From lots of people. So I hesitantly did so, and was like 'Yeah this is okay, but not mind blowing or anything. It's cool.'
"But holy s**t. That ending is the best ending to a TV show that's ever been made, I think.Everyone was 100% right. It was worth it. It's hard to explain without watching the show. But they did it flawlessly.I think about that show's ending all the time."
appleparkfive
A Few Issues
"Star Trek: The Next Generation."
TheriousMind101
"I liked where they left it with Picard's development - but me and my partner recoiled in horror seeing Q appear. By far our worst part of the series, such an OTT obnoxious character, with lazy storytelling. Loved the series as a whole, but to have Q end it seemed like a punch in the gut. He seemed like growing pains of the first season but just had to come back lol."
glennok
Life is Over
"Six Feet Under is yet to be topped."
DarthDregan
"It really was such a great and satisfying ending."
beard_lover
I can't even think about Six Feet Under without tears.
Fresh
"Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The way the cast said good bye to each other in the empty mansion to how Will turns out the lights at the end of the episode. Just an amazing series."
Musicgeek117
This War is Over
"M A S H."
Toes14
"Absolutely. As a young child in the beginning of the 1980s I distinctly recall hearing the theme melody late at night when the TV was airing reruns and sometimes catching a glimpse of the intro.That melancholic tune just touched me in ways I didn’t understand as a 4 yr old."
"When I got a bit older I was flipping through the channels and suddenly there it was: the theme melody that I had moved me when I was so little. I had stumbled upon one of the many reruns that would air for 20-40 yrs.I was a European kid growing up in the 80s and 90s."
"I didn’t know anything about the Korean War. But the show really showed the horrors, depravity and injustice of war no matter who is doing the fighting. And it did so in a way that mixed humor with tragedy without making light of the tragedy.It was brilliant.I must have seen all episodes by now. I have a terrible memory for books, movies and shows but the last episode will stay with me forever."
anewfaceinthecrowd
Too Soon
"The Sopranos. I know what I said."
DrOliverReeder
"I know what they were trying to do there and I agree that it is brilliant once you actually analyze what happened and what led up to it, but that takes hindsight and rewinding the episode and rewatching it once, maybe twice. But on the first, cold viewing, I think it was a teeny bit TOO clever and kind of toyed with the audience."
amerkanische_Frosch
Forget 9
"Scrubs. Before anyone says it, the '9th season”'(Scrubs: Med School) is 100% a spin-off. I don’t care that they tried to staple it to the original series, that was a stupid move to ride the ratings. It was entirely meant to be and written as a spin-off and you cannot convince me otherwise."
Dan*uckingSchneider
"I still get a lump in my throat when I see JD take that final walk down that hallway, seeing the faces of patients and other loved ones that passed on during his tenure, all of them wishing him well on the next step of his journey. When I retire I always imagine I'll do the same... seeing customers and co-workers I lost over the decades as I take that final walk to the front doors."
Jorro_Kreed
Phoebe
"Fleabag."
jubjubbirdsarefine
"Same same. I wished it could have gone on only because I enjoyed it so much, but the final season was beautiful and perfect and I cried so much during the final episode."
jubjubbirdsarefine
All great choices. I love you Fleabag.
Movies. Stories. Tears.
All three are a perfect fit.
Film and entertainment allow us freedom to feel everything.
As Nicole Kidman says in her infamous AMC commercial, "heartbreak feels good in a place like this."
Maybe that's why we're meant to watch in the dark.
Redditor rollneers02 wanted everyone to fess and chat about what works of cinema have left us in tears.They asked:
"What’s a movie that’s genuinely made you cry?"
I love to cry at movies. It makes me feel human.
Gone By...
"The scene in Shawshank Redemption where the elderly man laments how quickly time passed."
mojichana
Dear Dad
"Big Fish."
BelicianPixieFry
"This movie for me too, my dad is also a tall tale teller and he passed away last year. At his funeral all of his different friends showed and retold some of his crazy stories but just slightly different. Made me realize that some of his stories were true and I was living in a real life big fish movie."
Unable_Mountain_5524
Never Again
"Fox and the hound when the hound can’t be the foxes friend anymore."
_manicpixie
"I can not watch that movie at ALL!!! Right after my mom died I went to her house. That movie was in the VCR. When I hit play the movie as at that song about letting go if you love something. I just LOST IT right there. To this day I will not watch that movie and prob never will."
tectuma
Oh the Tears...
"Bridge to Terabithia. The guilt of that kid for the rest of his life."
trieditdidntregretit
"First time I ever saw my Dad cry. He thought I'd be a great Father-Daughter movie night. I just rewatched it recently and it still makes me cry."
Professional_March54
"This book and Stand By Me both made a sizeable impression on me during my youth. I hope to share these experiences with children of my own one day."
Tough-Requirement736
The End
"Coco, g*ddamn Coco. I was not expecting bawling my eyes out in the last 15 minutes."
SourFartsSniffer
I can't with some of these movies. My heart can't take it.
I Hate Bees
"My Girl."
slowgoing33
"'Where's his glasses? He can't see with his glasses! It's not fair he needs his glasses to see!!'"
Ricarfo-
Let's Play
"Field of Dreams, when he's playing catch with his dad. Also, the end of The Truman Show hit pretty hard."
YteKnight696
"I can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see this one. My dad died about 20 years ago, and I would give almost anything to have a catch with him again. When Ray says in that choked up voice 'hey dad, wanna have a catch?' I just lose it."
rockychunk
Every. Time.
"It’s dumb, but the first movie I ever cried for was ‘Click’ with Adam Sandler. That scene where his father dies and he wasn’t there because the use of autopilot, so decided to revisit the last time he had seen him. His dad tells him he loves him and the autopilot version of him doesn’t give a crap, but the real him starts to cry and play the words 'I love you son’' on repeat. THIS. Has me every time."
Waytootired4this
Hey Boss
"The Green Mile."
CurlSagan
"I cried so hard watching that movie that I can't bring myself to rewatch it. Once was enough."
cmc
"Brilliant and awesome story that was understandable for a 7 year old me to start ugly sobbing for an hour in my aunt's house lol. I think it was the first time I encountered feelings against injustice and the staggering helplessness that you can't do anything to stop what's happening."
"God, it still feels like yesterday and I'm nearing 30. But the ice cream and toys I got was good too. My auntie had to bring me to the mall because I was inconsolable and continued crying on the way there. I only stopped when I had to pick an ice cream flavor lol."
Queen_Merneith
It's Ugly
"Life Is Beautiful."
dashing-away
"Came here to say this title. I’ve seen it once, when I was in high school around the time it came out, and I still tear up thinking about certain scenes."
ErrantCrayon
Last Breaths
"Hachiko (old and modernised version). Both versions are just as sad. It’s based on a true story. For those who don’t know, it’s about a bond of a dog and an owner. The owner walked to the train station to go to work and always brought his dog with him and the dog would always wait for him at the train station until the owner returned. The owner then died while at work and the dog continued to wait for him at the train station every single day for 9 years until his last breath."
I love movies. They make my tears feel free.
Oh, bros...
What a quirky group of humans you are.
Maybe we, the world, give y'all a bad rap.
We're dying to know what you share with one another.
One Redditorwanted all the 'Bros' out there to share with us.They asked:
"Men of Reddit, what’s your best bro-tip?"
I've been dying for insight into the animal that is a bro. They're human too...
Rank
"Do not leave your home smelling musty."
EffectiveFlatworm952
"Also, tell your friends if their home, car, them etc... smells musty. there's a time and a place of course, but often we don't notice and the note to freshen up is very welcome."
gehbfuggju
You ok?
"Check on your bros. They won’t necessarily tell you when they need help."
DomingoLee
"Lost a friend via overdose. He was exhibiting unhealthy behavior for years. I saw it, and said nothing. I later relocated and made very little effort to keep in touch. Destroys me to think what might have been different, had I reached out."
Johnny_mundo
"Seriously though, having been the bro who's dealing with depression knowing you have bros to lean on really helps."
Einar_47
Stop Breathing...
"Was in a residency program with a guy who had the worst breath any of us (all other bros) had ever smelt. When I say bad, I mean it smelt worse than if he had eaten human poop. The guy was completely oblivious to it. He’d have girls break up with him and come to us and be like 'I don’t know what happened it was going so well,' stuff like that."
"And we’d all beat around the bush and never tell him that we knew exactly why those bro-ettes dumped him. I’m ashamed to admit, my Reddit bros, that he made it through an entire 3-year residency program without any bros stepping in and hitting him with the cold hard truth. RIP to that bro."
jirski
lift me up...
"Support your bros; don’t tear them down when they are trying to achieve something."
Ruffled_Snout
Men really should embrace feelings more.
Find More
"Don't fall in love with potential."
CIoud__Strife
"This comment hurt me. Learned that lesson the hard way."
kerbouchard219
Extras
"Always buy more than one stick of deodorant at a time so you’ll have a spare around when you run out. Finding out that you’re at the end right before you have to be somewhere, preferably smelling acceptable, is the worst."
anonymousone89
"As soon as I open the last container of any toiletry, it goes on the shopping list to be purchased within a week. I haven't run out once since I started doing that, and I usually buy multipacks so I don't need to shop for those things often."
loungehead
Validation
"As a guy in his mid-50s, my number 1 advice is: When you're disagreeing with someone, no matter the relationship, always validate their point first, empathize with them second, and then, and only then, make your counter-argument. Never respond to an argument with a pushback before you've validated/empathized with them."
"If you're Machiavellian about life, you'll be more likely to get what you want from someone else if they feel respected by you. If you're not Machiavellian, it's just a nice thing to do."
stumark
The One...
"Have AT LEAST one friend you can have real conversations with about your feelings. Particularly if you're in your late teens or twenties you probably don't talk about that stuff with your mates but it makes the world of difference knowing you have someone to talk to about it, even if you don't have anything to tell them just yet."
FireyBrick
Thanks Bros. This was all helpful.
Do you have other tips to share? Let us know in the comments below.