Well, certainly you have heard the expression that nowadays "tv sucks" or the so-called "junk-tv". For the most part is true but there are exceptions to the boring television programs that you are accustomed to see. Also, the most famous tv series (in the US) are either medical or police/agent related themes that are kind of always the same.
The "good" tv series (like classic Lynch's Twin Peaks) have good storytelling, great direction, well-develop characters, suspense and all those things we love from cult or indie cinema. They are in channels like ABC, NBC, AMC, CBS, HBO, Showtime, just to name a few. Here are my favorite ones and I would recommend you all get into it.
1-
Lost (ABC)-Created by JJ Abrams. Currently in its fifth season (ends in May 09') and the final season its due on May 10'. It follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles crashes somewhere in the South Pacific. See this if you like suspense, mystery, mythology, science, flashbacks, flashfowards and well-develop characters. With Lost you will never know what's going to happen next.
2-
Weeds (Showtime)-Created by Jenji Kohan. Season 5 begins in May 09'. About a widowed housewife (Mary-Louise Parker) from an affluent California suburb who becomes her neighborhood's marijuana dealer to make ends meet after the death of her husband. Its a comedy filled with irony, sarcasm and the real stories behind those "Little Boxes" (nice suburban homes) and its sometimes hypocritical and pretentious inhabitants. It has suspense, crime and hilarious moments. An all-around good series.
3-
True Blood (HBO)-Created by Alan Ball. This golden-globe winning series begins its second season in June 09'. Based on the
Sookie Stackhouse book series. It centers in the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional small northern Louisiana town. The series centers on Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress at a bar, who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). What a good combination has this series: Vampires and the southern culture of the US. Romance, mystery and suspense all the way.
4-
Jericho (CBS)-Created by John Turtletaub. Unfortunately it got canceled after two seasons only (the second season has only 7 episodes). Centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States. Starring are Skeet Ulrich and Lennie James, as Jake Green and Robert Hawkins respectively. Well-told action filled apocalyptic drama with good character development about an inside job nuclear attack on almost half of the states of the country, resulting in a corrupt government and corporation alliance that plans to control what they are calling "Allied States".
5-
Sons of Anarchy (FX)-Created by Kurt Sutter. The second season will begin in September 09'. About the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California. Starring Charlie Hunnam (Children of Men), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), and Katey Sagal (Married..with Children). Club antiheroe members primarily make money by importing illegal weapons and selling them to drug gangs in the East Bay, along with protection runs for local businesses by protecting valuable truck shipments from hijacking. It is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet as Clay (Perlman) represents King Claudius, his wife Gemma (Segal) represents Gertrude and her son Jax (Hunnam) represents Prince Hamlet.
6-
Lie To Me (Fox)-Created by Samuel Baum. Currently in its first season that ends in May 09'. The main character, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth), aided by some colleagues detects deception by observing body language and microexpressions using this talent to assist clients like law enforcement. The character is based on Paul Ekman, notable psychologist and expert on body language and facial expressions. This X-files type show has mostly two cases per episode where the experts try to know if the parts involved are lying or why are they lying.
7-
Breaking Bad (AMC)-Created by Vince Gilligan. The second season currently on the air until May 09' (the first seven-episode only season was cut short by the writer's strike). Staring Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher with a handicapped teenage son (RJ Mitte) and pregnant wife (Anna Gunn). When the already tense White is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he breaks down and turns to a life of crime, setting up a meth lab with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in a desire to secure his family's future financial security. This show, one of the best shows currently airing, is full of drama, crime, suspense and comedy. You can laugh, learn about chemistry, feel pity, see a lot of action and great dialogues all in a span of an episode. Brilliant!
8-
The Office (NBC)-Developed by Greg Daniels from an original british series of the same name. Currently in its fifth season until May 09'. Starring Steve Carell as regional manager Michael Scott, this series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The Office is made in the form of a documentary. Hilarious comedy about employees in a failing paper supply company with a wannabe-funny boss (Scott) and other notable acting by John Krasinski as smart-ass salesman Jim Halpert, Rainn Wilson as freaky salesman/assistant to the RM Dwight Schrute and Jenna Fisher as receptionist Pam Beesly. The rest of the cast is funny as hell too. Some of the actors write episodes. The Office is pure good fun.
9-
Fringe (Fox)-Also created by JJ Abrams. Currently in its first season ending in May 09'. Follows the exploits of FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, scientist Walter Bishop, and his son Peter as they investigate aspects of fringe science (telepathy, levitation, invisibility, reanimation, genetic mutation, psychokinesis, teleportation, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, precognition, dark matter, cybernetics, suspended animation, transmogrification, etc). All over the world, a series of apparent experiments collectively referred to as "the Pattern" are occurring for reasons unknown. Olivia, Peter, and Walter are in charge of investigating these strange events to determine their source. This X-Files type series goes through a different case very episode. See this if you like this type of show or any pseudo-science related themes.
10-
Malviviendo (Internet)-This series is created by unemployed students from southern Spain and only airs through their site (and youtube). These fresh take on spanish-speaking television uses good cinema techniques. Every episode is a concept episode (i.e. backwards as Gaspar Noe's Irreversible or as spanish tv reportage adressing only the problems from Andalusia). Drugs, fun, crime, laughs, good acting, cheap settings,etc all make this series different but very enjoyable.
If you don't have tv and want to watch any of this series go to:
Project Free TVTV ShackSurf The ChannelYidio
