Don’t you just hate when you finally find a show that has more than 4 seasons but the ending is just the worst? You spent all of this time getting to know characters just to have them do some idiotic move at the end that erases their whole arc (totally not hinting at GOT). Well, you’ve come to the right place because I’m giving you a list of 9 TV shows that are great all the way through!
1. Ugly Betty
I recently just finished watching this show and let me tell you…this just entered my top 5 favorite TV- shows of all time! Do you know how hard that is? So many good things that I watch either get canceled before the story is over or they’re only good for a season and then it’s all downhill from there (*cough* Riverdale *cough*). Ugly Betty transformed TV history with a Latino family at the forefront of primetime television. Starring America Ferrera, her character, Betty Suarez, a fresh college graduate living with her family in Queens, begins her career as the assistant to Creative Director Daniel Mead, heir of Mead Publications, at the coveted fashion magazine Mode. Although the show is set in the middle of the early 2000s, Ugly Betty tackles issues such as immigration, racism, LGBTQ+, and the struggle of the limitations and exclusions of the fashion industry with grace. What I also love about this show is that Betty isn’t portrayed as “conventionally pretty”; she’s short, curvy, has curly and bushy brown hair, all while sporting adult braces that definitely add to her charm. If you don’t watch anything else this upcoming winter break, be sure to watch Ugly Betty on Hulu because I guarantee you that you’ll feel just as empowered as Betty learning to navigate through the cutthroat fashion world.
2. Mad Men
I also just recently finished this show (I watch way too much Netflix to be as productive as I am) and I’ve always heard this show as being one of the best TV shows of all time along the ranks of the Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and The Wire. Mad Men is set in the late 50s, 60s and early 70s in the advertisement world in Manhattan, NY. Don Draper is your smooth-talking, womanizing, all-American man who dominates in the advertisement business. Throughout the show, they illustrate the historical events that happen during that time such as the JFK assassination, Civil Rights riots, and the Apollo space mission. Because we live in the era of #MeToo, some of the behaviors of the characters are highly questionable and may be hard to watch. If you’re interested in watching it, you can catch up on all 7 seasons on Netflix. 3. Suits
I cannot tell you how much I love this show! It did recently just finish so you can binge-watch all 9 seasons. And yes, this is the show that Dutchess Megan Markle was in and she was my favorite character! Suits follow the life of college dropout Mike Ross as he manages his way through the cold, hard world of law as a law associate for Harvey Specter. If you love the law, fast-paced procedural shows and characters full of wit, then Suits is the show for you. You can watch the first 8 seasons on Amazon Prime Video, but sadly you would have to pay $3 per episode or $25 for the whole season. 4. Living Single
This is the original Friends. Seriously! Living Single first aired on FOX in August 1993 and NBC aired Friends September 1994. Living Single centers on the lives of 6 African American singles exploring their personal and professional experiences in Brooklyn. Sound familiar? Once the executives at NBC saw how successful this show was, they decided to make a version of their own: Friends. Once Friends blew up, they lived on to see 10 seasons with a spin-off while Living Single only lasted for 5 before they ended. Honestly, Living Single is more relatable than Friends because at least their jobs and living situation corresponds more than their counterpart. The jokes are funnier and how can you get a cast better than Queen Latifah, Kim Fields, Erika Alexander, John Henton, Kim Coles, and T.C. Carson? Watch the series for yourself on Hulu and tell me that it isn’t better than Friends? 5. Psych
If you need something funny to watch, please check this show out! Psych is a comedy-drama about Shawn Spencer, a police consultant pretending to be a psychic. Along with his best friend Gus Burton, a pharmaceutical salesman, the two solve cases and find themselves in hilarious hijinks that will have you shaking your head in disbelief. Psych has 8 seasons, a musical episode and 2 movies, one that aired in 2017 and one on the way. You’ll find yourself laughing at the sarcastic and narcissistic charm of Shawn and the down-to-earth, realistic nature of Gus because these two are totally the definition of trouble. Plus every episode, Shawn introduces Gus with some weird sidekick name that you have to laugh at. Watch all 8 seasons on Amazon Prime Video and treat yourself to some comedic gold. 6. The Fosters
I’m sure most of you may have heard of The Fosters but maybe haven’t watched it. It’s a heartwarming show about a lesbian couple, Stef, a police officer, and Lena, a vice-principal, who raise their 5 children, one biological, 2 adopted and 2 fostered. This is definitely more of a teen drama because all of the children are teenagers, but the show follows the lives of the moms as well. The Fosters tackles LGTBQ+ issues, rape, the foster system, racism, and ADHD. The show also has a spin-off on Freeform called Good Trouble, following the lives of the 2 daughters, Callie and Mariana, as they explore life after college and going into the workforce in their 20s. You can watch The Fosters on Netflix and catch up on Good Trouble on Hulu. 7. Scrubs
There are so many medical shows out there but this is honestly worth the watch. Scrubs is more of a comedy show in a hospital setting rather than a Grey’s Anatomy type drama or Chicago Med. Scrubs is told through the first-person perspective of J.D. Dorian, the main character and medical intern at a teaching hospital along with his best friend Turk, a surgical intern. The show’s episodes tell different stories each time, but the characters develop throughout the stories of their own personal and professional lives. Also, Scrubs does this unique storytelling method throughout the seasons where the storylines are connected through the comical daydreams of J.D. This show does have 9 seasons, but I’m only counting the first 8 because that’s where the story ends and season 9 is a soft-reboot with all new characters. I usually watch this show because it makes me feel nostalgic for a fun time. The shenanigans that the characters get into have me longing for a future work environment and friends that mirror that. Watch seasons 1-8 of Scrubs on Hulu (season 9 is on there too but it’s not as good). 8. Terrace House
I don’t usually watch reality TV but this random Netflix find was a gold-mine! I’ve been watching Terrace House for about 3 years now and it’s so refreshing to watch a reality show that isn’t so drama heavy and filled with so many petty characters; each character in this show respect each other and communicate when a problem arises. Terrace House explores the lives of 6 strangers, 3 guys and 3 girls, living under the same roof as they grow into their professional or romantic lives. Most of the series is set in Japan, featuring the cities of Tokyo, Karuizawa, and Shonan, including a season set in Hawaii. The guests are provided with a furnished house (which are hella nice) and 2 cars. The people usually date each other and the series has had some successful couples to come out of the show. The best part about the structure of Terrace House is the group of commentators who watch each episode with the viewer. It’s like having a built-in group of friends to react and comment on the behaviors of each character while laughing about the events that happen in each scene. Please watch this show because it’s sooooo good! You can find each installment on Netflix. 9. Avatar: The Last Airbender
If you didn’t pretend that you were some type of bender as a kid then you must have had a bad childhood. Avatar: The Last Airbender is probably one of the best cartoons of our generation and the way that they tackled the storylines in the show taught us great lessons as kids. It’s funny, suspenseful and full of cultural references that were a unique element to the show. Although only 3 seasons long, the show had a successful and just as great spin-off, The Legend of Korra. If you want to relive your childhood or take a break from school and watch something exciting, check out this show! Unfortunately, it isn’t available on Netflix or Hulu, but if you start your free 7-day trial with NickHits, then you can binge-watch the series on Amazon Prime Video.
Honorable Mentions
● Freaks and Geeks (Netflix)
● Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
● New Girl (Netflix)
● Community (Hulu)
● Lost (Hulu)
● The West Wing (Netflix)