Whether you're a fan of Sherlock and Inspector Morse or you prefer The Sopranos and Mad Men, Event gives you 100 brilliant box sets to binge watch this autumn
Can’t decide on your next drama series? Let our team of TV experts help you, starting with the top 50 classics (and continuing with 50 modern gems)
All-time classics
1. The Sopranos
If we are in the Golden Age of TV, this is the show that ushered it in when it launched in 1999. It’s still the best. New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is resolutely old school but has the feeling that maybe he and the Mafia are out of step with the modern era. ‘The best is over,’ he tells Dr Melfi, the psychiatrist he’s seeing because of his panic attacks. Still, he does his best to maintain standards, however stressful racketeering and murder might be. Unpredictable, shocking, hilarious and impossible to stop watching, The Sopranos set new levels of excellence for TV. DVD, 6 series
The Sopranos. If we are in the Golden Age of TV, this is the show that ushered it in when it launched in 1999. It’s still the best
Unpredictable, shocking, hilarious and impossible to stop watching, The Sopranos set new levels of excellence for TV
Mad Men. ‘Advertising is based on one thing: happiness,’ says Don Draper (Jon Hamm, above with January Jones as Betty Draper)
2. Game Of Thrones
Feuding dynasties are battling for control of Westeros. Cersei Lanniser, a ruthless member of one of the ruling families, sums up their philosophy in the first season when she says, ‘When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.’ But the warring factions face an existential threat to their whole world in the form of the Night King and his Army of the Dead. Will they come together to fight it? The epic fantasy drama, controversial because of its depiction of sex and violence, is said to be the world’s most popular TV show. It has a largely British cast and generates more than £100m for the economy in Northern Ireland where much of it is filmed. Now TV/Sky/DVD, 7 series
3. Breaking Bad
An inoperable cancer diagnosis prompts high-school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) to make a midlife career change and become a meth chef, cooking up weapons-grade quality drugs in order to support his family. He gradually turns into a class-A monster of toxic masculinity. Show creator Vince Gilligan says the idea was to ‘take Mr Chips and turn him into Scarface’, and by the end his transformation is so complete that ‘Mr Chips’ is hiring neo-Nazis to kill not just business rivals but associates, relatives... Netflix, 5 series
4. The Wire
A slow-burner initially about a wiretap investigation into a Baltimore drugs gang that builds into a broader symphony of disillusionment with the city’s ailing institutions. It is bleak and morally ambiguous but is leavened by moments of black humour and unforgettable characters, such as the philosophical stick-up artist Omar Little, who teaches us: ‘You come at the king, you best not miss.’ Its ensemble cast includes Brits Idris Elba and Dominic West. President Barack Obama was among its many fans, calling it ‘one of the greatest, not just television shows, but pieces of art in the last couple of decades’. Now TV/Sky, 5 series
5. Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch cast memories of Basil Rathbone into the distance by setting a new benchmark for the fictional detective. Set in the present day, Cumberbatch’s Holmes is extraordinarily clever, funny and unbelievably quick-witted, often to the point of rudeness. ‘Don’t talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street,’ he tells Anderson of the forensics team in one episode. Martin Freeman is Dr Watson, and together they make one of the most watchable duos on TV. ‘They’re two people who just drive each other up the wall, but at the same time can’t live without each other,’ says Freeman. Una Stubbs plays their Baker Street landlady Mrs Hudson and Andrew Scott is Holmes’s nemesis Moriarty. The writing is sharp, the action fast-paced and Cumberbatch is simply brilliant. Don’t miss the dramatic moment Sherlock cops it at the end of series 2. Or does he? Netflix, 4 series
7. Doctor Who
As the latest Doctor struts her stuff, her predecessors – not quite from the beginning of Whovian time, but at least from 2005 – are currently being made available by the BBC for a trip back in time in the Tardis. Take your pick of the six rebooted, regenerated Timelords from Eccleston to Capaldi. BBC iPlayer (until Dec 3)/Netflix, 10 series
8. Twin Peaks
The term ‘Lynchian’ is now in the OED, which notes the director’s penchant for ‘using compelling visual images to emphasise a dreamlike quality of mystery or menace’. Twin Peaks is David Lynch at his most Lynchian. The first two series, in 1990 and 1991, focused on the search for the killer of Laura Palmer. Last year’s Twin Peaks: The Return features some of the most extraordinarily surreal and nightmarish scenes ever filmed. Now TV/Sky, 3 series
9. Mad Men
‘Advertising is based on one thing: happiness,’ says Don Draper (Jon Hamm, above with January Jones as Betty Draper), the deeply unhappy creative director of Sixties New York ad agency Sterling Cooper. But then, nobody who works at Sterling Cooper is happy for very long. The lives of the agency’s staff are set against the cultural and political changes of a tumultuous decade. The arc of Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), who starts as Draper’s secretary but rises to his professional level is one of the most satisfying in TV drama. Netflix, 7 series
10. Downton Abbey
Upstairs, Downstairs as reinvented by Julian Fellowes, this masterful period drama followed the lives of the Crawley family from the sinking of the Titanic through the Great War and the Great Depression. Scripted with perfect nuance and impeccably played by Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and co, it became a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. Amazon Prime, 6 series
Boardwalk Empire stars Steve Buscemi
11. Boardwalk Empire
Prohibition sees the birth of organised crime in Atlantic City, when local politician Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi, right) goes into the bootlegging business. A sumptuous, multi-layered gangster drama, it was garlanded with awards for Martin Scorsese (who directed the pilot), creator Terence Winter (The Sopranos) and Buscemi for a career-best performance. Brit Stephen Graham delivers a barnstorming Al Capone. Now TV, 5 series
12. Homeland
Poor old Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) – the CIA agent’s got rotten luck with boyfriends, who may or may not be terrorists, or are nearly as psychotic as her. She keeps losing her bipolar medication, her daughter and her job due to her increasingly frantic pursuit of the truth. Yet crumple-faced Carrie’s battles with violent jihadis, duplicitous Russians and US turncoats still manage to be some of the most riveting drama on TV. The final series is due on C4 next year. Netflix/DVD, 7 series
13. Happy Valley
Sally Wainwright has written some tremendous TV, including Last Tango In Halifax and At Home With The Braithwaites, but nothing to touch this unsentimental West Yorkshire crime drama. A flawless, Bafta-winning Sarah Lancashire plays the stoical Sgt Catherine Cawood in a series that is down to earth and often devastating. Netflix, 2 series
14. House Of Cards
The 1990 UK original – and to viewers of a certain vintage, best – version of the political power-play drama. Eyebrow-arching Ian Richardson, as dastardly Conservative Chief Whip Francis Urquhart, connives to get himself into the hot seat in Downing Street. DVD, 1 series
15. I, Claudius
The BBC’s 1976 adaptation of Robert Graves’ novels tells the story of the stammering Roman emperor’s accidental rise to power and how he survives the plotting and scheming of those around him. Derek Jacobi in the title role is ably supported by the likes of John Hurt, Siân Phillips and Brian Blessed. DVD, 1 series
16. Sate Of Play
A classic conspiracy thriller from Paul ‘Shameless’ Abbott, this absorbing tale of sexual, political and criminal deception in Westminster stars David Morrissey, John Simm and Bill Nighy. Densely plotted, subtly scripted and, comprising just six episodes, it’s the perfect up-all-night binge. DVD, 1 series
17. GBH
Alan Bleasdale’s political drama sees Michael Murray, a thuggish hard-Left council leader, clash with a more traditional Labour man, mild-mannered headmaster Jim Nelson, in a struggle that threatens to destroy them both. More than 25 years on, this uncompromising take on the hard Left might make uncomfortable viewing for Corbynistas. All4, 1 series
18. 24
Counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer saves America from the bad guys, who often turn out to be people we thought were good guys. Each season covers just 24 hours in Jack’s action-packed life, with each episode depicting the events of a single, adrenalised hour in real time. DVD, 9 series
19. Lost
The biggest hit of the day when it first aired in 2005. A collection of disparate characters are stranded on a tropical island filled with mysterious installations and creatures. It’s Lord Of The Flies meets Forbidden Planet. Is the island sentient? What’s the connection between everyone? Are they really dead? The finale proved one of the most divisive in TV history. DVD, 6 series
20. Line Of Duty
Electrifying and highly intricate police corruption drama from Jed Mercurio (Bodyguard). Adrian Dunbar plays Ted ‘my officers conduct themselves to the letter of the law’ Hastings, the head of anti-corruption unit AC-12, where some of TV’s most tense interrogation scenes take place. Netflix, series 1–3/DVD, series 4
21. The Killing
Denmark’s dysfunctional detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) and her trademark jumper gave us one of the finest Scandi noirs. The first series in particular (one murder, 20 episodes) made for addictively sparse storytelling as she hunts the person responsible for killing a woman in a deserted wood. Unusually, the US remake wasn’t half bad either. Original: DVD, 3 series. US remake: DVD, 3 series
22. This Is England 86, 88 & 90
Shane Meadows’ trilogy, spinning off from his original movie, follows the exploits of a gang of ex-skinheads in the Midlands from the Eighties. It packs an unforgettable emotional punch with standout performances from Baftawinner Vicky McClure and Thomas Turgoose (below). DVD, series 1–2/All 4, series 3
This Is England packs an unforgettable emotional punch with standout performances from Baftawinner Vicky McClure and Thomas Turgoose
23. Inspector Morse
Perhaps the most loved English detective, John Thaw’s Morse is irritable yet sensitive, driven by a sense of duty and as complex as the cryptic crosswords he loves to solve – it took 31 episodes to discover his first name and he remained enigmatic till the end. Colin Dexter’s creation was the gift that kept on giving (Lewis, Endeavour), and it’s perhaps appropriate that the gruff old bugger has resisted the lure of on demand – if you want to appreciate his old-fashioned charms, you’ll have to buy the DVD. DVD, 7 series
It’s impossible to imagine Brideshead without seeing Anthony Andrews (above, with Jeremy Irons) as effete Sebastian Flyte, clutching his teddy bear Aloysius, one arm around Oxford chum Charles Ryder (Irons)
24. Brideshead Revisited
It’s impossible to imagine Brideshead without seeing Anthony Andrews (above, with Jeremy Irons) as effete Sebastian Flyte, clutching his teddy bear Aloysius, one arm around Oxford chum Charles Ryder (Irons), who is seduced by the seemingly glamorous lives of a family of wealthy Catholics ensconced in a palatial country mansion. ITV’s 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s tale of yearning for a lost past, filmed at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, scooped multiple awards and helped pave the way for our love affair with Downton Abbey. DVD, 1 series
26. House
Hugh Laurie won a stack of awards and became the best-paid actor on US TV (£225,000 per episode) for his portrayal as the irascible but brilliant Dr Gregory House. It’s a medical whodunnit, with mysterious cases arriving at a fictional New Jersey hospital and the grumpy, rule-breaking House leading a team of medics as they try to make a diagnosis. The medical ailments will often have you open-jawed in horror as many of them are just as fascinating as the dysfunctional doctors trying to cure them. DVD, 8 series
27. Prime Suspect
Spread across 15 years, Helen Mirren’s stint as DCI/DS Jane Tennison broke new ground on British TV, as the female detective struggled to rise through the ranks, taking on institutional prejudice in the force. Mirren’s performance was subtle and complex, delivering one of TV’s iconic characters. Netflix, 7 series
28. Broadchurch
If you’ve somehow got to the tail end of 2018 without finding out who killed young Danny in the first series, then what are you waiting for? Bafta winner Olivia Colman and David Tennant formed a compelling double act as DS Miller and DI Hardy as nine million viewers hung on their murder investigation in a small Dorset town. Series two jumped the shark. Now TV/Sky, 3 series
29. The Hollow Crown
The BBC’s two cycles of the Bard’s history plays attracted an awesome cast, including Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons, Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and Benedict Cumberbatch. Our country’s famous protagonists battle for England’s throne in the 15th century with more savage bloodshed and deception than Game Of Thrones. DVD, 2 series
30. The Prisoner
‘I am not a number. I am a free man!’ rages ‘Number Six’ at the start of each episode of this Sixties psychedelic psychodrama about a former spy held prisoner – possibly by his paymasters – in a mysterious facility known as The Village. At least, that’s probably what it’s about, as arguments still rage over its exact meaning. DVD, 1 series
31. Six Feet Under
The life and times of a family of Los Angeles undertakers. In the first episode, the father, Nathaniel Fisher, is killed in a car crash. Each subsequent episode begins with a death and uses black humour and quirky drama to reflect on mortality and the uncertainty of life and love. DVD, 5 series
32. Wolf Hall
Murky machinations in the court of Henry VIII. Hilary Mantel’s award-winning tale of the rise of Thomas Cromwell is brought brilliantly to life by thespian célèbre Mark Rylance, nobly supported by Claire Foy and Damian Lewis in a codpiece miniaturised so as not to shock US audiences. The six-part Bafta-winning series won critical acclaim for the BBC – and 4.4 million viewers. DVD, 1 series
It’s hard to overstate the influence of this beloved science-fiction series, in which the crew of the USS Enterprise boldly seek out new civilisations
33. Star Trek
It’s hard to overstate the influence of this beloved science-fiction series, in which the crew of the USS Enterprise boldly seek out new civilisations and promote liberal values to them. Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura) was once persuaded to stay on the show by Martin Luther King, who convinced her that she was a crucial black role model. Oh, and it inspired mobile phones. Netflix, 3 series
34. War & Peace
Andrew Davies’s Tolstoy adaptation for the BBC is a sumptuous costume drama, largely faithful to the original epic despite being limited to just six episodes. Starring James Norton, Lily James (below), Paul Dano and Gillian Anderson, it entertains royally and sports impressive battle scenes. Even the Russians were impressed, calling it ‘a classic with cleavage’. Netflix, 1 series
Starring James Norton, Lily James (above), Paul Dano and Gillian Anderson, War & Peace entertains royally and sports impressive battle scenes
35. Peaky Blinders
Midlands gangster epic hailed as the Brummie Sopranos, following the Shelby clan as they rise from the rulers of the mean streets of Small Heath in the Twenties to become a wannabe global crime syndicate. Stylised violence, showy set-pieces and a kicking soundtrack, held together by an icy central performance from Cillian Murphy. Netflix, series 1–3/ DVD, series 4
36. Luther
Idris Elba made his name in US crime drama The Wire (see No 3) but it was his performance as troubled DCI John Luther that had people talking about him as a future Bond. Luther is a genius crime-buster, but the job has taken its toll on his marriage, his mental state and sometimes his ability to make rational decisions. When he allows a child-killer to fall from a ledge (and into a coma), then later develops an obsessive relationship with a girl he believes to be a psychopathic murderer, it’s indicative of the grey area in which Luther operates. Brilliantly written and superbly acted, this is a police procedural like no other. Netflix, 4 series
37. The Good Wife
When her politician husband is caught up in a sex scandal, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies, below) returns to work as a lawyer after nearly a decade out of the game. British actress Archie Panjabi, who plays a tough investigator, is a serial scene-stealer in this compelling US-based legal drama. Amazon Prime, 7 series
The Good Wife. When her politician husband is caught up in a sex scandal, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies, above) returns to work as a lawyer after nearly a decade out of the game
38. Dexter
Our ‘hero’ Dexter, a blood-spatter expert with the Miami police, also happens to be a psychopathic serial killer whose personal code means he murders only other bad guys. It is testament to the skill of the show-makers that they are able to get an audience on board with such a concept. The opening credits are a work of art in their own right. Now TV/Sky, 8 series
39. Call The Midwife
The BBC’s flagship period drama about a gang of midwife nurses in London’s East End in the Fifties and Sixties goes from strength to strength, with series eight currently in production. Far from just a cosy, heartwarming Sunday night in, the nurses and nuns of Nonnatus House regularly deal with unflinching social issues of the day (abortion, prostitution, single motherhood), while creator Heidi Thomas’s sublime scripts keep female empowerment to the fore. Netflix/Now TV/Sky, series 1–6. DVD, series 7
40. Life On Mars
Present-day police officer Sam Tyler has an accident and wakes up back in 1973, a time when policing was... let’s just say, less constrained by rules. This winning combination of cop show with sci-fi intrigue crackles with great dialogue and has perfect period detail. DVD, 2 series
41. The Fall
DSI Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) is dispatched from London to catch a serial killer (Jamie Dornan) in Belfast. A hypnotic cat-and-mouse thriller ensues, cranking up the scare factor as the hunter becomes the hunted and their mutual self-obsession grows ever more dangerous. Though if we’re honest, you could stop after the first unbearably tense series, but then it wouldn’t be a binge. Amazon Prime, 3 series
42. Deadwood
South Dakota, 1870s. Justice comes through the barrel of a gun in the tough, chaotic mining town of Deadwood, which has more brothels than lawmen. Real-life characters such as ‘Calamity’ Jane, Wild Bill Hickock and the magnificently named Al Swearengen mix with fictional ones in this gritty western. DVD, 3 series
43. Battlestar Galactica
The human survivors of an attack by the Cylons – a race created by us – search for the possibly mythical place known as Earth with their man-made enemy in pursuit. This classy reimagining of the original 1978 series also tackles contemporary political and religious themes, such as despotic leaders and domestic terrorism. Amazon Prime, 4 series
44. The Honourable Woman
Maggie Gyllenhaal won a Golden Globe for her performance in the BBC’s gruelling eight-part miniseries. She’s an Anglo- Jewish baroness hailed for her honourable work with the Palestinian/Israeli peace process, but there follows a labyrinthine plot involving a succession of shady double agents and dark secrets from the past that call into question the very nature of ‘honour’. DVD, 1 series
45. Friday Night Lights
Great sports shows are few and far between. Friday Night Lights is less well known in the UK than it should be, probably because it revolves around a high school American football team. But it’s not really about what happens on the field – it’s about prejudice, economic hardship and small-town life. Creator Peter Berg went on to oversee footie drama Ballers and the recent Amazon fly-on-the-wall series on Manchester City. DVD, 5 series
46. The Americans
It’s a genius idea: two Soviet agents (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) living as a married couple in Reaganera suburban America, using dead drops to pass on military secrets while their unsuspecting children are at school. But what made the show, which ended this year, really brilliant was the way it made viewers sympathise with its anti-heroes. Amazon Prime, series 1-5; DVD only, 6 series
47. The Bridge
Sofia Helin (below) drew something of a cult following as the straight-talking but socially awkward Swedish detective Saga Noren in this gripping Scandi crime thriller. When a body is found sliced in two on the Oresund Bridge connecting Copenhagen and Malmo, with half placed in each country, Saga and her Danish counterpart Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia – currently on our screens in Killing Eve as the assassin’s handler) are tasked with finding the killer. Yes, it’s subtitled but also completely addictive. Make sure you don’t order the American remake by mistake. Amazon Prime, 4 series
The Bridge. Sofia Helin (above) drew something of a cult following as the straight-talking but socially awkward Swedish detective Saga Noren in this gripping Scandi crime thriller
48. Poldark
Aidan Turner needs no introduction as Captain Ross Poldark, the beating heart of the BBC’s Cornish historical romance. If you’ve never taken the plunge, now’s the time to catch up ahead of next year’s fifth and final adventure. Or if you favour the Seventies version, when heroes kept their shirt on, then you’ll have to purchase the DVD. Netflix, series 1-2. DVD, series 3-4
49. Grey’s Anatomy
You’ll need stamina to binge on this much-loved longrunner of a hospital drama as it’s just reached its 15th series. Dismissed by some as Ally McBeal in scrubs, it’s stayed the course for a reason, combining romance, comedy and a gift for natural storytelling from creator and showrunner Shonda Rhimes. Amazon Prime, 14 series
Sandra Oh in Grey’s Anatomy. Dismissed by some as Ally McBeal in scrubs, it’s stayed the course for a reason
50. Cold Feet
Britain’s answer to Friends (minus the canned laughter) follows the lives and loves of three 30-something couples in Manchester, starring James Nesbitt, Helen Baxendale, John Thomson, Fay Ripley, Robert Bathurst and Hermione Norris (who were all household names come the end of the original five-series run). It was revived in 2016 – but you can’t beat the 1997 original. Netflix, 6 series
...and how many of these 50 hot new dramas have you seen?
Modern masterpieces
1. The Crown
Netflix claims its scintillating royal drama is the most expensive TV series ever made – reportedly costing up to £7.5 million per episode. Claire Foy and Matt Smith play Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the first two seasons, which show the Queen growing into her role, learning how to deal with a husband resentful of his subordinate position, a naughty fun-loving younger sister and tricky prime ministers. There’s a watershed moment in the first series when the young monarch finds the confidence and courage to give Lord Salisbury and Churchill a right royal ticking-off for keeping her in the dark. Has the Queen watched the show? It has been reported that one has – and that one enjoyed it, too. Netflix, 2 series
Netflix claims its scintillating royal drama is the most expensive TV series ever made – reportedly costing up to £7.5 million per episode. Claire Foy and Matt Smith play Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the first two seasons, which show the Queen growing into her role
2. True Detective
The first season offered a ripe, atmospheric slice of Southern gothic as two Louisiana detectives – Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson – investigate ritualistic murders seemingly linked to a quasi-religious cult. McConaughey’s character, Rust Cohle, experiences hallucinations as a result of his years as an undercover drugs cop, and is given to making gnomic pronouncements such as: ‘Time is a flat circle.’ The second season, set in California, with a new cast and storyline, was less well received – but hopes are high for the upcoming third, about missing children in Missouri. DVD, 2 series
3. The People v OJ Simpson
Mesmerising dramatisation of the highly charged ‘trial of the century’ of the American football star for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. You know the verdict, but that doesn’t make this any less powerful. It won more Emmys than any other show in 2016, including awards for Sarah Paulson and Sterling K Brown, who play the prosecutors. John Travolta is mightily impressive as defence lawyer Robert Shapiro, while Friends star David Schwimmer plays Simpson’s buddy Robert Kardashian – yes, the father of those Kardashians. Netflix, 1 series
Eve is an MI5 operative who becomes obsessed with tracking down a beautiful, psychopathic assassin. She’s called Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and she revels in killing her targets in the most bloody of ways
5. Fargo
This slick, often surreal and always entertaining black-comedy crime drama was inspired by the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie classic and is set in the same fictional universe. It follows an anthology format, so each season stands on its own, but why not start at the beginning, when ruthless, manipulative killer Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton, who won a Golden Globe for the role) wreaks havoc on the life of hapless insurance salesman Lester (Martin Freeman) and sends the local cops into meltdown. As with the original film, each episode begins with the superimposed text: ‘This is a true story.’ Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Netflix, 3 series
6. The Handmaid’s Tale
The adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel set in the totalitarian society of Gilead is an unflinching feminist horror. Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss simmers with quiet rage as Offred, who is enslaved as ‘breeding stock’ for ruler Joseph Fiennes. Transfixing, dreadfully dark and at times redefining the notion of a tough watch – season two’s opening sequence tricked viewers into thinking they were about to witness a mass hanging (that’s the nearest the show gets to ‘a joke’). Some critics deemed it ‘misery porn’ or even ‘torture porn’, but Atwood herself would have none of it, complimenting the makers on ‘a tippety-top job’. Now TV/Sky (series 1) and DVD (series 2, on Dec 3)
7. Narcos
The story of Colombian drug enforcement agents’ struggle to bring down the notorious billionaire cocaine baron Pablo Escobar with the help of the US DEA is shocking, brutal and highly addictive. The real-life details of how Escobar became a folk hero to many poor Colombians, paying for schools and hospitals, before they turned against his relentless campaign of killing is astonishing. There’s plenty of humanity amid the carnage, and at times you even find yourself rooting for the criminals – but, of course, we know how it ends... Netflix, 3 series
8. House of Cards
The original streaming phenomenon that heralded Netflix’s emergence as a superpower of on-demand TV. This US remake of the original BBC production is a slick, engrossing political drama following the power-grab of merciless congressman Frank Underwood (a reptilian Kevin Spacey). Series four and five waned once Underwood settled into the White House, so it may be no bad thing that Spacey was fired for the final series, which drops Nov 2. Netflix, 5 series
9. The Night Of
The American legal system is under the spotlight in this taut drama about Nasir Khan, the son of a Pakistani immigrant, who wakes up hungover after a one-night stand to find the body of the woman he spent it with. His family can only afford a shabby, low-rent lawyer. Is he defending a guilty man? Brit Riz Ahmed is excellent in the lead role, as is John Turturro as his lawyer. DVD, 1 series
10. Transparent
Ground-breaking comedy-drama that became the first on-demand series to win an Emmy award. Jeffrey Tambor plays Mort/Maura, the transgender head of a Los Angeles family whose ongoing struggles to deal with this emotional bombshell made this one of the most moving dramas on TV. The forthcoming season is on hold after Tambor was fired from the series following two allegations of sexual harassment. Amazon Prime, 4 series
11. Ray Donovan
Liev Schreiber stars as professional fixer Ray, the go-to guy for the great and the good in Hollywood whose problems are a breeze compared to sorting out his own dubious family. Jon Voight invariably steals the show as Ray’s scheming crook of a dad. Nothing fancy here, just great, old-fashioned, character-driven storytelling. Now TV/Sky, 5 series
12. Babylon Berlin
Shell-shocked police officer Gereon Rath and his sidekick Charlotte Ritter tangle with Stalinists, Trotskyists, fascists and the Armenian mob in this lavish drama set in Weimar Berlin. It’s the most expensive German TV series ever, with spectacular and thrilling set- pieces. Now TV/Sky, 2 series
14. A Very English Scandal
The extraordinary true story of Jeremy Thorpe’s affair with Norman Scott and the Liberal leader’s subsequent trial for conspiracy to murder. Hugh Grant (below) is excellent as the politician. Ben Whishaw is the luckless Scott who really only wants a new national insurance card. Now TV/ Sky, 1 series
A Very English Scandal is the extraordinary true story of Jeremy Thorpe’s affair with Norman Scott. Hugh Grant is excellent as the politician
15. Black Mirror
Charlie Brooker’s anthology series is a modern-day Twilight Zone, with each episode imagining a none too implausible near-future nightmare, when technology leads us into very bad places. ‘Nosedive’, for example, imagines a world in which everyone you meet can rate your personality out of five stars. For approval-obsessed Lacie Pound (Bryce Dallas Howard), the plummeting of her rating towards zero is the beginning of her life falling completely apart. Dark, creepy and utterly compelling, it’s a biting satire on today’s society – and a terrifying predictor of a potential dystopian future one. Netflix, 4 series
16. The Missing
Dogged French detective Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo) is the fulcrum of two traumatic, gut-wrenchingly visceral child-abduction cases from the rapidly rising Williams brothers. Compelling and haunting, these make for addictive binges, aided by a top cast including James Nesbitt, Keeley Hawes and David Morrissey. Amazon Prime (series 1) and DVD (series 2)
17. Patrick Melrose
Benedict Cumberbatch is so dazzling as drug-addled Patrick at the start of this absorbing drama, based on the novels of Edward St Aubyn, you can’t take your eyes off him. What can possibly have happened to put the charming, educated Patrick in this mess? As the action flashes backwards to his privileged but traumatic childhood in the South of France, and we meet his monster of a father (Hugo Weaving), we begin to find out. DVD and Now TV/Sky, 1 series
19. The Affair
The emotional fallout from Dominic West and Ruth Wilson’s catastrophic affair (below) has now spawned four series. Complex and glossy, at its best it’s a provocative, deeply involving psychodrama. And if series three veered off piste, series four reined it right back on track. Now TV/Sky, 4 series
The Affair. The emotional fallout from Dominic West and Ruth Wilson’s catastrophic affair has now spawned four series
20. Mindhunter
The story of two FBI agents (played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany) pioneering the art of criminal profiling in the late Seventies is both gripping and chilling. The pair hit upon the idea of interviewing serial killers to try to work out what makes them tick – then use that knowledge to solve new cases. Netflix, 1 series
21. Legion
This X-Men spin-off stars Downton’s Dan Stevens as a psychiatric patient who has trouble distinguishing hallucinations from reality. But is he mentally ill – or a mutant? We, the viewers, have as much trouble working out what’s really going on as he does but it looks and sounds so great that it doesn’t really seem to matter. Now TV/Sky, 2 series
22. Stranger Things
One of Netflix’s biggest hits. With the help of a mysterious girl with psychokinetic abilities, a group of young friends in Hawkins, Indiana, have to deal with the extra-dimensional fallout of sinister government experiments. It’s an affectionate Spielberg-esque homage to Eighties pop culture and music, with a welcome return to form for Winona Ryder. Netflix, 2 series
The Night Manager. The stylish adaptation of John le Carré’s 1993 novel was a smash hit for the BBC. Amazon Prime, 1 series
23. Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Down these mean streets goes Jessica Jones, a spiky superhero turned sarcastic private eye in a stylish and noirish addition to the Marvel universe. Jones (Krysten Ritter) has some great one-liners. ‘Talk about obvious,’ she says to Kilgrave, the bad guy. ‘Was Murdercorpse already taken?’ Netflix, 2 series
Doctor Foster. Stand-out moment: that dinner party from hell in series one
24. Doctor Foster
Suranne Jones (right) is superb as the wronged/unhinged doc in Mike Bartlett’s compelling, at times bonkers psychodrama, which gave us TV’s most loathsome ever couple in Gemma and Simon. Look out for Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer as Simon’s lover. Stand-out moment: that dinner party from hell in series one. Netflix, series 1; DVD, series 2
25. Fauda
Israeli-made Fauda is an almost unbearably tense thriller about an undercover military unit operating in the Palestinian areas of the West Bank. It’s said to be as popular with Arabs as with Israelis and the series shows that both sides are prepared to torture and murder to achieve their aims. It’s edge-of-the-seat entertainment, and a unique insight into what’s really going on in the Middle East. Netflix, 2 series
26. Better Call Saul
The prequel to Breaking Bad fills in the back story of the charismatic Albuquerque lawyer on his journey to becoming the morally questionable associate of teacher turned meth-maker Walter White (Bryan Cranston). It’s a slow-burner, sharing its progenitor’s cinematic grandeur and taking full advantage of the comic chops of Bob Odenkirk. Netflix, 4 series
27. The Night Manager
The stylish adaptation of John le Carré’s 1993 novel was a smash hit for the BBC. A classic piece of espionage escapism, it’s a glamorous affair with Tom Hiddleston’s agent infiltrating Hugh Laurie’s arms-dealing empire, overseen by Olivia Colman’s pregnant MI6 operative; all three won Golden Globes. Amazon Prime, 1 series
29. Big Little Lies
The wealthy women of Monterey, an upmarket, beachfront community in California, have perfect lives: amazing homes, stable relationships with loving husbands, beautiful children – how could they possibly be unhappy? Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon (below) star in a glossy saga with a very dark heart. DVD, 1 series
Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon (above) star in a glossy saga with a very dark heart
30. Westworld
What happens when the robots in a Wild West theme park become self-aware and turn on the humans who spend their free time killing and abusing them? Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as the creator of the fantasy world, but it’s Thandie Newton as one of the rebellious androids who steals the show. Now TV (series 1) and DVD (series 1 and 2)
31. Orange Is The New Black
Prisoner Cell Block H for the modern era? Not quite. Netflix’s most popular original series was initially centred on the experiences inside a New York prison of upper middle-class Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling). But over six series it diversified into gang violence and even transsexual inmates. Netflix and DVD, 6 series
32. Billions
Swaggering, high-stakes financial thriller as two adversaries – hedge-fund king Bobby ‘Axe’ Axelrod and US attorney Chuck Rhoades – face off on Wall Street. It’s a roller-coaster ride between Emmy winners Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti as the power games switch to and fro, with a terrific ensemble cast. Now TV, 3 series
33. Daredevil
Brit actor Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) plays blind superhero Matt Murdock, attorney by day, saving New York by night, in a Marvel series that crosses the geek divide and has universal appeal. Violent and noir-ish, it boasts brains and brawn. Netflix, 3 series
35. Mr Robot
A cyber-security engineer is recruited as a hacker by a group of vigilantes taking on corporate power. Starring Rami Malek (soon to appear as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic) and Christian Slater, it’s a timely conspiracy thriller with an edgily subversive script. TV’s cyber revolution starts here. Amazon Prime, 3 series
36. Hannibal
Mads Mikkelsen is mesmeric as the pre-Silence Of The Lambs Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist by day and creative cannibal by night. The gory set-pieces can make it a challenging watch, but you may just find it deliciously addictive. Serial killing has never looked so artful. Netflix, 3 series
37. Orphan Black
Smart, scandalously underwatched Canadian sci-fi drama about a female clone’s mission to find her ‘sisters’. A global conspiracy thriller meets revenge drama, it’s held together by the scintillating, Emmy-award-winning performance(s) of Tatiana Maslany. A one-woman show, and then some. Netflix, 5 series
38. Outlander
A 20th-century nurse finds herself thrown back in time to 18th-century Scotland, where she falls in love with a highlander, is caught up in the Jacobite rebellion and uses her knowledge of medicine and history to her advantage. Romance, action and glorious scenery in equal measure. Amazon Prime, 3 series
39. Unforgotten
A surprise creeper hit for ITV, DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan (Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar) have become one of TV’s most popular police pairings. Beautifully crafted and with very human stories, it’s a cold-case detective series with a big heart. Netflix (series 1 & 2) and DVD (series 3)
40. The Man In The High Castle
What if the wrong side had won WWII? Philip K Dick’s counterfactual history novel was adapted in 2015 by Amazon into what became its most-streamed drama. It’s 1962: the US is divided between the Axis victors, the Third Reich and Imperial Japan. Provocative imagery (swastikas over New York and a sieg-heiling Statue of Liberty) and gripping storylines as Resistance fighters stand up to their brutal overlords kept viewers glued for two series. The third is now showing. Amazon Prime, 3 series
What if the wrong side had won WWII? Philip K Dick’s counterfactual history novel was adapted in 2015 by Amazon into what became its most-streamed drama
41. Sharp Objects
Adapted from Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn’s debut novel. Amy Adams is a reporter with a drink problem who returns to her home town to write about the disappearance of a girl. This disturbing series rewards careful viewing. Be sure to watch the credits of the final episode. DVD mid-November, 1 series
42. The Walking Dead
When something turns the vast majority of people into ‘walkers’ – rotting, flesh-hungry zombies – the few remaining unaffected humans must battle them, and each other, to survive in a ruined, post-apocalyptic world. Starring Brits such as Andrew Lincoln and David Morrissey, this ongoing show is as gripping as it is gory. Now TV/Sky, 8 series
43. Bodyguard
You missed it? Really? The thriller that had the nation gripped last month stars Richard Madden as David Budd, a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a protection officer and assigned as the bodyguard to Keeley Hawes’ Home Secretary (below, with Madden). The plot, by Line Of Duty writer Jed Mercurio, zig-zags through the series as first Budd goes to bed with his new boss, then saves her from a terror attack and finally finds himself the chief suspect in a series of grisly murders. The most talked-about show of the year, it richly deserves its place in this list. BBC iPlayer, 1 series
The thriller that had the nation gripped last month stars Richard Madden as David Budd, a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a protection officer and assigned as the bodyguard to Keeley Hawes’ Home Secretary
45. Deutschland 83
The DDR’s sinister Stasi was the unlikely subject for the surprise hit of 2016: a German-language drama that saw border guard Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) being posted to the decadent West to work as a spy. Viewers loved the subtle humour and lashings of cheesy Eighties pop. A follow-up series, set in 1986, will be shown on Channel 4 early next year. All4 and DVD, 1 series
46. Gomorrah
Imagine The Wire relocated to the grimy streets of Naples and you’re getting close to the vibe of this glamour-free Mafia crime drama following the Camorra syndicate. ‘See Naples and die’ could be the show’s refrain. Makes The Sopranos look cuddly. Now TV, 3 series
47. Maniac
Troubled misfits played by Emma Stone and Jonah Hill take part in the trial of an experimental drug supposed to fix all their mental problems. Strap yourself in for a visually stunning, mind-meltingly strange trip. Directed by Cary Fukunaga, who is to helm the next Bond film. Netflix, 1 series
48. Ozark
It’s one crisis after another for financial planner Marty Hyde (a brilliant Jason Bateman) as he scrambles to launder $500m in the Ozark Mountains, Missouri, to pay off a debt to a drug cartel in this darkly comic crime thriller. Meanwhile, wife Wendy (the excellent Laura Linney) and the couple’s two teenage children face up to an equally tough task: making friends with the locals. Netflix, 2 series
49. Penny Dreadful
From the writer of Skyfall and Gladiator, this sumptuous horror drama revolves around the evil-fighting exploits of Miss Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) and Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), who battle vampires and witches. Dr Frankenstein, Count Dracula and Dorian Grey all make an appearance. Now TV, 3 series
50. The Terror
A true hidden gem, this icy supernatural horror will gnaw away at your soul. Jared Harris and Ciaran Hinds lead a doomed 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage, only to sail straight into a full-on nautical nightmare. Menacing, brutal and not for the faint-hearted. AMC channel on BT TV, 1 series
Mark Wareham, Neil Armstrong, Struan Robertson and Nick Bagot