Drama & Action TV Shows: My Favorites
A catchall list for TV series that do not fit any of my other lists. Most will be dramas, action and non-comedic light dramas.
I tried very hard to not include anything that fell into my core genres (Superhero, Sci-fi, horror) since they have their own carefully curated lists. So there might be dramas and action shows that clearly belong here but I left them off this list to keep duplicates to near zero.
Ongoing, active series listed first.
I tried very hard to not include anything that fell into my core genres (Superhero, Sci-fi, horror) since they have their own carefully curated lists. So there might be dramas and action shows that clearly belong here but I left them off this list to keep duplicates to near zero.
Ongoing, active series listed first.
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- CreatorLauren LeFrancStarsColin FarrellCristin MiliotiRhenzy FelizFollowing the events of The Batman (2022), Oz Cobb, a.k.a. the Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham.miniseries / 8 episodes: 2024
03feb2025: I have watched the first 3 episodes and am blown away at how good this is.
04feb2025: Finished the 8-episode series. Great cast, top-notch writing, everything tied together to perfection. One of the best written TV series I've seen in a long time.
It's not a superhero kind of TV series, it's much closer to the drama and story-telling of The Sopranos. It's the reason why this miniseries is listed here and not on my superhero list.
I haven't read what anyone else has opined about the ending but... I thought it ended in the only way it could end. It reminded us all who The Penguin really is. - CreatorsDavid PastorÀlex PastorStarsSean TealeAllison MillerEddie RamosA man attempts to thwart a giant corporation that seems to have unlimited power.18feb2025: I finished watching the first 4 episodes and I really like it. This is binge-worthy good.
I love the futuristic corporate setting, the characters, the surrounding dystopia (this could be us in a few years).
This 2016 series seems so relevant today.
Will continue updating this entry as I go through more episodes but I expect to go through this series very quickly.
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19feb2025: Made it through the end of episode 8. This is an absolute gem of a show. I have two remaining episodes queued for tomorrow.
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20feb2025: Finished the last 2 episodes.
This series had good closure for the first season's main theme. It left some loose ends and created new open threads in the last half of the final episode that was to help segue it into a season 2.
I'm actually glad there was no season 2. I didn't like the direction they seemed to want to take season 2 into. It felt more convoluted than it needed to be. This segue did not negatively impact how engaging season 1 was.
Rating this an 8 overall because it seemed to lose itself during that last episode. - CreatorDebora CahnStarsKeri RussellRufus SewellDavid GyasiIn the midst of an international crisis, Kate Wyler, a career diplomat, lands in a high-profile job for which she is not suited, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future.2 seasons / 14 episodes: Ongoing Series
This is the second Keri Russell series to make this list. She's picked another winner.
Although I felt the season 1 story was stretched out a bit... the performances, the character growth/depth, the actual story-telling drama more than made up for any minor complaints I may have had.
I have yet to watch the second season (as of 29nov2024). If it's as good as the first... The Diplomat definitely deserves to be on this list. - CreatorsBrad FalchukAmy WangByron WuStarsMichelle YeohJustin ChienSam Song LiCharles Sun, a Taipei gangster who's settled into his life as a ruthless killer, must go to L.A. to protect his mother and younger brother after his father is shot by a mysterious assassin.1 season / 8 episodes: Series Complete
The complete first season aired 04jan2024. I started watching this on 09jan2024 and have been motoring through it!
It's a great series, great characters, good plot. It's a mix of serious and light drama - well executed to draw you in. It also isn't plot hole heavy; that is... it's well-written.
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update, 12jan2024: Finished the series. Loved the way it ended. Great closure. - CreatorsJosh AppelbaumBryan OhDavid WeilStarsRichard MaddenPriyanka Chopra JonasStanley TucciGlobal spy agency Citadel has fallen, and its agents' memories were wiped clean. Now the powerful syndicate, Manticore, is rising in the void. Can the Citadel agents recollect their past and summon the strength to fight back?1 season / 6 episodes: Ongoing Series
This series is outside of my area of interest (spy, action). I started watching episode 1 and was surprised at how good it was. I kept watching.
There was outstanding acting along with good mystery / drama.
Occasionally there are convoluted (sometimes contrived) action scenes that cross into the ridiculous. They are so over-engineered that the scenes become laughable.
I dislike this aspect of the series very much. It doesn't need it. Pick an audience! Children or normal adult people.
Overall, season 1 was great. I'm not sure this series will continue to pull me in but I am definitely looking forward to a season 2. After season 2, I'll decide if it truly deserves to be on this list. - CreatorLauren Schmidt HissrichStarsFreya AllanHenry CavillAnya ChalotraGeralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.3 seasons / 24 episodes: Ongoing Series
The first season was one of the best arcs, for any genre, written for the small screen. It had a Games of Throne feel. Character depth, history, multiple storylines, amazing. Rating 10.
The second season was a massive dip in layered story-telling.
In season 2, the focus shifted to just a couple of key characters. There was little effort in building the dynamics (and politics) of the world they lived in. The season 1 world was full of many other characters that were given lots of airtime. Characters who also had real stories to tell.
In season 2, now everyone else felt like a background character to Geralt and the young girl. In contrast, in season 1 everyone felt like the star of the show allowing Geralt to stand out more when he interacted with other core storylines.
Rating season 2 a (very generous) 5. Sad Face for season 2's lack of effort and segue into the laziest kind of linear, money-grubbing writing:-(
Not sure if a season 3 will turn things around. It will decide if this series remains on this list. Honestly... I've lost nearly all my interest in continuing to watch this series because season 2 was the very definition of "meh..." but I'll give it one last chance at some point. - CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student to secure his family's future.
- CreatorsDavid BenioffD.B. WeissStarsEmilia ClarkePeter DinklageKit HaringtonNine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.8 seasons / 73 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorDavid SimonStarsDominic WestLance ReddickSonja SohnThe Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.5 seasons / 60 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorDavid ChaseStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoNew Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.6 seasons / 86 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorsMichelle KingRobert KingStarsJulianna MarguliesChris NothJosh CharlesAlicia Florrick has been a good wife to her husband, a former state's attorney. After a very humiliating sex and corruption scandal, he is behind bars. She must now provide for her family and returns to work as a litigator in a law firm.7 seasons / 156 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorJoseph WeisbergStarsKeri RussellMatthew RhysKeidrich SellatiAt the height of the Cold War, married KGB spies pose as Americans in Washington, D.C.6 seasons / 75 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorCraig MazinStarsJessie BuckleyJared HarrisStellan SkarsgårdIn April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.1 season / 5 episodes: miniseries Complete
- CreatorSam EsmailStarsRami MalekChristian SlaterCarly ChaikinElliot, a brilliant but unstable cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global chaos when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation his company is paid to protect.4 seasons / 45 episodes: Series Complete
Very real-world techy, anti-establishment in a powerful drama that often looks into the darker side of both individuals and society.
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personal side note: nice to see Linux featured here.
<soapbox>
Linux is the easy to use, completely free, privacy respecting alternative to the spyware Desktop Operating System you are likely using.
This aspect alone has drawn many millions of users from all corners of the globe while essentially running the servers that run the internet.
To keep things simple: Start your search with Linux Mint. There's a lot of help to get it installed on virtually any laptop.
</soapbox> - DirectorJames WatkinsStarsAlex LawtherJerome FlynnSusannah DoyleWhen withdrawn Kenny stumbles headlong into an online trap, he is quickly forced into an uneasy alliance with shifty Hector, both at the mercy of persons unknown.Single episode: Anthology Series: Black Mirror
You don't need to see the entire Black Mirror TV series to enjoy this episode, since every episode is completely standalone and none are related to each other.
I don't plan to include too many single episodes on this list. But this episode deserves to be singled out as one of the best dramatic (and unnerving) episodes I've ever seen on TV.
One of the few episodes in this series with no sci-fi. It's a modern day drama that will draw you in (elements of Chosen, 2013), pull you in emotionally and highlighted by the superb performance of Alex Lawther (as Kenny). - CreatorsBen KetaiRyan LewisStarsCaitlin CarmichaelChad Michael MurrayNicky WhelanIan Mitchell discovers a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a gun and a photo of a stranger he must kill in the next three days. If he doesn't kill him, he'll be endangering the safety of himself and his family.3 seasons / 18 episodes: Series Complete
This is a pulse-pounding, dramatic, edge of your seat hidden gem originally from Crackle. What would you do in a similar situation? What could you do? - CreatorDennis KellyStarsAdeel AkhtarPaul HigginsNeil MaskellAfter a group of people, who meet online, discover a bizarre graphic novel which seems to hold mysterious answers, they find themselves being tracked down by a merciless organization known merely as 'The Network'.2 seasons / 12 episodes: Series Complete
It's been quite a few years since I saw this. It's on my watchlist to see again. One word I use to describe this series is "brave".
It established itself early on as a series that was willing to break unthinkable norms to set a tone and tell its story. - CreatorBeau WillimonStarsKevin SpaceyMichel GillRobin WrightA Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.6 seasons / 73 episodes: Series Complete
I watched the first three seasons of this series. I felt the first two seasons were great TV. I seem to recall that my interest started to wane with season 3 but enough time has passed that I can't remember specifically why.
I have to admit that I put 'House of Cards' on the back burner to concentrate on some other shows. After a time, well-publicized issues with the lead actor forced me to shelve it further. To date, I never got around to the final 3 seasons. - CreatorsVince GilliganPeter GouldStarsBob OdenkirkRhea SeehornJonathan BanksThe trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.6 seasons / 63 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorsGlenn KesslerTodd A. KesslerDaniel ZelmanStarsGlenn CloseRose ByrneTate DonovanA law school graduate becomes the protégée of a successful high-stakes litigator.5 seasons / 59 episodes: Series Complete
First three seasons belong on this list. The last two seasons (picked up by another network) do not and can be (yes... they should be) skipped. - CreatorDavid FarrStarsEsme Creed-MilesMireille EnosÁine Rose DalyIn equal parts high-concept thriller and coming-of-age drama, HANNA follows the journey of an extraordinary young girl raised in the forest, as she evades the relentless pursuit of an off-book CIA agent and tries to unearth the truth behind who she is.3 seasons / 22 episodes: Series Complete
This series turned out to be even better than I expected. Because of the TV format, there's a richness to the storyline that's just not possible in a film.
While I expected Hanna (enhanced human on the run), I did not expect that the Marissa Wiegler character (Mireille Enos) would deliver so much depth to the series. - CreatorMichael HirstStarsKatheryn WinnickGustaf SkarsgårdAlexander LudwigVikings transports us to the brutal and mysterious world of Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior and farmer who yearns to explore--and raid--the distant shores across the ocean.6 seasons / 89 episodes: Series Complete
The Ragnar Lothbrok years is what makes this series a Favorite Drama.
The seasons after Ragnar, are watchable with some good story arcs but, on their own... meh-ish. - CreatorFarhad SafiniaStarsKelsey GrammerConnie NielsenHannah WareMayor Tom Kane, diagnosed with a dementia disorder, struggles to keep his grip on power in Chicago.2 seasons / 18 episodes: Series Complete
- CreatorsBill DubuqueMark WilliamsStarsJason BatemanLaura LinneySofia HublitzA financial advisor drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder money to appease a drug boss.4 seasons / 44 episodes: Series Complete
There are enough elements in this series where one says... "this would have happened differently in some semblance of real life".
As a series representing real-life drama under unusual circumstances (like 'Breaking Bad'), these elements diminish the series slightly. - CreatorJonathan E. SteinbergStarsMark ValleyChi McBrideJackie Earle HaleyA unique bodyguard protects his clients by secretly infiltrating their lives in order to draw out and eliminate threats.2 seasons / 25 episodes: Series Complete
Fun, engaging, great performances. Mark Valley really knows how to carry a series. He's got great natural charisma
Jackie Earle Haley has mastered the tough guy role. If you liked him as Rorschach, you'll like him as Guerrero.
Chi McBride is masterful as a stabilizing presence. Human Target puts together one of the great castings I've ever watched.
