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)
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, opposite page) 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
2. GAME OF THRONES
Feuding dynasties are battling for control of Westeros. Cersei Lannister, 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. The cast is largely British with several Irish members 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 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 quickwitted, 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
6. THE WEST WING
Chosen by Peter Hitchens I should loathe The West Wing, a sort of soap opera about American ultra-liberals trying to take over the world. It might as well be called ‘The Left Wing’ – it’s obviously the Clinton presidency as its supporters wish it had been, rather than the sordid flop it actually was. But, having lived in Washington DC for two thrilling years, and held a White House press pass, I find its crackling dialogue and rapid plotting compelling despite its obvious flaws. I have to limit myself to a maximum of three episodes in a row. DVD, 7 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. Netflix, 10 series
8. TWIN PEAKS
The term ‘Lynchian’ is now in the Oxford English Dictionary, 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, below 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
11. BOARDWALK EMPIRE
Prohibition sees the birth of organised crime in Atlantic City, when local politician Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi, inset, right) goes into the bootlegging business. A sumptuous, multilayered gangster drama, it was garlanded with awards for Martin Scorsese (who directed the pilot), creator Terence Winter (The Sopranos) and Buscemi for a careerbest performance. 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 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’s 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. STATE 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, mildmannered 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 Corbyn fans. 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
29. 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 in the Eighties. It packs an unforgettable emotional punch with standout performances from Bafta winner Vicky McClure and Stephen Graham. Thomas Turgoose, left, also stars. DVD, series 1-2. All4, series 3
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
24. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
It’s impossible to imagine Brideshead without seeing Anthony Andrews (top right, 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 viewers’ 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 ($300,000 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, rulebreaking 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 millions of 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, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Gambon. The 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
34. LOVE/HATE
RTÉ’s gangland epic was its biggest ever drama success, and a reminder that, with proper investment, homegrown stories can be as captivating and as polished as anything that the streaming giants can pull off. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Nidge remains one of the most compelling characters of the small screen in recent years. DVD, 5 series
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 crimebuster, 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) returns to work as a lawyer after nearly a decade out of the game. Archie Panjabi, who plays a tough investigator, is a serial scene-stealer in this compelling US-based legal drama. Amazon Prime, 7 series
38. STAR TREK
It’s difficult 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
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 showmakers 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 AngloJewish 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 that call into question the 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 here 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-onthe-wall series on Manchester
City. DVD, 5 series
46. THE AMERICANS
It’s a genius idea: two Soviet agents (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) live as a couple in Reagan-era 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, brilliant was the way it made viewers sympathise with its anti-heroes. Amazon Prime, series 1-5; DVD only, 6 series
48. POLDARK
Aidan Turner needs no introduction as Captain Ross Poldark, the beating heart of this 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. If you favour the 1970s version, when heroes kept their shirt on, buy the DVD. Netflix, series 1-2. DVD, series 3-4
49. GREY’S ANATOMY
You’ll need stamina to binge on this muchloved long-runner 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. DVD, 14 series/Netflix
50. COLD FEET
Britain’s answer to Friends (minus the canned laughter) follows the lives and loves of three couples in Manchester, the cast, includes James Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale. It was revived in 2016 – but you can’t beat the 1997 original. Netflix, 6 series