My Favorite Television Shows & Movies
by mbihari | created - 08 Jun 2012 | updated - 20 Jan 2013 | PublicI'm not a big fan of network TV but I do like many of the shows and movies being created for cable. Most of these I watch on disc or streaming to fit my schedule and, in some cases, to avoid annoying ads!
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. 24 (2001–2014)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster.
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert
Votes: 196,516
2. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 761,638
3. Justified (2010–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Enforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts
Votes: 118,041
4. Bones (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 40 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth teams up with the Jeffersonian's top anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, to investigate cases where all that's left of the victims are their bones.
Stars: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne
Votes: 175,446
5. Doc Martin (2004–2022)
TV-14 | 46 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The trials and tribulations of Martin Ellingham, a brilliant but socially challenged doctor who moves from London to the picturesque village of Port Wenn in Cornwall.
Stars: Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz, Ian McNeice, Joe Absolom
Votes: 20,078
6. Downton Abbey (2010–2015)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Brendan Coyle
Votes: 223,921
7. The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001–2007)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
British crime investigation series based around aristocratic, Oxford-educated Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class assistant Sergeant Barbara Havers.
Stars: Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Lesley Vickerage, Paul Hickey
Votes: 5,716
8. MI-5 (2002–2011)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The missions of MI-5, the UK's domestic intelligence organization.
Stars: Peter Firth, Hugh Simon, Nicola Walker, Rupert Penry-Jones
Votes: 18,259
9. Oz (1997–2003)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.
Stars: Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters
Votes: 106,310
10. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 993,177
11. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New 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.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 466,788
12. Wire in the Blood (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 69 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A psychologist gets inside of the minds of both killers and victims to aid the police in solving gruesome serial killings in Northern England.
Stars: Robson Green, Mark Letheren, Emma Handy, Mark Penfold
Votes: 9,328
13. The 39 Steps (2008 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 90 min | Adventure, Crime, Mystery
Richard Hannay, a mining engineer on holiday from the African colonies, finds London socialite life terribly dull. Yet it's more than he bargained for when secret agent, Scudder, bursts ... See full summary »
Director: James Hawes | Stars: Rupert Penry-Jones, Lydia Leonard, David Haig, Patrick Malahide
Votes: 2,381
14. Angels in America (2003)
TV-MA | 352 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Several disparate but connected individuals go through the AIDS crisis in the mid-1980s.
Stars: Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 29,701
15. John Adams (2008)
TV-14 | 71 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of one of the USA's Founding Fathers, its second President, and his role in the nation's first 50 years.
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, John Dossett, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 36,415
16. Pennies from Heaven (1978–1979)
450 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A travelling sheet music salesman with an uptight wife throws everything away for the love of an innocent school teacher in the romantic spirit of the music he loves, that bursts into his life in full song-and-dance numbers.
Stars: Cheryl Campbell, Bob Hoskins, Gemma Craven, Kenneth Colley
Votes: 1,206
17. The Singing Detective (1986)
415 min | Drama, Musical, Mystery
Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
Stars: Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahide, Joanne Whalley, David Ryall
Votes: 4,796
18. Inspector Lewis (2006–2015)
TV-PG | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
DI Robert Lewis and DS James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them.
Stars: Kevin Whately, Laurence Fox, Clare Holman, Rebecca Front
Votes: 15,754
19. Torchwood (2006– )
TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.
Stars: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Kai Owen, Gareth David-Lloyd
Votes: 43,358
20. Firefly (2002–2003)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 280,873
21. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,121,854
22. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 680 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 18,368
23. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)
TV-PG | 214 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The story of Jack Johnson, the first African-American Heavyweight boxing champion.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Jack Johnson, Keith David, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Arkin
Votes: 1,688
24. Woody Allen: A Life in Film (2002 TV Movie)
90 min | Documentary, Biography
A series of interviews with Woody Allen interlaced with clips from his films.
Director: Richard Schickel | Star: Woody Allen
Votes: 451
25. Wallander (2005–2013)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Swedish cop in a small town by the Baltic coast.
Stars: Krister Henriksson, Fredrik Gunnarsson, Mats Bergman, Douglas Johansson
Votes: 6,175 | Gross: $0.01M
26. Queer as Folk (1999–2000)
TV-MA | 48 min | Comedy, Drama
A groundbreaking gay adult drama which chronicles the lives of Stuart and Vince, as well as 15-year-old Nathan, who is in love with Stuart.
Stars: Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly, Charlie Hunnam, Denise Black
Votes: 7,583
27. Wallander (2008–2016)
TV-PG | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Unable to unsee the dark crimes he's tasked to investigate, Wallander's job comes at a cost to his family and relationships.
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark, Sarah Smart
Votes: 16,423
28. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005–2012)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Adventure, Reality-TV
Anthony Bourdain, chef, writer, traveler, visits places all around the world sampling various foods.
Stars: Anthony Bourdain, Tom Vitale, Zamir Gotta, Todd Liebler
Votes: 7,849
29. Spiral (2005–2020)
TV-PG | 52 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of those involved.
Stars: Caroline Proust, Audrey Fleurot, Thierry Godard, Philippe Duclos
Votes: 6,724
30. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–1962)
TV-14 | 25 min | Drama, Mystery
Series of unrelated short stories covering elements of crime, horror, drama, and comedy about people of different backgrounds committing murders, suicides, thefts, and other sorts of crime caused by certain motivations, perceived or not.
Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams, Patricia Hitchcock
Votes: 19,260
31. The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
TV-PG | 51 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley
Votes: 92,694
32. Midsomer Murders (1997– )
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A veteran Detective Chief Inspector and his young Sergeant investigate murders around the regional community of Midsomer County.
Stars: John Nettles, Jane Wymark, Barry Jackson, Neil Dudgeon
Votes: 39,120
33. Prime Suspect (1991)
TV-14 | 207 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.
Stars: Helen Mirren, John Benfield, Tom Bell, Craig Fairbrass
Votes: 9,170
34. Our Town (2003 TV Movie)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Family, Romance
Thornton Wilder's classic play on Grover's Corners, a fictional small town and its story taking place between 1901 and 1913, dealing with themes as life, death and the everyday routine of ... See full summary »
Director: James Naughton | Stars: Jayne Atkinson, Wendy Barrie-Wilson, Reathel Bean, John Braden
Votes: 489
35. Supernatural (2005–2020)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Two brothers follow their father's footsteps as hunters, fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds, including monsters, demons, and gods that roam the earth.
Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins
Votes: 481,131
36. The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
Not Rated | 932 min | Documentary, History
A comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
Stars: Mark Cousins, Juan Diego Botto, Aleksandr Sokurov, Norman Lloyd
Votes: 4,810
37.
Great Performances (1971– )
Episode:
Company: A Musical Comedy
(2007)
Not Rated | 132 min | Music, Musical
Centering on Bobby, a confirmed bachelor celebrating his 35th birthday with his 10 closest friends (who also happen to be five couples), "Company" culminates in Bobby's transformation from unattached swinger to tentative monogamist.
Director: Lonny Price | Stars: Kelly Jeanne Grant, Angel Desai, Elizabeth Stanley, Matt Castle
Votes: 511
38. Elizabeth R (1971)
520 min | Biography, Drama, History
When Elizabeth Tudor comes to the throne, her (male) advisers know she has to marry. Doesn't she? Thus starts a decades-long political/matrimonial game, during an age of high passions and high achievement.
Stars: Glenda Jackson, Ronald Hines, Robert Hardy, Stephen Murray
Votes: 1,927
39.
American Playhouse (1980–1994)
Episode:
Into the Woods
(1991)
Unrated | 151 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In this Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim, several fairy tale characters learn the hard way that the 'Happily Ever After' they sought isn't necessarily so happy after all.
Director: James Lapine | Stars: Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Chip Zien, Joy Franz
Votes: 3,203
40. Jacoba (1989 TV Movie)
65 min | Documentary
The history of a Jewish family in Europe during the period of Nazi terror in the Second World War, is the subject of this documentary.
Director: Joram ten Brink
Votes: 7
41. Their Eyes Were Watching God (2005 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 113 min | Drama, Romance
A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the morals of her small town. Based on the novel by Zora Neale Hurston.
Director: Darnell Martin | Stars: Halle Berry, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Mel Winkler, Michael Ealy
Votes: 3,029
42. Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 86 min | Documentary, Biography
A profile of the filmmaker ("The Tall T," "Seven Men from Now") who, notes narrator Ed Harris, "made his mark in one of America's greatest art forms.the Western movie." Included: comments by admiring colleagues
Director: Bruce Ricker | Stars: Ed Harris, Peter Bogdanovich, Larry Cohen, Andrew Sarris
Votes: 206
43. I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (2005)
57 min | Documentary, Biography
This documentary explores the incredible life of Merian C. Cooper, from his time as a soldier and pilot in three different wars, to his exploits in Hollywood, as a director, producer and cinematic innovator.
Directors: Christopher Bird, Kevin Brownlow | Stars: Alec Baldwin, Merian C. Cooper, David Strohmaier, James D'Arc
Votes: 240
44. Spielberg on Spielberg (2007 TV Movie)
86 min | Documentary, Biography
Considered to be one of the most respected film critics in the country, as evidenced by his work with Time magazine, Richard Schickel is widely known for writing, producing and directing a ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Schickel | Star: Steven Spielberg
Votes: 296
45. Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
Combining unprecedented access to Davis' vast personal archives with original interviews, this documentary reveals a startling portrait of one of Hollywood's most gifted and enigmatic stars.
Directors: Peter Jones, Mark A. Catalena | Stars: Bette Davis, Susan Sarandon, Ruthie Davis, Barbara 'Bobby' Davis
Votes: 687
46. Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 87 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The life and times of actor Steve McQueen, on the 75th anniversary of his birth
Director: Mimi Freedman | Stars: Steve McQueen, Robert Culp, Neile Adams, Suzanne Pleshette
Votes: 333
47. The John Garfield Story (2003 TV Movie)
58 min | Documentary, Biography
This documentary, aired on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) cable network, looks at the life and career of John Garfield, whose career was cut short when he died at age 39. His difficult ... See full summary »
Director: David Heeley | Stars: Julie Garfield, Ellen Adler, Joseph Bernard, Phoebe Brand
Votes: 231
Tell Your Friends