I think it’s obvious by now that I’m a fangirl and thus, a huge fan of a lot of different shows and movies. These are all franchises and most of them are TV Shows that I love or are already finished that I adored. They are in no particular order because I actually love all of these equally; if a show didn’t make this list, either I’ve seen it and it wasn’t good enough to be equal to these (the best), or I haven’t seen it. I might end up making a list of TV Shows I’ve seen and liked but haven’t enjoyed as much as these. Without further ado, here we go (again in no particular order because I adore them all – like I couldn’t pick a favorite from this list, because they’re all amazing in my opinion).
- Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. This is an older show but it was absolutely amazing and obviously, it finished a long time ago (the oldest on this list, actually, out of the TV Shows anyway. It is a Western basically that was featured in the 1800s. A woman doctor travels out West to try to make a name for herself in a small town in desperate need of a healer. Throughout the show she goes through many adventures and it shows her struggles to be a woman doctor in a time with that was frowned upon. It’s a show about family with good morals and Christian views, which I love, but it also shows a lot of controversial issues that took place at the time, including Native Americans being put on reservations, African American mistreatment, the changing of the times and growing of towns, circuses, Chinese immigrants, other immigrants, books that were considered heresy, and more! These created the conflict and drama in the show, which is character-driven and really makes you think and wonder and see both sides to all of the situations present. It does have some action and fights and makes you worry for the characters and what they’re going through. It’s realistic and the characters are easily relatable which allows you to watch and enjoy it.
- Smallville. This is another show that finished quite a few years ago. First off, Smallville basically started all of the current superhero TV Shows on television that are popular these days because hey, Smallville did it first. It was about Clark Kent aka Superman before he became Superman and starts off when he’s a freshmen in high school and after ten seasons, he ends up waayyy older than that. We see him grow and transform into the man he becomes; we watch him go through so much to show that yes, as powerful as Superman is, he struggles, even he makes mistakes, and even he has to grow and develop. We also get to watch him get almost each one of his powers, which is really cool and sometimes funny and always entertaining to watch. They do so many arcs and twists, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. I rewatched it with my husband last year and it’s still a show I love and enjoy.
- Avatar, the Last Airbender. Now this is an American anime but it ended several years ago and is loved by people of all ages, so it isn’t just for kids. The characters are so easy to fall in love with, even the bad ones because it humanizes everyone. It has great morals and again, is for kids, so it’s very clean. Each episode takes you on an adventure and it brings out your inner kid. It’s funny and witty and very entertaining but it does have its serious moments when the characters are dealing with a life threatening or even world threatening situation and they bring on the drama (and the tears in some cases). Like it was one of my favorites throughout my childhood and it took me YEARS to catch up. When it ended, I cried. It’s one of those shows that had been a part of my life all the time, so I didn’t know what to do without it.
- Hakouki. This is a Japanese anime that literally shattered my heart. Anime isn’t for kids but it’s clean without any bad scenes. It’s a historical fiction that takes place in Japan in the 1860s during the Boshin War, which was the end of the samurai. It does include some fantasy aspects – creatures similar to vampires – but all the historical details are facts that actually happened in real life. The main male characters were all real historical samurai who lived during this time and this show actually includes a few details about what they went through – minus the whole vampire thing, of course. Which is another reason why I love it so much. It not only gets you attached, but it made me aware of this time of history and what these men went through – minus the vampire thing, of course – and it actually was the show that got me interested in the Boshin War. Ever since, I’ve done so much research and now I know everything about it like the back of my hand. Literally, if you go watch it, bring tissues. It’s the Game of Thrones of the anime world (hopefully some of you got that reference).
- Vampire Diaries. Oh, man where to start. This took the whole cliché ideas of vampires that Twilight and other similar book franchises kind of ruined or made cringe-worthy and made it epic and awesome. Damon Salvatore makes the whole show, but its filled with many characters over the course of eight seasons that all find a place in your heart, whether they’re good or bad. Each one of them grows, some of them leave, but they all develop and change. The acting is some of the best I’ve ever seen, especially Nina Doprev who plays Elena Gilbert. I literally have no idea how many versions of herself she had to play – a rough guess would be twenty to thirty if not more (it literally wouldn’t surprise me at all). Ian Sommerhalder who plays Damon, like I said, makes the show so enjoyable and entertaining. They throw in twists and so many cool storylines that get you hooked and it’s literally a show you have to binge from start to finish. Yes, it’s also over, but it’s the most recently finished TV Show, which ended only a few years ago.
- Star Wars The Clone Wars. Now this may seem like a kids show, but it can and has been enjoyed by adults who are fans of Star Wars just as much, if not more. It was canceled several years ago, but we still had a bit of an end to it, because they didn’t leave loose ends. It ties up the gap between Star Wars episodes 2 and 3, and is strictly about the Clone Wars. Because the Star Wars movies didn’t have much time to do this, it elaborates on the entire galaxy as a whole that we know exists but didn’t have much screen time for. Several arcs in it involve random Jedi Knights, again that we knew existed, but that didn’t have much screen time. It develops their characters SO much and tells us so much more about them than we ever knew before. We get to see Mace Windu in several arcs and in one he teams up with Jar Jar which is epic. Yoda has several arcs and one of them includes learning about the Force and being a Force Ghost. Kit Fisto and his apprentice have an arc together, Obi-Wan and another Jedi Knight named Quinlin Voss. Even the bad guys – Count Dooku and Grevious, along with Ventress and even Savage and Darth Maul. Anakin Skywalker, his apprentice, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan Kenobi are some of the main people featured, along with Padme Amidala and even R2-D2 and C-3P0, who both have an entire arc to them as well. There are so many more Jedi and other characters, including several bounty hunters that we all know and become familiar with. The Hutts as well. It expands on the galaxy and actually gets us so attached to the characters and tells us so much more than what we knew before. Anakin himself grows and we see him get to be a general, not an arrogant teenager or a man about to lose everything that we only saw in the movies. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s been renewed for a new season coming sometime in 2019 and everyone is so ecstatic about it!
- Star Wars Rebels. This is a Star Wars TV Show that’s also animated that takes place between Star Wars episodes 3 and 4. It’s about a team of a handful of people who do whatever they can to strike back against the Empire. It grows on you and even though I love Clone Wars better, it’s still amazing. You become attached to the whole team and every episode gets them in another dangerous, reckless situation so you quickly become addicted and can’t get enough. It finished with four seasons and left it in a place where we want to see more and know what’s happening to them next.
- Criminal Minds. Ah, this is a show that feels like it’s been around forever. I’m current to all the seasons (I finished season thirteen last year), so I’m waiting for season fourteen, if it’s been renewed (I don’t know that for sure). I just, every episode is totally different and it’s a crime show, but it’s one of those crime shows that if you literally miss five minutes, you’re going to be so lost. Like everyone in the show – the characters, anyway – are all like ten times smarter than I am so I really have to pay close attention to every episode in order to follow what’s going on. Like the title, it has a habit of getting into the mind of the criminals they catch, so sometimes it can get dark, but I love the characters, the arcs, and the mystery to it. They’re never easy to solve and they throw out some pretty good twists. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, which is pretty much what it’s doing until season fourteen comes out.
- Once Upon A Time. This is a show that I’m quite fond of and have been since season one came out. For my family, it was a tradition to watch it every Sunday Night back before we lost our regular television when we moved (that’s the country, folks). I’m actually behind on the past two or three seasons, so I don’t know if it’s still going or if it’s ended. But originally, I loved it because it took the classic fairy tales we all know and love and not only did we get to see them in live action, but it put SO MANY twists and turns to them that your heads spins. Most often, no spoilers are ever predictable because it’s just so TWISTY. If Game of Thrones is known for the most character deaths ever, then Once Upon A Time is known for most epic twists ever. No joke. I’d love to catch up on it and see what they’ve done with it – no spoilers please.
- Fairy Tail. This is a Japanese anime that’s currently in another season (I don’t know how many seasons it has or how many it’s going to have) and I can’t wait for every single episode. It’s overall themes are about family and never giving up and fighting for what you believe in. It’s so enjoyable and entertaining and like traditional anime, it has it’s comedy which is always hilarious and silly. But again, like traditional anime, it has it’s dramatic moments and it REALLY has its action. Man, some of their fights and battles have lasted for several episodes. The characters grow and you get attached to them and it’s very addicting, from start to finish. Like I said before, anime isn’t just for kids and can be enjoyed (and is enjoyed, in this case), by adults everywhere.
- Game of Thrones. This is probably controversial because it does have a lot of sex and violence in it, but overlooking that, it’s a fantastic show. I would go as far as to say it’s the best fantasy TV Show I’ve seen. It’s styled to be similar to medieval times where different Noble Houses all fight for the throne of the kingdom of Westeros and it does have fantasy, including dragons involved. It’s widely known – even by people who don’t watch it – to kill off popular characters and a lot of fan favorites. Literally, if you like someone in this show, they’re probably going to die, so you just get used to it. It definitely isn’t one of those shows that are afraid to hurt their character or that even always lets their characters win. It keeps you guessing and throws you for one loop after another with twists and turns until you can’t get enough. The eighth and final seasons will be airing sometime this year in 2019 – probably April, from what I’ve heard. Spoilers are taboo in this fandom, by the way, and so far, they’ve been keeping everything from season eight on a tight noose.
- Reign. This is a historical fiction and a drama which takes place in France in the 1500s. It’s literally just about the drama of the political situation back then, but it’s character driven and has a bit of romance too, but it’s fairly clean. Once you start it, you literally can’t stop, at least that’s how it was for me. Like I had to binge it until I finished all four seasons of it with my sister. Then my husband. It’s one of those shows you can binge over and over again and still enjoy it. I love the characters, I love the drama and it has a hint of action, but it also creates these very dangerous, life threatening situations that keep you on the edge of your seat, despite that it’s just a drama show. I also LOVE the historical fiction aspect to it.
- Outlander. This is the most recent TV Show I’ve tried and I loved it. It’s a historical fiction romance so it does have sex involved with it, but like Game of Thrones, when you overlook that, it’s a fantastic show. It’s all about the drama, but it has a lot of action. I’m current with season 4, which just finished airing on TV earlier this month, which means we are all waiting on season 5 – anxiously awaiting. I love the characters in this show and the historical fiction aspects to it. Scotland wasn’t a country I knew much about until I watched this show and now Scotland in 1745 is a favorite time period the way that Japan in 1860 is or the Black Hills in 1870 (my three favorite time periods, by the way). It’s another popular TV Show and it’s very entertaining and addicting. Once you start, it’s hard to stop binging it.
So those are all my favorite TV Shows. I can’t pick a favorite because they’re all my favorites and all equal for many different reasons. I would recommend them, so pick one and go start watching! If you’ve seen some of these, feel free to comment so we can chat and fangirl (or fanboy) about them together. Which of these have you seen? What do you like? What are you waiting on?
