Thirty second review of top modern TV shows

This is a short review of about a dozen top TV shows that have appeared in the last decade or so.   I advise you purchase the DVD TV sets and watch them based on your own schedule.

These aren't sorted in any particular order but the better shows will normally appear at the top.


  1. The Wire (10/10) - (Urban gang land violence) So far the best TV show I have seen.  It was getting predictable and dry towards the end of the series but I don't think there is any better show that feels "real".  It is dark and gritty and highly watchable.
  2. Dexter (9.9/10) - (Almost comical look at a serial killer do-gooder) Dexter is the show about the serial killer that also happens to be a blood splatter analyst in the police department.  Normally he finds another bad guy or serial killer and does away with him.  It is also a dark series with lots of gore and sometimes it can be serious.  But I tend to find some of it comical.  The Wire is not comical at all, Dexter can be.  It is comical in its sense of irony.  The top serial killer just happens to work for the police.  And it is a really good show, probably one of the best ever created.
  3. Breaking Bad (9.5/10) - (Chemist turned drug dealer) - Breaking Bad is the more serious version of Weeds.  Walter White, the main character, is an obsessive, neurotic, family-loving middle-aged smart guy that is using his genius to sell drugs.  He gets away with it most of the time, the other time everyone is out to kill him or screw him over.  It is good maybe a little bit too stylized.  There are too many moments of someone or something just sitting out in the dessert and we are supposed to appreciate the moment. 
  4. The Mentalist (9.1/10) - (Really observant showman solves crimes) - You may disagree but I think this is the most complex show I have watched.  Each episode is like a puzzle you have to figure.  It is a smart program if you are into smart programs.  Some of the characters are a bit dry and the later episodes are becoming too easy to figure out.
  5. The Shield (9.3/10) - (Bad but also Good cops try to get away mayhem) - If you google "The Shield", some consider it the "Cops version of the Wire" or the "White version of the Wire".  That is basically what it is, a different look at urban warfare through the eyes of the cops.  And also appears on network TV so it is less gritty than the Wire.
  6. Star Trek TNG (10/10) - Still the best sci-fi TV series out there.
  7. Numb3rs - (8.5/10) - Standard TV fare, predictable  crime drama where they throw in math problems in solving the crime. 

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