My Top 5 Shows
- Rachel
- Jun 10
- 7 min read
I always considered myself to be more of a movie person rather than a TV show person, but recently I realized that I love a good series just as much as the next person. I think I must have convinced myself they took far too long to watch so I couldn't like them as much as a one-and-done movie. However, with shows it is much easier to become attached to the characters since you are with them for much longer and likely watch them grow and age (sometimes too much). The worst part about watching a TV show is once you finally finish it, you feel like you now have a huge whole in your life, a void that feels like it can only be filled by rewatching that series. That is, until you start a new show and that becomes your new obsession, later causing you that same, seemingly unfillable void. Below you will find my current top 5 shows (as of June 2025). Below that you will find a very long slideshow of honorable mentions because picking the number five spot on this list was way harder than I imagined.
The Haunting of Hill House
Year: 2018
Seasons: 1
Created by: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Victoria Pedretti, Kate Siegel, Elizabeth Reaser, Mckenna Grace, Henry Thomas
Description: Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.
My Thoughts: This show is amazing in every single aspect. Don't be fooled by the line on the poster reading "a Netflix horror series." Yes, it is scary but it is also tragic. You watch a family fall apart, people you already pity will die, and everything goes back to that house. You can almost feel the sinister energy from that mansion through the screen. The casting for their younger vs. present day selves was impeccable, and I will never get over Victoria Pedretti's performance in this. If you liked her in You, watch her in this one. Everything about this show is incredibly eerie; you won't get a moment of peace. It really is fascinating how something you watch through a screen can provoke so many feelings. I am so grateful this show was only one season because more would have ruined it. If the lack of seasons turns you off from watching, do not worry. Mike Flanagan made other shows that will give you the same feelings, using the same cast. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) are both incomprehensibly remarkable... or should I say perfectly splendid (if you know, you know). The Haunting of Hill House is definitely my favorite out of these, but they are all amazing to the point where you will be thinking about them for years. I remember counting down the days until the release of The Fall of the House of Usher less than two years ago and I'm hoping one day I'll get to do that again. Until then, maybe it's time for a rewatch.
Teen Wolf
Years: 2011 - 2017
Seasons: 6
Creator: Jeff Davis
Starring: Tyler Posey, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, Dylan Sprayberry, Crystal Reed, Shelley Hennig, Colton Haynes, Ian Bohen, Cody Christian, Arden Cho, Melissa Ponzio, Linden Ashby, JR Bourne
Description: An average high school student and his best friend get caught up in some trouble causing him to receive a werewolf bite. As a result they find themselves in the middle of all sorts of dramas in Beacon Hills.
My Thoughts: This is the best worst show ever made. Are there tons of plot holes and about a thousand huge questions left unanswered ever season? Yes. Do some of the best characters die or leave and are never mentioned again? Yes. Is this one of the best shows I've ever watched? Also yes! What can I say, the characters are just so likable and the storylines may be stupid but they are extremely entertaining. After watching the entire series it's so funny to look back on season one and how back then their biggest problem was a scary alpha. They had no idea what was coming. There is something very charming about this show, and if you've seen it I'm sure you understand that. And yes, it sucks that so many good characters leave the show but unlike many other series I've watched, the characters they bring in later on are actually great. Liam, Mason, and Corey don't come until season 4, Theo until season 5. If you're watching it right now and are feeling down about a character disappearing into thin air (or apparently moving across the pond), don't worry. Some of them make heroic returns. If you don't take what you watch too seriously, this is the one for you. Everyone is really hot, too, so that's a bonus.
Stranger Things
Years: 2016 - 2025
Seasons: 5
Creators: Matt and Ross Duffer
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Joe Keery, Winona Rider, Natalia Dyer, David Harbour, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke
Description: In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries.
My Thoughts: Obviously this is a basic answer. But, it's popular for a reason... it's extraordinary! It's crazy to think that the first season came out when I had just finished sixth grade, and now the final season is being released later this year and I will be a senior in college. All of that time and only five seasons. Keep in mind I'm around the same age as the actors of the kids on the show. Anyway, I'm not trying to complain because I really, really love this show. It had 12-year-old me crying and saying that I was born in the wrong generation. There is something so special about this series that is hard to describe because it's not just about the plot or the characters. It really just feels like home in a sense. SPOILER ALERT: I have to get this off my chest though: if the Duffer Brothers fake another death I will be taking Stranger Things off of this list, they seriously are so scared to kill off someone people like. We all loved Eddie (some people loved him a little too much...) but he cannot be brought back. Okay, rant over. To finish off this blurb, here is my ranking of the seasons (excluding season 5 obviously):
Season 3
Season 1 (a very close second)
Season 4
Season 2 (I hated that storyline about Eight)
Shameless
Years: 2011 - 2021
Seasons: 11
Creator: Paul Abbott
Starring: Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Ethan Cutkosky, Emma Kenney, Christian Isaiah, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Noel Fisher, Joan Cusack
Description: A scrappy, feisty, fiercely loyal Chicago family makes no apologies.
My Thoughts: This was one of the first times I watched a show of this length all the way to the end. Usually I fall in love with a show, watch religiously, and then one say in the middle of the series decide I'm done and never press play on it again. Not with Shameless, though. This show is the perfect mix of absolutely hilarious and absolutely heartbreaking. They do such a great job of keeping you on your toes; you never know what is going to happen next because of the dysfunctional nature of everything and everyone on this show. Every season you go from loving a character to hating them to feeling bad for them and back to loving them (except Debbie, she just kept going downhill). The family dynamic feels so real when you're watching; the actors' chemistry is fantastic. This show had me questioning my morals for a bit because of who I would take sides with during their very frequent arguments. Not to mention, I have no clue how to feel about Frank. Does anyone? He's a horrible, alcoholic, deadbeat father, but he's also kind of a genius sometimes? I say that loosely. No matter what mood you're in, Shameless is a great watch and has become one of my comfort shows.
Psych
Years: 2006 - 2014
Seasons: 8
Creator: Steve Franks
Starring: James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson
Description: When a novice sleuth convinces the police he has psychic powers, he and his reluctant best friend are hired on as consultants to help solve complicated cases.
My Thoughts: This will be my favorite form of media until the day I die. I am quite possibly this show's biggest fan. I am never not watching this show. If I go down to my living room, I am putting this on. I have seen every episode at least 20 times (yes, all 120 of them), some I have seen more. I can tell you exactly who the killer in each episode is right after starting it and if you show me a picture of Shawn from any episode I could tell you what season it's from. I love this show more than anything; it's quite literally an obsession. My favorite episode is season 3 episode 15, called "Tuesday the 17th." It's a spoof on the classic sleep away camp slasher film, obviously. They make references to many films and celebrities throughout the show. They are usually 80s films, so many stars from that decade have guest starred in episodes. Everyone from the Brat Pack with the exception of Emilio Estevez was on the show, some with recurring roles. Also, here's a little fun fact: there is a pineapple somewhere in every episode. You're supposed to look and see if you can find them while watching but I usually forget. Sometimes it's really obvious and in Shawn's hands and other times you'd really have to be looking for it to find it. If you decide to watch Psych, just wait for the Yin Yang and Pierre Despereaux episodes (he's played by Cary Elwes), those are all fantastic. There is just so much to love about this show. There are so many inside jokes, you'll feel like you actually know the characters in real life. Shawn and Gus' catchphrases are one of the best parts of the show. "Did you hear about Pluto? That's messed up." "Wait for it... wait for ittt." If you haven't watched this show, watch it. You will not regret it. You know that's right.
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)
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Okay, okay. So I basically gave every show to ever exist an honorable mention. Whatever. If you ever need a show recommendation, now you know where to look! And now I have a million things I suddenly feel the urge to rewatch. I can't believe I ever thought I wasn't a TV show person. Sure, I like movies more, but I still love shows. Clearly.
Written by: Rachel Klein
Descriptions from: IMDb
Images from: Rotten Tomatoes, Pinterest, IMDb
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