Last updated March 2024
Want to watch sensationally awesome Best Drama Tv Shows? We assembled 30 marvelous Best Drama Tv Shows with universal acclaim from revered IMDB critics and our own legion of discerning users. Available for instant viewing, these world-class titles are as jaw-droppingly good as entertainment gets. Help fellow fans uncover buried treasures by voting for the titles you feel are keepers. We appreciate members who take the time to pay it forward with great recommendations!
Breaking Bad (2008)
Plot Summary:
When Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live, he becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family's financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime
Duration: 3030 min
IMDB Rating: 9.5/10
IMDB Votes: 21000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: criminal, cancer, peril, life turned upside down, drug dealing, drug cartel, unlikely partners, drug lord, master criminal, family problems, life is a bitch, drug, ambition, meth lab, desperation, double life, success, anti hero, hidden identity, lifestyle change, cartel, methamphetamine, chemistry, drug dealer, outlaw
Band of Brothers (2001)
Plot Summary:
Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name
Duration: 594 min
IMDB Rating: 9.4/10
IMDB Votes: 508000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: world war two, military, combat, war, soldier, battles, courage, american soldier, behind enemy lines, paratrooper, nazi germany, infantry, sniper, war violence, warrior, military life, shooting, patriotism, friendship, squad, army, battlefield, leader, u.s. army, human spirit
Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1980's & 90's Bombay, Scam 1992 follows the life of Harshad Mehta - a stockbroker who single-handedly took the stock market to dizzying heights & his catastrophic downfall. Being directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta, the series is based on journalist Debashis Basu & Sucheta Dalal's book "The Scam"
Duration: 54 min
IMDB Rating: 9.3/10
IMDB Votes: 154000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: finance, insider trading, financial crisis, stock exchange, stock broker, newspaper office, embezzler, caper, financier, cons and scams, money, con artists, criminal, deception, con trick, fraud, historical figure, escapades, financial problem, historical character, motivation, wall street, corruption, mission, innovation
Chernobyl (2019)
Plot Summary:
A dramatization of the true story of one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, the catastrophic nuclear accident at Chernobyl. A tale of the brave men and women who sacrificed to save Europe from unimaginable disaster
Duration: 330 min
IMDB Rating: 9.3/10
IMDB Votes: 835000
Genere: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: radiation, nuclear holocaust, radiation poisoning, nuclear power plant, nuclear reactor, save the day, nuclear explosion, salvation, scientist, nuclear radiation, nuclear threat, disaster, abandoned city, evacuation, accident, heroic mission, cold war, save the world, society, post nuclear, nuclear power, propaganda, government coverup, government official, nuclear
The Wire (2002)
Plot Summary:
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated
Duration: 59 min
IMDB Rating: 9.3/10
IMDB Votes: 367000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: organized crime, corruption, police detective, police, urban ghetto life, life is a bitch, working undercover, fighting crime, drug dealing, surveillance, shooting, police investigation, gang, urban decay, drug lord, murder, cop, black, wiretap, team, politics, criminal, journalism, legal, dirty cop
The Sopranos (1999)
Plot Summary:
The Sopranos is an American television drama created by David Chase. The series revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti
Duration: 55 min
IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
IMDB Votes: 450000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: organized crime, mafia, killings, dark humor, mob boss, criminal heroes, gangster, family life, violence, dysfunctional family, family relations, ambition, cosa nostra, parents and children, introspection, psychiatrist, criminal, death, crime boss, mobster, italian gangster, racial slur, mob hit, rise to the top, midlife crisis
Game of Thrones (2011)
Plot Summary:
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond
Duration: 4189 min
IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
IMDB Votes: 22000000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA, UK
Plot tags: medieval, dragon, intrigue, incest, fantasy world, kingdom, power struggle, conflict, political intrigue, peril, treason, abuse of power, king, ruler, throne, rivalry, vicious, allies, swords and armor, politics, killings, sex scene, political unrest, danger, imaginary
The Chosen (2017)
Plot Summary:
The life of Christ through the eyes of those who encountered him called The Chosen
Duration: 54 min
IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: christian, bible, christianity, apostle, jesus, faith, medieval, bible story, life, jesus christ, religion, saint, inspiration, religious, nativity, roman empire, forgiveness, gospel, new testament, messiah, christian faith, miraculous event, remorse, crucifix, alternate history
Reply 1988 (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in the year 1988 at a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. Five families live on the same alley road
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 9.2/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: friendship, school, fall in love, love, parents and children, teenage life, family problems, husband wife relationship, friends to lovers, lifestyle, drinking alcohol, storytelling, drinking, rich and poor, faith, asian, lovesick, buddy, best friends in love, love triangle, mother son relationship, nostalgia, coming of age, bromance, family relations
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Plot Summary:
Edward and Alphonse Elric's reckless disregard for alchemy's fundamental laws ripped half of Ed's limbs from his body and left Al's soul clinging to a cold suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers scour a war-torn land for the Philosopher's Stone, a fabled relic which grants the ability to perform alchemy in impossible ways. The Elrics are not alone in their search; the corrupt State Military is also eager to harness the artifact's power. So too are the strange Homunculi and their shadowy creator. The mythical gem lures exotic alchemists from distant kingdoms, scarring some deeply enough to inspire murder. As the Elrics find their course altered by these enemies and allies, their purpose remains unchanged – and their bond unbreakable
Duration: 24 min
IMDB Rating: 9.1/10
IMDB Votes: 191000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Plot tags: alchemy, supernatural, curses spells and rituals, siblings relations, imaginary, alchemist, genocide, heroes, brother brother relationship, evil, technology, escapades, mature, steampunk, brother, superhero, fight, witchcraft, friends, bad guy, hipster, dying, fictional war, blind character, young adult
Attack on Titan (2013)
Plot Summary:
Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by Titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest Titans. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a Titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a Colossal Titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller Titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single Titan and take revenge for all of mankind
Duration: 24 min
IMDB Rating: 9.1/10
IMDB Votes: 479000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Plot tags: giant, giant monster, life turned upside down, tragedy, friendship, transformation, danger, chaos and mayhem, direction and purpose, eaten alive, titan, death, friends, army, military, survival, extinction, rivalry, dystopia, destruction, life is a bitch, threat, against the odds, tragic event, fate of humanity
Leyla and Mecnun (2011)
Plot Summary:
Leyla ile Mecnun is a Turkish television comedy series. The show is set in Istanbul, Turkey and premiered in 2011 on TRT. The series is a surreal and absurd comedy that revolves around the fictional love story between Leyla and Mecnun
Duration: 80 min
IMDB Rating: 9.1/10
IMDB Votes: 96000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: social differences, family relations, parents and children, taxi driver, destiny, poverty, society, young man, love, muslim, kurd, true love, love and romance, dream, couples, silly humor, hopes, twentysomething life, university, memory, memories, loss of loved one, grieving, fall in love, young woman
Sherlock (2010)
Plot Summary:
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London
Duration: 88 min
IMDB Rating: 9.1/10
IMDB Votes: 977000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: sherlock holmes, investigation, private detective, murder mystery, mastermind, genius, friendship, british, murder, mind game, riddles and clues, prodigy, danger, partner, talented, buddies, eccentricity, intelligence, expert, friendship between men, inspector, police detective, deduction, mysterious character, teamwork
Arcane (2021)
Plot Summary:
Amid the stark discord of twin cities Piltover and Zaun, two sisters fight on rival sides of a war between magic technologies and clashing convictions
Duration: 41 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 253000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, France
Plot tags: battles, power, steampunk, magical, legend, lgbt, fight, warrior, gang, girl, skill, magic, lesbian, evil, lesbian interest, lesbianism, gay couple, storytelling, drug, sapphic, strong female lead, past, villain, champion, best friend
Harga (2021)
Plot Summary:
Harga, a word that defines the illegal one-way journey by death boats, from Tunisia across the Mediterranean sea, to Europe the safe haven in the eyes of these illegal immigrants, who dream of a better life and a promising future, filled with hope and determination when they leave home and their loved ones behind to battle the waves
Duration: 40 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: Tunisia, Italy
Plot tags: boat
Persona (2018)
Plot Summary:
After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a retired judicial officer decides to commit a murder that he had been planning for years
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 45000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Turkey
Plot tags: serial killer, investigation, rape, secret, police, death, journalist, anti hero, danger, alzheimer's disease, family relations, muslim, murder mystery, sister, life lesson, nordic, cognitive science, killer, police officer, cat, suicide, corruption, blood, flashback, dead body
Better Call Saul (2015)
Plot Summary:
Six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. We meet him when the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and, often, against Jimmy, is “fixer” Mike Erhmantraut. The series will track Jimmy's transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “criminal lawyer"
Duration: 3154 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 620000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: lawyer, workplace situations, legal, hotshot lawyer, criminal lawyer, family relations, dishonesty, dark humor, moral dilemma, anti hero, lawyer client relationship, cons and scams, organized crime, private investigator, drug cartel, psychosomatic illness, brother brother relationship, ambition, employer employee relationship, mental illness, drug trade, dysfunctional family, criminal underworld, foreshadowing, tragic hero
Mahabharat (2013)
Plot Summary:
Mahabharat is a 2013 drama TV series on Star Plus based on Indian legendary epic of the same name. It has been produced by Swastik Pictures and features actors such as Saurabh Raj Jain as Lord Krishna, Shaheer Sheikh as Arjuna, Pooja Sharma as Draupadi, Aham Sharma as Karna and Arav Chowdhary as Bhishma Pitamah. The producers had creative associations with writer Salim Khan, author Devdutt Pattanaik, designer Bhanu Athaiya, music directors Ajay-Atul and Ismail Darbar, action director Ram Shetty and set designer Omang Kumar. The casting of the show is done by Sahil Ansari, Mahesh Chandra Bhatt, Arun Mitra. It started broadcasting on 16 September 2013
Duration: 20 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: India
Plot tags: mythology, hinduism, king, female warrior, ambition, feud, revenge, betrayal, warrior, emperor, deception, dysfunctional family, vengeance, rivalry, greed, royalty, fight, hate, anger, palace, throne, secret, power struggle, showdown, uninhibited rivalry
Firefly (2002)
Plot Summary:
Firefly is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a "Firefly-class" spaceship. The ensemble cast portrays the nine characters who live on Serenity
Duration: 616 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 278000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: outer space, space travel, space opera, spacecraft, danger, escapades, space, survival, space and aliens, captain, friendship, smuggling, preacher, spaceship, space wars, space adventure, mysterious past, psychic, mercenary, female warrior, wit, space shuttle, supernatural, young woman, space exploration
The Ten Commandments (1989)
Plot Summary:
The Decalogue is a 1989 Polish television drama series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner. It consists of ten one-hour films, inspired by the Ten Commandments. Each short film explores one or several moral or ethical issues faced by characters living in modern Poland. The series is Kieślowski's most acclaimed work, has been said to be "the best dramatic work ever done specifically for television" and has won numerous international awards, though it was not widely released outside Europe until the late 1990s. Film-maker Stanley Kubrick wrote an admiring foreword to the published screen-play in 1991
Duration: 572 min
IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Drama
Country: Poland, West Germany
Plot tags: philosophy, christian, love, depression, death, morality, christianity, spirituality, christmas, faith, catholic, redemption, religion, world war two, time travel, jesus, politics, spirit, dream, theft, bible, architecture, intrigue, basement, renaissance
Black Sun (2017)
Plot Summary:
A historical fiction drama and thriller set in the turbulent period of the late 1930s in the Balkans as a place where high politics, local interests, capital and crime all merge together
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Serbia
Plot tags: secret society, conspiracy, police detective, law enforcement, secret movement, criminal, murder investigation, undercover, politician, partner, dishonesty, female nudity, political intrigue, political conspiracy, geopolitics, interwar period, female pubic hair, nudity, gangster, police, nude, female full frontal nudity, nudity (full frontal - brief), crime, crimes
When They See Us (2019)
Plot Summary:
Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park
Duration: 296 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 134000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA
Plot tags: investigation, legal, social injustice, black, black lives matter, black cast, racial injustice, black history, lgbtq, criminal justice, suspect, false accusation, social problems, fight for justice, social issues, false accusation of rape, falsely accused, racial issues, social justice, law and order, courtroom, accusation, guilty verdict, framed for a crime, blaxploitation
The West Wing (1999)
Plot Summary:
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life
Duration: 44 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: politics, politician, american politics, white house, election, president, political intrigue, government official, teamwork, chief of staff, liberal, democrat, team, head of state, workplace, workplace situations, social commentary, idealism, government, spy, psychologist, leader, political conflict, lawyer, psychiatrist
Death Note (2006)
Plot Summary:
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?
Duration: 851 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 365000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: mind game, anti hero, secret identity, vigilante, police, rivals, battle of wits, supernatural, heart attack, law enforcement, supernatural ability, intelligence, serial killer, teenage life, fighting crime, outsmarting, artifact, student, arrogance, police detective, moral dilemma, fbi, mature, eternal love, darkness
One Piece (1999)
Plot Summary:
Years ago, the fearsome pirate king Gol D. Roger was executed, leaving a huge pile of treasure and the famous "One Piece" behind. Whoever claims the "One Piece" will be named the new pirate king. Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who consumed one of the "Devil's Fruits", has it in his head that he'll follow in the footsteps of his idol, the pirate Shanks, and find the One Piece. It helps, of course, that his body has the properties of rubber and he's surrounded by a bevy of skilled fighters and thieves to help him along the way. Monkey D. Luffy brings a bunch of his crew followed by, Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Tony-Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, and Brook. They will do anything to get the One Piece and become King of the Pirates!
Duration: 24 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 212000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Plot tags: pirate, friendship, heroes, doctor, captain, treasure, boy, sea, friends, escapades, rivalry, imaginary, fight, courage, bounty hunter, badass, one piece, bad guy, ship, thief, king, military, gold, sword fight, helicopter
Succession (2018)
Plot Summary:
The lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 248000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: wealth, family business, business, dysfunctional family, patriarchy, betrayal, dysfunctional relationship, father son relationship, ceo, family drama, businessman, parents and children, rivalry, family relations, siblings, employee employee relationship, finance, inheritance, corporation, intrigue, heir, workplace intrigue, company, megacorporation, society
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Plot Summary:
In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters (also referred to as "Cowboys") chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward
Duration: 650 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 134000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan, Canada
Plot tags: bounty hunter, friendship, jazz, outer space, buddies, unlikely partners, space travel, chases and races, spaceship, fighting crime, dark past, cyberpunk, escapades, anti hero, hacker, space, machismo, space opera, dystopian future, cowboy, fight, betrayal, ex cop, mysterious past, gangster
True Detective (2014)
Plot Summary:
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law
Duration: 55 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 618000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: serial killer, police investigation, investigation, murder, murder mystery, police detective, murder investigation, murderer, drinking problem, partners against crime, insomnia, antisocial behavior, troubled, female nudity, graphic violence, uncover truth, haunted by the past, violence, partner, corrupt cop, mysterious man, buddy cop, sexual content, evidence, cruelty
Fargo (2014)
Plot Summary:
A close-knit anthology series dealing with stories involving malice, violence and murder based in and around Minnesota
Duration: 53 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 398000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: dark humor, psychopath, small town, police investigation, law enforcement, policewoman, cop, snow, killings, small town life, social relations, dishonesty, killer, female police officer, scheme, sheriff, police officer, winter, gory, shooting, blackmail, victim, crime gone awry, gangster, family relations
Undercover (2011)
Plot Summary:
Just an ordinary boy from the Sofia suburbs becomes the first bulgarian undercover cop. Forced by his father when he was young to lie and cheat, Martin becomes the perfect liar. That skill, and also the hatred of the 'underworld' makes him the perfect match for a dangerous mission - to infiltrate the crime organisation of a rich and powerful businessman. While infiltrating and living in fear of being uncovered, Martin falls in love with the most inappropriate woman - Djaro's girlfriend, Suni. Just when he gains the trust of the mobsters, it appears that the real enemy is in the police. Martin is alone against all, facing difficult decisions
Duration: 60 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Bulgaria
Plot tags: hidden identity, undercover, mob boss, gang war, corruption, organized crime, mission, danger, peril, characters in danger, gangster, promotion, mafia, law enforcement, spy, passion, science, wartime, law firm, fight, police, street racing, undercover agent, police corruption, police operation