1001 TV Series You Must Watch Before You Die (2015)
Created by Apu.
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This is the 1st edition (October 2015) and the latest addition to the bestselling and highly acclaimed 1001-series.
"From "Leave it to Beaver" to "Breaking Bad", "The Honeymooners" to "Homeland", this compilation of important and groundbreaking television shows is packed full of trivia and will be sure to make you want to pick up the remote or start streaming. Selected by an international team of experts and covering a worldwide spectrum of programs from the classics of the 1950s to the cutting-edge shows of today, 1001 TV Series is one of the most comprehensive books ever published on the topic of television."
This volume is virtually impossible to finish (as you have to watch every single episode of every single entry). Not to mention many of the shows are still running this very day.
If the authors instead chose to focus only on TV-series/TV-Mini-series/TV-movies you might have had a chance, but unfortunately, TV shows - including Game shows, Reality and Talk shows - are also included.
NOTE: the book contains some TV-movies or stand-alone episodes from TV-series, but the vast majority of the entries are either TV-series, TV-Mini-series or TV shows.
The genres are:
Action/Adventure: 43
Animation: 13
Awards show: 3
Biography: 1
Comedy: 246
Comedy/Drama: 31
Crime: 1
Crime/Mystery: 101
Documentary: 18
Drama: 226
Fantasy/Horror/Sci-Fi: 107
Game show: 26
Historical drama: 60
Music/Musical: 13
Reality: 31
Soap opera: 28
Sports: 2
Talk Show: 16
Variety: 22
Western: 13
= 1001
TV-series/shows/movies that, according to the introduction by Robb Pearlman, "could not be included" (it is never argued why):
The Winds of War (1983)
Lonesome Dove (1989)
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) [???????]
Sybil (1976)
Gia (1998)
Trilogy of Terror (1975)
Duel (1971)
V (1983)
Recount (2008)
Game Change (2012)
An Early Frost (1984)
And the Band Played On (1993)
Brian's Song (1971)
Mildred Pierce (2011)
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001).
Some entries that most likely will cause some problems in terms of checking them are the Awards shows: Academy Awards (#17), Golden Globe Awards (#50), MTV Video Music Awards (#365) as well as "Eurovision Song Contest" (#32). Instead of adding every single annual event for these shows, I decided to add only the earliest entry I could locate on IMDb (as if you care about those shows and/or will finish this list anyway).
NOTE: "1001 TV Series You Must Watch Before You Die" and "1001 TV Shows You Must Watch Before You DIe" have identical entires (1948-2015) - as well as the same page total (960) - although they're two different books. Generally speaking, the only differences between the two books are:
- the introduciton is longer in "Shows" (an introduction by Robb Pearlman) whereas "Series" have a much shorter introduction and instead have an additional index (Index by Genre). The "Index by Genre" is not featured in "Shows".
- "Shows" is in hardcover whereas "Series" is in paperback.
- The front and back cover are different.
If you spot any errors (or if any of the abovementioned series/shows I've listed earlier has been added to IMDb), or if you have any questions about the entries or the list as a whole, please don't hesitate to PM me.
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789 new
Ugly Betty
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
790 new
30 Rock
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
791 new
America's Got Talent
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
792 new
The Street
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
793 new
Life on Mars
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
794 new
Screenwipe
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
795 new
Planet Earth
2006, in 2 top lists Check -
796 new
Waterloo Road
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
797 new
Big Love
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
798 new
Jericho
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
799 new
Torchwood
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
800 new
The Unit
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
801 new
Eureka
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
802 new
Time Trumpet
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
803 new
Friday Night Lights
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
804 new
The Real Housewives of Orange County
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
805 new
Brothers & Sisters
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
806 new
Wild at Heart
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
807 new
Türkisch für Anfänger
2006 — a.k.a. Turkish for Beginners, in 0 top lists Check -
808 new
Brotherhood
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
809 new
Dexter
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
810 new
The IT Crowd
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
811 new
Heroes
2006, in 0 top lists Check -
829 new
Hotel Babylon
2006, in 0 top lists Check
Last updated on Nov 3, 2023; source