Whoops, I took forever in writing this, and missed the train. Here's my "Worth It" TV Shows list:
5 TV Shows:
runners up: Kings (see Kings in it's entirety for free at Hulu), Breaking Bad (yes it is that good), The Mighty Boosh (absurd brit com), Dead Like Me (a Firefly situation. fans missed it so much, 5 years after it was canceled, they made a movie continuing the story)
5) Tim & Eric
Pure nightmare-television, this is one of the few Adult Swim absurdest offerings that continued to get better, instead of opting for "weirder," as the years went on. I highly recommend sitting down with one season every Sunday for the next 5 weeks and just running through it in one go. It'll take about 2 hours, you'll mostly just be sitting slack jawed, unblinking, but about every 7 minutes you'll break out laughing so hard you'll have to pause the dvd. There is nothing on the planet like Tim & Eric.
4) Northern Exposure
A solid TV show from "TV's second great era" (or whatever it's labeled) whose characters and sense of community stand as a bold and unwavering juxtaposition to what is mostly a worthless wasteland of baloney sit-coms and reality television. You'll watch the 40 minute episode and be surprised by it's comparatively snail slow pace, but I garantee you that there are few to no characters on TV today with the depth and personality of even the smallest character in this show.
3) IT Crowd
A brilliantly funny BBC comedy. If you don't get it, apparently, then you just don't get it. I feel like I live this life without my life looking remotely similar to these people.
2) Pushing Daisies
Colorful, absurd, cute, quick, witty, amazing character, beautiful sets, and a detective story? This show needs to be seen to be believed.
1) Avatar: The Last Airbender
You will frequently catch me saying that this show is the Only TV Show That Has Ever Mattered, and I will stand by that. It showcases every positive attribute possible in television. It is, to my knowledge, the only TV show that was fully conceived before even a single frame was shot/drawn. They knew that it would be 3 seasons, and when they signed on with Nickelodeon, they told them that they would not sully the reputation it would surely have by tacking on extra, unnecessary seasons. It's also the only show with a sustained full series story arch. Arguably LOST could be a contender, but while they have said that they knew what they were going to do, there are to many slow, worthless moments in the show for that to really be true, true in the sense that it's true in Avatar. There isn't a wasted moment in Avatar. Every scene is either driving the plot forward (never telling, always showing), or developing the characters ... usually both at the same time. And it's funny. And FUN. And Sad, messed up, and challenging. And basically anyone can watch it and get something out of it. I will go to my grave thinking that it is one of the best works of art the human hand has ever crafted. Stand any show up against Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it wilts.