Good finished shows with 1-2 seasons?
- Thread starter Rosebud
- Start date
<3 the Patriot recs in here, show is fantastic. Lots of good suggestions, love a tight, good 1-2 season show.
The Good Place! I know you said 1-2 seasons and this is 4 but the seasons are short (13 episodes each) and it's so good that time flies. The show is about a woman who is not so great but accidentally ends up in heaven after her death. It's hilarious, has a lot of heart, explores what it means to be good and deals with self improvement and moral philosophy (that part may sound like it's not so much fun but believe me it's done really well)
Terriers is only one season. Don't watch the trailers, because they seriously fucked up the advertisement for it.
Escape at Dannemora. Miniseries about a real prison escape. It has an amazing cast and is directed by Ben Stiller. If you enjoyed the pacing and style of Severance, it's worth a jam.
Inventing Anna was also pretty enjoyable.
I just finished the first season of an Aussie series called Cleverman, and am about to start the second and final season. It's set six months after "hairy people" (based on an amalgamation of different indigenous Australian myths) have revealed themselves, and now society reacts. It offers a great chance for it to critique immigration policy, media control, capitalist exploitation and the ongoing genocide of indigenous Australian peoples. Its budget shows at times and the pacing is a bit varied, but it's cool to see a story with indigenous Australian mythology and some great indigenous talent crushing it. I hope the second season holds up.
Inventing Anna was also pretty enjoyable.
I just finished the first season of an Aussie series called Cleverman, and am about to start the second and final season. It's set six months after "hairy people" (based on an amalgamation of different indigenous Australian myths) have revealed themselves, and now society reacts. It offers a great chance for it to critique immigration policy, media control, capitalist exploitation and the ongoing genocide of indigenous Australian peoples. Its budget shows at times and the pacing is a bit varied, but it's cool to see a story with indigenous Australian mythology and some great indigenous talent crushing it. I hope the second season holds up.
To be fair it DID get a movie later on but that wasn't really as good as the series imo.
This is the one more than any other that really stands out, not just in this topic but in any "best of" media thread. And yeah at 26 episodes it's relatively brisk.
Also some shows being posted here do not have endings and in fact were either cancelled prematurely or just haven't finished yet. Of course they're still good, sometimes great, but they don't have a real ending.
Dark wraps it all up in a bow. One of the absolute greatest shows ever and I think it's the most coherent, most interesting, and most moving depiction and usage of time travel I've ever seen. It is, without hyperbole, a genuine masterpiece.
Dark is definitely right up your alley. You should give it a try.
For a fun (slightly campy) sci-fi space western with a touch of mystery and surprisingly good dash of horror (mostly in the vein of 28 Days Later), the classic Firefly is worth watching.
Only one season on TV before the show got cancelled, but it got a movie to wrap it up so it was (eventually) finished.
For a fun (slightly campy) sci-fi space western with a touch of mystery and surprisingly good dash of horror (mostly in the vein of 28 Days Later), the classic Firefly is worth watching.
Only one season on TV before the show got cancelled, but it got a movie to wrap it up so it was (eventually) finished.
Pretty much 95% of Korean shows are 1 season only.
Extracurricular
Prison Playbook
The Uncanny Counter
Live
My Name
All on Netflix and are mostly about crime and a bit of mystery. Sweet Home/All Of Us Are Dead are more horror but I think both of those might get a season 2.
Extracurricular
Prison Playbook
The Uncanny Counter
Live
My Name
All on Netflix and are mostly about crime and a bit of mystery. Sweet Home/All Of Us Are Dead are more horror but I think both of those might get a season 2.
Seconded but for first season only which itself is perfectly self contained.This is never coming back and one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. 2 tight seasons with no wasted movement. It looks generic but not at all what you think it is. Super smart, funny, and sad pretty much all at the same time. Please watch it
Yeah i wouldn't count it. The movie isn't bad, and it's nice, but it doesn't fill in for the several seasons worth of great content we clearly missed out on
Season 2 was never intended afaik. This ended as a complete story with little-to-no dangling plot threads.
Another shout for Patriot. Excellent absurd comedy. At least he got more work in For All Mankind (also 2 seasons currently).
- Deadwood (36 episodes) + Deadwood: The Movie - even before the movie when season 3 was not intended to be the last season because it was cancelled, is still my favorite TV show of all time. The movie did an amazing job of bringing Deadwood to conclusion which imo is the best revival of any TV show by far
- The Leftovers (28 episodes) - pretty much a perfect show and one of my favorites
- Freaks and Geeks (18 episodes) - can't believe no one has said this yet. Although it was cancelled and they were plans for much more, Paul Feig and Judd Apatow still put together a great button for the series. It's truly a special show.
Life on Mars (British TV series) - Wikipedia
Though there's on and off rumours they're going to do a third season.
Terriers
Didn't see it mentioned. But this was an excellent show that only got one season. A Private Eye show
So much this. The Good Place is a few seasons but the episodes are short and it speeds by.
I guess you could also check out Mindhunter on netflix. Made by Fincher so it keeps the same kind of style if you enjoy his films and you enjoy media that explores criminal minds.
Currently it is 2 seasons and there are supposed to be more, but as it is it is a well done series on the first agents to think about using a criminal profile for serial killers. Some standout acting by Cameron Britton who portrays Ed Kemper.
Currently it is 2 seasons and there are supposed to be more, but as it is it is a well done series on the first agents to think about using a criminal profile for serial killers. Some standout acting by Cameron Britton who portrays Ed Kemper.
I see that Terriers (the single greatest season of television ever imo) and Watchmen (seriously it's perfect) have already been mentioned, so my contribution to the thread is Lodge 49.
It's two seasons, and it's great. It's basically the story of a beach front town full of working class folks where the main employer in the region is pulling out and developers are buying up the town, and the people who are members a small fraternal lodge. It's a critique of capitalism in a fun and sweet show full of magical realism, it was basically laser targeted at me and it was even better than I was expecting. I literally cannot recommend this show enough.
It's two seasons, and it's great. It's basically the story of a beach front town full of working class folks where the main employer in the region is pulling out and developers are buying up the town, and the people who are members a small fraternal lodge. It's a critique of capitalism in a fun and sweet show full of magical realism, it was basically laser targeted at me and it was even better than I was expecting. I literally cannot recommend this show enough.
The finale killed me on the show. I hope S3 redeems it.
every asshole and piece of shit gets a happy ending. Eugenics doctor. Guy who got his now-fiance arrested end of s1. The hospital dude skimming from hospital who left his wife. The brother who murdered their dad.
The hospital dude is showing early signs of radiation poisoning from doing the x-ray so much. But yeah he's the only one who has an sort of comeuppance hinted at. But that's life. All the good people got happy endings as well though.
I'm aware. They are short seasons and others are listing beyond 2 as well.
Only just found this myself and it was amazing. The story behind it is pretty cool too.
I'll stan Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. The novel is great and the BBC series is pretty damn good adaptation. It's like 8 episodes I think.
Well there's the movie which wraps up some plot threads. I don't know if I'd call it an ending, feels more like the end of act 1 of what Firefly could have been. But it's a lot more satisfying then the show just stopping without any conclusion.
And so much of Firefly is self-contained planet-of-the-week episodes anyway, so I think Serenity as an open ending works a lot better than it would have with a more story-focused show
Well there's the movie which wraps up some plot threads. I don't know if I'd call it an ending, feels more like the end of act 1 of what Firefly could have been. But it's a lot more satisfying then the show just stopping without any conclusion.
And so much of Firefly is self-contained planet-of-the-week episodes anyway, so I think Serenity as an open ending works a lot better than it would have with a more story-focused show
Journeyman was rock solid, one season and done
Yes, it deserved more and was cancelled before it fully shone, so is probably way out of scope of what OP wants, but in many ways it's refreshing - so many of those type of shows end up getting bloated and saggy as time goes on. Better to burn out than to fade away and all that. Some elements kinda felt like what I would have wanted from a Quantum Leap reboot, and the actual incoming Quantum Leap reboot would be doing well if it hit Journeyman type depths
It ending on what could have been a game changer / cliffhanger left me with a nice 'what if' springboard as opposed to frustration
Yes, it deserved more and was cancelled before it fully shone, so is probably way out of scope of what OP wants, but in many ways it's refreshing - so many of those type of shows end up getting bloated and saggy as time goes on. Better to burn out than to fade away and all that. Some elements kinda felt like what I would have wanted from a Quantum Leap reboot, and the actual incoming Quantum Leap reboot would be doing well if it hit Journeyman type depths
It ending on what could have been a game changer / cliffhanger left me with a nice 'what if' springboard as opposed to frustration
Normal People is one the best best depictions of a relationship I've ever seen. Just extremely authentic and heartfelt, matched with terrific performances, and a super smart script.
I'm not usually a fan of romance stories, but this just rang so true to life that I was a huge fan.
One season, ten half hour episodes.
(For other depictions of authentic relationships in TV check out You're The Worst, but that's multiple seasons. Fan-fucking-tastic though.)
I'm not usually a fan of romance stories, but this just rang so true to life that I was a huge fan.
One season, ten half hour episodes.
(For other depictions of authentic relationships in TV check out You're The Worst, but that's multiple seasons. Fan-fucking-tastic though.)
It's a Sin.
It's a single season, five episodes, and probably one of the best shows to come out in 2021.
It's a complete and self-contained story, and the short nature means it moves with a lot of purpose and it carries a lot of weight. Well-acted, very powerful, and the writing is pretty sharp. It's not a mystery or horror, but it's a fantastic drama.
It's a single season, five episodes, and probably one of the best shows to come out in 2021.
It's a complete and self-contained story, and the short nature means it moves with a lot of purpose and it carries a lot of weight. Well-acted, very powerful, and the writing is pretty sharp. It's not a mystery or horror, but it's a fantastic drama.
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Fleabag has been mentioned but also its structure deserves to be talked about. The main unnamed character talks into the camera for meta comedy but also as a confessional of how her real feelings are. She confides in the camera. The camera is a security blanket in the first season.
In the second season, she comes across the hot priest. For some reason, while no other character clocked it, he's the only one to recognise when she's talking to the camera. Her confiding in the camera is now under threat as someone else is now in this space. I won't give it away any more but it's a very satisfying finale. Phoebe-Waller Bridge puts her stamp and leaves on a perfect note. There's a good video essay about this:
www.youtube.com
It's a shame she couldn't stay longer after Killing Eve's excellent first season, as that kept spinning its wheels and seems to have ended spectacularly awfully.
In the second season, she comes across the hot priest. For some reason, while no other character clocked it, he's the only one to recognise when she's talking to the camera. Her confiding in the camera is now under threat as someone else is now in this space. I won't give it away any more but it's a very satisfying finale. Phoebe-Waller Bridge puts her stamp and leaves on a perfect note. There's a good video essay about this:
Facades and the Fourth Wall - A Fleabag Video Essay
I'm not sure I managed to articulate everything I wanted to with this one but I did my best.Also I caught a bunch of editing goofs after the fact on this one...
www.youtube.com
This is never coming back and one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. 2 tight seasons with no wasted movement. It looks generic but not at all what you think it is. Super smart, funny, and sad pretty much all at the same time. Please watch it
I second this.
Also from those that have already been mentioned:
Fleabag
Mare of Easttown
Watchmen (some knowledge of the original movie/comic book is required though)
Fargo s1 and 2
True Detective s1 and, to a lesser extent, s2
Fleabag
We Are Lady Parts
Outstanding show, came here to recommend it as well. Also has some of the most realistic surgery scenes filmed if that appeals to people.
Which 4 episodes didn't you like? :)
(I know, you just typed the wrong number, FT is 2x6).
I recommend Hannibal. There are three seasons but I feel like it accomplished everything in the first two.
