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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17 new
The 25th Annual Academy Awards
1953, in 0 top lists Check -
32 new
The Eurovision Song Contest
1956, in 0 top lists Check -
84 new
Der 90. Geburtstag oder Dinner for One
1963 — a.k.a. Dinner for One, in 0 top lists Check -
163 new
Riten
1969 — a.k.a. The Rite, in 0 top lists Check -
186 new
Rio das Mortes
1971, in 0 top lists Check -
197 new
The Stone Tape
1972, in 1 top list Check -
203 new
A Warning to the Curious
1972, in 0 top lists Check -
236 new
The Naked Civil Servant
1975, in 0 top lists Check -
264 new
The Signalman
1976, in 1 top list Check -
299 new
Salem's Lot
1979, in 1 top list Check -
366 new
Miss Marple: The Body in the Library
1984 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Body in the Library, in 0 top lists Check -
367 new
Miss Marple: The Moving Finger
1985 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Moving Finger, in 0 top lists Check -
368 new
Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced
1985 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced, in 0 top lists Check -
369 new
Miss Marple: A Pocketful of Rye
1985 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye, in 0 top lists Check -
370 new
Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage
1986 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage, in 0 top lists Check -
371 new
Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder
1987, in 0 top lists Check -
372 new
Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel
1987, in 0 top lists Check -
373 new
Miss Marple: Nemesis
1987, in 0 top lists Check -
374 new
Miss Marple: 4.50 from Paddington
1987 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington, in 0 top lists Check -
375 new
Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery
1989, in 0 top lists Check -
376 new
Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors
1991 — a.k.a. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors, in 0 top lists Check -
377 new
Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
1992, in 0 top lists Check -
384 new
La piovra 8 - Lo scandalo
1997 — a.k.a. The Octopus 8 - The Scandal, in 0 top lists Check -
385 new
La piovra 9 - Il patto
1998 — a.k.a. The Octopus 9 - The Pact, in 0 top lists Check -
386 new
La piovra 10
2001 — a.k.a. The Octopus 10, in 0 top lists Check -
395 new
Threads
1984, in 4 top lists Check -
484 new
It
1990, in 1 top list Check -
494 new
Prime Suspect
1991, in 0 top lists Check -
588 new
Hornblower: The Even Chance
1998, in 0 top lists Check -
589 new
Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant
1998, in 0 top lists Check -
590 new
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
1999, in 0 top lists Check -
591 new
Hornblower: Mutiny
2001, in 0 top lists Check -
592 new
Hornblower: Retribution
2001, in 0 top lists Check -
593 new
Hornblower: Loyalty
2003, in 0 top lists Check -
594 new
Hornblower: Duty
2003, in 0 top lists Check -
611 new
Shooting the Past
1999, in 0 top lists Check -
646 new
Endgame
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
647 new
Happy Days
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
648 new
Act Without Words I
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
649 new
Act Without Words II
2001, in 0 top lists Check -
654 new
Come and Go
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
659 new
A Piece of Monologue
2001, in 0 top lists Check -
660 new
Rockaby
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
661 new
Ohio Impromptu
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
702 new
The Lost Prince
2003, in 0 top lists Check -
772 new
Archangel
2005, in 0 top lists Check -
776 new
Marian, Again
2005, in 0 top lists Check -
929 new
Arne Dahl: Misterioso
2011, in 0 top lists Check -
930 new
Arne Dahl: Ont blod
2012 — a.k.a. Arne Dahl: Bad Blood, in 0 top lists Check -
955 new
Once Upon a Time
2011, in 0 top lists Check
Last updated on Nov 3, 2023; source