Member-only story
Great TV shows for every genre and occasion
My TV for every occasion infographic includes a mix of old and new shows for a wide range of genres and occasions. You can find the full infographic here, and capsule summaries for new shows on the list here.
This post contains the capsule summaries for the shows that first appeared on my list when this graphic appeared in The Wall Street Journal, or in my 2017 update. In some cases I’ve updated my summaries to reflect changes in the show (or in my perspective).
11/22/63 James Franco finds a temporal portal back to 1960, and is charged with stopping JFK’s assassination. The violence gets intense at times, but the underlying concept is so compelling that it’s worth gritting your teeth.
The Affair A thoughtful drama that follows the story of an extramarital affair through multiple perspectives. Lots and lots of very naked sex, which can be a plus, as long as you don’t watch it with the kids. I abandoned it
Alias TV’s original badass female action hero was plenty of fun, especially before it got mired down in the meta-conspiracy story line.
Almost Human File this under Geeks Only: a one-season copy show in which the sidekick is an android.
The Amazing Race Yet another reality show I would never have looked at without the kids. But they love it…
