TV The Best Serial Drama TV Shows  

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794 votes 210 voters 13.3k views 46 items

List Rules Shows near the top must be only the best Serial Drama TV series.

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It's no secret America loves drama. Which shows that include over-the-top scenarios and intense characters are the best of the best? Popular serial drama TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the most entertaining serial drama show of all time is. Don't let your favorite serial drama television programs in history get to the bottom of the list - be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. 

Featuring shows like Breaking Bad, Dexter, The West Wing, and more, this list will provide some great recommendations for drama programs! 

This list answers the questions, "What is the best serial drama show of all time?" and "What are the greatest serial drama shows?"

list ordered by

1
32 6
Gypsy is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
lloydc added Naomi Watts, Billy Crudup, Sophie Cookson - Gypsy is a television drama series created by Lisa Rubin for Netflix. Naomi Watts plays a therapist who begins to develop dangerous and intimate relationships with the people in her patientsÂ’

2
53 26
Breaking Bad is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
jackcompton88 added Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad is an American drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. The show originally aired on the AMC network for five seasons, from January 20, 2008, to September 29, ...more

3
68 45
Dexter is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas - Dexter is an American television drama series. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for Miami Metro Police Department who also leads a secret life ...more

4
10 4
Game of Thrones is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011) is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, based on the series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. Nine noble ...more

5
8 3
The Sopranos is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco - The Sopranos is an American drama television series created by David Chase. Revolving around the fictional New Jersey-based Italian-American Tony Soprano, the show portrays the difficulties he ...more

6
28 31
The West Wing is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney - The West Wing is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set ...more

7
7 3
Better Call Saul is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn - Better Call Saul (A&E, 2015) is an American television drama series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, and a spinoff prequel of Breaking Bad. The trials and tribulations of lawyer, ...more

8
5 1
Mad Men is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser - Mad Men is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on July 19, 2007 on the cable network AMC and is produced by Lionsgate Television. The ...more

9
7 5
The Walking Dead is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies - The Walking Dead (A&E, 2010) is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed by Frank Darabont, based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie ...more

10
6 5
Friday Night Lights is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden - Friday Night Lights is an American drama television series about a high school football team in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. It was developed by Peter Berg, and executive produced by ...more

11
6 5
Homeland is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend - Homeland is an American political thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Hatufim, which was created by Gideon Raff. The series stars ...more

12
2 0
Prison Break is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco - Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on Fox for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has ...more

13
20 27
24 is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard - 24 is an American television series produced for the Fox network created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, and starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each ...more

14
2 1
Boardwalk Empire is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Steve Buscemi, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza - Boardwalk Empire is an American period drama television series created by Terence Winter. Airing on premium cable channel HBO, the series is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the ...more

15
2 1
Battlestar Galactica is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber - Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore and executive produced ...more

16
4 4
Downton Abbey is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern - Downton Abbey is a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. It first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom and Ireland on ...more

17
4 4
The Good Wife is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth, Josh Charles - The Good Wife is an American television legal and political drama that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2009. The series was created by Robert King and Michelle King. It stars Julianna ...more

18
4 4
Shameless is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Ethan Cutkosky - Shameless is an American television comedy-drama which airs on Showtime. This remake of the award-winning British series is set in Chicago's Canaryville neighborhood on the South Side, although ...more

19
4 4
Sons of Anarchy is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior - Sons of Anarchy is an American drama television series created by Kurt Sutter, about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in California's ...more

20
4 4
Six Feet Under is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy - Six Feet Under is an American drama television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It premiered on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on June 3, 2001, and ended on August ...more

21
1 0
Heroes is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Hayden Panettiere, Jack Coleman, Milo Ventimiglia - Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the ...more

22
3 3
The Crown is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby - The Crown (Netflix, 2016) is an American-British biographical drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The series begins with the 1947 wedding of young Elizabeth ...more

23
3 3
Alias is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Jennifer Garner, Ron Rifkin, Carl Lumbly - Alias is an American spy-action television series created by J. J. Abrams, which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001, to May 22, 2006. It stars Jennifer Garner as ...more

24
3 3
Oz is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen - Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes. It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced ...more

25
2 2
Eastbound & Down is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Serial Drama TV Shows
Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon - Eastbound & Down is an American sports comedy television series that was broadcast on HBO, starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher, who after an up and ...more