Current TV Shows You Totally Lie About Watching To Sound Smart

Updated May 11, 2020 598 votes 88 voters 1.3k views24 items

List RulesVote up the shows you tell people you're watching, despite never having seen an episode.

While there's no accounting for taste, some people will judge you harshly for not watching the most pretentious current TV shows. Some find things like Twin Peaks downright boring. Some current shows you watch to seem smart have massive casts, making them hard to follow. Other current pretentious TV series tackle social issues in a manner some may find heavy handed. While these current TV shows you say you watch may rake in the awards, maybe they're just not for you.

What shows will you find on this list of TV shows you lie about watching? The Walking Dead has a massive cast of characters. Fom Jon Snow to Tyrion Lannister to Daenerys Targaryen, all these competing storylines may be hard to follow and leave you yawning. With everyone quoting Rick and Morty, non-watchers have to laugh along without getting the joke. Other good current TV series you lie about watching may include Archer, Stranger Things, and Dateline (or any news-type show, for that matter).

What's the worst current TV shows you feel compelled to say you watch? Give these examples a thumbs up and please add any cool TV shows you don't really like we may have missed.

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Black Mirror
Daniel Kaluuya, Toby Kebbell
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction, Fantasy
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Stranger Things
Winona Ryder, David Harbour
Premiered: 2016
Genres (Tv): Sci-fi, Horror, Supernatural, Period drama
Stranger Things (Netflix, 2016) is an American science fiction-horror web television series... more
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Twin Peaks
Kyle MacLachlan, Russ Tamblyn
Premiered: 1990
Genres (Tv): Drama, Crime, Mystery
Twin Peaks (ABC, 1990) is an American mystery horror drama television series created by Mark... more
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The Handmaid's Tale
Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes
Premiered: 2017
Genres (Tv): Drama, Dystopian fiction
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu, 2017) is an American web television series created by Bruce Miller,... more
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Jeopardy!
Alex Trebek, Johnny Gilbert
Premiered: 1964
Genres (Tv): Game show
Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show features a... more
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Archer
H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer
Premiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Adult animation, Action, Comedy
Archer (FXX, 2009) is an American adult animated black spy sitcom created by Adam Reed. The... more
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Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan
Premiered: 2014
Genres (Tv): Science, Documentary
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is a 2014 American science documentary television series. The show... more
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Fargo
Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman
Premiered: 2014
Genres (Tv): Comedy, Drama, Crime
Fargo (FX, 2014) is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Noah... more
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20/20
Elizabeth Vargas, David Muir
Premiered: 1978
Genres (Tv): News, News magazine
20/20 is an American television newsmagazine that has been broadcast on ABC since June 6,... more
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The Crown
Claire Foy, Matt Smith
Premiered: 2016
Genres (Tv): Historical drama
The Crown (Netflix, 2016) is an American-British biographical drama series created by Peter... more
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The X-Files
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Cryptozoology, Supernatural, Crime Fiction, Drama, Live action
The X-Files is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by Chris... more
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The Daily Show
Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah
Premiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Satire, Talk show, News, Parody, Comedy
The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 1999) is an American late-night talk and news satire... more
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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
John Oliver, David Kaye
Premiered: 2014
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Legion
Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller
Premiered: 2017
Genres (Tv): Sci-fi, Action, Horror, Drama, Superhero
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Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon
Premiered: 1975
Genres (Tv): Sketch comedy, Satire, Variety show, Sketch, Comedy
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Narcos
Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura
Premiered: 2015
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Biographical
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The Walking Dead
Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal
Premiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, Suspense, Drama
The Walking Dead (AMC, 2010) is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series... more
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Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David, Cheryl Hines
Premiered: 2000
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American improvised comedy television series produced and broadcast... more
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Rick and Morty
Justin Roiland, Chris Parnell
Premiered: 2013
Genres (Tv): Adult animation, Sci-fi, Comedy, Adventure
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim, 2013) is an American adult animated science-fiction sitcom created... more
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Better Call Saul
Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks
Premiered: 2015
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Drama, Comedy
Better Call Saul (AMC, 2015) is an American television drama series created by Vince Gilligan... more
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The Man in the High Castle
Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans
Premiered: 2015
Genres (Tv): History, Drama, Dystopian, Thriller, Sci-fi
The Man in the High Castle (Amazon Video, 2015) is an American dystopian alternative history... more
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Transparent
Jeffrey Tambor, Gaby Hoffmann
Premiered: 2014
Genres (Tv): Drama, Comedy
Transparent (Amazon Video, 2014) is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jill... more
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Dateline NBC
Lester Holt, Ann Curry
Premiered: 1992
Genres (Tv): News, News magazine
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American Horror Story
Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Anthology, Horror, Supernatural
American Horror Story (FX, 2011) is an American anthology horror television series created by... more
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