19 Actually Great TV Shows You Should Watch Already

Star Trek: The Original Series

Everyone kind of knows the original Star Trek, in which Dr. McCoy exclaims, "Damn it, Jim!"; Mr. Spock raises his eyebrow; and Capt. Kirk emphasizes — every — word. But there's a real and excellent show behind the caricatures. While Star Trek is very much a pop culture fixture, there's a good reason it became one. Sit down to watch Star Trek from start to finish, and you'll see dozens of thought-provoking stories about war, love, religion, technology, tolerance, bigotry and what it means to be human.

Star Trek was also a remarkably forward-thinking show, and not only because it inspired real-world tech like cellphones and videoconferencing. Star Trek also pioneered a continuity-driven setting, in which side characters and story arcs persist from season to season and a whole shared universe exists independently of the central cast. (Almost the whole cast changed between the pilot and the premiere episode, but the pilot was still "canon.") The show has a different vibe than most modern TV, but it's still worth a watch. — Marshall Honorof

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