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13 Best Prestige TV Shows That Actually Require Your Full Attention
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If you’ve even casually surfed the front-page of a major streaming service recently, you’ve probably noticed the trend toward cheap, unengaging content meant to fill the air of your living room with over-explained plots, shallow characters, and forgettable dialogue. This is a relatively new concept brought about by the streaming age. It’s entertainment as content rather than as art, existing purely as a stocking stuffer to keep new content dropping as often as possible.
It’s called ‘second screen content’, largely due to the fact that most people viewing it are treating their television as a second screen while they actually engage with their smartphone. Granted, smartphones are much more addictive than a television screen, but this shift of priorities has bigger implications than just tech neck.
Second-screen content has changed the way television scripts are written – and not necessarily for the better. Thankfully, there are still well-written, engaging TV shows that require your full attention, and reward you with some of the best storytelling available on whatever streaming platform you’re into, if you’re willing to put the time and attention in.
1. Severance
- Release Date: 18 February, 2022
- Seasons: 2
- Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
- Creator: Dan Erickson, Ben Stiller
- Cast: Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman
Set in a strange biotech company, Lumon Industries, Severance follows a group of employees who have agreed to separate their “innie” work self and their “outie” personal self in order to maintain complete secrecy at work. If that sounds dangerous at first glance, you’d be right, and the cracks start to show almost immediately as it becomes clear that even the severed employees don’t fully understand what Lumon is up to or what it’s capable of.
This is a series that gets better with repeated viewings, with an absolute ton of foreshadowing to dig into once you have even the barest idea of where the corporate mystery is going, as well as a deeper understanding of why each character does what they do.
2. Dark
- Release Date: 1 December, 2017
- Seasons: 3
- Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery
- Creator: Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese
- Cast: Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schone, Stephen Kampwirth, Jordis Triebel
Imagine Stranger Things if Christopher Nolan got his hands on it. Dark is a complicated show: Entirely in German, it features a large ensemble cast playing the inhabitants of a town across almost 200 years of paradoxical time travel, causing all sorts of complicated causal loops that require you to really pay attention.
It’s also one of Netflix’s finest series, with some incredible cinematography and impressive performances to boot. Dark starts up with a similar premise to Stranger Things before spiralling out into a far more satisfying tale of intergenerational trauma and existentialism. It might be worth keeping a notebook handy as you get to grips with how each character’s story is intertwined. But it’s definitely worth the ride over three satisfying seasons.
3. The Leftovers
- Release Date: 29 June, 2014
- Seasons: 3
- Genre: Supernatural Thriller, Mystery
- Creator: Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta
- Cast: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley
Created by one of the men behind the cult sci-fi series Lost, The Leftoverstakes a similar mystery-box form from the jump. After 2 per cent of the world’s population inexplicably vanishes in an instant, those left behind are required to pick up the pieces of a world forever changed. Major religions struggle with the rapture-esque nature of the event, while scientists try to figure out a logical explanation for a seemingly supernatural event. In the space between, people find their own ways to cope: from a nihilistic cult that lives as though their own end is imminent, to a group led by a man who considers himself the second coming of Jesus Christ.
While these are large scale issues, The Leftovers actually follows a pretty small cast of characters, preferring to examine the world-altering events through a personal lens for the various families and characters we follow throughout the series. If you’re after something to explore human psychology and behaviour, with a little bit of supernatural sci-fi thrown in, The Leftovers is the show for you.
4. Twin Peaks
- ReleaseDate: 8 April, 1990
- Seasons: 3
- Genre: Horror, Surrealism, Mystery
- Creator: David Lynch, Mark Frost
- Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Lara Flynn Boyle
David Lynch’s infamous surrealist horror drama Twin Peaks literally changed TV when it first aired in 1990. Compared to most TV of the time, which wrapped up each episode with a hearty message and a return to normalcy for the show’s characters, Twin Peaks asked its cast, and viewers, to solve a central mystery over the course of the first season: who killed Laura Palmer?
While that question is eventually solved, the answer opens up a whole new slew of mysteries to keep viewers gripped, whether this is your first visit to the Black Lodge, or a return after 35 (or so) years. Speaking of The Return, the series dropped a third and final season in 2017, focused largely on reexamining old mysteries while uncovering new questions for FBI agent Dale Cooper to answer.
If you’re looking to get the complete picture, watch the tie-in film, Fire Walk with Me, after the end of Twin Peaks’ second season. Enjoy!
5. The Wire
- Release Date: 2 June, 2002
- Seasons: 5
- Genre: Crime Drama, Police Procedural
- Creator: David Simon
- Cast: Dominic West, John Doman, Idris Elba, Frankie Faison, Lawrence Gilliard Jr, Wood Harris, Lance Reddick
One of the greatest television shows of all time, The Wire is a deep examination of crime, society, politics, and the interrelatedness of urban life. With a cast of characters split between two groups: Detectives focused on stamping out a burgeoning drug empire in their city, and the criminals keeping that empire growing, The Wire is surprisingly even-handed in the way each group’s motives and behaviours are explored. This isn’t a show where the good guys are clear-cut heroes and the bad guys are evil criminals; everyone is written with nuance.
Of particular note is the incredible performances on display, with every character oozing a natural charisma that allows them to blend into their realistic storylines, allowing the viewer to completely buy them as authentic. If you’re at all interested in the push-and-pull of urban crime, The Wire is a must watch.
6. Pluribus
- ReleaseDate: 7 November, 2025
- Seasons: 1
- Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Drama
- Creator: Vince Gilligan
- Cast: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos-Manuel Vesga
The newest series on this list – but not the only one by showrunner Vince Gilligan – Pluribus explores a pretty out-there concept, following the solitary Carol Sturka as she comes to terms with the fact that she is one of only a handful of people left on the planet that retain their individuality. The rest of humanity has been forcibly but non-violently assimilated into a mysterious hive-mind that seemingly wants only to keep Earth safe and healthy, with the ultimate aim of joining with Carol and her fellow individuals too.
And that’s only the first episode. The series uses Gilligan’s penchant for slow-burn character growth, and meticulous attention to detail, to build a deep and engaging world with what amounts to a pretty idyllic post-apocalypse. While there’s only one season released so far, Gilligan has said that the series will run for around four seasons, meaning you’ve got plenty of time to let this one simmer.
7. The Pitt
- ReleaseDate: 9 January, 2025
- Seasons: 2
- Genre: Medical drama, Psychological drama
- Creator: R. Scott Gemmill
- Cast: Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, Katherine LaNasa, Supriya Ganesh, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden
Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to work in the emergency room of a busy hospital? If yes, we have great news for you: You don’t need a medical degree, you just need The Pitt. Depicting a single 12-hour shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, the series follows Dr. Michael Robinavich (or Dr. Robby, for short) as he and his team of residents take on a particularly stressful day of emergencies with the help of a new cadre of student doctors.
The Pittis definitely not a relaxing watch, and you might want to avoid it if you have a weak stomach or don’t like seeing inside a person’s body. It is a realistic depiction of the pressures medical professionals face daily – although this turns out to be anything but an ordinary day in the ER.
The Pitt is masterful at slowly turning the heat up over the course of one 12-hour shift. It happens so slowly, that much like the show’s characters, you don’t realise how deep you are until it’s too late.
8. The Chair Company
- Release Date: 12 October, 2025
- Seasons: 1
- Genre: Cringe Comedy, Mystery
- Creator: Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin
- Cast: Tim Robinson, Lake Bell, Sophia Lillis, Will Price, Joseph Tudisco
While there’s a bit of a theme on this list in shows that present a gripping mystery slowly unravelling over the course of a series, The Chair Companyis different. It’s primarily a surrealist cringe-comedy care of lead actor Tim Robinson ofI Think You Should Leave fame, and while its central mystery is compelling, it’s also pretty silly.
When Ron Trosper suffers a particularly embarrassing incident, with his chair collapsing under him on stage during a work event, he becomes obsessed with uncovering an apparent conspiracy involving the chair manufacturing company, the local government, a potential drug ring, and… well, let’s leave it there.
The Chair Company is definitely a show better experienced yourself, and with a second season on the way, there’s really no better time than the present.
9. Shōgun
- ReleaseDate: 27 February, 2024
- Seasons: 1
- Genre: Historical Drama
- Creator: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, James Clavell
- Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, Fumi Nikaido
The only show on this list that could generously be called a historical account, Shōguntells the story of the end of Japan’s Sengoku period – an era of intense civil war and social change that saw the country split into loose, daimyo-led states feuding for land and power – and the dawn of the Edo period, where the country was united once more under a powerful Shogunate that brought peace and stability to the formerly divided nation, opening the once insular country up to international politics.
Shōgun is certainly a dramatised retelling of these events, blending historical figures and events with dramatic storytelling.
We follow the trials of Pilot-Major John Blackthorn, an English maritime navigator who becomes indebted to local Lord Toranaga after the daimyo recognises the political power in having someone who understands the outside world close at hand. Together, the pair take on Toranaga’s main rival for Shogunate, Lord Ishido, in a plan to unite and open Japan.
10. Breaking Bad
- ReleaseDate: 20 January, 2008
- Seasons: 5
- Genre: Crime Drama, Black Comedy
- Creator: Vince Gilligan
- Cast: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Giancarlo Esposito, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Jesse Plemons
No list of fantastic TV shows would be complete without Vince Gilligan’s magnum opus Breaking Bad. The series, which helped define the popularity of the prestige drama throughout the 2010s, follows the antiheroic antics of Walter White, a vastly overqualified high school chemistry teacher who takes to producing and selling meth with a former student after receiving a terminal diagnosis of lung cancer.
Though the plan is initially to make enough money to leave his family something meaningful after his death, White falls victim to the allure of power and prestige, and dives deeper and deeper into the incredibly dangerous world of drug production and distribution, and the violence and power plays that come with it.
Breaking Bad features some of the finest performances ever seen on screen, with a cast of incredible characters played to a tee by a group of actors on top of their game. If you somehow haven’t followed White’s journey from high school teacher to Heisenberg, we really can’t recommend it enough.
11. Better Call Saul
- ReleaseDate: 8 February, 2015
- Seasons: 6
- Genre: Legal Drama, Black Comedy
- Creator: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould
- Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Giancarlo Esposito
Something of a prequel to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul follows the trials and tribulations of down-on-his-luck Jimmy McGill, a former con-man turned lawyer, who takes on the alias of Saul Goodman. While the series largely explores McGill’s background and operations before meeting Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, it also flashes forward to follow Goodman’s life after Heisenberg, to showcase the ultimate result of having gotten in way too deep, way too often.
Better Call Saul features all the same trademarks as Vince Gilligan’s other notable works, with a distinct eye for detail, cinematography, and the slow-reveal of characters’ intentions and moral capabilities. It’s also Bob Odenkirk at his finest, which is always a positive thing. Despite its position as a prequel to the former series, I’d recommend watching Better Call Saul after Breaking Bad and its spin-off film El Camino, which wraps up Pinkman’s storyline.
12. Counterpart
- ReleaseDate: 10 December, 2017
- Seasons: 2
- Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
- Creator: Justin Marks
- Cast: J.K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd, Nazanin Boniadi
An incredible show cancelled before its time, Counterpart explores the actions of Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons), a quiet man who works at the Berlin-based Office of Interchange, and whose job involves exchanging nonsensical messages with another, unknown person. However, when it’s revealed that a portal to an alternate Earth was formed during the end of the Cold War, and that this ‘Prime’ universe’s Howard has slipped through the portal to thwart an inter-dimensional assassin, all hell breaks loose.
Counterpart is one of those shows that surprised everyone when it launched, but was cancelled well before it’s time due to factors well beyond its control. Thankfully, the series doesn’t end with a major cliffhanger, and most of the broad conflicts are wrapped up by the finale of season two. If you can stomach a few dangling threads, Counterpart could very well be your next great sci-fi watch.
13. Fargo
- Release Date: 15 April, 2014
- Seasons: 5
- Genre: Crime Noir, Black Comedy
- Creator: Noah Hawley
- Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman
An anthology series set around the Midwest town of Fargo, each season features an independent story with its own characters, though all share a basic continuity with one another and the fantastic 1996 Coen brothers’ film that serves as the series’ inspiration. While each season tells its own story, they’re all thematically connected through Fargo’s focus on the criminal underworld, and what happens when seemingly small events spiral out of control.
Despite being a single show, Fargo in some ways feels like watching five different prestige black comedies with a shared thematic throughline and a new concept every time. If you’re looking for something to straddle the line between thrilling, horrific, and comedic, Fargois probably it.
What does “second-screen content” actually mean?
“Second-screen content” refers to TV shows intentionally designed with simple plots, over-explained dialogue, and low visual complexity. They are structured so viewers can follow the storyline without looking up from a primary device, like a smartphone or tablet.
What qualifies a series as a “prestige” TV show?
Prestige TV relies on high production values, complex narrative arcs, cinematic direction, and deep character development. Unlike background media, prestige series feature subtle visual storytelling and subtext that require – and reward – your full focus.
Where can you stream the best prestige TV shows in Australia?
In Australia, major streaming platforms like Apple TV+ (for Severance), Binge and HBO Max (for The Wire and The Leftovers), Stan (for Breaking Bad and Fargo), and Disney+ (for Shōgun) host the majority of high-concept prestige dramas.
