15 Most Rewatchable TV Shows Of All Time

As the current state of television continues to advance at a rapid pace, it’s hard to keep up with every new show and spin-off. Sometimes, all you really want are the done-and-dusted series that never let you down. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of programs that do just that.

From mother-daughter struggles to drug rings and even the occasional jump scare, this list is packed with gripping entries that changed television for the better. Have a look and judge for yourself if any of your favorites made the cut.

After its ending in 2007, “The Sopranos” was widely regarded as the greatest television show ever made. It’s no surprise that it’s also one of the most rewatchable. Led by James Gandolfini’s exceptional performance as Tony Soprano, the HBO series introduces us to a flawed but fascinating main character who can be analyzed again and again.

Thanks to Gandolfini, the supporting cast, and creator David Chase’s team of writers, this mob masterpiece is as rewatchable as any other revered saga. Just about every moment — from therapy sessions to idiotic conversations at Bada Bing! — is worth revisiting.

With 37 seasons under its belt, “The Simpsons” is among the longest-running American series in history. The animated Fox family sitcom’s perennial stint on the small screen includes many great eras with all-time classic episodes and enough quotable lines to fill a chalkboard during afterschool detention or an opening theme song skit. 

Whether you feel like a binge or just want something on in the background, “The Simpsons” is the game-changing comedy series that is always worth watching, just to check if your sense of humor still works.

The journey of mild-mannered chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) into the feared drug lord Heisenberg is a wild ride. AMC’s “Breaking Bad” is a story of both rising to power and falling from grace, driven by Walt’s decisions that push him into deeper and darker depths. The result is a character transformation like no other, as Walt’s shift to becoming “The One Who Knocks” still captivates from the very first episode.  

Even though he’s practically the villain of the story, it’s hard to stay mad at Walt when he crosses paths with equally complex and corrupt characters like Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), and, of course, the out-of-his-depth business partner and tormented soul Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).

While some episodes have aged like a jar of fat, “Friends” ultimately works. Every sitcom needs an ensemble to work well together, and the timing of this bunch of twentysomethings is brilliant to see, especially in the episodes that aged like the opposite of a jar of fat.

Thanks to Ross (David Schwimmer), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Monica (Courteney Cox), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler (Matthew Perry), terms like “being on a break” and asking someone how they’re doing in just the right way became part of the ’90s lexicon. Regardless of the occasional questionable storyline choice (Rachel and Joey were never meant to be), NBCs “Friends” is a benchmark that many other sitcoms have tried to replicate.

Critical praise of “The Wire” often described the HBO series as “Dickensian” — referring to the novels of 19th century literary titan Charles Dickens. Creator David Simon rolled his eyes at the comparison. However, his beloved Baltimore-based cops ‘n’ drug dealers show is famously detail oriented, meticulously structured, and noted for its social critiques and sprawling cast of characters. So, even if “The Wire” isn’t directly similar to something like 1859’s “A Tale of Two Cities,” it’s not that different, either … even if “The Wire” itself doesn’t want to admit it.

“The Wire” rewards the most dedicated viewers with occasionally poetic dialogue and idiosyncrasies that enrich the viewing experience — moments like Bodie’s (J.D. Williams) four-year-long chess lesson or Nick Sobotka’s (Pablo Schreiber) brief return in Season 5. “The Wire” stands as one of the best detective shows ever produced. Like a worn-down Dickens or Tolstoy novel, it might be frayed around the edges, but is it worth going back to? Oh, indeed.

Showrunner Elizabeth Meriwether might have borrowed aspects of the “Friends” formula to make her own sitcom about twentysomething roommates in an implausibly cool-looking apartment, but “New Girl” has just as many highlights and remains as quotable as ever.

Zooey Deschanel’s Jess, Jake Johnson’s Nick, Max Greenfield’s Schmidt, and Lamorne Morris’ Winston take turns stealing scenes throughout seven seasons that originally aired on Fox. Hannah Simone’s Cece and Damon Wayans Jr.’s Coach also deserve honorable mention. Perhaps the biggest highlight is the incredible chemistry between Jess and Nick that fuels a “will-they-won’t-they?” storyline rivaling Ross and Rachel. Eventually, it involves the late music legend Prince and one of the best first kisses in television history.

Mike Flanagan’s “The Haunting of Hill House” is arguably his greatest Netflix show. Beyond the ingenious modernization and reimagining of Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel, the masterful way the 10-episode miniseries jumps between the past and the present, and the outstanding performances — via Victoria Pedretti, Kate Siegel, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, among others – make it a can’t-miss.

Flanagan wraps a traumatic story in genuinely frightening moments. The Bent-Neck Lady and The Tall Man’s presence never fail to chill bones. Flanagan’s takes on “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and “The House of Usher” might also be worth a second watch, but none deserve as many repeated walks through them as Hill House.

It gets cringey now and again, but “The Office” is nonetheless a rewatchable staple. In 2023, records indicated that American audiences had viewed a total of 57.1 billion minutes of NBC’s era-defining workplace sitcom, making it the second-most-watched show ever at that point (via Variety). But these kinds of statistics only add to the laugh-inducing legacy that Greg Daniels’ original (well, remake) series created across nine seasons.

A lot of the praise for the show’s success must go to Steve Carell’s performance as the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company’s dunderheaded regional manager Michael Scott. While some might argue that the show goes downhill after Michael leaves at the end of Season 7, we think that’s an issue best addressed with HR.

With television still crammed with very serious cop shows, it’s “noice” to return to one that gave us one of the greatest sitcom straight men of the last few decades — the late Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt — who’s consistently butting heads with hotshot “Die Hard” enthusiast Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg). Their chemistry still hits the spot years after the Fox show came to an end after eight seasons in 2021.

That said, to be arrested by the “Nine-Nine” also means enjoying the comedic chops of Chelsea Peretti (even with her early departure in Season 6), Joe Lo Truglio, and Stephanie Beatriz. Squeeze in Terry Crews just turning himself up to 11, and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” still stands as law-abiding amusement.

Reapplying the formula that was wildly successful at Dunder Mifflin, showrunners Greg Daniels and Michael Schur created another mockumentary — this time with a focus on Amy Poehler’s kindhearted Leslie Knope, deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. Her misfit band of colleagues — including the endearingly stupid Andy Dwyer, played by a then-unknown Chris Pratt — are also there to help her keep her organization functioning properly … or, in the case of Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson, prevent the organization from functioning properly.  

The sitcom’s seven seasons on NBC included established big names — Poehler, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, and Rashida Jones — and it helped make new stars out of Pratt, Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Ben Schwartz, and Aziz Ansari.

Look, we know the ending of HBO’s iteration of “A Song of Ice and Fire” basically stinks, but for a few years, “Game of Thrones” shifted television into blockbuster-level entertainment in a way we hadn’t seen before and haven’t seen since. Epic in its execution and laced with award-winning performances, the adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s tale has simply too much good to ignore – the Battle of the Bastards, Tyrion’s murder trial, the soul-sucking emotional nightmare that is the Red Wedding, and the list goes on. It’s not as if we all used to be obsessed with this show for no reason.

Since the 2019 swansong of “Game of Thrones,” HBO has carried on the saga of Westeros through “House of the Dragon” and the upcoming “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Expanded from a character co-created by Jason Sudeikis for 2012 NBC commercials, the titular protagonist of “Ted Lasso” (also played by Sudeikis) is the Kansas-flavored export initially tasked with turning around down-and-out football team AFC Richmond. Spanning three seasons, the award-winning Apple TV+ dramedy made household names out of Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, and Phil Dunster. It also got more Americans to stop saying “soccer” when referring to the sport known globally as “football.”

Coming from the mind of “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence, the show also does an exceptional job of shining a spotlight on men’s mental health. While the third season disappointed some fans, Ted might be able to redeem himself with a fourth season that’s now well into development.

In addition to many, many vampires, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) faces off against a wide array of monsters of the week. In between occasionally swooning over good-guy vampires, the hero of Sunnydale takes on invisible students, silent Gentlemen, and, at one point, even fights alongside a possessed ventriloquist dummy.

What’s most compelling about this show — which aired for five seasons on The WB and two seasons on UPN – are the relationships built and broken amid the Hellmouth’s chaos. Beyond all the quippy action and supernatural ridiculousness, “Buffy” has moments of genuine heartbreak and absolute tragedy. The fact that it runs the emotional gamut makes “Buffy” a true classic. Now might be a good time to revisit, considering that The Slayer is set to return to our screens in the not-too-distant future.

Nestled in the postcard getaway town of Stars Hollow, “Gilmore Girls” — which debuted on The WB before the network became The CW — has surpassed its cult-like status into something that feels more like officially recognized, tax-exempt religious status. 

Amy Sherman-Palladino mapped out a pitch-perfect mother-daughter relationship between Lauren Graham’s Lorelai Gilmore and book-smart teen Rory, played by Alexis Bledel. Both women have their own problems, and years after the end of both the original show and its revival miniseries on Netflix, debates surrounding the “Gilmore” legend have yet to be settled. Should Rory have ended up with Jess, Dean, or Logan? Is Lorelai way too hard on Emily? Is most of Season 7 a hallucination experienced by local handyman Kirk (Sean Gunn) after he inhales too many paint fumes? Fans will never know these answers for certain.  

Be that as it may, “Gilmore Girls” is still worth a watch to see Rory attempt to find her place in the world, and Lorelai eventually accept that Luke (Scott Patterson) is her dream guy.

While our studies haven’t been extensive, we feel confident that Timothy Olyphant has the coolest walk on television. He put it into full effect when he donned a 10-gallon hat and a U.S. Marshal’s badge as Raylan Givens. FX’s “Justified” takes the standard cop show and gives it a modern Western edge. The result is not only six seasons of one of the coolest television heroes in years but also an equally entertaining arch-nemesis in the form of Walton Goggins’ Boyd Crowder.

Long before Goggins was stealing scenes in “The White Lotus” and “Fallout,” he was shaping one of his most significant roles. An elusive, deceptively intelligent foe, Boyd is the Deep South-based Moriarty to Olyphant’s stupidly charming Sherlock Holmes who shoots through his problems as much as he drops dynamite-level one-liners. Rewatch this if only to see two incredible actors at the top of their game making a meal out of every scene. In fact, after you’re done, throw on the revival show “Justified: City Primeval.”