The best TV series, according to hackers
60 TV series were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 28 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended TV series with the badge. Each figure is 10 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Captures early computing industry era
A drama about the 1980s–90s computer industry, praised for capturing the era and its people, though some found it weaker after season one and technically unrealistic.
Foreshadowing that pays off
Fans praise its character arcs, foreshadowing and storytelling that pays off across seasons. Critics agree its dated effects are the main drawback.
Silicon Valley (TV series)
52 recommend, 1 criticize, 98% approval
Shares rank 3 of 60 by recommenders
Accurate satire of tech culture
People recommend it as a comedy that satirizes the 2010s tech industry with accurate detail. Some critics say it turned dark and heavy-handed.
All 60 TV series, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Halt and Catch Fire | 166 | 20 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Babylon 5 | 86 | 21 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 3 | Silicon Valley (TV series) | 52 | 1 | 98% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Tied 3 | Andor | 52 | 5 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 5 | The Wire | 39 | 7 | 85% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Tied 6 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | 34 | 11 | 76% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Tied 6 | Firefly | 34 | 4 | 89% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 8 | The Computer Chronicles | 30 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 9 | Severance (Apple TV+) | 29 | 9 | 76% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Tied 9 | Pluribus | 29 | 7 | 81% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 11 | Fallout TV series | 27 | 6 | 82% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 12 | Stranger Things | 23 | 38 | 38% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 13 | Black Mirror | 21 | 2 | 91% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Tied 13 | The Last of Us (HBO series) | 21 | 9 | 70% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 15 | For All Mankind | 20 | 2 | 91% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Tied 15 | Mr. Robot | 20 | 7 | 74% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 17 | Star Trek: The Original Series | 18 | 3 | 86% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 17 | Star Trek: Picard | 18 | 15 | 55% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Northern Exposure | 18 | 2 | 90% | 1 | 10 yrs3 owners | — |
| Tied 20 | Person of Interest | 17 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Tied 20 | Game of Thrones | 17 | 26 | 40% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 22 | The X-Files | 16 | 4 | 80% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 22 | UFO (1970 TV series) | 16 | 3 | 84% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 24 | Westworld | 15 | 5 | 75% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Tied 24 | Better Call Saul | 15 | 1 | 94% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 24 | Mad Men | 15 | 14 | 52% | 5 | — | — |
| 27 | The Rehearsal | 14 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Tied 28 | The Good Place | 13 | 1 | 93% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Tied 28 | Breaking Bad | 13 | 3 | 81% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 28 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 13 | 2 | 87% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 28 | The Sopranos | 13 | 1 | 93% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Tied 28 | Slow Horses | 13 | 1 | 93% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Tied 28 | Patriot (TV series) | 13 | 1 | 93% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 34 | Battlestar Galactica (2004) | 12 | 6 | 67% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 34 | The Mandalorian | 12 | 7 | 63% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 34 | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | 12 | 4 | 75% | 1 | — | — |
| 37 | Space: 1999 | 11 | 4 | 73% | 2 | — | — |
| 38 | Adolescence (Netflix series) | 10 | 2 | 83% | 4 | — | Approved |
| Tied 39 | Common Side Effects | 9 | 2 | 82% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 39 | Mindhunter | 9 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 39 | Squid Game | 9 | 2 | 82% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 42 | Ted Lasso | 8 | 5 | 62% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 42 | Mrs. Davis | 8 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 42 | Clarkson's Farm | 8 | 1 | 89% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 45 | Succession (HBO series) | 7 | 3 | 70% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 45 | Twin Peaks | 7 | 2 | 78% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 47 | Jeeves and Wooster TV series | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 47 | Narcos | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 47 | Ozark | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 47 | Counterpart (TV series) | 6 | 1 | 86% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 47 | Takeshi's Castle | 6 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | MythBusters | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | Devs | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | Alien: Earth | 5 | 2 | 71% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | 5 | 4 | 56% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | The West Wing | 5 | 5 | 50% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | Sherlock Holmes (Soviet TV series) | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | Elementary (CBS TV series) | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | The Crown | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 52 | Starfleet Academy | 5 | 16 | 24% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same TV series in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to TV series that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.