I don't know about you, but I love movies, television shows, and stage productions! They're wonderful. However, most of the television shows I love don't run on TV anymore (or choose to wait four years between seasons — I'm looking at you, Sherlock). I love Netflix! There are so manyWhen asking my friends and family, particularly the girls on my floor, what TV shows they loved that aren't on TV now, I got a pretty great list of shows that everyone should watch even though they don't run anymore. I asked the people who introduced me to the shows to give a basic plot description and then I added a few extra comments on each of the shows to give you more details! So I hope you enjoy checking out these fabulous television shows! I certainly did! Plus, for college students, such as myself, it's always good to take some downtime and watch Netflix.

Lost

Basic Plot Description by Baleigh Hill

"A bunch of people get stranded on an island from a plane crash and have to figure out how to live with all the insane, unimaginable things happening on this island. For instance, polar bears running amuck, scientists called the others, and Jacob (you'll find out). The island is just crazy, magic, mystical, and supernatural. It's really just complex and nutty with lots of relationship drama."

This was a television show I had heard of. My parents watched it when I was younger, but I, of course, was not allowed to watch with them. All I had heard was that this show was weird. I couldn't agree more. During the Pilot episode, all I could keep thinking was "what in the world is this?" The events that unfold, honestly, don't seem too strange at first, but there is an eerie feeling that something just isn't right about this "accident" or this "island" that the people are on. The feel of the show was something like Lord of the Flies meets Cast Away meets Jurassic Park, yet is something entirely of its own. The show is categorized as adventure, drama, mystery, Sci-fi, and thriller. It has more of a 90s television show flow to it, while still remaining more complex and fast paced. The characters are mysterious, each of them with undoubtedly hidden pasts. The show ran from 2004-2010. I recommend it to anyone who likes a little weird and a little mystery in their life.

(Can be found on Netflix)

Third Rock From The Sun

Basic Plot Description by Hannah Alexander

"A crew on an alien ship comes to earth and takes the form of humans. Some switching genders to appear more normal. They pretend to be an American family to scope out Earth for potential threats.Throughout their time on Earth, they become distracted from their mission by human emotions and interests. Along the way, they have many adventures as they try to adapt to life as a human."

This comedic sitcom pleasantly surprised me! After watching a couple darker Pilot episodes of other TV shows I check out Third Rock From The Sun and it was such a relief! If you need a good laugh, this show will be the one to do it! I had not heard of this fantastic comedy and was skeptical if it would even be funny. It was hilarious! I will not deny, the show is riddled with innuendos that I can't necessarily condone, but I will also not deny that the comedy was so brazen that I had to laugh at it! The show ran from 1996-2001 and definitely feels that way. The Pilot episode's scenes are choppy, focused less on complex characters and thorough plot and more on simple laughs and ridiculousness. If you can accept the fact that there is a smorgasbord of sexual humor, then I recommend the show to anyone looking for a great laugh!

(Can be found on Netflix)

Life

Basic Plot Description by David Shepherd

"A cop, Charlie Crews, is sent to prison for murder only to be exonerated a few years later due to faulty evidence. Crews returns to detective work with a seemingly new, calm frame of mind. Secretly, he is solving the case for who framed him, and his new partner, Dani Reese, has her own hidden past."

This was another TV show I had not previously heard about. It wasn't until I had lunch with my father to catch up about college life that it was brought up. I was mostly impressed by this show. It ran in 2007 until 2009 and feels similar to Castle and Lost. It is categorized as a crime, drama, and mystery. It is choppy compared to some of the shows popular on TV now, but still very interesting indeed! The main character, Charlie Crews, brings humor and intrigue to the show, but there is also something wrong about the air he puts on. Charlie seems "zen," but is obviously not so about a great many things. The relationships between the characters are unique and keep me guessing. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery with subtle humor and a complex backstory that has yet to be discovered.

(Can be found on Netflix or nbc.com)

Gilmore Girls

Basic Plot Description by Lizzy Doty

"A single mom raises her daughter in a small town called Stars Hollow. They are best friends and they love coffee. The show follows them through relationships, dreams, and defining family."

I loved this show! I had heard about this show, multiple times in fact, but had never gotten around to watching it. I didn't know the basic story, and, admittedly, thought it was the same thing as Gossip Girl (boy, it's important to know the difference there). I enjoyed the fact that this show deals with ordinary people — or as ordinary as any television show characters can be. The characters live ordinary lives, have ordinary relationships, and do ordinary things. Each character is endearing, relatable, and fun (even those characters you may dislike). I enjoyed the human-ness of the show. It is a show for those who don't want any complex story line, but also for those that do want a story and not just a string of jokes. This show ran from 2000-2007 and is categorized as a comedy drama. I recommend it to anyone looking for joy in the simple things of life.

(Can be found on Netflix)

Nikita

Basic Plot Description by Karen Windle

"Nikita is a show that combines action, suspense, and romance. It is only 4 seasons, making it very manageable to tackle. The show is about a top secret sector of the government called Division. This agency fakes the death of people who have been put on death row and instead, takes them in to be agents. They claim they are giving these individuals "a second chance" and the "opportunity to serve their country". They train these people to be assassins for the government and they are sent on many horrible missions. Nikita was their best recruit. After discovering the evil behind division, Nikita is the first one to escape. After three years she comes out of hiding and is on the mission to expose and destroy Division. This is where the show starts. The 4 seasons to follow build the story plot incredibly well. Despite some occasional poor acting, the show is very worth it. It has one of the best series finales I have ever seen. Check it out!"

This is one fantastic show. Action packed, mysterious storyline, complex characters, complex character relationships... It's all there. The show has a similar feel to it as my favorite show, Alias (which I will be describing next). The show is fast paced, succinct, and well thought out. There isn't much humor, but what it lacks here it makes up for in a juicy plot. It's a classic not-so-CIA =-member-gone-ogue type story. The main character, Nikita, is a genius female lead with a genius plan (and the end of the first episode will certainly be a surprise to you)! I enjoyed the filming style of this show compared to the other "action" shows on this list as well — but that's just my inner film critic coming out. This show ran from 2010-2013 and is categorized as an action, crime, drama, and thriller. I recommend it to anyone who likes action, CIA mission type stuff, and complex characters.

(Can be found on Netflix)

Alias

Basic Plot: (Credited to me — A HUGE FAN!!!)

"Sydney Bristow, a college student was recruited into the CIA during her freshman year. Sydney's division of the CIA, SD6, demands that no one know that she is in the CIA. To all her friends, and darling fiancé, Danny, Sydney is a college student who works at Credit Dauphine. Then Sydney classic mistake and tells her fiancé the truth about her work. Her life begins to unravel before her as her spilled secret leads to the revealing of secrets she couldn't have imagined... Sydney doesn't really work for the CIA, her father doesn't really sell airplane parts and more. What will she do about all of it?"

I will admit that I am biased when I say that this show is by far the best on this entire list! I started (and finished) watching this show in the 8th grade with my family. My father practically forced me to watch it, saying, "If you don't love the first episode, I'll never bother you about it again." At the end of that first episode, all I said was, "Next!" This show is fast-paced, action-packed, touching, and beautiful! It combines the ordinary with the extraordinary and heroic characters with human flaws. It has beautiful romance, joyful friendships, sassy villains (that you actually love), disgusting villains (that you always hate), and complex characters (with varying degrees of morality and different philosophies). If you enjoy any other works of JJ Abrams, then this is as show you will fall in love with. The GIF I chose accurately depicts the show because it is jam-packed with twists and turns that you don't see coming. The show ran from 2001-2006 and is categorized as an action, drama, mystery, Sci-fi, thriller. I recommend this show to anyone. Period. As long as you're 12 and older (there, the mother in me coming out). I would challenge all who read this article the same way my father challenged me. If you don't like the first episode, I'll never bother you again!

(Unfortunately, this show was taken off of Netflix, but if you can rent it from any other platform, please do! Or, Taylor University students, I would be happy to hook you up and lend out my hard copies to floors or wings at a time!)

Firefly

Basic Plot: (Credited to me — a big fan!)

"The pilot of the spaceship Serenity has been through an interplanetary civil war — the Alliance against the Independents — in which he was on the losing side. Malcolm (Mal) Reynolds and his crew now travel throughout the galaxy trading, smuggling, and transporting anything they can to earn money. Unfortunately, they pick up a couple extra passengers one day and it changes the whole mission of the crew."

This is probably one of my favorite shows as well! The setting and style of this show are a lot different from any other. The show is essential space-western. Do those two styles seem incongruent? Well, they actually work pretty well together! While the main character is something of a Han Solo, Mal Reynolds is far more complex with a better backstory. The cast has incredible chemistry and comedic timing in the midst of the most terrifying circumstances. There is romance, but not an overdose of it. But the real tenderness in the show comes from the cause of the characters. The desire for something greater, yet simpler in life, very similar to our idea of the American Dream. The characters are charming, relatable, and perfectly imperfect. It ran from 2002-2003 as is categorized as an adventure, drama, and Sci-fi. Once again, this is a show I recommend to anyone (still probably 12 or older). While the style is very different and seems only to attract "the nerds" (guilty as charged), I think that just about anyone who approached this show with an open mind would love it!

(Can be found on Netflix)

So...

Thanks so much for checking out this article! I really hope you love any and/or all of the shows listed here! I know there are more shows out there that are just as fantastic, so If you have a recommendation, comment it here or on Facebook! Sharing movies and TV shows with one another is a great way to get a group together weekly (or nightly — did someone say binge-watching?)! I would love to hear about more amazing shows myself!

Until next time, happy watching!