Looking ahead, I am realizing that I will have some extra time on my hands in the next few months, and I figured what better way than to waste it watching a TV show. I grew up in a house without a TV, and have only even followed a few shows: Liberty's Kids (the bomb), Stargate Atlantis and Firefly in middle school, and two seasons of Downton Abbey (I liked all of these immensely). Does anyone have any suggestions? A friend suggested BBC's Sherlocke, which I may look into. I can't watch Game of Thrones, as everyone I know has spoiled it for me.

Done? Haven't heard of that one before.

I forgot to mention Band of Brothers. 10/10 would recommend to anyone.

Damages is very good.

I'm really enjoying "Arrow" right now, it's very good, especially if you're a nerd like me. "Sons of Anarchy" and "Dexter" are my two favorite shows of all time. So of course I'd recommend them as well.

Doctor Who

Most people will probably suggest Breaking Bad or Mad Men, which I haven't seen personally, but plan on watching. For comedies, I'd suggest 30 Rock, Malcolm in the Middle, Portlandia, Boondocks, and Venture Bros. For Sci Fic, I'd suggest Battlestar Galactica. For Drama I'd suggest Southland, The Wire, or Person of Interest. For drama/comedy and politics I'd suggest West Wing. For anime I'd suggest Fullmetal Alchemist (either series) and Cowboy Bebob. Glee was great for the first three seasons. Freaks and Geeks is a quick one. Sherlock is definitely worth it. Game of Thrones is worth it even if you know what happens, unless you want to read the books. Neither is finished yet. Obviously Netflix is required.

And The Walking Dead is a lot of fun, but the Comic is arguably better.

I used to follow Dora the Explorer. Now that I'm older I follow My Little Pony like every other cool teenager.

Person of interest. I also like continuum on syfy

Currently following:
NCIS
NCIS LA
NCIS NO
Person of Interest
Madam Secretary
Scorpion

Other shows I like to watch:
Burn Notice
Leverage
Monk
Psych
The Blacklist
Bones
House
Castle
The Mentalist
Numbers
Stargate Atlantis
Big Bang Theory
How I Met Your Mother

On this list I highly recommend Leverage. Hilarious, and great chemistry between actors.

Most of the shows on my list are crime shows btw.

all the stargates were good,IMO

The show chuck is good along with my name is earl. If you want anime talk to me. I watch and know lots of them.

I watched all of Breaking Bad in two weeks. Best decision ever.

Watch Silicon Valley (created by Mike Judge of Beavis and Burthead fame). Funniest tv series I have seen in many years.

Oh wait. I made a mistake. I watched Stargate SG1 not Atlantis.

Atlantis wasn't as good, and whatever that third one was just made no sense.

@spyman: I only have seen the first three episodes, but Silicon Valley is absolutely hilarious.

Watch the rest. Every episode is brilliant. It only gets better.

True Detective was quite good.

Obi's Top 15 Favorite Shows (aka mostly the only shows I like) ;)

1. The West Wing (One of the BEST. SHOWS. EVER.)

4. *Tie* Frasier (Due to a suggestion here, favorite comedy ever) :)

4. *Tie* House (An anti-social misanthropic snob...*why* does this appeal to me?) ;)

4. *Tie* Doctor Who (Top Five Doctors in order of preference: 4, 2, 5, 10 and 12, already)

5. Star Trek (I'll cheat and count TOS and TNG together)

6. Sherlock Holmes Granada Series (Jeremy Brett IS Mr. Holmes. PERIOD)

7. Brideshead Revisited (I'll count this miniseries version of Waugh's book--amazing!)

8. Daria (It's a Sick, Sad World...ALL HAIL DARIA MORGENDORFFER!) :D

9. Seinfeld (Funny by itself, makes the list because it makes for in-jokes with friends)

10. Yes, Minister (Holy shit...Sir Humphrey, you are my hero, sir!) :p

11. The Big Bang Theory (It's grown on me over time)

12. House of Cards, UK (Both versions are good, the UK version's just a tighter story)

13. Everybody Loves Raymond (A show I watched a lot in the past with family)

14. Sherlock (Good modern adaptation, but Brett has Cumberbatch beat)

15. Classic Simpsons (When The Simpsons were good, they were GOOD)

Most Hated Show to Date: Orange is the New Black (I maintain that I've never seen a show so lauded which I felt was written and put on so poorly...with every single aspect seeming to fail...and the writing in particular failing in an almost line-by-line level.

Great Show I Probably Wouldn't Watch Again: Breaking Bad (Very good show...but so much of the intrigue was seeing how it would end...and now that I know...it just doesn't have the same re-watch value for me as does, say, The West Wing.)

Show I'm Most Uncertain On As Of Now: Downton Abbey (On the one hand, clearly a well-written show, impeccably acted--Maggie Smith makes everything she's in 300% more awesome--and I really love that period in history, art, music and literature...on the OTHER hand...one of the most pandering shows I've EVER seen, lol...oh, does this show loooooove to pander...to the point that, through the first season and a half, which is where I'm at, First World Problems are just off the chart at times, it becomes unintentionally-hilarious--Death by Sex? O.o And you drag the body out like that, and THIS is a huge recurring point of drama? You know...as a rule...probably shouldn't have huge sweeping dramatic points be something you could see Monty Python doing...Death by Lady Mary's Bedroom of Doom, lol!--so, yeah...and then, WWI...we're going to invoke one of the bloodiest wars in human history aaaaannnnddd go right back to the adorable little abbey, because who wants to actually DEAL with the harsh realities of life on the front when we can have posh period drama! :p So, yeah, split on this one...but definitely not in the "bad" category.)

@Grking :

It sounds like you would like to watch a show which was already deep into their seasons or already completed if you were seeking a show you could just watch straight through. I would recommend these :

Serious Drama : Breaking Bad, Justified
Sci Fi : Battlestar Gallactica (new one), Babylon 5
Comedy : The Office, Friends

I also enjoy Blacklist (really I enjoy that James Spader is awesome). I also liked 24 (Jack Bauer is awesome) but this show did drag by the end of each season - its a show which would have been so much better as a 13 episode season instead of 24.

True Detective was very good, although I thought it lost momentum in the last few episodes. Fargo was just as good and better in some areas.

Lately, I'm watching Saxondale, the new Trailer Park Boys, and Homeland.

obi, thank you for reminding me of Brideshead Revisited. It's been so long since I last heard that name.

It's the best series of all time. As Salieri would say: "Such longing... such unfulfillable longing..."

spartacus.

Ive been getting into European tv shows - a lot of them are quite popular in the UK so have professional subtitles rather than fansubs.
The Bridge ( swedish-dansih co production, you guys might no the far inferior american adaption ) Kind of somber moody police show with dash of Seven (movie).
Engrenages- called Spiral in the UK - harder more street french detective show, very french- everyone looks cool and in decline at the same time
Braquo - harder to find- even harder french police show - a downward spiral of bad decisions.
The Killing - Forbrydelsen - excellent danish cop show.

The Prisoner (the original starring Patrick McGoohan) has to be one of the best EVER - if a little dated as it was made when I was a teenager!

It's a pretty bleak time for TV at the moment. Shows worth watching are few and far between. The only properly good comedy I've seen for ages has been Bluestone 42. Radio's been doing a bit better, though. Bleak Expectations, Cabin Pressure, and Elvenquest have all been great.

Oh, Banshee is really good if you can get it.

Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, The Killing (season 2 finale was incredible), 24, and American Horror Story are all on Netflix; Full House, Gotham (you can get caught up on Hulu), Sister Sister, and if you like reality I try to watch Master Chef & Shark Tank (also on Hulu).

Star Trek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two shows I recommend highly.
Person of Interest: an American science fiction crime drama television series created by Jonathan Nolan, on CBS.The series revolves around John Reese (Jim Caviezel), a former CIA officer, who is recruited by mysterious billionaire Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) to prevent violent crimes in New York City.
Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

Also, @hammac: Yes, just yes. And it's only 17 episode long.

prison break

Prison Break is a show that should have ended after Season 1. I hate shows that have no clear vision of what they want to do after the initial year. Like Lost.....now there is a show to that can incite rage from any coach potatoes.

This Argentine show, Los Simuladores, was pretty good.

Thanks very much for all the help!
Haven't decided on what to focus on yet, but I've definitely changed my list up a bit.
At the top currently are The Wire, Battlestar, House of Cards, Sherlock. Runners up are Dexter and the Sopranos.