1. Friday Night Lights

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose! This is another series I have watched repeatedly from beginning to end and never get tired of it. You grow attached to the characters as they grow, and you wish you could be there with them on Friday night at the football game. FNL is more than football though. It is about the life in a small town, and it focuses on the relationships amongst the kids as well as those amongst the adults. The show also successfully moved characters out of high school and into adulthood, as well as introduced new high school students that I grew to care about. That’s a very hard transition for any show set in a high school, but FNL nailed it and had five amazing seasons as a result.

2. United States of Tara

This show had flown so low under the radar that I think only one person had mentioned it to me while it was still on the air. I happened to find the entire series on Netflix and marathoned it in one weekend. In addition to the always lovable John Corbett, Toni Collette does an amazing job as Tara and all of her multiple personalities. Her acting is amazing as each personality becomes its own character on the show. The slight changes in her facial expression or posture are enough to signal which personality is driving Tara, and it is a testament to Collette’s acting skills. Even though the series was cut short before it could be given a proper series finale, the third season finale serves as a nice ending to an intricate and infatuating show.

3. Freaks and Geeks

If only there were more episodes of this amazing show! Judd Apatow’s first venture into TV was well ahead of its time, for a show that takes place in the early 80’s. Featuring many famous faces, Jason Segel, James Franco, Linda Cardellini and Busy Phillips to name a few, this heartwarmingly funny series about navigating high school was prematurely cut after one season.

4. Jekyll

Another show dealing with multiple personalities, Jekyll accomplishes transforming the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde into a modern day tale. The miniseries is a nice twist on the previous tale as Tom Jackman, a decendent of Dr. Jekyll tries to coexist with his other personality. Like United States of Tara, Jekyll does a phenomenal job with James Nesbitt by transforming him into two separate and distinct characters played by the same man.

5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

While Buffy was on the air during my teenage years, I never paid it much attention. It was only years later when my friends kept talking about it even after it was off the air that I decided to give it a go. With friendships, love, drama, action, and of course, the supernatural, this cult hit is a must see.

6. Angel

The spinoff to Buffy has been regarded as good, if not, better than the original series by some. I have yet to watch it but now that I’ve finished Buffy it’s first on my list to give it a go. It’s constantly being recommended by friends, and I’ll be happy to start it so I can at least tell them to stop telling me to watch it.

7. Firefly

While I haven’t seen this show yet either, it is all my friends ever talk about and constantly quote. Another short lived series, this cult hit is led by the fantastic Nathan Fillion, and is loved by all who have seen it. While it was also cut early, I have been told there is a movie that helps wrap the series nicely so you don’t feel as though you have been left hanging with your favorite characters out in space somewhere.

I would just like to say that this post was originally inspired by Veronica Mars, which I was horrified to find out is no longer available for instant streaming. So, make sure you catch up on all these other shows before they are taken away as well. I'm always looking for new shows to watch, so please feel free to leave any recommendations in the comments section!