10 Essential Binge-Worthy TV Dramas You Might've Missed

1. Oz

Approximate Running Time: 3080 minutes If you want to populate a television drama with some of the most loathsome, depraved and downright psychopathic characters possible, what better way to pull this off than to set your series in a maximum security prison full of con men, rapists and murderers? It worked for HBO with Oz, by far one of the most relentlessly intense television experiences you're ever likely to see. Season 1 introduces us to "Emerald City" - the prison's flagship experimental wing struggling to rehabilitate its violent and disturbed inhabitants - with the arrival of Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergeson), a lawyer sent down for a long stretch after killing a child while drunk driving. Of special interest in light of his recent Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor win is J. K. Simmons, who plays the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. His performance here makes the music teacher in Whiplash seem like a kindergarten teacher, brutalising and killing anyone who crosses his path. While the quality dips after Season 3 it's still essential viewing, full to the brim with WTF moments you won't forget in a hurry as well as being a series you'll return to time and again. What other must-see TV dramas would you recommend? Let us know about them in the comments.
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Andrew Dilks hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.