20 More TV Shows That Are Practically Flawless
12. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The great Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek with the intention of tackling the real-world issues plaguing society, with episodes that often carried with them a moral edge years ahead of their time. Deep Space Nine, commissioned during the success of The Next Generation, was the best at bringing his vision to life.
Set on the eponymous space station, Deep Space Nine saw the Star Trek franchise take on an entirely new format, dropping the episodic space-hopping formula for a series more grounded - literally and figuratively - on the darkest, bleakest aspects of the universe's story.
The series was also more character-driven than previous shows, utilising Starfleet commander Benjamin Sisko (a powerful Avery Brooks) to really dig into the show's themes of oppression, xenophobia, terrorism and war. Yes, it may not be as light as TNG, but its daring insights are exactly what made Deep Space Nine so great.