A good must watch TV list is a personal thing. It reflects who you are, what you find compelling, and how much time you actually have to sit down and watch something from beginning to end. This is Barbara’s — a mix of shows she has watched, loved, and thinks you should know about, along with some that are sitting in the queue waiting for a free evening.
Not every show on a must watch TV list needs to be prestige drama. Some nights you want something that challenges you. Other nights you want Gordon Ramsay yelling at someone for undercooking a scallop. Both are valid. This list covers both.
Shows Barbara Has Watched and Can Personally Recommend
Squid Game
Squid Game hit the world like a freight train and for good reason. This Korean thriller follows hundreds of desperate people who compete in deadly versions of children’s games for a life-changing cash prize. It is intense, it is smart, and it has things to say about economic desperation and human nature that stay with you long after the credits roll. If you have been putting it off because of the subtitles, stop putting it off. It is worth every bit of attention it demands. Stream it on Netflix.
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale is not easy watching, but it is some of the most powerful television ever made. Set in a near-future America that has collapsed into a totalitarian theocracy, it follows Offred — a woman stripped of her name and her freedom — as she navigates survival in a world designed to break her. Elisabeth Moss is extraordinary in this role. The show is uncomfortable in exactly the ways it is supposed to be. Stream it on Hulu.
Iron Chef
Iron Chef never gets old. The combination of extraordinary culinary skill, theatrical presentation, and the relentless pressure of the clock makes it one of the most compelling competition formats ever created. Whether you go back to the original Japanese version or watch Iron Chef America, you are in for a masterclass in what cooking looks like when the best in the world are pushed to their absolute limits. Stream it on Peacock and Tubi.
MasterChef
MasterChef is the show that proves you do not need professional training to produce food that makes judges go quiet in a good way. Gordon Ramsay and his co-judges put home cooks through challenges that would humble most restaurant professionals, and the results are consistently surprising. The emotional moments are genuine and the skill on display grows more impressive every season. Stream it on Hulu and Fox.
Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen is Gordon Ramsay at his most theatrical, and that is exactly what makes it so watchable. Aspiring professional chefs compete in a high-pressure restaurant environment while Ramsay critiques, coaches, and occasionally loses his mind over a raw piece of chicken. It is loud, it is dramatic, and underneath all of that noise there is a genuine cooking competition with real stakes. All seasons are worth watching but the early ones hit differently. Stream it on Hulu and Fox.
Project Runway
Project Runway with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn is one of the great creative competition shows in television history. Fashion designers work under impossible constraints — tiny budgets, wild materials, brutal time limits — and the results range from stunning to catastrophic in the best possible way. Tim Gunn’s mentorship segments alone are worth the watch. Make it work. Stream it on Peacock.
RuPaul’s Drag Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race is more fun than almost anything else on television. The creativity, the performances, the lip syncs, the judging — all of it adds up to a show that rewards loyal viewing and welcomes new fans at any entry point. When Barbara can find it, she watches it. It has won more Emmy Awards than any other competition series for a reason. Stream it on Paramount+.
Shows on Barbara’s Must Watch TV List That Are Next Up
Slow Horses
Slow Horses is an Apple TV+ spy thriller that critics have been raving about for several seasons now. Gary Oldman leads a team of disgraced MI5 agents who handle the cases nobody else wants. Smart, dark, and apparently impossible to stop watching once you start. It is near the top of the queue. Stream it on Apple TV+.
Silo
Silo is a science fiction series set inside a giant underground structure where thousands of people live, forbidden from knowing what lies outside. It is the kind of slow-burn mystery that rewards patience, and the world-building is reportedly exceptional. Stream it on Apple TV+.
The Bear
The Bear follows a fine dining chef who returns home to run his family’s sandwich shop after a tragedy. It is not a cooking competition — it is a character study about grief, pressure, and what it costs to care too much about something. If you love kitchen shows for any reason, The Bear is apparently required viewing. Stream it on Hulu.
How to Build Your Own Must Watch TV List
The best must watch TV list is one you actually use. Keep it short enough that it feels manageable — five to ten shows maximum. When you finish something, add one more. Rotate between genres so you are not burning out on the same type of story. And do not be afraid to abandon a show that is not working after three episodes. Life is too short and there is too much good television waiting.
The shows on Barbara’s list earned their spots through hours of genuine enjoyment. Start anywhere and see what grabs you.