15 TV Series So Addictive You'll Forget All About Your Social Life

Just don't say we didn't warn you.

1. Dark (2017-2020)

Imagine a small German town with two nuclear power plants, missing kids, and time travel. The series kicks off with the disappearance of Erik, a teenager. As four families—Nielsen, Doppler, Tiedemann, and Kahnwald—scramble to find him, they unravel a time loop affecting their town. Characters unwittingly interact with their past and future selves, causing head-spinning paradoxes.

2. The Leftovers (2014-2017)

Two percent of the world's population vanishes. Poof. Just like that. The series doesn't focus on where they went but rather how the remaining 98% cope. Kevin, the sheriff, struggles with visions and a disintegrating family. Nora, who lost her entire family in the Departure, becomes obsessed with a cult called the Guilty Remnant. It's a show that's as much about what's left behind as what's disappeared, and it did the job beautifully long before the MCU's Endgame tried to (and kinda failed).

3. Orphan Black (2013-2017)

Sarah, a con artist, witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her. She assumes the woman's identity, hoping for a quick cash grab. But of course, turns out it's more complicated than that. Sarah discovers she's a clone, one of many, each with distinct personalities and lives. There's Cosima, the nerdy scientist; Alison, the uptight soccer mom; and Helena, the unhinged assassin. And they're all targets of a shadowy organization. Now that's how you do your clone wars, Star Wars.

4. Rectify (2013-2016)

Daniel Holden spends 19 years on death row for the rape and murder of his girlfriend, but DNA evidence exonerates him. Sounds like a happy ending, right? Not so fast. He returns to his hometown, trying to reintegrate into a community that mostly still believes he's guilty. His sister Amantha fights tooth and nail for him, but even she can't help him navigate the emotional maze of coming home.

5. The Americans (2013-2018)

Imagine your typical American family in the 1980s, except the parents are Russian spies. Elizabeth and Philip Jennings pose as travel agents by day but engage in espionage by night. Their neighbor Stan is an FBI agent, which makes for some dinner party tension, to say the least. The couple grapples with the lines they're willing to cross for their country, all while keeping their cover intact.

6. Sense8 (2015-2018)

Eight people from different parts of the world find out they're "sensates", basically meaning they're mentally and emotionally connected. They can tap into each other's skills, feelings, and even languages. A hacker in San Francisco can suddenly kickbox like his counterpart in Seoul. There's a shadowy organization out to hunt them down, because, well, different is dangerous, right?

7. Counterpart (2017-2019)

Imagine waking up one day to find that there's another you from a parallel universe. That's what happens to Howard Silk, a low-level bureaucrat. His "counterpart" is everything he's not: assertive, daring, and a spy. Both universes intersect at a top-secret Berlin-based UN agency, and as you'd expect, there are betrayals, cover-ups, and double-crossings. The two Howards have to work together, but can you ever really trust...yourself?

8. Happy Valley (2014-2016)

Set in a sleepy Yorkshire town that's anything but happy, this British series follows Catherine, a tough-as-nails police sergeant. Her world gets dark when the man she believes raped her late daughter is released from prison. Amidst this personal crisis, she's investigating a kidnapping that, surprise surprise, ties back to this guy.

9. Fleabag (2016-2019)

Meet Fleabag, a young woman living in London who's frankly a mess. She runs a failing café, has a complicated love life, and an even more complex relationship with her family. Oh, and she breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to us viewers. While it may seem like a comedy—and it is hilarious—it peels back layers to reveal the grief and guilt Fleabag carries.

10. The Expanse (2015-2022)

In a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt are on the brink of war. The show starts with the mysterious disappearance of a rich young woman named Julie Mao. Detective Miller is on the case, and what he uncovers could ignite an interplanetary conflict. Think of it as Game of Thrones in space but with less backstabbing and more, well, space.

11. Kingdom (2019-2020)

Ever thought about mixing medieval Korea with zombies? Well, someone did, and it's incredible. A crown prince is wrongfully accused of plotting to overthrow his father, the King, who's mysteriously ill. As the prince goes on a quest to clear his name, he discovers that his father's illness is related to a zombie outbreak. It's political intrigue with a side of the undead.

12. Harlots (2017-2019)

Set in 18th-century London, this drama follows Margaret Wells, a brothel owner, trying to raise her daughters in a world that treats them as property. She's got a business rival, Lydia Quigley, who's the epitome of ruthless. Think of it as a less glamourous Downton Abbey but with more sex workers and shady dealings. It's addictively cutthroat.

13. Utopia (2013-2014)

This British show is criminally overlooked. A group of online friends discover a mysterious comic that seems to predict global disasters. Sounds cool, right? Wrong. They get sucked into a deadly conspiracy and are hunted by an organization called "The Network". What's in the comic that's worth killing for? Trust me, you'll be guessing until the last episode.

14. Patriot (2015-2018)

Meet John, an intelligence officer who goes undercover at a Midwest industrial piping firm to prevent Iran from going nuclear. Yeah, it's as weird as it sounds. He's a folk singer in his downtime, and his lyrics are literally about his covert operations.

15. Imposters (2017-2018)

Maddie is a con artist who marries people and then disappears with their money. But her latest victims team up to track her down. The kicker? Along the way, they start pulling cons themselves. It's a twisty game of cat and mouse where you're not sure who to root for.