kenbuzz

I've been enjoying the heck out of my XBMC-powered Raspberry Pi over the past month or so, and have had a great deal of success tracking-down TV shows that I never caught when they first aired but that others have recommended to me. Shows like Early Edition (CBS, 1996-2000) that came and went without me knowing about it, or others like Leverage (TNT, 2008-onward) and Falling Skies (TNT, 2011-onward) that got started before I was aware of them have all been a lot of fun.

I've tracked down a lot of shows that I used to watch (like WKRP in Cincinnati, John Doe, It's Garry Shandling's Show and In Living Color) and shows on premium channels I don't subscribe to (like HBO's Game of Thrones). What I'm interested in is other old shows that I should look in to watching, shows that Otters think qualify as "must-see" TV, but that aren't readily available on services like Netflix.

Nowhere Man (UPN, 1995-6), Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC, 1993-99), and Seven Days (UPN, 1998-2001) are already on my list. What else should I consider?

Shannon Nutt

Alien Nation (1989-1990 + 5 Made-for-TV movies)

riley_dude

China Beach was just released on DVD.
Farscape
Veronica Mars

Crocker Jarmen

e.r.

GoldenJCJ

Quantum Leap

kenbuzz

Alien Nation - good suggestion!
China Beach - ditto
Farscape - I have 'em all on DVD. Ditto for Lexx.
Veronica Mars - don't know anything about it, will check into it.
ER - another good suggestion, especially since I'm currently watching St Elsewhere.
QL - has been on Netflix for a while, albeit with several missing episodes including the series finale.

Keep 'em coming!

MrSmearkase

I'm really enjoying Family Ties on Netflix, after not having seen it in many years.

The Cow

Babylon 5 >> Farscape if you are going that route.

Other possibilities:
Moonlighting
Greatest American Hero
Brisco County Jr
Herman's Head
Max Headroom
Spin City
Quark
The Fall Guy

ddrknghtrtns

Try Magnum P.I and The Rockford Files.

Bill Needle

Paradise Hotel

Jay G.

I'm going to aim for obscurity with these older shows.

Titus - sitcom with dark humor about disfunctional families, alcoholism, abusive girlfriends, etc.
Wonderfalls - A one-season wonder dramedy from Brian Fuller (Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, Hannibal)
American Gothic - Single-season dark fantasy with a great turn by Gary Cole as an evil sheriff running a small town.
Strange Luck - This, along with X-File and American Gothic, made up a killer Friday-night viewing experience briefly.
Key West - Northern Exposure in south Florida
Flying Blind - sitcom featuring a young Téa Leoni as a free-spirited sexpot
The Jake Effect - Jason Bateman and Nikki Cox in a single-camera sitcom that was cancelled before it ever aired.
Ned and Stacey - Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing are fake married in an acid witted sitcom.
Sledge Hammer! - TV spoof of 80's action heroes like Dirty Harry
Get a Life - A surreal deconstruction of the American sitcom; would feel at home on Adult Swim today.
Bakersfield P.D. - Single-camera sitcom about a California police department.
Eerie, Indiana - From Joe Danta, a sort of comedic X-Files from a kid's point of view.

leeta

Babylon 5 - you can't go wrong with this one
Farscape
Lexx
Millennium
Profiler (I guess this one kinda started all the profiler shows)
Hercules/Xena

dan30oly

Firefly

PhantomStranger

The Chris Isaak Show
The Larry Sanders Show
Millennium (at least through the first two seasons)

bluetoast

Soap. At least the first two seasons.

johnnysd

Profiler was amazingly dark for its time.

I would recommend Twin Peaks and Columbo.

GoldenJCJ

Wait a second. In the "I never saw...." thread you listed Firefly. Are you recommending a show you've never seen before?

Charlie Goose

Ed
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
When Things Were Rotten
Cop Rock