The 1988 miniseries which was originally conceived by Bob Ellis, looks at the history of the Australian Labor Party, from the end of WWII to the great party split of 1955. Authentic dialogue and the presence of a (for the time) stellar Australian cast not only sparked my interest in Australian political history but delivered a compelling, tragic story that has stuck with me since.  

For years this sitcom set against the Korean War, was an evening staple, no matter how many times the repeats cycled. Comedy, drama and pathos balanced in every episode with compelling, believable characters.  

This two-season series serves as both a prequel to the Star Wars movie Rogue One, and an fresh perspective on the Galactic Rebellion. Gritty, tightly paced and beautifully shot, Andor restored my faith in what the Star Wars cinematic universe could be.

I cut my sci-fi teeth on repeats of the original series, then Voyager, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise. More recently Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks and Picard. THis franchise offers an optimistic view of humanity, not just that there is one, but that the better angels of our nature will tend to prevail more often than not. 

Were the Daleks the worst? Personally I found the Cybermen scarier, especially this scene (an ABC repeat of the 1967 season of this low-budget Brisith sci-fi) where they break out of their tomb. But the psychological effects on my five-year-old self can't have been too bad, since I kept watching the Time Lord and his companions, through the first five (re)generations. By the mid-80s I'd drifted off to the latest Star Trek and Star Wars movies but my kids rediscovered the Doctor in the mid-2000s, from David Tennant onwards. 

Hilarious, touching and utterly bingeable, this series about an American sports coach who is recruited for a stuggling English football (soccer) club is a powerful example of how great stories are character-driven.

This multi-Emmy winning 90s comedy about the eccentric residents of the fictional Cicely, Alaska, was different to the usual stream of studio-shot sitcoms with their live audiences and canned laugh tracks. The diverse characters and believable relationship arcs drove the show forward and set a tone that other shows would follow.

The iconic 90s sci-fi thriller series drew me in with its long conspiracy-theory arc as well as the regular monster-of-the-week episodes. Characters growth was also a highlight, especially FBI agent (and doctor) Dana Scully whose went from skeptical young officer assigned to debunk her partner, and the eccentric conspiracy-theory-believing senior agent Fox Mulder, learning to trust someone other than himself.

Iconic live studio conglomerate of standup, sketches and musical numbers, this 1990s mid-week treat uncovered plenty of comedy talent and smashed the boundaries of what was acceptable on mainstream TV in Australia. Hilarious moments occasionally punctuated by something truly moving, like the Doug Anthony All Stars rendition of The Auld Triangle.

In the current state of US politics, I yearn for the more hopeful administration of President Jed Bartlet. Created by "A Few Good Men" playwright and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, this series had great performances by the ensemble cast and the best monologues/dialogues of almost any show. It kept me enthralled for seven seasons, in a deep dive into the inner workings of the US presidency and election cycle,

The "show about nothing" was innovative for a sitcome of its time, eschewing the usual relationship/situational premises, but rather centring around life's mildly interesting trivialitiesand amplifying them to create farcical scenarios. The standup of Jerry Seinfeld, included in each episode, was never the strongest part of the show for me, but the supporting cast of Jason Alexader (George), MacihaelRichards (Kramer) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus made this a must-watch experience. 

The original and best seasons (2001-2007) were hosted by Gretel Killeen with voice-over provided by Mike Goldman. The show's format would later be manipulated to create extra drama and politicking, but in these first years it was the housemates themselves, their personalities and interactions that created genuine watchability. Season 4 had probably the most interesting housemates while 2005-2007 featured Friday Night Games - always a fun way to round out the week. 

Always one of my favourites among the Monty Python gang, Cleese, with his then wife Connie Booth, conceived of and wrote this shambolic sitcom centred around a seaside hotel managed by Basil and Sybil Fawlty, a couple more interested in their own narcisistic interests than the wellbeing of their guests. Tightly scripted and perfectly delivered, the show ended after just two seasons of six episodes each, leaving its legion of fans wanting more rather than jumping any sharks.

Rowan Atkinson's creation Mr Bean is more widely known and deservedly celebrated, but having followed him since his breakout part in Not The Nine O'Clock News and his individual standup comedy, I've always connected most with his creation Blackadder, which came in four separate seasons, each set against a different period of English history with a member of the Blackadder family tree (played by Atkinson) as the central character, supported by a brilliant cast.

Dan Harmon's surreal satirical series, centred in a fictional communtiy college, feaures powerful storytelling (using Harmon's story circle format) and deft performances by an ensemble cast that includes Joel Hale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, Yvette Nicole Brown and Checy Chase.

Product of Saturday Night Live alumnus and Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine creator Michael Schur, this fantasy-comedy series offers not only an engagingly awkward story of recently deceased souls figuring their way through the afterlife, but a cleverly digestible exploration of philosophy, spirituality and epistemology.