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One person has said this, but it needs to be emphasized just how great the first season of Twin Peaks is. Probably as close to perfect as any show has ever been. Make sure you find the real version of the pilot (which you can't buy in stores), and not the crappy European movie version. Twin Peaks really paved the way for a lot of TV shows that people like today, IMO. Watch it.

(I actually love the second season and Fire Walk With Me as well; in fact, I sort of like them more. I know a lot of people disagree, though, and would call Twin Peaks a not-so-good show with a great first season. The first season is just objectively awesome, though, and if you don't like it you're just wrong.)

Another show that nobody has mentioned is Homicide: Life of the Street . The first season is only 6 episodes or so, and it's superb. It was always a pretty decent show, but they changed it a lot after Season 1 and it was never as good, imo. Season 1 was the best cop show ever until The Wire . (Of course, Homicide was based on a book by David Simon, who created The Wire . He wasn't actually very involved in the first season - he became more involved in later seasons. Fans of The Wire should definitely watch Homicide ; in no way is it as good (although it is very, very, good), but it is very interesting to see how Simon's views on police work have evolved.