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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

Tags Search My ratings Sign in

Best Action TV Series of 1988

40 Action series that started in 1988, ranked by popularity

All Action series All series from 1988

Filter & sort

Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 40 Adult 0 Adventure 17 Animation 18 Biography 0 Comedy 8 Crime 6 Documentary 0 Drama 14 Family 2 Fantasy 0 Game-Show 0 History 1 Horror 1 Music 2 Musical 0 Mystery 0 News 0 Reality-TV 0 Romance 0 Sci-Fi 1 Short 0 Sport 1 Talk-Show 0 Thriller 1 War 0 Western 0

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 2764 2010s 3051 2000s 1559 1990s 843 1980s 431 1970s 271 1960s 159 1950s 43 1940s 6 1930s 2 1920s 1 1900s 0

Specific year

2026 183 2025 418 2024 421 2023 473 2022 431 2021 435 2020 403 2019 345 2018 368 2017 371 2016 329 2015 321 2014 301 2013 301 2012 263 2011 257 2010 195 2009 212 2008 189 2007 196 2006 148 2005 152 2004 148 2003 140 2002 123 2001 132 2000 119 1999 116 1998 114 1997 108 1996 101 1995 81 1994 91 1993 65 1992 48 1991 63 1990 56 1989 60 1988 40 1987 48 1986 45 1985 53 1984 56 1983 43 1982 26 1981 31 1980 29 1979 41 1978 22 1977 31 1976 32 1975 19 1974 32 1973 34 1972 27 1971 23 1970 10 1969 16 1968 20 1967 27 1966 33 1965 13 1964 15 1963 14 1962 6 1961 8 1960 7 1959 9 1958 8 1957 3 1956 4 1955 5 1954 2 1953 2 1952 4 1950 6 1949 4 1944 1 1940 1 1938 1 1937 1 1929 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 0 Stuck the Landing 1 Grew the Beard 1 Rock Solid 0 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 0

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 0 Gritty 0 Dark tone 0 Feel-good 0 Cozy 0 Wholesome 0 Melancholic 0 Tense 0 Unsettling 0 Whimsical 0 Campy 0 Cynical 0 Hopeful 0 Sentimental 0 Nostalgic 0 Bittersweet 0 Chaotic energy 0 Deadpan cool 0

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 0 Fast-paced 0 Episodic 1 Serialized 1 Procedural 1 Mystery box 0 Anthology 0 Cliffhanger-driven 0 Sprawling saga 2 Tight limited run 1 Puzzle plot 0 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 0 Absurdist 0 Satirical 0 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 0 Witty banter 0 Dark comedy 0 Warm humor 0 Raunchy 0 Parody 0 Ironic & meta 0

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 0 Detective mystery 0 True crime 0 Heists & cons 1 Legal 0 Medical 0 Political intrigue 2 Espionage 2 War & military 2 Family saga 1 Coming of age 0 Workplace 0 School & campus 0 Love story 0 Friendship 0 Found family 0 Survival 0 Post-apocalyptic 0 Dystopia 0 Supernatural 0 Space & sci-fi 1 Near-future tech 0 Time travel 0 High fantasy 0 Urban fantasy 0 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 0 Addiction & vice 0 Mental health 0 Faith & religion 1 Sports 0 Music scene 0 Food & cooking 0 Nature & science 0 Real history 2 Royalty & aristocracy 1 Small town 0 Big city life 0 Rural & frontier 0 Suburban underbelly 0 Class divide 0 Immigrant experience 0 Queer stories 0 Female perspective 0 Social commentary 0 Philosophical 2 Existential dread 0 Revenge 0 Redemption 0 Secrets & lies 1

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 0 Morally gray 2 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 2 Central duo 0 Strong female lead 0 Child's perspective 0 Outsider lead 0 Genius lead 1 Working class 0 Elites & privilege 0 Unreliable narrator 0 Character study 0 Banter chemistry 0

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 0 Adrenaline 0 Intellectual challenge 0 Comfort rewatch 0 Romantic yearning 0 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 0 Mounting dread 0 Warm glow 0 Gut punch 0

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 1 Visually striking 0 Stylized direction 0 Naturalistic 0 Big-budget spectacle 0 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 0 Distinctive score 0 Experimental 0 Deep worldbuilding 1 Tight writing 1

Format & audience

Sitcom 0 Adult animation 0 Anime 1 Kids & family 0 Young adult 0 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 0 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 0 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 1 Contemporary life 0 Long-runner 0 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters

British TV 0 Nordic noir 0 K-drama 0 Turkish drama 0 Indian TV 1

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 0 Disturbing 0 Sexually explicit 0 Family-safe 0 Emotionally heavy 1 Easy watching 0

Sort

40 series

Mahabharat

28K 94 1988–1990

Sprawling saga · Indian TV

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

7K 110 1988–1997

Sprawling saga · War & military

The Bourne Identity

5K 2 1988–1988

Espionage · Tight limited run

Mission: Impossible

5K 35 1988–1990

Heists & cons · Espionage

Fauji

3K 13 1988–1988

Action · Drama

Gunbuster

2K 6 1988–1989

Action · Animation · Drama

Noble House

2K 4 1988–1988

Action · Adventure · Drama

Dominion Tank Police

2K 6 1988–1994

Action · Animation · Comedy

Nightingales

2K 15 1988–1988

Action · Drama · History

C.O.P.S.

2K 65 1988–1989

Action · Animation · Crime

My Secret Identity

2K 72 1988–1991

Action · Adventure · Comedy

War of the Worlds

2K 44 1988–1990

Action · Adventure · Horror

Superboy

2K 100 1988–1992

Action · Adventure · Family

Dino-Riders

2K 14 1988–1988

Action · Adventure · Animation

RoboCop

1K 12 1988–1988

Action · Animation · Crime

Superman

1K 13 1988–1988

Action · Adventure · Animation

Crying Freeman

1K 6 1988–1994

Action · Animation · Crime

Patlabor: Early Days

1K 7 1988–1988

Action · Animation · Comedy

Ronin Warriors

1K 39 1988–1995

Action · Adventure · Animation

Something Is Out There

700 2 1988–1988

Action · Adventure · Crime

Ninja Olympiad

450 50 1988–present

Action · Sci-Fi

Kamen Rider Black RX

433 47 1988–1989

Action · Adventure · Drama

Starship Troopers

407 6 1988–1988

Action · Animation · Drama

Fantastic Max

342 26 1988–1990

Action · Adventure · Animation

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This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Rating data from IMDb Non-Commercial Datasets.

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