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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 1996

101 Action series that started in 1996, ranked by popularity

All Action series All series from 1996

Filter & sort

Genres

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

Action 101 Adult 0 Adventure 48 Animation 52 Biography 0 Comedy 21 Crime 14 Documentary 1 Drama 21 Family 4 Fantasy 5 Game-Show 0 History 1 Horror 2 Music 0 Musical 0 Mystery 1 News 1 Reality-TV 0 Romance 1 Sci-Fi 6 Short 0 Sport 0 Talk-Show 0 Thriller 4 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 0 Grew the Beard 0 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 2 Cynical 0 Hopeful 1 Sentimental 0 Nostalgic 0 Bittersweet 0 Chaotic energy 1 Deadpan cool 0

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 0 Fast-paced 1 Episodic 8 Serialized 2 Procedural 5 Mystery box 1 Anthology 0 Cliffhanger-driven 0 Sprawling saga 1 Tight limited run 0 Puzzle plot 0 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 0 Absurdist 1 Satirical 0 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 0 Witty banter 0 Dark comedy 1 Warm humor 0 Raunchy 0 Parody 0 Ironic & meta 0

Themes & subject matter

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

Characters & perspective

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

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 1 Adrenaline 4 Intellectual challenge 0 Comfort rewatch 0 Romantic yearning 1 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 1 Mounting dread 0 Warm glow 0 Gut punch 0

Craft & style

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

Format & audience

Sitcom 0 Adult animation 0 Anime 5 Kids & family 4 Young adult 0 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 1 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 1 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 2 Contemporary life 0 Long-runner 3 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters

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

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 0 Disturbing 0 Sexually explicit 0 Family-safe 3 Emotionally heavy 0 Easy watching 4

Sort

101 series

BeetleBorgs

2K 89 1996–1998

Action · Adventure · Comedy

Water Rats

1K 177 1996–2001

Action · Crime · Drama

F/X: The Series

890 39 1996–1998

Action · Crime · Drama

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

887 13 1996–1996

Action · Adventure · Comedy

Ultraman: Tiga

886 52 1996–1997

Action · Adventure · Comedy

Pandora's Clock

806 2 1996–1996

Action · Drama · Thriller

Once a Thief

775 23 1996–1998

Action · Comedy · Crime

Martian Successor Nadesico

606 26 1996–1997

Action · Animation · Comedy

L.A. Heat

530 48 1996–1999

Action · Comedy · Crime

Journey to the West

476 31 1996–present

Action · Adventure · Fantasy

You're Under Arrest!

442 102 1996–2008

Action · Animation · Comedy

After War Gundam X

405 39 1996–1996

Action · Adventure · Animation

Saber Marionette J

404 25 1996–1997

Action · Adventure · Animation

Road Rovers

395 13 1996–1997

Action · Animation · Comedy

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Legend of the Supermutants

382 2 1996–1996

Action · Animation · Comedy

Tarzan: The Epic Adventures

339 22 1996–2000

Action · Adventure · Fantasy

Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys

337 26 1996–1997

Action · Animation · Comedy

Kratts' Creatures

336 50 1996–present

Action · Adventure · Animation

Apocalypse Zero

320 2 1996–1996

Action · Animation · Horror

Slayers: The Book of Spells

317 3 1996–1997

Action · Adventure · Animation

The Return of Sandokan

298 4 1996–1996

Action · Adventure · Drama

Bruno the Kid

285 36 1996–1997

Action · Adventure · Animation

Battle Arena Toshinden

254 2 1996–1996

Action · Animation · Comedy

Gekisou Sentai Carranger

242 48 1996–1997

Action · Adventure · Comedy

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‹ 1995 1996 1997 ›

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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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