Addiction & vice TV Series

Substance abuse and self-destruction up close.

Ranked by how defining this tag is for each show · 55 series

10/10 means the show is a defining example. Shows scoring below 7/10 don't make the list.

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Genres

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

Action 2 Adult 0 Adventure 0 Animation 2 Biography 4 Comedy 20 Crime 20 Documentary 5 Drama 48 Family 0 Fantasy 2 Game-Show 0 History 3 Horror 1 Music 2 Musical 0 Mystery 7 News 0 Reality-TV 0 Romance 4 Sci-Fi 0 Short 0 Sport 2 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 21 2010s 22 2000s 10 1990s 2 1980s 0 1970s 0 1960s 0 1950s 0 1940s 0 1930s 0 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2025 2 2024 3 2023 2 2022 2 2021 5 2020 7 2019 4 2018 3 2017 3 2016 3 2014 4 2013 1 2012 1 2011 2 2010 1 2009 1 2007 3 2006 2 2004 3 2000 1 1997 1 1993 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 2 Stuck the Landing 1 Grew the Beard 2 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 10 Gritty 21 Dark tone 23 Feel-good 0 Cozy 0 Wholesome 0 Melancholic 5 Tense 5 Unsettling 2 Whimsical 0 Campy 0 Cynical 12 Hopeful 0 Sentimental 0 Nostalgic 1 Bittersweet 8 Chaotic energy 3 Deadpan cool 0

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 1 Fast-paced 1 Episodic 0 Serialized 7 Procedural 0 Mystery box 1 Anthology 0 Cliffhanger-driven 0 Sprawling saga 1 Tight limited run 14 Puzzle plot 1 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 1 Absurdist 1 Satirical 0 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 0 Witty banter 3 Dark comedy 18 Warm humor 0 Raunchy 3 Parody 0 Ironic & meta 0

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 8 Detective mystery 4 True crime 3 Heists & cons 0 Legal 2 Medical 3 Political intrigue 1 Espionage 0 War & military 0 Family saga 6 Coming of age 5 Workplace 1 School & campus 0 Love story 3 Friendship 1 Found family 0 Survival 0 Post-apocalyptic 0 Dystopia 0 Supernatural 1 Space & sci-fi 0 Near-future tech 0 Time travel 0 High fantasy 0 Urban fantasy 0 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 1 Addiction & vice 55 Mental health 14 Faith & religion 1 Sports 2 Music scene 3 Food & cooking 0 Nature & science 0 Real history 0 Royalty & aristocracy 0 Small town 1 Big city life 1 Rural & frontier 0 Suburban underbelly 2 Class divide 1 Immigrant experience 0 Queer stories 1 Female perspective 7 Social commentary 6 Philosophical 0 Existential dread 1 Revenge 0 Redemption 2 Secrets & lies 6

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 20 Morally gray 15 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 7 Central duo 4 Strong female lead 11 Child's perspective 1 Outsider lead 1 Genius lead 2 Working class 5 Elites & privilege 5 Unreliable narrator 2 Character study 26 Banter chemistry 0

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 0 Adrenaline 0 Intellectual challenge 0 Comfort rewatch 0 Romantic yearning 2 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 0 Mounting dread 1 Warm glow 0 Gut punch 7

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 3 Visually striking 5 Stylized direction 6 Naturalistic 5 Big-budget spectacle 0 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 5 Distinctive score 3 Experimental 0 Deep worldbuilding 0 Tight writing 0

Format & audience

Sitcom 1 Adult animation 1 Anime 1 Kids & family 0 Young adult 2 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 6 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 5 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 9 Contemporary life 1 Long-runner 1 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters