If you’ve been waiting to watch a fantastic TV show but find the idea of starting all the way at season 1 just a bit too intimidating, try out these shows, where you can jump in at any point. Most television shows, even certain anthology series, speak between the seasons.
What happens in one season is sure to affect what happens in another, and if you jump in partway, you might be a bit lost. Some series, however, allow for a little more leeway. Even some non-anthology shows feel like each season contains a separate storyline that you can dive into.
While knowing a bit about these shows will help you reap even more benefits from watching them, it’s not strictly necessary that you have seen the previous season to enjoy the latest one. The stories in these shows start and end with their seasons (or episodes), and you’ll be fine going in semi-blind.
Love, Death & Robots (2019-Present)
As an anthology series, every episode of Love, Death & Robots tells a separate story, though there are a handful that are linked. The Netflix series is an adult-animated anthology with each story spanning the horror, sci-fi, and comedy genres, among others, all having to relate to the three themes in the title.
Every season of Love, Death & Robots can be taken as a whole, however. While the episodes are almost never linked in a season, you get a sense of the cultural moment depending on which shorts are present in the collection. Start anywhere you’d like, and don’t be afraid to skip episodes to select something that sounds particularly interesting.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
The CGI animated TV series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is set between the events of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. It primarily follows Anakin Skywalker and his padawan, Ahsoka Tano, as they fight against the Separatist Alliance.
The Clone Wars offers some of the best storytelling to be found in the post-original trilogy Star Wars movies and TV shows libraries, and it’s also one you can begin with at any season. Each subtitled season is related, but separate enough from one another that you won’t be punished for not knowing every detail.
Black Mirror (2011-Present)
The British anthology series, Black Mirror, is a speculative fiction series from Charlie Brooker. Each episode of Black Mirror is set in a near-future, one that’s still recognizable. However, advancements in technology have led to various dystopian and often horrific consequences, which have unsettling parallels to real life.
It’s almost recommended that you don’t start Black Mirror with season one. The premiere is so jarring, it may end up scaring you away from the series. What you should do with Black Mirror is find an episode with a favorite actor, and watch that one, then finish the rest of the season. You’ll have it all done soon enough.
24 (2001-2014)
24 is a serial drama series starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, a counterterrorism agent in Los Angeles. Every episode of a season takes place over the course of one hour, with events happening in real time. So with 24 episodes, Bauer has one day to get to the bottom of whatever terrorist plot he’s trying to stop.
There are nine seasons of 24, and you can begin the show wherever you would like. Each season is mostly self-contained, and even if there are moments from the previous season that come up, usually someone will explain them. The episodes may often end on cliffhangers, but the seasons are satisfyingly tied up.
The Pitt (2025-2026)
Despite how close together the two seasons of The Pitt are, you can start watching season 2 without season 1 and be perfectly fine. The series is set in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, which is run by Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) and a team of residents, nurses, and interns, all trying to save as many people as they can.
There are some big storylines that cross from season 1 to season 2, but they are quickly explained and not too complicated. In fact, watching season 2 of The Pitt makes watching season 1 feel like a prequel TV show, and it’s exciting to go back and see how much the medical staff has changed from a few months earlier.
