World Television Day: What to Watch, parte uno

On this day in 1996, the UN declared November 21 as World Television Day. On this occasion, here are a few recommendations of popular, long-running and obscure television series to binge on, even as the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Crunchyroll eat away at the good ol' idiot box's market share. Let's begin.

Most Popular:

1. Game of Thrones:

Nine noble families fight for control over the mythical lands of Westeros, while a forgotten race returns after being dormant for thousands of years.

Thought we were going to start with something else? Think again. Game of Thrones, the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's book series, has one of the biggest, if not the de facto biggest, fan followings today. Just see the ratings if you don't believe us; plus, it's not like HBO would throw millions on a series that isn't going to be popular, is it?

Follow the adventures (or rather misadventures) of Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister and about a dozen other characters, as each contends the other with their own agenda, but all follow one goal: Taking the Iron Throne of Westeros.

Fair warning: This series is not for people below the age of 18 (not that people don't know, many just don't care).

2. Westworld:

Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged without consequence.

Yet another HBO work! Westworld is also an adaptation, except, of a film written by Michael Crichton (who wrote Jurassic Park), following a sprawling theme park filled with advanced animatronic "hosts" modelled after the old wild west.

Follow the adventures of Dolores, one of the hosts, and two "guests", William and Logan, in a story that literally bends the concept of time, all pivoting on a years-old conspiracy, whose primary suspect is one of the park's co-founders, except he's been dead for years now.

Fair warning: This being an adult-themed HBO series, it's not recommended for anyone below 18.

3. Vikings:

The world of the Vikings is brought to life through the journey of Ragnar Lothbrok, the first Viking to emerge from Norse legend and onto the pages of history - a man on the edge of myth.

Following the life and times of the Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the most well-known Vikings and Norse heroes, this historical drama shows how Lothbrok rose from being a simple farmer to a Scandivanian king and was infamous as the scourge of France and England.

4. The Blacklist: Starring the ever-charismatic James Spader, the series follows one Elizabeth Keen, an FBI profiler, who finds herself completely put out of whack when the FBI's most wanted criminal, Raymond Reddington, casually walks up to the FBI and surrenders, in exchange for speaking to her.

The series is famous for throwing the Raymond is Liz's father angle bone more times than can be counted, as the (former) criminal mastermind easily cooperates with the FBI to uncover some nasty conspiracies, with some of them having extremely close-hitting consequences.

5. Mr. Robot: Meet Elliot Anderson, a cybersecurity engineer, who suffers from clinical depression. Inevitably, he is drawn into a secret hacktivist circle, fsociety (yeah, I know), whose ultimate goal is to destroy all debt by making the financial data of E Corp, the world's biggest conglomerate, inaccessible.

While the series has seen a noticeable lull in viewership from season 2, it continues to have a loyal fan following. It is currently in its third season.

6. Breaking Bad: What kind of TV fan would we be if we didn't include what is considered to be one of the greatest TV shows of all time? Behold: How to cook meth at home 101.

Follow Walter White (the superb Bryan Cranston), a chem teacher with lung cancer, who turns to a life of cooking meth with his student Jesse Pinkman, so he can ensure his family a stable financial base before he dies in this hard-hitting, no-compromise crime drama.

Tomorrow, we will bring you part 2 of the series: Tweet to us at @deccanherald, and we'll be sure to get back to you.