Leo Noboru Lima

Following early decades in which it largely broadcast live programs, with most scripted drama and comedy playing out as something closer to theater than film, American television charged into a new age with the consolidation of the Big Three networks in the 1950s. This new, transformative period — generally dubbed the Network Era, in contrast with the Golden Age of the'40s and early-to-mid-'50s — found filmed TV series finessing their popular appeal and sponsor attractiveness, largely on a trial-and-error basis.

The White Lotus is one of the best anthologies in recent memory. For longtime fans of the series, here are 15 shows that share similar themes and story beats.

Coming-of-age stories are often some of the most timeless. Here are 15 phenomenal examples, shows that should be watched ASAP, ranked.

Whether set primarily in an office, a hangout spot, or an actual domestic environment, a great sitcom can be like a second home. The best examples of the classic mishap-based half-hour TV comedy format are full of well-calibrated humor, and can produce multiple belly laughs per minute when firing on all cylinders.

If any actor today can make his coworkers laugh, it's Paul Rudd. The "Ant-Man" star has a long, storied history of causing other actors on set to break into laughing fits at inappropriate yet irresistible times. To prove it, we've put together a lengthy compilation of the most entertaining instances of Rudd breaking co-stars, which you can watch right now in the video above.

Pull up the resume of your favorite actor, and it will most likely include a litany of small television parts leading to a big breakthrough on either the big or the small screen. On some rare occasions, however, an actor will nab a major part on a TV series without that portfolio of prior credits. And, on even rarer occasions, that debut performance will be excellent enough to stand alongside any seasoned pro.

"The Twilight Zone" was nothing if not a series with admirable foresight. The Rod Serling-created CBS anthology classic aired between 1959 and 1964 in its original run (not counting the fact it was remade more than once ), yet it managed to touch on social, political, cultural, and existential topics that remain relevant six decades later — if they haven't become even more so.

It might not necessarily have been expected for Katie Dippold, who cut her teeth writing for "Mad TV" and "Parks and Recreation," to become the mastermind behind TV's newest horror sensation, but such is the unlikely creative circumstance that brought "Widow's Bay" into being. An Apple TV horror comedy series with Guillermo Del Toro's approval

Starz's "Outlander" recently aired its series finale after eight seasons, wrapping up one of the most rousing and overpowering television journeys of the 21st century so far. The Ronald D. Moore-developed series, which began with the accidental transportation of World War II nurse Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) from 1945 into 1743 by a magical stone circle in rural Scotland, gradually grew to become the epic, time-bending tale of the transcendental connection between Claire and rebel Highlander Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), whose love endures through multiple eras and wars.

Few current TV shows are as consistently entertaining and addictive as "Your Friends & Neighbors." Created by Jonathan Tropper and already renewed for Season 3 on Apple TV, this dark-comedy-slash-campy-drama series alternates between belly laughs and genuine tension as it follows Andrew "Coop" Cooper (Jon Hamm), a wealthy hedge fund manager whose life unravels after a power move from his boss (Corbin Bernsen) pushes him out of the industry. Forced into a rental home and facing few prospects of employment at his former income level, Coop leverages his relationships with his wealthy Westmont Village neighbors into a new career as a burglar.