Okay, here are some descriptions of the English-language TV series with "taboo" themes. Taboo in this context often refers to controversial, socially forbidden, or morally ambiguous subjects explored in the show.
1. Taboo (2017-2018) The Show Title Itself is a Keyword
- Premise: This critically acclaimed limited series created by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney centers around Jack Doyle (John Lithgow), a high-ranking British politician, and his estranged American son, Peter (Dominic West), a skilled but troubled private investigator. When Peter is tasked by his dying father with uncovering the truth about a mysterious shipwreck off the coast of Portugal that occurred during World War II, he delves into a web of secrets, betrayal, and forbidden relationships involving his father's past. The series explores complex themes of loyalty, sacrifice, legacy, and the morally grey areas of power and family.
- Taboo Elements: Family secrets, forbidden love (potentially), betrayal, historical conspiracy, moral ambiguity, dangerous political maneuvering, hidden truths.
2. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
- Premise: Based on George R.R. Martin's novels, this epic fantasy series follows several noble families vying for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, while simultaneously dealing with the threat of supernatural forces in the far North and mysterious events in the distant East. The story is filled with political intrigue, brutal battles, complex family dynamics, and the slow corruption of its key characters.
- Taboo Elements: Graphic violence and gore, nudity and sexual content (including uncomfortable and non-consensual themes), incest (incestuous relationships are explored and sometimes consummated), political corruption, murder, morally bankrupt characters, harsh realities of war, power struggles with no clear morality.
3. The Americans (2013-2018)
- Premise: Set during the Cold War, this series chronicles the lives of two KGB spies posing as an American married couple in Washington D.C. While living seemingly ordinary suburban lives, they secretly work to gather intelligence and carry out dangerous assignments for their Soviet handlers, all while trying to hide their true identities from their friends, neighbors, and especially their young daughter, Fanya.
- Taboo Elements: Espionage, betrayal of country (for the spy couple), lying to loved ones, the moral compromises made by agents, themes of loyalty (to family vs. country), surveillance, the fear of being discovered and the consequences, the Cold War proxy conflicts.
4. Mindhunter (2017-2020)
- Premise: Based loosely on true events, this series follows FBI agents Bill Tench and Holden Ford as they create the first behavioral science unit within the FBI during the 1970s. Their mission is to understand the minds of serial killers by interviewing them and studying their behavior patterns, pushing the boundaries of psychological research and ethical investigation.
- Taboo Elements: Graphic depictions of violence and crime, detailed exploration of serial killer psychology (including their twisted thoughts and motivations), disturbing sexual crimes and paraphilias, themes of consent (often violated), the ethical line blurred by the pursuit of justice, intense psychological pressure on the investigators.
5. Big Little Lies (2017-2021)
- Premise: Set in the idyllic coastal town of Seabrook, New England, the series explores the complex and often hidden realities beneath the surface of seemingly perfect small-town life. It centers around a group of women whose lives are intertwined through their children's involvement in a popular local school. Secrets, lies, and long-buried traumas begin to surface, threatening to shatter their lives and families.
- Taboo Elements: Domestic abuse (physical and emotional), sexual assault (including attempted assault and its aftermath), child endangerment, secrets kept from spouses and children, complex and controversial motherhood themes, difficult conversations about relationships and infidelity, mental health struggles.
6. The Sopranos (1999-2007)
- Premise: This groundbreaking crime drama follows Tony Soprano, a middle-aged mob boss trying to balance his violent life in the New Jersey mafia with his responsibilities as a husband and father. The series delves deep into the psychological toll of his lifestyle, his struggles with PTSD, and the complex relationships within his family and crew.
- Taboo Elements: Extreme violence and crime, organized crime culture, graphic depictions of brutality, themes of PTSD and mental health, morally bankrupt characters, strained family relationships (including marital infidelity and conflict with children), the banality of evil.
These shows are known for pushing boundaries and exploring subjects that are often considered sensitive or socially unacceptable, making them compelling but potentially difficult viewing.
