The Prisoner (1967)

Call it a product of counter-culture, but to this day it still amazes me that a show that demonstrated such palpable contempt for establishment and conformity ever managed to find its way to the temple of conformity that is television. Sure the network executives thought that they were getting a sequel to the popular Secret Agent/Danger Man series, but boy were they mislead. Patrick McGoohan takes a facsimile of his iconic character, John Drake, and turns him on his head as he is thrust into an Orwellian/Kafkaesque nightmare world bent on destroying the will of the individual. The surreal and complex stories challenge the viewers’ very concepts of reality. Few television programs have since matched the complex, layered story-telling of The Prisoner (Lost is one of the few that have come close). Because of its obtuse nature and short run (by design, not network tomfoolery), there have been few attempts to mimic its format. As with most shows from this era, it is a bit dated, but for those who appreciate engaging, thought-provoking story-telling, that should not provide a hindrance.

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