Top 7 TV Series About Computing and Programming

What's wonderful about programming is that even after spending 8 hours in front of your screen typing code, you still want more!

So for those who'd like to relax while watching a series about computing, development, cybersecurity... I'm offering a little list of the best series centered around these topics.

#1 - Halt and Catch Fire

"Halt and Catch Fire" skillfully blends computing history, technical details and gripping plots.

This series depicts the adventures of a team of seasoned engineers attempting to pull off the feat of creating a personal computer faster and more compact than the giant of the time: IBM.

Even though our protagonists' company is fictional, it stays true to both the technical and historical outline of the evolution of computing at the time.

Unlike most other series on this list, I think you need to have a genuine interest in pure computing and its history to appreciate this one.

Worth noting that, for once, the place of women in a series dealing with technology is highlighted, which also follows the historical realities I discussed in my article "Why the lack of women in programming is a big problem"

Watch the series on: Youtube

#2 - Mr. Robot

This series features Elliot, a security engineer and above all a cyber-activist within the "hacker" group called fsociety, based in New York.

The series is mostly known for its realism and attention to detail. For reference, Rami Malek, the lead actor, notably took typing lessons for the scenes where he's seen typing on a keyboard.

Some actors reportedly even took computer security courses; in any case, I personally have never had the occasion to wince at pieces of code shown in the series, unlike what happens in most mainstream movies and TV shows!

Watch the series on: Amazon Prime

#3 - IT Crowd

I'll warn you right away, this series won't appeal to everyone!

IT Crowd is a British series featuring the IT department (in the basement) of a large company, whose two technicians, Roy and Moss, are nerd stereotypes taken to the extreme (and once you reach the extreme, keep going a bit more) at once very funny, endearing, but often quite cringeworthy too!

Nerds, IT, British humor, if that sounds like your thing... go for it!

Watch the series on: Netflix

#4 - How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)

This German-made series is the most recent one on the list and tells the story of the development of a secure online platform for selling... illegal goods by two high school students.

The series is inspired by the true story of Maximilian Schmidt, whose documentary was recently released on Netflix.

The series is well made, it obviously has a few narrative shortcuts, but I recommend it, you'll have a great time!

Fun Fact: I discovered the series on Twitter by following the official account of the VueJS framework, which appears in the series!

Watch the series on: Netflix

#5 - Scorpion

This series is clearly the least realistic on the whole list, and if you're a developer, it will probably make you jump off your couch at certain technical absurdities.

But personally, I put it in the same category as MacGyver: it's good entertainment, the series remains clever even if the plot twists are often far-fetched, and the characters are very likeable, each with a distinct personality.

I'd say it's a perfect series to watch with someone who knows nothing about tech!

Watch the series on: Netflix

#6 - Billion Dollar Code

I hesitated to include "Billion Dollar Code" in my article on the best movies and documentaries about the world of computing, but I preferred to add it to this ranking for two reasons:

• It's a 4-episode mini-series
• The story is based on real events, though not necessarily a faithful reproduction

What's certain is that I had a great time watching this series, which depicts the story of the German company Terravision, which invented the equivalent of Google Earth years earlier, and whose invention was allegedly stolen by Google.

Watch the series on: Netflix

#7 - The Playlist

If you liked the previous recommendation "Billion Dollar Code," then you'll like "The Playlist," the mini-series that tells the story of the creation of Spotify!

The original concept is that each episode centers on a particular character, which offers several, sometimes very different, points of view on the story!

Watch the series on: Netflix

Bonus

A few excellent series could have made this ranking, but since they revolve less directly around the world of computing, I preferred to slip them into the bonus section.

So I also recommend the excellent series The Big Bang Theory, Black Mirror and Westworld!

And if you still haven't had enough, I suggest reading my article on startup series, most of which take place in an environment related to computing and programming: