Have you noticed that the best hacker movies are at least a decade old? Well, TV series redeem modern times. Here’s our curated list of the best (and more accurate) TV series on hackers to binge-watch this weekend.
Mr. Robot (2015–2019)
Mr. Robot is the gold standard of hacking realism in TV. The show features accurate depictions of real hacking tools such as Metasploit, Kali Linux, and social engineering techniques. It also accurately portrays hacker culture and the mental strain of a hacker.
Silicon Valley (2014–2019)
Silicon Valley is a comedy about startups. However, it provides accurate depictions of coding, hacking contests, and corporate espionage.
The IT Crowd (2006–2013)
This non-hacker-centric TV series is a beloved comedy about IT people. While entertaining, IT people will appreciate it for depicting the real challenges of their jobs. It’s a cult classic for IT humour.
Person of Interest (2011–2016)
This TV series focuses on AI surveillance and hacking, blending realism with science fiction: the plot revolves around a millionaire computer genius, a super machine, and mass surveillance.
Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017)
Set in the Eighties, this series portrays the age of computer revolution and the roots of hacker culture, when reverse engineering and the Internet pushed IT people into a rat race to invent the next big thing.
Scorpion (2014–2018)
This TV series is loosely based on the story of Walter O’Brien, a controversial real-life hacker. While the series is very Hollywood-style (hacking included), it’s very entertaining.
Cyberware (2016-2018)
This documentary series is about real-world hacks, hacktivism, Anonymous, and cyberwarfare. It’s all about raising awareness about what happens behind a computer and the Internet.
In more recent times, TV shows have produced many cyber-dramas with a more political focus than “how” hacking is done. Is this the end of the golden age of human-based hacking in favour of AI magic?