From Nashville’s cutthroat country scene to The Idol’s messy rock-star chaos, these 19 TV shows prove music belongs on screen—whether it’s heartfelt, hilarious, or wildly dramatic.
Sometimes, you don’t just watch TV—you queue it up like your favorite song is finally playing again. And when TV and music collide, the results can feel electric: glittering performances, ruthless industry drama, big dreams, and the constant pull of a chorus you can’t forget.
Here are 19 music-focused TV shows readers clearly love, from star-making pop culture favorites to prestige dramas built around legendary voices.
Nashville
Set inside the cutthroat environment of Nashville’s country music industry, Nashville stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
This modern take on the High School Musical movie series launched the careers of Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett.
Girls5eva
A cast built for laughs and heart—Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldberry, Paula Pell, Busy Philipps, and Erika Henningsen—joins appearances from Ashley Park.
Empire
Running from 2015 to 2020, Empire delivered family drama against the backdrop of the music industry, with Taraji P. Henson among the draw.
The Idol
With a 19 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Idol may not fit every “best” list—but the Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd-fronted drama has plenty of people who “secretly loved to hate” it.
Glee
No best-music-TV list would be complete without Glee, a show about a high school glee club that was pivotal to many youths.
Star
Lasting for just three seasons, Star told the story of three singers as they strove to achieve fame.
Hannah Montana
Drama, comedy, family, friends—and of course, Miley Cyrus. That’s the mix that made Hannah Montana a TV staple.
Atlanta
Created and fronted by Donald Glover, Atlanta follows Earn as he manages his cousin’s growing rap career while addressing a ton of important issues.
Daisy Jones & The Six
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones & The Six follows a ’70s band as they come together and fall apart. Riley Keough plays the titular Daisy—the granddaughter of musical legend Elvis Presley.
The Get Down
Starring Justice Smith and Jaden Smith (no relation), The Get Down ran for one season, but still received rave reviews. It’s about two young musicians fighting to make it in the industry.
Mozart in The Jungle
Lola Kirke and Gael García Bernal star in Mozart in The Jungle, a story of trials and tribulations in the fictional New York Symphony.
Un Paso Adelante
This Spanish drama from the early 2000s followed the lives of performing arts students at a prestigious school in Madrid as they sang, danced, and acted their way to success—while also featuring torrid love affairs. It stars Penélope Cruz’s younger sister, Mónica Cruz.
Victorious
Hilarious in its own chaotic way, Victorious is a Nickelodeon show about very unique high school students at a performing arts school in Los Angeles. It launched megastar Ariana Grande, even though she wasn’t the lead.
Austin & Ally
Austin & Ally is a Disney Channel series starring Laura Marano and Ross Lynch, with Marano playing a songwriter and Lynch playing a singer.
Jonas
Jonas starred the Jonas brothers—though their characters are named Nick Lucas, Joe Lucas, and Kevin Lucas, which makes the title feel a little like a joke.
The Runarounds
From Outer Banks creator Jonas Pate comes The Runarounds, a teen drama about a bunch of high-school grads who form a rock band.
George & Tammy
For country lovers who need a break from rewatching Nashville “for the 12th time,” George & Tammy is a serial biopic about country legends Tammy Wynette and George Jones, starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon.
The Playlist
Not purely about music, The Playlist sits at the intersection of music, tech, and business. It’s a dramatization of Spotify’s beginnings at the hands of founder Daniel Ek.
The Playlist rounds out the list with the clearest reminder that music on screen doesn’t only mean stages and singers—it can also mean the machines, deals, and decisions that start the whole thing moving.
TV shows about music Nashville Empire Glee Atlanta Daisy Jones & The Six The Playlist
So is this like, only shows with singing? Cuz I feel like Empire barely counts lol
The Idol being on here is wild. I watched like 10 minutes and it was already a mess so how are people “secretly loving to hate” it??
Nashville is the only one I actually agree with. Also I swear High School Musical: The Musical made people think Olivia Rodrigo was in Disney the whole time, like they didn’t already know who she was 😂
“19 TV shows” but I’m reading it and it feels like the list is missing half the stuff people talk about? Like where’s the one with the guy who starts a band in high school? Also Empire was more drama than music I thought, but maybe I watched the wrong episodes.