I was just thinking about how disappointed I was with the series Code Geass. I wanted to like it because it had an interesting alternate history story to tell. A young man wanted to destroy the empire he was actually a member of, though for selfish reasons. He was a brilliant tactician, and he took on the role of a mysterious leader figure for resistance. He also lead a double life, constantly being threatened with being uncovered. Unfortunately the show tended to focus too much on the high school portion of this character's double life, because yes, he and many of the other characters were high school students. And, as is often the case with anime, giant mechas also became something of a focus. Then the first season ended at a point where the main character would no longer be able to lead his double life and his true identity was exposed to at least two people. This after a tragedy which successfully pulled at my heart strings. Then the second season started by essentially doing everything over again, using some of the most complicated contrivances I have ever seen in any story.
There are so many shows like that for me, which seem to have some promise, yet ultimately disappoint me. The Battlestar Galactica reboot is another example.
So, that is why I am somewhat interested in what others think, because I'm not entirely sure myself what I am looking for, so I do not even entirely know why a show may ultimately disappoint me.
Some things which have interested me, though, have been some alternate histories, elaborate planning toward some pay-off, two warring cultures or nations which are being manipulated by a third party, resistance fighting against a power aristocratic empire, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories, steampunk, and cyberpunk. Actually two of the best shows I can think of are Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Then, of course, there is the series my namesake comes from, Ergo Proxy, but this is also an example of a series I found not entirely satisfying.
