So it's looks like I will be in the minority here, but I do enjoy SOME Chinese TV shows and do find a lot of value from a language and culture prespective. Having said that, you can't just watch passively and expect to gain much. I usually have Pleco open to type things in that I don't catch, save it as a flascard and review it later. It would probably be frustrating to sit through these at a less than upper intermediate level. (IMO) I also think that these types of shows provide a nice supplement to your studies as you will hear native level conversation and pick up things that text books won't cover. Also having someone to discuss the content with is a huge benefit as there will be cultural points that are hard for westerners to understand.

Here is a brief list of shows that I personally have enjoyed and leaned a lot from:

中国式离婚 （蒋雯丽，王志文）

天道 （王志文）

手机 （陈道明， 王志文）

我的青春谁做主

冬至 （陈道明）

黑洞 （陈道明）

玉观音

金婚 （张国立， 蒋雯丽）

国家干部 （王志文）

Of course this is personal preference, but I believe most Chinese (depending on age) will tell you most of these include the best actors in china (陈道明， 王志文，蒋雯丽， 张国立）。 Some of these are a few years old.

Good luck!