LITERARY CANDY
More specific than just genres, there are some literary elements that I've just always loved.
Romance
1. First Love - Give me all that adolescent anguish, I'll watch it every time. It's especially effective when characters go through multiple romances in a series, but always come back to the first. Because in fiction land, nothing ever beats the first!
2. Fate - Also in fiction land, everything happens for a reason. (Oh wait, I think that about real life, too.) And this can span a lot of plot lines: chance meetings, "signs," serendipity, decisions that changed everything, long lost loved ones, and even reincarnation. An unrequited love from a past life getting fulfilled in the next life = gold.
3. Cougar Uprising - An older woman with a younger man. This says nothing about me personally, of course. *whistles* Truth be told, I never knew how much I liked this plot until Asian dramas starting popping them out en masse. But now I know it always guarantees a no-fail formula: veteran actress + young hottie = great chemistry.
4. Arranged Marriage - Or any situation where the couple has been forced together by circumstances rather than by choice. How they fall in love anyway can end up being a really sweet, fun story. It can also end up very mediocre, repetitive, and boring, but when it's done right, it's so satisfying.
5. And Then There Was One - Usually, the phrase, "One of them dies at the end," scares viewers away, but I love seeing the acceptance and the moving on. Powerful stuff.
Science Fiction
(a genre mostly abandoned by the drama world, but I'm hoping for a breakthrough)
1. Hocus-Pocus - Floating objects, teleporting, and reciting all those great little couplets. You're looking at a long-time fan of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.
2. Time Travel - I'd go back to the future any day, love that trilogy.
3. Utopia-Dystopia - Stories about the great human quest for a perfect society. My first taste of this was reading The Giver in sixth grade, then going on to discover stuff like 1984, Brave New World, The Stepford Wives, Gattaca, Pleasantville, etc. Out of all my sci-fi candy, this is the least likely plot to ever make bank in drama world.
Miscellaneous Elements
1. Twins/Look-alikes - Yes, I love seeing double. Switching places, substituting, and double-taking, bring it all on. But sadly, this isn't too popular a plot for dramas either.
2. Ass Kicking - Particularly if the female characters can fight, I'm sold. Sometimes you just need to see someone get whacked. Cheap entertainment and oh so satisfying.
3. Makeover - The ugly duckling gets turned into hotness. Never gets old.
4. Brats - Child characters who humanize the adult characters into mature, caring individuals. Adds instant sincerity.