|
Looking back through my old lists is interesting - for example, Breaking Bad never made my Top 3! I definitely have a rock-solid Top 10 (order still a little uncertain), but it'll be interesting to see what rounds out my full 20.
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2021 04:21
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 16, 2024 17:00 |
|
|
Taking the long view on this has been interesting, it really weeds out a lot of shows that turned out to be one-year wonders (looking at you, Westworld). Meanwhile, I have one show in my top 10 that I don't believe made any of my individual lists.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 4, 2021 23:35
|
|
|
Alright, list is finally complete! I will resist the urge for further tinkering as best I can. 20. Arrow It never rose to the level of a prestige drama, but Arrow was a hugely-important show for me over this decade. Not only did it consistently entertain me on its own (some seasons more than others, sure), it also spawned an entire shared universe of shows (some better than others, sure) that have given so many DC characters the chance to breathe in a way that the feature film department of Warner Brothers has not. Also, in the second half or so of its run the show handed the action choreography (and eventually the director's chair) over to James Bamford, who has proven himself to be a genius at filming fight scenes. 19. Agents of SHIELD While it began as a light piece of connective tissue existing entirely in the name of Corporate Synergy, Agents of SHIELD truly found its voice once its initial purpose was more or less abandoned. The show wasn't a hit, and it turns out the movies really didn't need the help, so Disney essentially stopped paying attention. Instead of dying in darkness, though, Agents of SHIELD flourished in exploring the nooks and crannies of the world established by the MCU. Everyone who watched it has their own favorite arc: The Framework, time travel, the Inhumans, Hive, even Ghost Rider showed up in a prominent role. By the time it reached its (near-perfect) finale, it had legitimately become one of my favorite shows, and not just in the way I tend to love the Marvel movies, but because of how much it made me care about the characters. 18. The Magicians This is a show that snuck up on me a bit. I watched the first season and wasn't terribly impressed. In fact when the second season started I let it pile up on my DVR and very nearly just deleted it unseen. But I decided to check back in, and it was like a switch was flipped and the show had found its stride. From that point on I was a loyal viewer, and the show really did seem to get better and better as it went along, leading up to a fantastic series finale. 17. Rectify Part of my process for making this list was reviewing my old lists, and while I admittedly hadn't though too much about Rectify in recent years when I saw it at the top of one of my lists I immediately remembered just how special it was. Rectify was a quiet show, mostly, and a slow burn if ever there was one. It was a fascinating meditation on faith and forgiveness, but more than anything it was a superb showcase for its cast. I don't think I've seen star Aden Young in many things since the show ended, but his performance here was a revelation, and I could say much the same about the rest of the ensemble. 16. Breaking Bad This is an obvious inclusion, though I suspect my list will have it lower than most. I don't really have too much to say about it that hasn't already been said. I liked the show quite a bit, and it was certainly an important show, so I feel comfortable listing it here. I really did especially love the finale. 15. Mr Robot It is easy for me to imagine a world where I hate this show, where I watch it and roll my eyes at the edgelord hax0r protagonist and his naive attempts at playing revolutionary. And yeah, the show gets a little out there in terms of conspiracy plots and Dark Army shenanigans. But where this show really separates itself is in the execution. Rami Malek is phenomenal as Elliot, but even beyond him there are so many outstanding performances. And on top of that Sam Esmail displays immense creativity in the design and direction of the show from top to bottom. And again, like many of the shows on my list, it had a near-perfect series finale. 14. The Good Place For most of its first season this was a perfectly fine fish-out-of-water sitcom with a charming lead, fun supporting characters, and an interesting (if unusual) premise. But with its now-famous twist, the show morphed into an interesting exploration of morality, ethics, cosmic justice, and the realities of infinity. Perhaps most impressively, it managed to do this while still being funny. A delicate balancing act to be sure, but one that The Good Place absolutely nailed. 13. Legion I didn't know what to expect from Legion when it started, but it managed to surprise me in all the best ways over its three seasons. The show had some detractors starting in the second season, but for me it continued to deliver throughout. It's rare to find a show that can pivot effectively from comedy to horror to musical in the space of a single episode, but Legion was such a show. 12. Archer- If the first season was included in the eligibility window this would certainly be a Top 10 show, but as it stands it still belongs in a position of prominence. Archer went through a lot of changes over the course of its run (which is still ongoing at the moment), and not all of them worked. But the highs are just too high for me to leave it off my list. 11. Fleabag Probably my biggest issue with Fleabag is that there just wasn't enough of it. Hilarious and poignant. 10. Fargo This show would be higher on my list if not for the third season (which I didn't even finish) and the fourth (which was simply alright), but man those first two seasons are something special. I had the first season ranked as my top show that year and I maintain that it stands up against almost any season of television I've ever seen. 9. Hannibal Quite simply one of the most beautiful shows I've ever seen, an impressive feat considering how many of its sumptuous visuals were in fact horrific at their core. Perhaps even more impressive was Mads Mikkelsen, who played Hannibal Lecter with such subtlety and finesse that he somehow managed to upstage one of the most iconic performances in film history. 8. Patriot I wish this show had gotten another season or two, and the only reason it's not even higher on my list is that the story doesn't quite feel complete. But what is there is a hilarious, melancholy meditation on family and trauma, with a kickass soundtrack to boot. All in all, this show is pretty good. 7. Better Call Saul I am one of those who believes this prequel spin-off has surpassed its parent show. Both shows essentially tell the same story a good man is driven by circumstance to a life of crime and immorality. But where Breaking Bad quickly becomes the story of a man reveling in his inner monster, Better Call Saul is a classic tragedy through and through. We get to know Jimmy McGill and root for him, even in spite of what we know of his ultimate fate. We spent years wondering when Jimmy would finally be overtaken by Saul, and when it happened it was exactly as heartbreaking as we'd feared. 6. Game of Thrones I suspect this show will be much lower on other lists, possibly even absent entirely. But in looking at the decade as a whole, it became impossible for me to keep Game of Thrones out of my top 10, and the more I thought about it the higher I found it climbing. At the end of the day, all the controversy in the world can't change the simple fact that I loved this show, and it was hugely important to me as a viewer. I even liked the final season a lot  5. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Interestingly, I don't think Always Sunny ever made any of my individual lists, and if it did it never placed very high. But part of the fun of this project was taking the long view of the entire decade, and it's hard to find a more consistent, and consistently hilarious, comedy over that timeframe. Which is amazing considering the first eligible season is the [i]seventh[/]. I looked over the episode list and was sure the show's best days came before, but I found myself recognizing tons of classic episodes. Few shows in TV history have had a run like Always Sunny, and even fewer live action shows. Certainly deserving of a spot in my top 5. 4. Justified While the first season of Justified falls outside of the eligibility window, I think most would agree that Season 2 is really where the show finds its voice and becomes great. I came to this show out of my love for Timothy Olyphant (I maintain Deadwood is the best show of all time), and he did not disappoint. Along the way I also discovered Walton Goggins, and that alone earns Justified a spot in my top 5. 3. Parks & Recreation This was a tough one to place, because while I knew it would be in my top 10 there was an issue with my favorite individual season (Season 2) being outside the eligibility window. However, Season 3 is arguably where the show truly reached its potential, and the additions of Adam Scott and Rob Lowe proved to be massive in that regard. There were certainly shows that made me laugh harder in this decade than Parks & Recreation, but none that had the same heart. 2. The Americans It's one thing to craft a compelling spy thriller, which The Americans certainly does. It's quite another thing to do so while delivering non-stop excellent performances at every level of the cast. Obviously Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys were the standouts, but even supporting players like Annet Mahendru and Noah Emmerich knocked it out of the park every time. Over the course of its entire run the show never dipped in quality, and stuck the landing like few shows I've ever seen. 1. The Leftovers The first thing I knew when I started working on this list was that The Leftovers would be number one. Something about the show just absolutely works for me on every level. It's sad, and haunting, and absurd, and just so beautiful at times that it's difficult for me to really articulate my feelings about it. That being said: Season 1 was an extremely good show, Season 2 was an all-time great season of television, and Season 3 managed to conclude the story in perfect fashion with one of the best finales I've ever seen.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 20, 2021 05:04
|
|