My 75 Favorite Television Shows of the Decade
“I guess I just like liking things.”
Honestly, what a decade for television. Most people will tell you that the change of television from populist entertainment into a prestige artform began on HBO in the 1990s with The Larry Sanders Show and The Sopranos. That’s probably true, though some credit should be given to I Love Lucy (way before its time) and Seinfeld. With this new era of TV leading the way, television continued to grow and change and become more and more important. Must-see TV wasn’t must-see because it was popular anymore. It was must-see because it was good. (And through it all, there was The Simpsons.)
As we came into the 2010s, though, television was ready to explode with quality and quantity of quality. Every service, channel, and network has a good show that you “have” to be watching these days. We’re seeing it now with even more streaming services as Disney+ and Apple TV+ made their launches, albeit too late to qualify for consideration on this list. (We’ll see you next decade, The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The Imagineering Story, and Dickinson!) We may not be in peak TV anymore, but TV is everywhere.
As such, there are going to be some honorable mentions for what just didn’t make the cut. In alphabetical order, here’s some love to American Vandal, Baskets, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Cosmos, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hawaii Five-O, The Last Man on Earth, Lost (season six), Man Seeking Woman, The Night Manager, Party Down (season two), Persons Unknown, and Whodunnit?.
Lastly, I included shows that aired at some point in the decade. Even if only for one episode, they are here! That’s why the parentheses are important. They tell you what is excluded from the countdown.
All that being said, let’s get to the list!
75. The Newsroom
Aaron Sorkin’s idealism may not be relevant anymore (whether it’s needed is a whole different argument), but its presence in The Newsroom was an entirely different animal. The story of a cable news channel, led by Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels), that is transformed by his new producer and ex-girlfriend, Mac McHale (Emily Mortimer), The Newsroom feels like it belongs to a bygone era. But for a dynamite Dev Patel performance, look no further.
Best Episodes: “We Just Decided To,” “Run,” “One Step Too Many”
74. Inside Amy Schumer
Like her or not, Amy Schumer was one of the comedians who defined this decade. And I actually really enjoyed her sketch show on Comedy Central. It lasted just thirty-nine episodes, but whenever it aired, it felt like appointment viewing. In the era of Key and Peele and Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer stood out to me.
Best Episodes: “A Chick Who Can Hang,” “Last Fuckable Day,” “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer”
73. Galavant
One of the best shows that no one watched. Billed as a mid-season event, Galavant was a fantasy show on ABC that had more in common with The Princess Bride than it did with Game of Thrones. A musical farce, Galavant was a little miracle of network television. We don’t get enough of those.
Best Episodes: “Comedy Gold,” “A New Season aka Suck It Cancellation Bear”
72. Glee (half of season one to the end)
There is perhaps no show in the history of television that was more ambitious than Glee. The scope of the story that Ryan Murphy and the musical talent he assembled aimed to tell was unparalleled in television history. Tragically, exterior circumstances ended up derailing it before it could ever spread its wings beyond regionals. But Glee does earn some points for what could have been.
Best Episodes: “Pilot,” “Bad Reputation,” “Swan Song”
71. Man v. Food (season three)
Some of the high points of Man v. Food exist in the 2000s. As such, the 2010s have mostly seen a new host come in (“How dare you stand where he stood!”) and an attempt at Man v. Food Nation. But nothing will ever top the era of Adam Richman, which came to an end with the third season in 2010. This was the perfect show to watch on a lazy winter day.
Best Episodes: “Mount Nachismo Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan,” “Frittata Challenge in Syracuse, New York”
70. Feud: Bette and Joan
It seems like the future of Feud is up in the air. But for now, we at least had a season that dug deep on the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford on What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The commentary that pervaded every element of the show is still extremely apt today.
Best Episodes: “And the Winner Is… (The Oscars of 1963),” “You Mean All This Time We Could Have Been Friends?”
69. What We Do in the Shadows
When has the idea of turning a beloved movie into a television show ever gone well? Fortunately, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement are creative people who know what they’re doing. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything from them that I didn’t like. And this horror-comedy mockumentary about vampires in America is one of those great things.
Best Episodes: “Manhattan Night Club,” “The Trial”
68. The Soup (2010 to the end)
I really miss The Soup. The sarcastic wit of Joel McHale, who constantly disparaged how bad the show was, was a perfect match for the onslaught of the horrible television he would mock. I loved just knowing that every punchline was, at least, going to make me smile. The Soup was impossibly consistent and I wish, when they brought it back, that Joel was coming with it.
Best Segments: “Clippos Magnificos,” “My Stories,” “Chat Stew”
67. Planet Earth II
Talk about consistency. Has a David Attenborough show ever been bad? Planet Earth II was another shimmering example of how beautiful educational shows about nature can be. If television can’t be used to see an antelope scared shitless after the death of a hippo, then what can it be used for?
Best Episodes: “Mountains,” “Jungles,” “Grasslands”
66. Curb Your Enthusiasm (seasons eight and nine)
When the crew behind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia were thinking about bringing the show to an end, they received advice from the unlikely source of Larry David. He told them to take a break if they needed it, but to never officially end the show. That’s what David did with Curb. Another season is due to begin in January 2020, so it might just be part of our lives for a long time.
Best Episodes: “Mister Softee,” “The Shucker”
65. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The creative baby of Rachel Bloom was the highlight from the CW this decade. The story of Rebecca Bunch, who moves to California to pursue her love for Josh Chan, was wonderfully weird and filled with cringe-worthy moments, a lot of laughs, and some pretty dynamite singers. The loss of Santino Fontana from the cast stung, but Bloom managed to hold on for the entire run she mapped out.
Best Episodes: “That Text Was Not Meant for Josh!,” “All Signs Point to Josh…or Is It Josh’s Friend?”
64. True Detective (season one)
I haven’t seen the second or third seasons of True Detective, but the first one was some pretty remarkable television. If you want an eight-episode meditation on the philosophy of crime, spoken by a pensive Matthew McConaughey and a frustrated Woody Harrelson, then this would be the show for you. Time comes for us all.
Best Episodes: “The Secret Fate of All Life,” “Haunted Houses,” “Form and Void”
63. House of Cards
Sadly, House of Cards will always have a stain on it. The first major show of the streaming era, it changed everything and was pretty compelling along the way, thanks to the team of Beau Willimon and David Fincher. But the Kevin Spacey of it all really got in the way of a top-notch political show. The decline in quality of a television show is the least of the concerns from the horrible accusations against Spacey, but still, they’re relevant.
Best Episodes: “Chapter 2,” “Chapter 14,” “Chapter 48”
62. Insecure
The 2010s were also defined by a trend in television of comedians getting the keys to their own vehicle to make whatever show they wanted. These often ended up being character study-type shows. Insecure was one of the best of them. Issa Rae is an endlessly watchable performer.
Best Episodes: “Broken as Fuck,” “Hella Perspective”
61. The Event
Bring back The Event! The closest, traditional example of the “new Lost,” The Event was a gripping sci-fi joy ride through a maze of questions and very few answers. It never caught on in a major way and it seems like the dream of continuation is dead. But I’ll always treasure those weeks when I thought I was watching the next big thing. Long live Jason Ritter.
Best Episodes: “I Haven’t Told You Everything,” “Everything Will Change”
60. Animals
I really don’t even know how to describe this show except it was really up my alley. An animated show about animals with a dream supporting cast (Jenny Slate, Mindy Kaling, Adam Scott, Jonah Hill, Jessica Chastain, Emilia Clarke) that reinvents itself constantly, has a number of hilarious, dry jokes, and goes into deep sci-fi at times. Peak TV is an era that allows this to exist.
Best Episodes: “Squirrels (1),” “Rats (3),” “Dog”
59. Silicon Valley
I still maintain that Silicon Valley is a formulaic network sitcom with the budget and talent of a prestige comedy. Still, it’s always great for laughs and the cast has soared since cutting the baggage of T.J. Miller. I think it peaked with “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency,” but hey. That’s not a bad peak at all.
Best Episodes: “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency,” “Hooli-Con”
58. The Crown
The Crown is one of Netflix’s more ambitious projects. Churning out a new cast every two seasons, the creators really want to tell the entire story of the royal family. Season three, without Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby, was definitely marked by something missing. But those first two seasons with them? Surprisingly impeccable.
Best Episodes: “Windsor,” “Dear Mrs. Kennedy,” “Aberfan”
57. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
This is a show that got a lot of vitriol. But I watched it right after watching Gilmore Girls for the first time and I actually really loved it! Each episode is rather long so it does suffer from slight pacing issues, but I enjoyed that there was a chance to check into Stars Hollow again. Luke and Laura remain one of my favorite pairings ever. And it was good to see Rory being an adult fuck-up instead of a teenage fuck-up!
Best Episodes: “Winter,” “Fall”
56. Big Little Lies
Come to see a cast that is stacked with Oscar-nominees, stay for the long drives down the highway past a beach with Adam Scott in the passenger seat. Big Little Lies is the most prestige soap opera you’ll be able to find, but isn’t that what makes these shows so gripping in the first place?
Best Episodes: “Somebody’s Dead,” “You Get What You Need”
55. Santa Clarita Diet
The sense of humor on Santa Clarita Diet really worked for me. It was thanks in large part to the committed comedic performances of Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, who absolutely shone in every single episode. It’s a bit gory for my liking, but it wraps up neatly enough to enjoy as a full story arc.
Best Episodes: “We Can Kill People,” “The Book!,” “Suspicious Objects”
54. Killing Eve
Phoebe Waller-Bridge! What a genius! She made a show about a serial killer have so much more depth and nuance and heart than you might have ever imagined. Jodie Comer is brilliant throughout and it’s really cool to see Sandra Oh free from the shackles of ABC.
Best Episodes: “Sorry Baby,” “I Don’t Want to Be Free”
53. Love
The anti-rom-com was a big deal during the 2010s and few were as emblematic of the genre as Love was. Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs were both great as leads on the show, but if you want to see the closest thing you’ll find to a dramatic David Spade performance, then this is the show to watch.
Best Episodes: “One Long Day,” “Shrooms,” “Catalina”
52. Chuck (season three to the end)
Unfortunately, some of the best episodes of Chuck are left in the previous decade. But Chuck also had the benefit of airing its astoundingly beautiful series finale before the Internet had taken off in a way that would have labeled it as divisive. I can still hear every beat of Jeffster’s “Take on Me” while Chuck, Sarah, and Casey save the world.
Best Episodes: “Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff,” “Chuck Versus the Goodbye”
51. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
About half of this decade saw Jimmy Fallon dominate on Late Night before making the transition in 2014 to The Tonight Show. I know he’s not well-liked, but I adore Jimmy Fallon. I think he is so talented and pure. I can feel a ton of emotions when I go back through his highlight reel on these shows. Musically, he has a gift, too, and The Roots are the best thing about late night television probably ever.
Best Segments: “Lip Sync Battle,” “Classroom Instruments,” “Beat Battle”
50. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The highly-anticipated follow-up to 30 Rock from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock that found its way to Netflix over NBC never found the stride that great comedies tend to. But it had the patented fun and humor of Fey. Plus, Ellie Kemper was always so great in the title role.
Best Episodes: “Kimmy Goes to School!,” “Kimmy Goes to Court!,” “Kimmy Finds Her Mom!”
49. Catastrophe
Of all the shows on this list, Catastrophe is definitely at the bottom in terms of total episodes. But each episode was so densely packed with raw physicality, incredible chemistry, scathing jokes, and prodding into sensitive topics. Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan are so impossibly fun together.
Best Episodes: “Episode 1,” “Episode 6 (3)”
48. Fosse/Verdon
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first major television foray (don’t expect to see His Dark Materials here), I loved Fosse/Verdon, not just for the insanely good Michelle Williams performance, but for what it taught me about a facet of culture that I thought I knew a little about, but was actually completely ignorant.
Best Episodes: “Me and My Baby,” “Providence”
47. Glow
The gorgeous ladies of wrestling somehow made a sport that seems extremely dated relevant in the current decade. And they did it by setting the show in the 1980s! I think the biggest draw for this point was the brilliant cast, which consists of Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Chris Lowell, and Marc Maron.
Best Episodes: “The Dusty Spur,” “Money’s in the Chase,” “Outward Bound”
46. Happy Endings
Happy Endings is one of the best cult comedies of the decade. A perfect subversion of the Friends-style hangout comedy, it is a show that is ripe to be revisited as soon as possible. Each character was so well-defined and funny. I still have the image of Adam Pally with a honey pot stuck on his head burned into my memory forever.
Best Episodes: “The Shershow Redemption,” “The Butterfly Effect Effect,” “Kickball 2: The Kickening”
45. Black Mirror
With each episode, Black Mirror reinvents itself. And not just in the sense that every episode is a different story with a different cast. But also in the sense that one can be a scathing indictment of human nature with the next existing as a melancholic meditation on loss. And then, the show can go right out and find a way to implement a happy ending. Good for Black Mirror.
Best Episodes: “Fifteen Million Merits,” “Be Right Back,” “White Christmas,” “Nosedive,” “San Junipero,” “USS Callister”
44. Modern Love
I believe this is the show that had the most recent debut and still made the list. It’s based on one of my favorite podcasts, Modern Love, which is also based on a New York Times column of the same name. The first three episodes made me absolutely fall in love with this show. The rest felt more so-so, but my goodness, this debut made me happier than few other anthology series ever have.
Best Episodes: “When the Doorman Is Your Main Man,” “When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist,” “Take Me as I Am, Whoever I Am”
43. The Spoils of Babylon
Based on a soaring epic from Eric Jonrosh, The Spoils of Babylon resembles the many network event miniseries from decades long ago in that it takes an A-list cast and tells a remarkable story with so many twists and turns. Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, David Spade, Val Kilmer, Michael Sheen, Haley Joel Osment. You have to see it to believe it.
Best Episodes: “The Foundling,” “So Sweet the Bells”
42. You’re the Worst
Back in 2014, Married debuted on FX and many expected it to be the next successful comedy from the channel. It starred Nat Faxon and Judy Greer and it had a much higher profile than You’re the Worst, which starred Chris Geere and Aya Cash. But You’re the Worst ended up being way better. It ended earlier this year, but what a sneaky great run it had.
Best Episodes: “Sunday Funday,” “You Knew It Was a Snake,” “Pancakes”
41. 11.22.63
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel about a man who travels back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 11.22.63 finds its real narrative in the hearts of the characters rather than the twists and complications of science fiction. I loved the eight weeks I spent with this show.
Best Episodes: “Happy Birthday, Lee Harvey Oswald,” “The Day in Question”
40. DuckTales
DuckTales is the best argument in favor of reboots! Beck Bennett makes for a great Launchpad McQuack and the show has kickstarted what can only be described as a Disney Afternoon Television Universe. Darkwing Duck, the Rescue Rangers, Gizmoduck, the Three Caballeros. They’re all here!
Best Episodes: “Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!,” “The Duck Knight Returns!”
39. The Colbert Report (2010 to the end)
For me, The Colbert Report remains the pinnacle of satire. Whenever there is a new television show or movie that claims to be a biting satire, I compare it against the perfectly-realized and endlessly-hilarious creation that is The Colbert Report. I miss it every day.
Best Segments: “Better Know a District,” “Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger,” “The Word”
38. The Leftovers
When Damon Lindelof moved on from Lost, many thought he’d lost his touch with the rocky first season of The Leftovers. But moving forward in the show’s run, it seemed like Lindelof became entirely confident with the themes and ideas and questions he truly wanted to explore. He just had to be at rest with finding no answers. Also, Christopher Eccleston might just have the television line reading of the decade.
Best Episodes: “No Room at the Inn,” “G’Day Melbourne,” “It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World”
37. Billy on the Street
From Fuse to TruTV to YouTube to Netflix, Billy on the Street has bounced around a lot. But the conceit has always remained the same. He wears a t-shirt, he holds a microphone, and he screams his pop culture opinions at random passersby. It’s gold and pound-for-pound the funniest show I’ve ever seen.
Best Segments: “For a Dollar,” “Lightning Round,” “Does Shakira Know What This Is?”
36. How I Met Your Mother (half of season five to the end)
I originally had How I Met Your Mother lower on the list, but I will not let the opinions of the masses sway me! The show was one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking, inventive sitcoms I’ve ever seen until the last scene with Robin. Even the finale is filled with gorgeous moments, aside from that! It makes me cry, laugh, it makes me feel so deeply. It captures an essence and a moment that is so vital to its formula. It went deeper than Friends. And I’ll love it forever.
Best Episodes: “Blitzgiving,” “Ducky Tie,” “The Time Travelers,” “How Your Mother Met Me”
35. Fleabag
Holy shit, Fleabag. Season one is a perfectly average character study show that could be lumped in with all the rest. But season two of Fleabag is daring and funny and tries things no other show like it ever even thought of doing. That’s a testament to the genius of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the perfection that is the introduction of Andrew Scott’s Hot Priest.
Best Episodes: “Episode 4 (2),” “Episode 6 (2)”
34. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
From the very beginning, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was fully formed, hilarious, and confident in what kind of show it was going to be. It’s one of the rare comedies to meet its sky-high expectations ahead of its debut. But since then, it’s only gotten funnier and sweeter. A perfect antidote to the caustic bitterness of many non-Mike Schur workplace comedies, without ever being bogged down in “lesson of the week” mentalities.
Best Episodes: “The Jimmy Jab Games,” “HalloVeen,” “Honeymoon”
33. Late Night with Seth Meyers
Late Night with Seth Meyers comes in as the best talk show of the decade. I think Jimmy Fallon is better than many think he is and I think he’s talented and perfect for The Tonight Show. But Seth Meyers is just a master of comedic timing, political satire in a confusing era, and the interview mold, as a whole. He’s arguably even more perfect for the job than Fallon! Plus, his team of writers, including Amber Ruffin, is just awesome.
Best Segments: “Ya Burnt,” “A Closer Look,” “Game of Jones”
32. Psych (half of season four to the end)
In the wake of Knives Out, I have seen many people remarking about how they miss light-hearted whodunnits. To them, I just want to say, go watch Psych! It’s a great comedy with a murder mystery every week. Shawn and Gus are two of the most hilarious characters ever put to screen and the finale still manages to make you well up with happy tears. It’s also a perfect show to receive these follow-up movies that keep coming from the creators.
Best Episodes: “Mr. Yin Presents…,” “Lassie Jerky,” “The Break-Up”
31. Bob’s Burgers
The Simpsons hasn’t been great for a long time. Family Guy is almost defined by its cruelty. But Bobs’ Burgers is something else entirely. The Belcher family not only loves each other, but they love the world they come into contact with. It’s a very wholesome show about kindness that also leans into musicality and bizarre story lines. It’s all for the better, though, because it’s one of the most consistent shows on television!
Best Episodes: “O.T.: The Outside Toilet,” “Crawl Space,” “Turkey in a Can”
30. Mindhunter
Mindhunter is definitely the better of the two David Fincher series that can be viewed exclusively on Netflix. It blends fictional procedural elements with chilling true crime sociopathy. Jonathan Groff is so good in the lead role, but I wish they would let him sing about Charles Manson!
Best Episodes: “Episode 4,” “Episode 5 (2)”
29. Succession
Just when you think you’ve figured out Succession, they pull the (very expensive) rug out from under you. The story of a trust fund family that’s jockeying for power they really don’t deserve, Succession will test your ability to root for just any protagonist. It’s pretty telling about how good television was during the 2010s that a show like Succession comes in at twenty-nine.
Best Episodes: “Sad Sack Wasp Trap,” “Pre-Nuptial,” “Dundee”
28. The Mindy Project
It took me a little bit to get over the feeling of betrayal I had that Mindy Kaling left The Office to work on this. Pretty quickly, however, I realized that The Mindy Project was exactly what she should be doing. She’s too gifted to be a twelfth lead. Through her ongoing, work-a-day rom-com template, Mindy thrived with a delightful comedy that was always overlooked.
Best Episodes: “Danny and Mindy,” “What About Peter?,” “Stay at Home MILF,” “It Had to Be You”
27. Better Call Saul
The idea of a Breaking Bad prequel series seemed like a horrible idea. But Vince Gilligan has proven over and over again that he knows what he’s doing. By introducing characters like Chuck (Michael McKean) and Kim (Rhea Seehorn), the Breaking Bad universe became deeper. And way more terrifying.
Best Episodes: “Uno,” “Chicanery,” “Smoke”
26. Stranger Things
Talk about a show that came out of nowhere. Netflix seemed to have little to no hope that Stranger Things would become a hit. But the Duffer Brothers embraced nostalgia (and the subsequent subversion of their favorite tropes) to create a show that is the closest to the mass nerd consumption that has come to define the multiplexes of the world. In the theater, we follow the Avengers. On television, we follow Hawkins, Indiana.
Best Episodes: “Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly,” “Chapter Seven: The Bite,” “Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt”
25. Atlanta
Donald Glover left Community to pursue his hip hop career and create something remarkable. Each episode of Atlanta has its own identity as we kind of, but not really, follow the lives of three friends trying to make it in the music industry. The more wacky Atlanta goes, the more compelling its characters become. Come back soon.
Best Episodes: “B.A.N.,” “The Club,” “Alligator Man,” “Barbershop,” “Teddy Perkins”
24. Barry
Anyone who was surprised that Bill Hader could turn in an amazing dramatic performance, simply wasn’t paying attention. Barry was always destined to become one of the best shows in all of television. I just didn’t expect that they’d be able to pull that off by making the audition processes just as heart-pounding as the assassin gigs.
Best Episodes: “Do Your Job,” “Loud, Fast, and Keep Going,” “ronny/lily”
23. New Girl
If you think New Girl shouldn’t be this high, I encourage you to go back and check it out again. You won’t find a show that lost its footing in its later seasons. You won’t find a show that leaned too much into being “adorkable.” You’ll find a show that had characters so well-defined that they could be funnier with a look than they were with their dialogue. But of course, the quotes were always crackling, too.
Best Episodes: “Menzies,” “Pepperwood,” “Background Check”
22. Documentary Now!
God bless the fact that Documentary Now! exists. More perfect, frame by frame parodies don’t exist in this world. Each episode is a send-up of a classic documentary, but it is done with such reverence and attention to detail that you could fool someone who doesn’t follow Saturday Night Live into thinking that it was a real show based on true stories.
Best Episodes: “Gentle & Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee,” “Juan Likes Rice and Chicken,” “Searching for Mr. Larson: A Love Letter from the Far Side”
21. 30 Rock (half of season four to the end)
30 Rock is a show I’m looking forward to rewatching one day. Now that I’m older, I’d probably find it even funnier now, even though it was always hilarious back when it aired. Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Jenna Maroney, Tracy Jordan, and Kenneth Parcell are all-time creations in the history of television. In terms of shows that emphasize the laugh-a-second mentality, 30 Rock was unbeaten.
Best Episodes: “Live Show,” “Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning,” “Leap Day,” “Hogcock!”
20. Breaking Bad (half of season three to the end)
Like the Energizer Bunny, Breaking Bad just kept going and going, the beat of the drum getting harder and faster as the show went on, with the rabbit increasingly going uphill. The denouement of the show is better than perhaps any drama ever as every single word spoken and step taken is filled with fraught emotion. It’s filled with pay-offs, satisfying and otherwise.
Best Episodes: “Fly,” “Face Off,” “Ozymandias,” “Granite State,” “Felina”
19. The Office (half of season six to the end)
The Office is my favorite show of all-time, but it suffers in the list simply because the three and a half eligible seasons are not as strong as the five and a half that preceded it in the 2000s. But still, I love seasons six, seven, eight, and nine so, so much anyway. I’m one of the biggest defenders of them. There’s tons of laughs and great character moments. The final four episodes of the show are among the best things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I adore The Office and it’s crushing that it won’t be around to commemorate next decade. Long live Dunder Mifflin.
Best Episodes: “The Delivery,” “Threat Level Midnight,” “Goodbye Michael,” “The List,” “Paper Airplane,” “Livin’ the Dream,” “A.A.R.M.,” “Finale”
18. The Americans
The Americans should have always been spoken in the same breath as the most acclaimed dramas, like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Instead, the Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell-led show will have to settle for being one of the most critically-acclaimed of its era. The Jennings family really knew how to rip your heart out, in the most incredible, dramatic way possible.
Best Episodes: “Behind the Red Door,” “The Magic of David Copperfield V:
The Statue of Liberty Disappears,” “Start”
17. Saturday Night Live
SNL, as it always does, has tapered off a bit in recent years. But it’ll come roaring back soon enough. And besides, current cast members like Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett, Mikey Day, and Heidi Gardner are too good not to eventually possess a timeless identity in the lore of the show. But the decade started out with an unbelievably good cast. Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader. Does it get better than that? SNL 40 also came during the 2010s and they have to get points for that masterpiece.
Best Episodes: “Jon Hamm/Michael Buble,” “Betty White/Jay-Z,” “Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake,” “Bill Hader/Hozier”
16. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (half of season six to the present)
It’s wild that It’s Always Sunny started this decade halfway through their sixth season and yet, they’re still going. They only just wrapped up their fourteenth year! Good for them. For me, I prefer late stage Sunny so this was the best decade for the show and it’s not even close. “Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs” is an all-time comedy episode.
Best Episodes: “The Gang Buys a Boat,” “The Gang Gets Trapped,” “Mac Day,” “Charlie Work,” “Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs,” “The Gang Goes to a Water Park,” “Mac Finds His Pride”
15. The Haunting of Hill House
It might seem ludicrous to put a show that only had one season this high on the list, but I can’t help it. This was a perfect horror anthology series to me. Mike Flanagan is not only a master of scares and the unsettling, but he is also deft at family trauma and how we move forward in a world we don’t recognize. Watch this only if you want to feel more illumined.
Best Episodes: “The Bent-Neck Lady,” “Two Storms,” “Silence Lay Steadily”
14. Master of None
Master of None was my favorite show of 2017. Aziz Ansari has made this a vastly complicated opinion to have. But for now, I’ll just say that he made a really beautiful series of television that has only grown in my estimation and admiration.
Best Episodes: “Old People,” “The Thief,” “New York, I Love You,” “Thanksgiving,” “Amarsi Un Po”
13. Parks and Recreation (half of season two to the end)
Parks and Recreation is an interesting show to evaluate now, considering it bowed off the air before Donald Trump ever arrived at the White House. But still, its glowing advocacy for political optimism and putting love into the world is so important. Leslie Knope is probably the best character in all of television to emulate. And what a cast of comedians, too! Like 30 Rock, I’m excited to revisit Parks one day.
Best Episodes: “Galentine’s Day,” “Eagleton,” “The Fight,” “Bowling for Votes,” “Moving Up,” “Leslie and Ron”
12. Nathan for You
Nathan for You always had an end date. There was no way to avoid the fact that he’d eventually become recognizable and unable to pull off what he did. But I never expected it to go out with something heartwarming, life-affirming, and meditative. It was always a funny satire. But Nathan Fielder clearly had the capability of making something beyond a show that pulled the wool over the eyes of business people with ludicrous profit-based ideas.
Best Episodes: “Souvenir Shop / E.L.A.I.F.F.,” “Dumb Starbucks,” “The Hero,” “Finding Frances”
11. Girls
Girls is another complicated show, in the wake of much that has been levied against Lena Dunham. But I just cannot ignore what a unicorn of a show this was. Every single episode felt like a new, artful experiment that was going to make me think and activate parts of my brain that had laid dormant. Marnie alone in New York, listening to ’90s alt rock in the bath and in the nursery, Adam Driver and Andrew Rannels just killing it every time they’re on screen. Girls was damn special and it’s probably more emblematic of the 2010s and our current stages of life than we might think.
Best Episodes: “Close-Up,” “American Bitch,” “The Panic in Central Park,” “What Will We Do This Time About Adam?,” “Latching”
10. The Good Place
I feel a little bad about putting The Good Place so low (but come on, it’s still in the top ten). It’s just tough because I feel like Michael Schur and the crew are building towards a really riveting conclusion. But it has the unlucky fate of having that conclusion fall in the 2020s. But I can still confidently say that The Good Place was one of the best shows of the decade. At a time when network television needed something sweet, wacky, and inventive, The Good Place delivered. And then some. The fall finale that aired a couple weeks ago? Oof. Big fucking oof, man. Also, it has launched some truly great people into stardom. Bortles forever!
Best Episodes: “Michael’s Gambit,” “The Burrito,” “Janet(s),” “Chidi Sees the Time-Knife,” “The Answer”
9. Mad Men (half of season four to the end)
Mad Men is my favorite drama of all-time, but like many shows, it loses a step here because it’s missing out on four and a half seasons of an argument in its favor. But still, the conclusion Mad Men built to when it came to an end is up there with the best of all television. I won’t soon forget the last moments for each of the beloved characters in a show that was always doing the cool thing, but never afraid to do the schmaltzy thing.
Best Episodes: “The Suitcase,” “Tomorrowland,” “Christmas Waltz,” “The Milk and Honey Route,” “Person to Person”
8. American Crime Story
I thought about separating American Crime Story in terms of its The People v. O.J. Simpson and The Assassination of Gianni Versace seasons, but then I thought better of it. The O.J. run is one of the best things I’ve ever seen on television. The Versace tenure is also very good, but not quite on the O.J. level. Together, they make for a thrilling pairing of dramatized true crime television. And David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian? I mean, come on.
Best Episodes: “The Run of His Life,” “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” “Manna from Heaven,” “Manhunt”
7. Wilfred
One of my strongest beliefs is that, when every network was seeking the “new Lost,” FX had it all along. Wilfred, with all of its mysteries and troubled characters just trying to find their way in the world and their communities, was the spiritual successor to Lost. The mysteries of the final season thrilled me like few episodes of television were able to do.
Best Episodes: “Identity,” “Avoidance,” “Answers,” “Resistance,” “Happiness (2)”
6. Veep
Of all the laugh-a-second comedies that permeated the best of the genre, Veep was perhaps the cruelest. But was there ever a harder laugh than when Jonah Ryan was referred to as the “jolly green jizzface”? Perhaps not. That was what was so great about Veep. You’d laugh so hard about one joke and you’d miss forty others. With one of the best ensemble casts ever (Reid Scott, Anna Chlumsky, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson, more, more, more), Veep stands alone as HBO’s best comedy of the decade.
Best Episodes: “Midterms,” “Running,” “Mother,” “Super Tuesday”
5. Wet Hot American Summer
Wet Hot American Summer is a cult classic comedy from 2001, created by David Wain and Michael Showalter. It achieved its underrated status thanks to the slew of great laughs, as well as a cast of stars featured before they were famous. They loved the project so much that they all reunited for the prequel and sequel series, First Day of Camp and Ten Years Later, respectively, on Netflix. What results is an epic comedy spectacular that is so dumb, but so up your alley if you love the Wain and Showalter style. One of my favorite shows ever and the reason why Netflix exists.
Best Episodes: “Auditions,” “Electro/City,” “Day Is Done”
4. Fargo
The first season of Fargo proved that an anthology miniseries set in the universe of the Coen brothers’ most famous movie could work. The third season of Fargo showed us that the story can take any form, even with Ewan McGregor helming it in dual roles. The second season of Fargo showed us that it is still possible to achieve a perfect season of television. I’ve never felt a cooler “what the fuck?” moment than in the penultimate episode of season two when that happened. I’m still wary to spoil it. I love you, Fargo.
Best Episodes: “A Fox, a Rabbit, and a Cabbage,” “Waiting for Dutch,” “The Castle,” “Palindrome,” “The Law of Non-Contradiction”
3. BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman is my shining example of so many aspects of television. I heard about it randomly and decided to watch it, without any exterior influence. I trusted the cast because I loved Will Arnett from Arrested Development, Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad, Alison Brie from Community, Amy Sedaris from her books, and Paul F. Tompkins from Comedy Bang! Bang! It had a shaky beginning and poor critical reception. But I stuck with it. And now, it’s blossomed into one of the greatest shows of all-time. Silly, sweet, sad, it’s all the things you want it to be. And it’s got eight episodes left.
Best Episodes: “Escape from L.A.,” “Fish Out of Water,” “That Went Well,” “Hooray! Todd Episode!,” “Time’s Arrow,” “Free Churro,” “Surprise!,” “The Face of Depression”
2. Game of Thrones
I’m not interested in hearing from the people who still devote their lives to complaining. Game of Thrones was one of the most epic stories ever put to television. In fact, I would venture to say it was the most epic. The sprawling story that spanned families, continents, houses was must-watch television in the era of the monoculture. It was event television and it was damn good. Some of the best actors on television brought iconic characters to life. I miss it all so much. Just looking at the image of Jaime Lannister in the bath with Brienne of Tarth reminds me of how great this show was. Time for a fourth rewatch?
Best Episodes: “Kissed by Fire,” “The Climb,” “The Lion and the Rose,” “The Laws of Gods and Men,” “The Watchers on the Wall,” “Hardhome,” “Battle of the Bastards,” “The Winds of Winter,” “Beyond the Wall,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “The Long Night,” “The Bells,” “The Iron Throne”
1. Community (half of season one to the end)
When Community debuted back in 2009, I was a little confused. Why was Chevy Chase on television? Why was the woman from Drake and Josh there? Why was the guy who hosted The Soup doing real acting? And for much of the first season, I didn’t get Community. I dug the pilot, I jived with a few episodes, but still I struggled on occasion. And then suddenly, everything made sense when Pierce Hawthorne, dressed as a teddy bear, walked back into the train in “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” to spend the holiday with Abed Nadir, instead of returning to his lonely apartment. From there, Community was boundless. It took on all forms, shapes, and styles. It survived six chances at cancellation to eventually have a beautiful ending. It shaped much of my creative and critical sense and became a guiding light of the meaning that can be found in television. I still return to some classic episodes, like old friends are waiting to welcome me home. Few shows, if any, are as special as Community was for me. I know, in my heart, that it’s the best show of the decade.
Still waiting on the movie! Perhaps for the 2020s?
Best Episodes: “Modern Warfare,” “Mixology Certification,” “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas,” “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons,” “Critical Film Studies,” “Paradigms of Human Memory,” “Remedial Chaos Theory,” “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps,” “Pillows and Blankets,” “Curriculum Unavailable,” “Digital Estate Planning,” “Introduction to Finality,” “Repilot,” “Cooperative Polygraphy,” “G.I. Jeff,” “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television”
Check out my previous “Best of the Decade” lists!
My 15 Favorite New Theme Park Attractions of the Decade
My 30 Favorite Sports Moments of the Decade
