1. Better Call Saul (AMC)

Tim Goodman, one of my favorite television writers of all time, in his “Best of 2013” list wrote of his ranking Breaking Bad the number one series of the year, “What more could possibly be said about this show that I (and many others) haven’t already said? I’ll tell you this. It’s inconceivable to me how this could be anything other than No 1.”

On the eve of the series finale of what ultimately became my 4th favorite series of all time, legendary comedian Gary Gulman tweeted, “I was suicidal when Better Call Saul premiered. It was the only hour each week I found more comforting than the idea of oblivion. I vowed to defer ending things until I found out what happens to Saul. In the meantime I got well. Thank you Better Call Saul for buying me some time.” I shared my own experience that night of how Season 4 aired one month into the pandemic…and how my own anxiety and depression vanished into thin air for sixty minutes on ten Monday nights in April of 2020. The true magic of fiction is that at its absolute peak, it can stop the entire world around you. In its final season, BCS valiantly stuck the landing that, literally, no one doubted it would. Its perfect performances and masterful storytelling will be veritably unmatched by anything in years to come. It’s going to leave a massive gaping void as something I’ve looked forward to for the last eight years; an indescribable hole. I write these things for you…but mostly I write them for me. Losing Better Call Saul hurts…a lot. But it was something I cherished and ultimately valued way higher than anything else on television. As the great Goodman professed; It’s inconceivable to me how this could be anything other than No 1.

2. The Bear (FX on Hulu)

Gripping, heart stopping and a meticulously real depiction of restaurant life was only a part of what made Christopher Storer’s incredible dramedy about a culinary trained chef who inherits his brother’s struggling Chicago hot beef sandwich shop the year’s most addictive series. The Bear was chalk full of wonderful performances by its leads Jeremy Allen, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and newcomer Ayo Edebiri.

3. Severance (Apple)

Apple’s dystopian thriller about employees who elect to literally sever the part of their brain that operates at work from the one that runs their home lives kickstarted a massive year for the streaming service…and a likely massive second career for Ben Stiller in directing brilliant action / mystery series.

4. Barry (HBO)

In its fourth year, the Bill Hader vehicle was better and way less comedic than in the past. Phenomenal supporting performances from Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan and the brilliant Henry Winkler complement the master class lead performance repeatedly turned in by Hader.

5. The Devil’s Hour (Amazon)

British crime mystery about a social worker / (sort of) single mother who wakes up every night at 3:33 on the dot with premonitions about her seemingly out-of-the-ordinary young son is never what it truly appears to be. With a splash of supernatural and a heavy dose of racing against the clock to catch a killer, the series is the easiest six hour binge you’ll find all-year.

6. Peacemaker (HBO Max)

The initial concept of a DC Comic spin-off series from last year’s successful film The Suicide Squad wouldn’t lead you to believe that one of the year’s best series would be deep, hilarious, and marvelously scored and choreographed. There are zero doubts about John Cena’s ability to carry a comedy or action series as its lead. What was most shocking to me was that somewhere near the end of it, it turned in one of the most perfectly directed / written and acted episodes that I remember from the entire year. While Disney + shelled out one Marvel series after another, HBO had what was, by far, the best comic book series of the year in Peacemaker.

7. Black Bird (Apple)

Led by two outstanding performances from Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser, Dennis Lehane’s terrifying (and yet weirdly heroic) adaptation of the true story about how an the FBI hired an incarcerated felon to go undercover to try to elicit a confession from a serial killer inside of a maximum security prison in the 90’s leaves a lasting impression of the true horror in the world and the lengths to which seemingly regular and flawed humans will go to stop it.

8. We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime)

The docuseries about the rise and fall of Bill Cosby, compiled by comedian W. Kamau Bell unveils the agony of the lives affected by someone who lived his entire life hiding in plain sight. It perfectly aligns deference to Cosby’s cultural influence with his demonic behavior that was a mystery to most of the world for so long. It’s a difficult series to watch for so many reasons, but true to its name, it’s an important voice to the victims who deserve our attention.

9. Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)

Hulu’s gritty series about a group of teenagers struggling through adolescence in an Oklahoma Native American reservation came back for its sophomore season even stronger and more endearing than its excellent first season in 2021. The young stars churn out award-level performances and the storytelling excels on multiple levels.

10. Andor (Disney +)

Disney + released three live-action Star Wars series this year, and Andor was easily the best of all of them. An easy-watch for casual Star Wars fans (and even non-fans), the series more closely follows modern heist dramas than it does science fiction storylines. Star Wars brand or not, it was easily one of the best series of the year and an admirable follow-up to the excellent Mandalorian series.

11. Euphoria (HBO)

HBO’s absolute emotional roller-coaster shock ride that is Euphoria returned for its second seasons this year. Zendaya solidified herself as one of the best actors on the planet while the supporting cast settled into creating a world of unique personalities and shocking scandals. I could spend days talking about how most people watching the series don’t truly appreciate (or flat out don’t understand) its subtle narrative structure and how its sharpest critics are markedly more stupid than they probably realize, because they honestly don’t understand what’s actually going on. But that’s another blog post for another day.

12. Single Drunk Female (FreeForm)

An excellent comedy series starring Sofia Black-D’Elia who loses everything as a result of alcoholism and is forced to return to Boston to live with her mother (played by Ally Sheedy) flew under the radar as one of the my favorite new series that’s built around heart and the strength of the human spirit when challenged with the struggles of addiction.

13. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

With the exception of its need to cater to the goofiness of its two male leads, Only Murders in the Building didn’t fail to hit the same stride it did with its first compelling season. At this point, Selena Gomez is acting circles around Martin Short and Steve Martin, but is still under appreciated for it. The setup for the third season was its most impressive trick to-date.

14. Abbot Elementary (ABC)

Quinta Brunson’s depiction of elementary schools in Philadelphia hit an obvious nerve for anyone who’s ever been in education or loved someone who has. The series is filled with heartwarming characters and enough school spirit to make you truly wish everyone cared about public elementary education as Quinta clearly does.

15. Atlanta (FX)

Donald Glover gave us his swan song for the final season of what has been one of the most critical acclaimed series in television history….or final seasons, should I say. Because he dropped two this year. The first half of the season was mostly an anthology series with one-off episodes enriched in symbolism about American and European culture and systemic racial inequality. The second half of the season allowed for what mostly resembled resolutions for the main characters and plot series…with one of the better series endings I can remember.

16. Bluey (Disney Junior)

The Aussie series turned absolute phenomenon does the impossible and makes children’s programming absolute appointment viewing. Possibly the best kid’s show I’ve ever seen. What never ceases to impress me about it (as it gets exponentially better every season) is that it never feels like it needs to talk down to kids to be effective and it never needs to speak sarcastically to adults to be funny. At this point it isn’t even silly nor chic to say it’s one of the best series on television, right now because every critic seemingly concedes that.

17. Hacks (HBO Max)

Last year’s breakout comedy doesn’t seem like it will run out of story any time soon as its two lead actresses continue to dazzle critics and audiences alike. As long as it continues, Jean Smart will continue to rack up awards and Hannah Einbinder will continue to be one of Hollywoods biggest rising stars.

18. Moon Knight (Disney +)

In Disney’s super-saturated world of Marvel series, I’d be lying if I said I came anywhere near being able to catch up with all of them…and mad respect to you if you did, because that’s a legit chore at this point. Moon Knight felt different than other Marvel product. It didn’t have the familiar characters or the recognizable lead actors that the other series could brag about. What it did have was an original story with stunning visual effects and some pretty stellar performances.

19. Station Eleven (HBO Max)

HBO’s post apocalyptic series about the survivors of a deadly pandemic hit a little closer to home in 2022 than it probably realized it would when it was written years before the COVID pandemic. Solid performances anchored its complicated and moving storytelling about hope in the wake of unthinkable devastation

20. As We See It (Amazon)

A series about four adults living within varying levels on the autism spectrum as roommates in a shared living environment was something that I hold near and dear to my heart (and also something I found to be quite terrifying at times at an inexplicable personal level). Stellar performances from the four actors playing the residents combined with an equally as good performance by Sosie Bacon as the live-in employee tasked with keeping their lives together made for a funny and heartwarming story about how people struggling with being different find common ground in the same difficulties we all face together.

21. Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (HBO)

The Bo Burnham directed comedy special certainly lives in an unconventional world of stand-up comedy…but becomes even more unconventional when Carmichael uses it as a vehicle to come out to the world. His effective anectodes tug at the heartstrings of anyone who’s ever battled with the cause and effects of keeping secrets. It’s a rare feat when you can use 55 minutes to elicit feelings of happiness, sadness, bravery, anger and pride. Carmichael easily planted himself among today’s greatest storytellers and created one of the most memorable comedy specials of all time.

22. What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Consistently being one of the best comedies on television for four years mans you get to flex your strengths in weird and unapologetic manners. The cast and writers of WWDITS get all the free range with creativity they want as they consistently shell out one of the most rewarding series of the year.

23. Pachinko (Apple)

Apple’s adaption of the 2017 novel about generations of a Korean family’s emigration from Korea to Tokyo is one of the more visually stunning series in recent memory.

24. Fleishman is in Trouble (Hulu)

Here’s the part of my list where I start speculating that things are good even though I haven’t seen all of it. What’s already been good about Fleishman is in Trouble is that it’s not so much the mystery it’s promised, but instead an introspective look at grief and loss from multiple perspectives. Since most of it will come after this is released, I’ll truly be able to evaluate if it belongs on this list, but right now it does.

25. The Girl From Plainville (Hulu)

And, finally, the part of my list that should enrage you to the point of going “what are you doing here?” Look. I wanted this series to be better than it was…and at times it wasn’t good. But the performances (especially Elle Fanning) were fine enough, and the story was something I already knew a lot about. Were there better shows this year? Probably. Did I watch them? Maybe. But I also watched Cobra Kai and like 9,000 hours of Man vs. Food, so cut me some slack, okay? Also…this series was fine. you should watch it.