It is partly because of this overwhelming amount of television that this is quite possibly the last year that I'll post my list of favorite TV shows. The silly self-imposed task of trying to watch every decent show on television is becoming more and more daunting each year. Even though I like to recommend the shows that I'm enjoying it's getting absurd to try to keep up with the nearly 400 scripted shows on network, cable and streaming services. I could easily do a list of my 10 favorite dramas and my 10 favorite comedies and that's without watching the most recent seasons of Mad Men, House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, Veep and probably a dozen other shows that I'm sure are good. At this point, if you're having trouble finding good shows to watch on TV or Netflix, it probably means that you aren't really looking. That being said, if I stop posting my favorite TV shows then you can just do the old fashioned thing and ask me.
10) Parks and Recreation
The 10th spot on this list was a really difficult choice because there were several shows deserving of making the list so I decided as a final sendoff to add Parks and Recreation to the list. It was a truncated 13 episode final season that helped bring closure to the show that I loved watching for the last seven years. The final season was mostly very well done (with one glaring exception) and the series finale was a fitting sendoff for a show that was always about laughs first but never forgot to establish an emotional connection along with it.
9) Hannibal
The third and presumably final season of Hannibal was somewhat uneven but when it was good, it was very good. If you followed the show for the first two seasons then you probably had no idea who made it out alive from the season two finale except for Hannibal of course. With Hannibal on the run for the first time in the show, it took a slow build approach for the first handful of episodes but once it kicked into gear it was in top form.
8) Man Seeking Woman
This was a hard decision for me to make. Master of None on Netflix tackled the similar issue of a single man navigating the world of dating and friendship and it was arguably the better show but Man Seeking Woman's absurd humor for me won the day. Creator Simon Rich was one of the youngest writers in Saturday Night Live history and his bizarre comedic mind helped create one of my favorite comedies in recent years.
7) Nathan For You
Nathan For You is unlike anything else on television. In the third season it appears that Nathan Fielder and his team have realized that his shows are better when instead of a few short segments he focuses on one idea for the entire episode. If you're unfamiliar then it's tricky to explain briefly but he helps businesses with absurd ideas that are often just crazy enough to work. This season was full of excellent episodes during which he launched a fake bestselling fitness book and his own clothing brand Summit Ice to bring holocaust awareness to the public. If you that sounds bizarre and piques your interest then you need to watch this show.
6) The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
Before the viral sensation that was Making A Murderer, there was HBO's The Jinx. Sure, Making A Murderer is the kind of show that was designed for binge-watching (as it was ostensibly just a 10 hour documentary) but The Jinx had real filmmaking polish to go along with its jaw-dropping murder story. Director Andrew Jarecki a decade prior had made the similarly haunting documentary Capturing The Friedmans about an insidious family and returned to the true crime genre to tackle the complicated story of Robert Durst. If you know nothing about the story then I urge you to watch it immediately without doing any of your own research and then be astounding by the mesmerizing final episode.
5) Better Call Saul
In its first season, Better Call Saul showed some flashes of brilliance and its shortcomings were really minor quibbles that are probably the result of the unfair but unavoidable comparisons to Breaking Bad. Bob Odenkirk made it obvious that he's capable shouldering the load as the lead and not just relegated to comic relief he was used for in Breaking Bad. It was also great to see Jonathan Banks reprise his role as Mike Ehrmantraut and he was showcased in a terrific episode that helped to explain his stoic disposition.
4) The Knick
I kind of understand why The Knick has never found a large audience; for one thing, not many people have Cinemax or know that they have any original programming. It's also somewhat of a niche show and certainly not a show for the squeamish but it's a great piece of television that deserves your attention not only for the first rate acting, excellent costumes, great direction and cinematography by Steven Soderbergh and phenomenal score by Cliff Martinez. Those are all perfectly good reasons to watch the show but there's usually a fascinating history lesson buried in every episode and the arc of Dr. John Thackery, loosely based on the real doctor William Halsted, is riveting.
3) The Americans
My natural recency bias finds it hard to remember at times just how excellent The Americans has been because it's usually one of the first shows that I watch every year. The third season might not have matched the great heights achieved in the second season but it was close. In lesser hands the story and close calls with Elizabeth and Phillip would have felt monotonous by now but it hasn't felt that way to me at all. And for those who have been watching the end of the last episode set things in motion that will end up having huge ramifications in the newest season set to debut this March.
2) Mr. Robot
Mr. Robot was one of the most clearly defined and original new shows in several years. Please don't let the title and seemingly odd casting choice of Christian Slater fool you. This is a terrific new show that you need to see and the less you know before starting it, the better off you will be. There are many shows that are well shot right now but the cinematography on Mr. Robot is among the very best and its use of music is impeccable.
1) Fargo
Fargo was my favorite show of 2014 by a wide margin and somehow it got better in its second season. The resurgence of the anthology series is the most exciting development in television over the past decade. It's why Fargo was able to attract an all-star cast of actors and actresses for both seasons and keep the show feeling fresh Creator Noah Hawley had big shoes to fill when he decided to make a television show inspired by the 1996 Coen Brothers classic and he's done it superbly. It had a chance to be the best season of television I've personally ever watched and it came pretty damn close.
Honorable mention:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Justified
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with David Letterman
Making A Murderer
Master of None
Review
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
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