10. Love Life S2 (HBO Max) - Love Life should be a show that serves as a minor distraction. An unassuming romcom to get you through a long weekend of binging when you're not in the mood to watch anything heavy. But it turns out to be far more funny, poignant and insightful than it purports to be, making for a series that exceeds expectations on multiple levels. Even more impressively, thanks to an amazing cast led by William Jackson Harper, S2 managed to improve upon an already amazing freshman season, ensuring that it would be the only series to make my Top 10 two years in a row.
9. Hacks (HBO Max) - Jean Smart crushes this role as past-her-prime comic Deborah Vance, a Joan Rivers type figure who still packs a punch with her dry wit and biting sarcasm. Smart and emerging star Hannah Einbinder, anchor a series that is astute and funny as hell, but also a little sad at times. All of Deborah's money (and she has a lot of it thanks to years spent on her grind) can't buy contentment. She's prickly about things that, at her age, seem out of reach; her glory days, career opportunities denied and the freedom to deliver jokes that are more cerebral than the ones she now has to pedal on her nightly gig in Vegas. Or maybe (kind of like with Jean Smart in real life) she just wants the industry to finally put some respek on her name.
8. Wandavision (Disney+) - I'm not much of a Marvel guy, so don't ask me about the Easter Eggs or the broader implications for the MCU that are at play here. But Wandavision did manage to draw me in. I dug the clever premise, the nostalgic drive through the history of TV sitcoms and the ridiculously great performances turned in by Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and the always amazing Kathryn Hahn.
7. Station Eleven (HBO Max) - If a post-apocalyptic show about a flu that wipes out 99% of the population sounds like a bad idea right about now, don't worry, Station Eleven is not what you think (well, at first it's exactly what you think, but then it gets better...trust me). It's strange, mystical, a little bit haunting and surprisingly optimistic - an end-of-the-world show where you don't have to worry that people are going to eat each other. I've only seen 7 episodes so far but that is more than enough for me to put this show in my Top 10. It might even have been #1 had I gotten a chance to finish the whole season before having to publish this list.
6. Squid Game (Netflix) - I usually shy away from gory violence, but Squid Game is too good, too riveting, and too wild of a ride not to love. It's no wonder this show blew up and that people all over the world couldn't stop talking about it. I can't wait to see what the producers do for season 2 when they are given an actual budget to work with.
5. We Are Lady Parts (Peacock) - A coming-of-adulthood story, a romcom, a female empowerment saga? We Are Lady Parts is all of that and more. Plus the music rocks and despite being unapologetically upbeat, it's straight-up hilarious. I could hang out with these ladies all day.
4. Reservation Dogs (FX) - Four teenagers who live on a reservation in rural Oklahoma aspire to escape their stifling confines and move to LA. Their swagger is on 10 but their exit plans are dubious at best. Simple premise right? Cool, I'm here for it. Like one of my GOAT TV shows, Atlanta, however, Reservation Dogs starts out with a plot you think you basically understand and then morphs into something else entirely; deeper, more surreal and more expansive than you ever would have imagined.
3. The White Lotus (HBO) - The murder mystery at the center of The White Lotus is enough to keep you engaged. But the real glue is the incredibly well-drawn character study that showrunner Mike White slowly unpacks over the course of 6 episodes. Despite their cringe worthy insecurities, it can be infuriating and often hard to watch these wealthy, privileged white people behaving badly. But the way the show humanizes them, while using satire to underscore the societal norms that perpetuate inequality, makes it almost seem like it's not their fault. Almost that is, until the show reminds you that the characters are all complicit in protecting the status quo.
2. Mare Of Easttown (HBO) - If this whole show was just Kate Winslet (in the best performance of the year) eating hoagies and yelling at her mom, it would still be must see TV. But in addition to that, it's a also a classic, hard-boiled detective drama that reaches highs not seen since True Detective S1. It's intense, twisty and utterly gut-wrenching to watch KW's Mare (a Columbo-smart investigator) try unravel a gruesome murder while also bringing a little bit of dignity back to herself and her down-and-out suburban Philadelphia hometown. I tried and failed to crack the case before Mare could, but truth be told, I didn't really want anybody to solve the crime...because I didn't want this series to end.
1. Succession S3 (HBO) - No other current series is as funny, sad, biting, neurotic or transcendent as Succession. And few have ever been. The show excels as an immersive, impossible-to-look-away tragicomedy - an exquisite portrayal of how wealth can insulate you from consequences but family can f*ck up your psyche. It's truly a work of genius, from the writing, to the acting to the luxurious filmmaking. Season 3 is where Succession went from great to all-time great in my opinion.
Honorable Mention
Swagger (Apple TV+) - My two favorite things in one series, an uplifting coming-of-age drama built around kids who can hoop.
Dickinson S3 (Apple TV+) - Another series I haven't finished, but it's too good not to make the list.
Ted Lasso S3 (Apple TV+) - One of my favorite's from 2020. S2 was down slightly but it's still one of the best on TV. And it will continue to be as long as Jason Sudeikis is in the starring role.
Dopesick (Hulu) - If you didn't hate the Sackler family before watching this show, you definitely will afterwards.
The Chair (Netflix) - I've always wanted to be a college professor, so this was right up my alley.
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