April 9, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Television
30 Rock, American Dad!, Atlanta, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Community, Inside Amy Schumer, Nathan for You, Review, Rick and Morty, TCGS, The Chris Gethard Show, The Eric Andre Show, The Last Man on Earth, Too Many Cooks, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
In assembling my picks for the best TV episodes of the past decade, I noticed that I was leaning heavily on the comedy side. This was unsurprising, as I tend to watch more sitcoms than dramas. But the difference was even more pronounced than usual. I think that makes sense, because on average, comedies tend to be specifically designed on an episodic basis moreso than dramas.
I should also note that I did not limit shows to any prescribed maximum. You’ll notice that certain programs keep popping up, like Community and Nathan for You. They deserve it, as they’re the types of shows that revolutionized themselves on the regular.
So here are the television morsels from the 2010s that shine within the context of their full works and also stand brilliantly on their own.
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March 26, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Television
30 Rock, American Dad!, Atlanta, Baskets, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Better Call Saul, Billy on the Street, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Community, Documentary Now!, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Halt and Catch Fire, Hannibal, Key & Peele, Mad Men, Man Seeking Woman, Nathan for You, New Girl, Pose, Review, Review (TV Series), Rick and Morty, The Eric Andre Show, The Middle, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
As a voracious consumer of Peak TV, I could have easily filled my list of the Best TV Shows of the 2010s with hundreds of entries. But instead, I chose to zero in on a golden set of 25 that I am absolutely sure I love and will continue to love for years to come. These are the shows that affected me profoundly when I first watched them and that continued to linger in my brain and my soul as the decade marched on.
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February 27, 2018
jmunney
Best of 2017, Best of TV 2017, Television
Angel Man, Better Call Saul, Big Mouth, Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Chicanery, Cryogenics; Lightning; Last Review, Dance Dance Resolution, eps3.4_runtime-error.r00, eps3.7_dont-delete-me.ko, Finding Frances, Goodwill, Great News, Halt and Catch Fire, Hang the DJ, Honeypot!, Morty's Mind Blowers, Mr. Robot, Nathan for You, Requiem for a Wet Dream, Review, Rick and Morty, Ten of Swords, The Anecdote, The Good Place, The Ricklantis Mixup, Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories, Time's Arrow, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return, Twin Peaks The Return Part 17, Twin Peaks The Return Part 18, Twin Peaks The Return Part 8, Who Needs a Guy
CREDIT: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME
These episodes of television all originally aired in North America between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. I watched them, and I enjoyed doing so. I bet you will feel the same while watching them … if you haven’t already.
1. Twin Peaks: The Return – “Part 8”
2. Nathan for You – “The Anecdote”
3. Halt and Catch Fire – “Who Needs a Guy”
4. Nathan for You – “Finding Frances”
5. Rick and Morty – “Morty’s Mind Blowers”
6. Better Call Saul – “Chicanery”
7. Halt and Catch Fire – “Ten of Swords”
8. Black Mirror – “Hang the DJ”
9. Twin Peaks: The Return – “Part 17”
10. Halt and Catch Fire – “Goodwill”
11. Twin Peaks: The Return – “Part 18”
12. Mr. Robot – “eps3.4_runtime-error.r00”
13. Review – “Cryogenics; Lightning; Last Review”
14. The Good Place – “Dance Dance Resolution”
15. Great News – “Honeypot!”
16. Big Mouth – “Requiem for a Wet Dream”
17. Rick and Morty – “The Ricklantis Mixup”
18. Mr. Robot – “eps3.7_dont-delete-me.ko”
19. BoJack Horseman – “Time’s Arrow”
20. Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories – “Angel Man”
December 30, 2017
jmunney
Best of 2017, Best of TV 2017, Television
Best of 2017, Better Call Saul, Downward Dog, Fargo, Halt and Catch Fire, Mr. Robot, Review, Review (TV Series), Search Party, The Good Place, TV, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return
CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Michael Gibson/FXX; Showtime; AMC; Kelsey McNeal/ABC
This ranking was originally posted on News Cult in December 2017.
In recent past best-of-year lists, I have pointed out the impossibility of watching every single program that airs on television. The medium is now saturated to the point that not only could one average viewer be watching a completely different set of shows than another average viewer, but so could one professional critic be similarly disconnected to another critic. It naturally follows then that no best-of is any more “correct” than any other. But this has been the case all along. The value of such year-end curating is not a matter of accuracy, but of insight and personal style. Thus, I encourage readers to seek out as many best-of lists as they find edifying, from as diverse a group of critics as possible. Think of each as the best according to a particular palette. Here is my contribution to that cornucopia.
(Shows that were top 10-worthy this year that I didn’t have enough room for include Baskets, BoJack Horseman, The Carmichael Show, Legion, Rick and Morty, Riverdale, Silicon Valley, Speechless, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Young Pope, and You’re the Worst.)
10. Review (Comedy Central)
If this list were determined by density of entertainment value alone, the three-episode final season of Review would easily take the top spot. Andy Daly’s career-defining work as “life reviewer” Forrest MacNeil brought his combination of explosive hilarity and existential despair to its logical eternally continuous endpoint. Great series finales tend to be either ambiguous or definitive; Review’s is somehow both open-ended and forcefully conclusive.
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September 10, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
American Dad!, American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Cult, Bojack Horseman, Halt and Catch Fire, The Gong Show, Twin Peaks, You're the Worst
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – What Twin Peaks is this?
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – American Horror Story: Cult … of Consequences of Voting for Jill Stein?
Wednesday – You’re the Worst
Thursday – The Gong Show
Friday – BoJack Horseman Season 4 (at least the first third – I’m still watching!)
Saturday – Halt and Catch Fire
September 3, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Difficult People, The Chris Gethard Show, Twin Peaks, US Open
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Twin Peaks IS the TV.
Monday – A championship-worthy match in the US Open first round.
Tuesday – Difficult People
Wednesday – Tennis, probably (US Open)
Thursday – The Chris Gethard Show
Friday – Some US Open here and there
Saturday – A smattering of tennis (US Open)
July 24, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Jeopardy!, Orphan Black, The Carmichael Show, The Gong Show, Twin Peaks, VICE, Whose Line is it Anyway?
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Twin Peaks
Monday – Whose Line is it Anyway?
Tuesday – Jeopardy!
Wednesday – An especially uproarious Carmichael Show
Thursday – The Gong Show, featuring its best contestant yet!
Friday – A VICE Special Report
Saturday – Orphan Black
July 16, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Garbine Muguruza, Jeopardy!, The Carmichael Show, The Gong Show, Twin Peaks, VICE, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Wimbledon
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Twin Peaks (Honorable Mention: Pedro Martinez entering the Bad Family Feud Answer Hall of Fame)
Monday – Whose Line is it Anyway?
Tuesday – Jeopardy!
Wednesday – The Carmichael Show
Thursday – The Gong Show
Friday – VICE
Saturday – What force blew through the Wimbledon Ladies Final?
July 2, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Doctor Who, Downward Dog, Jeopardy!, The Carmichael Show, The Gong Show, Twin Peaks, VICE
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Twin Peaks … yeah, that’s the shit.
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – Downward Dog (Downward Decision by ABC cancelling this show)
Wednesday – The Carmichael Show
Thursday – The Gong Show
Friday – VICE
Saturday – Doctor Who
June 25, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Better Call Saul, cheeky monkeys, Doctor Who, Downward Dog, Orphan Black, RuPaul's Drag Race, Sasha Velour, The Carmichael Show, The Gong Show, Twin Peaks
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
CREDIT: VH1
Sunday – Twin Peaks
Monday – Better Call Saul, because everything’s blowing up
Tuesday – Downward Dog
Wednesday – Fargo had a fine finale, but The Carmichael Show had one of its best discussions ever.
Thursday – The Gong Show, cheeky monkeys
Friday – RuPaul’s Drag Race, even though my cable cut in and out during one of the lip syncs
Saturday – The Doctor Who/Orphan Black double bill lived up to its promise.
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