By: William Watson
Well…I’ve come a long way since 2017. I watched 50 new seasons this year and quite a few legacy seasons from the years I was a Movie snob (shoutout to Sweet Tooth, which would have been top ten contenders if I watched TV more back in the day.)
There were some really amazing shows this year. I had a handful of shows outside the top ten that could have easily been in the discussion. Quality, original content has definitely shifted from movies to television.
Here we go with my spoiler free article…
Time to jump right into the list!
Top Ten
10. The Studio
What It’s About: A goofy movie exec takes over a major studio after his boss/mentor is fired.
Where You Can Watch It: Apple TV+
Why I Liked It: I like show business send ups, and this is a really good one.
9. A Man on the Inside S2
What It’s About: A retired engineer continues to dabble as a P.I. in his golden years, this time trying to solve a quirky crime on a college campus.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix
Why I Liked It: Ted Danson is just charming. Michael Schur, the show’s creator, is equally charming. The casting director put charming people (including Danson’s wife, Mary Steenburgen) around him. The show is just…charming.
8. American Dad: S21
What It’s About: The same thing it has been about for 20 other seasons. Anything they want it to be about.
Where You Can Watch It: Hulu gets them on a staggered basis.
Why I Liked It: Wow. Strong season after some adequate but not all time seasons. S21 popped with a bunch of strong episodes, as well as a couple of all time great entries.
7. Peacemaker S2 
What It’s About: The continued adventures of a flawed guy trying to be a hero.
Where You Can Watch It: HBO Max.
Why I Liked It: This one didn’t drop of in quality from Season 1…even though the opening credit dance sequence is not QUITE as great as S1’s. The show is funny, has great action, and shows a lot of heart. John Cena is a treasure.
6. King of the Hill 2025
What It’s About: Hank and Peggy return to Bobby, the gang, and Texas from Saudi Arabia after several years.
Where You Can Watch It: Hulu.
Why I Liked It: I was SOOOOOO opposed to this being made, but in Mike Judge we trust. Most legacy comeback series suck, but Judge had something to say… as he cashed the checks…
5. Pluribus S1
What It’s About: Aliens beam in a genetic code that makes all but a handful of people into a linked hive mind…who only want love and peace.
Where You Can Watch It: Apple TV+
Why I Liked It: A science fiction comedy/thriller by the guy who did Breaking Bad? What’s not to like?
4. Pee-wee as Himself
What It’s About: How Paul Reubens largely gave up his life to live publicly as a character.
Where You Can Watch It: HBO Max.
Why I Liked It: Reubens is combative and charming at the same time. His dedication to his craft created one of the more impressive pieces of performance art ever.
3. Death By Lightning
What It’s About: The election and murder of James A. Garfield by a cray-cray lunatic.
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix.
Why I Liked It: Made a forgotten piece of American history come alive with amazing acting and smart writing.
2. Paradise
What It’s About: I will say nothing more than a secret service agent investigates the death of the president. You will know more at the end of the first episode.
Where You Can Watch It: Hulu.
Why I Liked It: The rare genre show with a season that could be a miniseires. It had a beginning, middle, and end. What a shockingly great show. If you haven’t checked it out, go in cold. I have recommended that to a few people and they appreciated the shocker that comes at the end of the pilot episode. Don’t look into the show. Go in cold. GO NOW!
NUMBER ONE!
1. Andor Season 2
What It’s About: This is the origin story of the rebel alliance. Cassian Andor is tacitly the lead, but a rich ensemble tell of how we got to Star Wars.
Where You Can Watch It: Disney+
Why I Liked It: This was the best show or movie of the year. Andor has a special place in Star Wars now. The time jumps worked perfectly. I read someone say that Andor S1, S2, and Rogue One was the best Star Wars trilogy ever. I mean… I don’t agree…but it isn’t laughable. Disney knocked it out of the park finally.
OTHER SHOWS OF NOTE
Honorable Mentions:
- Murderbot- Fun show with a great performance by Skaarsgard.
- The Traitors S3- Boston Ron is the GOAT.
- Creature Commandos- Gunn is the Boston Rob of superhero adaptations.
A Little Disappointed:
- Squid Game: Season 3- Didn’t stick the landing.
- Futurama S13- A once favorite classic fails to deliver for a second season on Hulu.
- Wednesday S2- Fell off after a red hot (or coal black?) first season.
- Severance S2- Everyone else seemed to like it, but I don’t get the hype. S1 was captivating. S2 was a treadmill that went nowhere.
- The Last of Us S2- I was totally ok with the big twist, but man did they do nothing interesting BUT the twist.
Total Stinkers:
- South Park Seasons 27 and 28….they just weren’t funny, insightful, or engaging…
Full List
| New Rank | Show | Score | Network | Genre | Ryan Says |
| 1 | Andor S2 | 100 | Disney+ | Adventure | |
| 2 | Paradise | 98 | Hulu | Drama | I love the idea of spending all the extra money to make an underground bunker feel just like a real city. All the people who died so you can have vaulted ceilings and a fake sun, totally worth it. |
| 3 | Death By Lightning | 97 | Netflix | Drama | |
| 4 | Pee-wee as Himself | 97 | HBO Max | Documentary | |
| 5 | Pluribus S1 | 95 | Apple TV+ | Drama | |
| 6 | King of the Hill 2025 | 95 | Hulu | Animated | |
| 7 | Peacemaker S2 | 95 | HBO Max | Adventure | Perfection until that ending. And the only opening number better than Peacemaker season two is the opening number from Peacemaker season one. |
| 8 | American Dad: S21 | 95 | PVOD | Animated | |
| 9 | A Man on the Inside S2 | 93 | Netflix | Comedy | |
| 10 | The Studio | 93 | Apple TV+ | Comedy | |
| 11 | Murderbot | 92 | Apple TV+ | Drama | Horrible name for such a great show. |
| 12 | The Traitors S3 | 90 | Peacock | Reality | Boston Rob retains his title as the greatest reality competitor ever, even though he didn’t come close to winning |
| 13 | Creature Commandos | 90 | HBO Max | Animated | Way too fun for an animated show |
| 14 | The Four Seasons | 90 | Netflix | Comedy | Who are these middle-aged people who want to go to hotels just to sit and drink. YOU CAN DO THAT AT HOME FOR FREE! |
| 15 | The Residence | 88 | Netflix | Comedy | I would give anything for there to be a crossover with this and Knives Out. |
| 16 | Department Q | 87 | Netflix | Drama | This would be a boring procedural in the US, but everything is better in Ediburgh. |
| 17 | Beast Games S1 | 87 | Amazon | Reality | Mostly stupid games that you’re amazed how much they spent to create. |
| 18 | Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 | 87 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 19 | Amy Bradley Is Missing | 87 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 20 | Always Sunny S16 | 86 | Hulu | Comedy | |
| 21 | American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden | 85 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 22 | Turning Point: The Vietnam War | 85 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 23 | Battle Camp | 83 | Netflix | Documentary | The elimintation wheel was the most brilliant reality show innovation since immunity idols. |
| 24 | The Yogurt Shop Murders | 83 | HBO Max | Documentary | |
| 25 | High Potential S1 | 83 | Hulu | Comedy | Take a fantastic French TV show and remove all the French elements and you’re left with pure gold. |
| 26 | Daredevil: Born Again | 82 | Disney+ | Adventure | Great first and last episode with entirely cromulent middle content. |
| 27 | Alien: Earth | 81 | Hulu | Adventure | |
| 28 | Sean Combs: The Reckoning | Netflix | Documentary | ||
| 29 | Mob War: Philadelphia vs the Mafia | 80 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 30 | American Manhunt: OJ Simpson | 80 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 31 | Surviving Black Hawk Down | 80 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 32 | Squid Game: The Challenge S2 | 78 | Netflix | Reality | |
| 33 | Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers | 77 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 34 | Poker Face S2 | 77 | Peacock | Comedy | |
| 35 | Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action |
77 | Netflix | Documentary | Amazing how to height of trash TV has now turned into the lens for cultural discussion for the decades before and after 9/11. |
| 36 | Only Murders in the Building S5 | Hulu | Comedy | ||
| 37 | Court of Gold | 76 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 38 | Squid Game: Season 3 | 74 | Netflix | Adventure | Lost a lot of the impact compared to season 1, but this was a great wrap-up to the core drama. |
| 39 | Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man | 74 | Disney+ | Animated | |
| 40 | American Murder: Gabby Petito | 74 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 41 | Futurama S13 | 74 | Hulu | Animated | |
| 42 | Wednesday S2 | 73 | Netflix | Comedy | Missed some of the magic of season 1 but still fine. |
| 43 | Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders | 73 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 44 | The Diamond Heist | 72 | Netflix | Documentary | |
| 45 | Running Point | 72 | Netflix | Comedy | As forgettable as a Mission Impossible movie without any of the stunts. |
| 46 | Severance S2 | 70 | Apple TV+ | Drama | |
| 47 | South Park Season 27 | 69 | Paramount | Animated | |
| 48 | Zero Day | 68 | Netflix | Drama | “Are you cyber attacking me? Are you cyber attacking ME?” |
| 49 | The Last of Us S2 | 67 | HBO Max | Adventure | |
| 50 | Nobody Wants This S2 | 67 | Netflix | Comedy | |
| 51 | The Recruit S2 | 65 | Netflix | Drama | Even when you become a spy, turns out being a lawyer is still mostly boring. |
| 52 | South Park Season 28 | 50 | Paramount | Animated |
