Geoff Carter

10. The Umbrella Academy, Season 3 (Netflix) Netflix dropped a lot of geek bait this year—Sandman, Wednesday, Stranger Things—yet none of it delivered like this oddball series about a dysfunctional superhero family continues to do. Any genre show that can slide into a dance battle so easily and convincingly deserves praise.

9. Welcome to Wrexham, Season 1 (Hulu) Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney might be the names you recognize, but the European football team the two stars purchased—and the North Wales town that has ardently supported the team, even through a years-long losing streak—are the real stars of this documentary series. And you’re certain to fall for them.

8. Our Flag Means Death, Season 1 (HBO Max) Silly? Yes. Cheesy? Oh my, yes. But this pirate comedy is something else, something unexpected: It’s a bellwether for LGBTQ representation in series TV, and the most touching romance of the year.

7. Peacemaker, Season 1 (HBO Max) For all its storytelling smarts, Marvel has yet to produce a streaming superhero show that’s quite as comfortable in its own tights as this James Gunn-led DC action comedy. And the opening credits? Pure gold.

6. The Dropout, Season 1 (Hulu) If the success of The Social Network means we must watch dramas about every controversial startup, may they all be as smart and sharply acted as this one about the rise and fall of Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes, deftly played by Amanda Seyfried.

5. Severance, Season 1 (Apple TV+) We’ve had to deal with a lot of puzzle-box shows whose central conceits—looking at you, Westworld—are little more than empty calories. The mysteries at the center of Severance make you consider how much of ourselves we give to our jobs. This show about work hits you where you live.

4. Reservation Dogs, Season 2 (Hulu) Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s comedy/drama about four Indigenous teens trying to escape their rural Oklahoma town is a weird, unpredictable marvel—and in this season, it only became weirder, more unpredictable and more marvelous.

3. Shoresy, Season 1 (Hulu) Much as I love Letterkenny, I would never have suspected that show’s faceless, foul-mouthed hockey player could support an ensemble comedy, let alone one as hilarious and surprisingly affecting as this. If I could compel you to watch any show on this list, it’s Shoresy. Like its namesake, it’s a worthy underdog.

2. Barry, Season 3 (HBO Max) Merits inclusion on this list for the beignets guy and the busted motorbike chase alone. Alec Berg and Bill Hader should make all the shows.

1. Andor, Season 1 (Disney+) It’s not just “good Star Wars” or “good TV.” This taut, epic sci-fi drama is an all-timer, delivered in a storytelling universe where fan expectations and thematic pitfalls could have easily derailed it. The lived-in performances, the outstanding dialogue and the rise-and-fall structure of the narrative all conspire to elevate this series above its franchise.

SPENCER PATTERSON

5. The Bear, Season 1 (Hulu) A stellar ensemble cast and a manic energy uplift what might sound like a fairly tame concept—going inside the kitchen of a Chicago restaurant specializing in Italian beef sandwiches.

4. Reservation Dogs, Season 2 (Hulu) From Big’s psychedelic trip to Cheese’s stint in a juvenile home, the show’s second go-round took us to some unexpected—and emotionally transcendent—places.

3. Barry, Season 3 (HBO Max) While Better Call Saul stumbled down the stretch, Barry elevated its chances of going down as an all-timer, partially thanks to the most terrifying (unseen) panther attack of all time.

2. Andor, Season 1 (Disney+) A New Yorker article complained that it’s not Star Wars enough, but that’s precisely why it works, to me. Anyone could—and absolutely should—watch it, even if they don’t know their Jabba from their Jar Jar.

1. Atlanta, Season 4 (Hulu) How many series get better each and every season? Atlanta somehow did, as Earn, Alfred, Van and Darius bowed out with a wondrously epic set of unconnected-yet-sorta-connected episodes. A final word in the subject: D’Angelo?

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