For more of our Best of 2018 coverage, go here.

2018 has been a blessed year for TV fans, with great series kicking into high gear right off the bat in January; no need to wait until spring even, things were righteously good from the start. Yes that quality slowed down a bit over the summer and, curiously, this fall -- Peak TV also means a lot of mediocre television, in addition to the greats -- but as with all of my year-end lists, this is about cheers and not jeers, so hopefully you'll find one of two series you missed to catch up with. (Speaking of cheers, you can also celebrate the year in TV with my lists of the Best Performances and Best Episodes, as well as Dave Trumbore's list of the Best Animated Series for Adults).

Below are my picks for 25 of 2018’s TV gems. Are there others that belong here? Absolutely! In fact, there are a few in my list of Honorable Mentions that honestly pained me to not include in the Top 25. But I had to create a cutoff, and since it's ranked, I've also been tinkering with the whole thing for weeks (right up until the deadline to post, actually). On a different day and at a different time the list might not look quite like this, but it would be awfully similar. Happiness and weirdness are highly rewarded this year, especially series that really woke us up, showed us what TV can do, and/or made us feel good about it along the way. There's a ton of TV; finding ways to stand out is good.

Don't see your personal favorite here? Well, I watch what I can of 500 series, but I don't get to all of them. Or maybe I just don't like it! You'll never know. But really, let's focus on the good here, and there is plenty of it. One note on eligibility: series in this list had to have aired the majority of their seasons by of December 15th (which means Counterpart Season 1 is eligible, but Season 2 is not). Also, broadcast series are considered for all seasons that aired in 2018. Finally, this list considers both scripted and unscripted series -- which as you will see, plays a pivotal role.

(A note on spoilers: I’ve tried to keep things pretty general, especially regarding the series most people haven’t heard of, but if you have any doubts then skip on to the next)

25) Bodyguard

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Image via Netflix

Season: 1

Network: Netflix

Creator: Jed Mercurio

I've said it many times in writing about this series, but Bodyguard should come with a warning. There are several stretches of this twisty new thriller series that are so anxiety-inducing, with such unbearable tension, that I almost had to leave the room. I could have paused it, sure, but I didn’t actually want to stop watching it. I just wanted to grimace and sink as far down into the couch as possible, my heart pounding as I attempted to rationalize that the story couldn’t really do this or that, right? RIGHT? It’s stressful — in the best of ways.

Netflix’s 6-episode series comes from Jed Mercurio, and first aired on the BBC (to staggering viewership numbers). It follows the story of a metropolitan police officer, David Budd (Richard Madden), a war veteran who uses his special training while off-duty to help diffuse a potential terrorist attack in the first fifteen minutes of the series. But Bodyguard is not interested in becoming Jason Bourne or Jack Ryan, at least not yet. What makes the series work — including all of those ultra-tense moments — is how well Madden sells his badass character as a man who also has deep emotional connections and a compassionate heart. As David is tasked with being the bodyguard (hey!) for a Conservative Home Secretary, Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), the show really ramps up its tension (and sexiness). It also showcases Madden as a major talent, one who is capable of not just leading Winterfell’s bannermen in Game of Thrones, but leading this breakout series and others — or even a certain movie franchise. Though its ending lets it down a little bit, it's one heck of ride — Allison Keene

24) Black Lightning

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Image via The CW

Season: 1-2

Network: The CW

Developed By: Salim Akil

Just when I was starting to think we had reached peak superhero fatigue, Black Lightning hit the scene and shook things up. The CW’s dynamic series is laudable for a number of reasons, the most obvious one being that it focuses on a black family, and the second most obvious one being that its lead character isn’t a teenager. But the series also might be one of the superhero genre’s most intelligent; it knows what it wants to say about race and politics without ever being preachy. The first season also made a lot of smart choices about when to introduce the powers of characters other than Jefferson Pierce (a charming Cress Williams), and also didn’t feel the need to dispatch of its Big Bad by the season’s end (though it did take care of a host of more minor villains throughout). The story of a vigilante-turned-principal looking to get back into the game because of drug violence on his streets is a refreshing one, and helped keep Black Lightning grounded and relevant throughout its run. Even though its second season hasn't been quite as strong, the series still has something important to say, and does so with style. Most importantly, this is a hero to unequivocally root for -- even though his newly super-powered family members are struggling more with their own paths. 

23) Howards End

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Image via Starz

Season: Miniseries

Network: Starz

Written by: Kenneth Lonergan

Starz’s plucky, chatty miniseries Howards End stars Hayley Atwell as one of the most charming characters you will ever have the privilege to meet. Based on E.M. Forester’s novel, the swirling adaptation follows three well-off siblings living with their aunt as they face an English society on the precipice of great change. Liberal thinkers as these siblings are, they welcome the change, and yet also don’t see (at first) how their well-meaning attempts to use their privilege to take on “projects” from the lower class is actually a rather condescending thing. When they become embroiled with a nouveau-riche family who leans towards more conservative ideals, a battle of minds and wills persists, and not without some romance. The series is sharp, fast, and a fetching though fleeting exploration of a tumultuous era. The styling and cinematography are swoon-worthy, though everything pales in comparison to Atwell’s practical and splendid heroine.

22) Narcos: Mexico

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Image via Netflix

Season: 1

Network: Netflix

Creators: Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro

A compelling companion series to the first three seasons of Narcos, the spinoff Narcos: Mexico also splits its time between an up-and-coming drug lord, Felix Gallardo (Diego Luna), and dogged DEA agent Kiki Camerena (Michael Peña). Stocked with well-considered and compelling characters, Narcos: Mexico is a tense tragedy — one whose ending somewhat undermines the rest of the season. The story turned from cocaine to marijuana and ultimately back to cocaine, but what really grounded the story (which featured a lot of drug-fueled diversions and history lessons about corrupt Mexican leaders) were the stories of these two men. Both were obsessed with their jobs, to the point where nothing else ultimately compared. Luna, in particular, was exceptional as a smart and driven man who becomes eaten up by his drive for power and success in a way that we truly feel and see. His vulnerabilities and uncertainties made for some of the series’ best moments, particularly the one where he and Kiki come face to face, and a decision is made that altered the drug war forever.

21) Baskets

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Image via FX

Season: 3

Network: FX

Creators: Zach Galifianakis, Jonathan Krisel, Louis C.K.

If a series is going to succeed in the longterm, it needs to be willing to grow and change, to lean into what’s working, and leave behind what isn’t. FX’s Baskets has evolved each season, starting in a place that was good to begin with, but getting increasingly excellent with each new year. A mainstay of that excellence has been Louie Anderson’s portrayal of Christine Baskets, a role that is never camp or silly because he’s in drag; rather, it’s a wonderfully sincere and emotional portrait (and often uproariously hilarious) of a Bakersfield, California mom who loves Costco. In the third season, Christine has invested her inheritance into a family rodeo, which is plagued with problems from the start. But the real story behind that is Christine being able to find herself and focus on what she wants — though it takes a lot for her to finally get there. Zach Galifianakis continues to make physical comedy a big part of the show’s humor, while Martha Kelly’s quiet character has been given new ways to shine. For all of its quirk and sometimes profane humor, Baskets has become increasingly heartwarming — and that’s been a beautiful thing.

20) Victoria

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Image via PBS

Season: 2

Network: PBS

Creator: Daisy Goodwin

In its second season, Victoria settled into being one of TV’s coziest dramas, one that examines marriage with wonderful, emotional nuance. The young Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) struggle with the Queen taking charge at a time when women rarely did so, especially as the couple begin to grow their family and Victoria is urged to stay in confinement. Never one to kowtow to tradition, the plucky historical heroine forged a new path for herself and for her husband, while also contending with a difficult political time for her empire. This season of Victoria was particularly good about making each episode distinct, tackling a different historical (or personal, often intertwined) crisis, yet always letting it feel grounded within the couples’ relationship and their relationship with their difficult families (or Victoria’s chaste but deep relationship with Lord M, one of the best dynamics on TV). It makes a story about a royal marriage from long ago feel contemporary and relatable, while being wrapped up in absolutely gorgeous set pieces and costuming.

19) Better Call Saul

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Image via AMC

Season: 4

Network: AMC

Creator: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould

In its fourth season, Better Call Saul really split into three stories: One followed Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) in the wake of a tragedy as he is forced to take a hiatus from being a lawyer, another tracked Mike (Jonathan Banks) as he becomes increasingly embroiled with Gus and his operations, and a third followed the drug trade through Nacho (Michael Mando). Season 4 had a lot of truly great moments, including Jimmy going back to his Slippin’ ways (with mixed results for him personally), as well as an emotional split-screen time lapse, and a harrowing final episode and reveal. But as Better Call Saul’s timeline continues to enter into Breaking Bad territory, the show’s focus will naturally continue to integrate those characters and storylines, even though Saul is often at its best when it’s just focusing on Jimmy (and Rhea Seehorn’s Kim, of course). Though some of the “Breaking Bad origin stories” weren’t as strong as other elements of the season, when Better Call Saul works it’s absolutely one of the greatest and most visually inventive shows on television.

18) Hap and Leonard

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Image via SundanceTV

Season: 3/final

Network: SundanceTV

Developed By: Jim Mickle, Nick Damici

Everybody complaining about the dearth of working class-focused series on TV in the wake of the Roseanne cancellation has not been paying attention. One of the best working-class series is Hap and Leonard, which follows two best friends in East Texas in the 1980s as they get caught up into unexpected scrapes, including battling the Klan in this third and final season. The series has always broached topics as big as race and sexual orientation in frank, sincere, and intelligent ways. The friendship between the series’ leads — Hap (James Purefoy) is a white liberal, Leonard (Michael K. Williams) is a black, gay, conservative — never shies away from their differences, but also has no trouble overcoming them. In a world that wants to categorize and dismiss based on superficial characteristics, these two men have an unshakeable bond and brotherly commitment to one another to face it all with humor and heart. The show’s third season is a brutal one in many ways, but there’s also hope. It’s hard to say goodbye to such a fantastic series, but if there is a positive, it’s that you can always keep reading the great Joe R. Lansdale book series on which it is based.

17) Succession

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Image via HBO

Season: 1

Network: HBO

Creator: Jesse Armstrong

The key to enjoying Succession is not going into it thinking it’s a prestige TV series. Instead, it’s more of a weird satirical comedy in the vein of The Thick of It or Veep, which makes sense since its creator, Jesse Armstrong, wrote for the former series as well as Peep Show. Succession is a dark, funny, super cringe-y, and often bizarre portrayal of a fictional media empire and the family jockeying for the power to control it. Yes it's reminiscent of families like the Murdochs, but as it continues its casually devastating first season, it truly becomes its own twisted story, free from exact comparisons. Succession is really its own twisted world, one where the balance of power is as changeable as the mercurial Tom’s (Matthew Macfadyen) moods towards the hapless Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun). It’s not a show where you really like anyone or even want to like anyone, and yet, it’s hard to not still hope for certain outcomes (often in which everyone fails ... because the fallout is usually wonderful). Succession isn’t a show that makes you feel particularly good after you’ve watched it — its hollow, nihilistic take on the world is not meant for binge-watching — but when you’re in the middle of it, wow, it’s intoxicating.

16) Sorry for Your Loss

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Image via Facebook Watch

Season: 1

Network: Facebook Watch

Creator: Kit Steinkellner

The unassuming Sorry for Your Loss made watching TV on Facebook an absolute necessity. The quiet, thoughtful series follows a young woman, Leigh (Elizabeth Olsen) who has recently lost her husband Matt (Mamoudou Athie). Picking up three months after Matt’s death, Sorry for Your Loss not only explores the complicated daily balance for Leigh as she tries to figure out how to move forward after her life with Matt had just begun, but also delves into her relationships with her adopted sister Jules (Kelly Marie Tran) and her fitness-studio-owning mother Amy (Janet McTeer) in raw, emotional ways. The stories of and among these women are beautifully explored, as is Leigh’s grief and the changing nature of that particular monster. A stand-out episode midway through this first season focuses completely on Matt, who was formerly only seen in flashbacks, really allowing him to become a full character rather than just a ghost for Leigh to let go of. His battle with depression and how that may have played into his death was one of the best episodes of the year in a series full of difficult, heartfelt, and ultimately triumphant moments.

15) Detroiters

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Image via Comedy Central

Season: 2

Network: Comedy Central

Creators: Sam Richardson, Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, Joe Kelly

Comedy Central’s sparkling gem Detroiters was recently cancelled, which makes this praise of it all the more bittersweet. Maybe it was just too pure for this world.

But don't let that stop you! The series is wonderfully funny and surreal, as it follows best friends Tim and Sam (Robinson and Richardson, who are best friends in real life as well) and their work at a Detroit ad agency. Mad Men this is not, as the men are actually pretty terrible at their jobs. But the warmth and humor that the show exudes cannot be overstated, nor can the rapport between these two leading men. Like Atlanta, while Detroiters is about a specific place, it doesn’t leave anyone out. Yes, insider knowledge of that city (or living in any kind of post-industrial mid-major like Detroit) can add extra layers to the show’s jokes and dynamics, but everything about the show is universal enough to feel inclusive. In its second season, Detroiters delivered yet another set of really clever, tightly-crafted, and often truly laugh-out-loud hilarity with its wonderful combination of realness and weirdness (and weird realness / real weirdness). It’s also a show that just makes you feel good, which is a truly valuable thing.

14) Mozart in the Jungle

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Image via Amazon Studios

Season: 4/final

Network: Amazon

Developed By: Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Alex Timbers, Paul Weitz

After a somewhat surprising Golden Globe win early in its career, Amazon’s joyful series Mozart in the Jungle sadly went back to being overlooked. The series followed a fictional New York orchestra primarily through the lens of a young female oboist (Lola Kirke) and an eccentric conductor (Gael Garcia Bernal), but it dips in and out of the surreal to help express, visually, the sonic power of music, and the hold it has over those who devote their lives to it. Above all, it’s a beautiful, deep, and happy series that always films in summer and loves globetrotting to explore new locales. Its fourth and final season, which included a dreamy sojourn to Japan, ended with its heroes forging new paths for themselves. The conclusion was bittersweet, but well worth the journey.

13) Escape at Dannemora

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Image via Showtime

Season: Miniseires

Network: Showtime

Creator: Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin

Based on a bizarre real-life tale, Escape at Dannemora is anchored by brilliant performances and unique visual style from director Ben Stiller. Though Paul Dano and Benecio del Toro are excellent as two convicts who conspire to leave the prison, it is the married prison worker with whom they were both sexually involved, Tilly (Patricia Arquette), who steals the show. Arquette is absolutely incredible, as is Eric Lange as Tilly’s naive husband Lyle, two regular people whose ignorance gets them involved in something extreme. Arquette gives Tilly a constantly perturbed personality, easily offended and often bovine in expression. And yet she never judges her; the entire production presents its characters as they are, with all of their strange quirks and likable or unlikable traits, but it never directs you in how you should feel about them. With taut pacing and excellent character work, Escape at Dannemora seeks to explain the unique the forces at work behind an infamous prison break by humanizing a sensationalized story. It’s a fascinating journey where you simply cannot look away.

12) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

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Image via Amazon Prime

Season: 2

Network: Amazon Prime

Creator: Amy Sherman-Palladino

Having missed out on its first season in time for last year’s list, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's second season is rightfully given a spot this time around. Amy Sherman-Palladino’s wickedly smart, rapid-fire dialogue is elevated not only by the wonderful visual world of 1950s New York (and this year, the Catskills in particular), but also by an extraordinarily talented cast up to the challenge of delivering all of those words with aplomb. Rachel Brosnahan again shines as the titular Midge, but Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle, and Tony Shalhoub also all deserve praise for bringing their quirky characters to life in such bold and often hilarious ways. The second season meanders more than the first, but it’s never a chore to spend more time in Midge’s world. And what it does, ultimately, is set up a choice for her that lets us see exactly what the stakes are. The series is unique in every way, and an absolute delight to watch. Because of Midge’s blue sets, it’s not exactly a family show, and yet it is unabashedly a joy.

11) GLOW

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Image via Netflix

Season: 2

Network: Netflix

Creator: Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch

There may be some bias in this list towards shows that just make you happy when you watch them, but is that really a problem? Look, I love a gritty dramas as much as the next person (more, probably), but sometimes what you need is just joy. That’s what GLOW delivers in a second season that is leaps and bounds better than its first (which was still very good!) The new season focuses on friendship, and works to repair what’s broken between Debbie (Betty Gilpin) and Ruth (Alison Brie) in organic and believable ways. But it also shows how the bonds among the women of GLOW is what holds this crazy story together. GLOW is totally nuts sometimes, yet fantastically so, especially in its eighth episode which is an actual retro-fied version of the show-within-a-show that has been taping all along. But GLOW is never hollow; the friendships it builds and the performances both in and out of the ring are all exceptionally compelling, and sometimes incredibly sad. After struggling to keep the show going, though, Season 2 ends with a big promise for Season 3 that is as exciting as anything else the series has done.

10) Sharp Objects

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Image via HBO

Season: Miniseires

Network: HBO

Creator: Marti Noxon, based on the novel by Gillian Flynn

“Don’t tell Mama …” but it’s no surprise this is named as one of the best shows of the year. The gothic southern crime series Sharp Objects not only boasted outstanding performances from Amy Adams as a damaged journalist coming back to the place (and family, including Patricia Clarkson) that damaged her, but it also viscerally captured the oppressive feelings of a steamy Missouri summer. People sweat in this series, and director Jean-Marc Vallée does a really exceptional job of visually revelling in both the beauty and horror of such a tormented small town. Adam’s character, Camille, goes through an almost hallucinatory journey throughout the course of the series, one that ends with even more new horrors (the mid-credits scene from the finale will haunt me for a long time). Going far beyond the typical beats of a crime thriller, Sharp Objects is an emotional odyssey that tacitly explains why you can never go home again.

9) The Great British Baking Show

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Image via Love Productions

Season: 9 / Collection 6

Network: Netflix

Probably the most serene and happiest show on television, The Great British Baking Show (or its original UK title, The Great British Bake Off) completely up-ends our typical American view of competition series. Here, the contestants clearly bond with one another and form true friendships, often offering to help one another and always being encouraging. The judges are hard but fair, and never seek to humiliate or make anyone feel bad. The worst a contestant might hear is “you are so good, you just let yourself down a little,” and when presented with a disaster, judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will find the positives while still acknowledging what doesn’t work. This is the second season with new hosts (Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig), who have continued to grow on viewers and have found a really nice rhythm. And while none of the new pairs can maybe compare to the originals, the banter and overall feeling of being back in the tent is homey and familiar. This particular class of contestants for the ninth season (the sixth available on Netflix) was also full of memorable personalities, with a final three who all absolutely deserved to be there and were always wonderful to watch. Ready, set … relax!

8) Counterpart

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Image via Starz

Season: 1

Network: Starz

Creator: Justin Marks

The only thing better than one J.K. Simmons is two. Counterpart takes place in our world, but one that was mysteriously split into two realities in the 1980s, where a parallel existence has unfolded in somewhat similar but also vastly different ways over the past decades. Though the existence of this doppleganger world is largely kept under wraps (there is a portal in Berlin, fitting for the series’ Cold War aesthetic), there are those who travel back and forth. It leads to a complex and increasingly anxiety-inducing battle between the sides, which is where the dueling J.K. Simmons come in, along with double versions of other characters who are working to find out the truth in this complicated game. It’s truly a tour-de-force performance by Simmons though, who makes his characters Howard and Howard Prime two distinct personalities who share a face and an early history, but little else. And yet, the characters also come to learn from one another and adapt to each others’ environments in interesting ways without ever losing their core qualities. It’s a fantastic, unexpected, and wonderfully crafted ride.

7) The Terror

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Image via AMC

Season: Miniseries

Network: AMC

Developed By: David Kajganich

Fans of nautical tales, adventures stories, period pieces, and horror all came together in praise of The Terror this year, a rare series that combined an unexpected group of genres into one fantastic piece of television. The slow-burn anxiety that the series managed to instill even though we knew from the onset that everyone was going to die is laudable, as is the affection felt for the doomed characters (and in one case, the fantastic hatred). The Terror’s wonderfully crafted setting, populated by a host of talented actors, was a superb, supernaturally-tinged retelling of a real story about a fateful (and failed) British naval voyage to find the Northwest Passage. The rich characterization and breathtaking production design created an immersive world of dread and sadness, and yet, one with small triumphs along the way. Though this season of The Terror (which was originally conceived of as an anthology) would be hard to beat, the second season seems promising. In the meantime, the story of these doomed vessels will continue to haunt us as a cautionary tale about creating a hell of your own design.

6) The Americans

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Image via FX

Season: 6/final

Network: FX

Creators: Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg

The only way the The Americans does not end up on someone’s Best TV list this year is because that person does not watch The Americans. The powerhouse dramatic series closed out its last season with one of the best finales of all time, an episode that managed to walk an exceptionally difficult line between what was right for the story and what would satisfy fans. It was an emotionally devastating conclusion that’s haunting and brave and sad, but ultimately felt justified when it came to these two Russian spies pretending to be Americans to try and destabilize democracy (which became an increasingly relevant theme). The show was never off its game, even when it slowed down a little bit, and the performances that Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys (and the whole cast, really) gave us will not soon be forgotten. It was an exceptionally smart show, one of the most anxiety-inducing series on TV, as well as one of the most engrossing. Dasvidaniya, comrade.