Alright! Today, as a companion piece to my "25 Favorite Movies" article, I thought it would be rather fun to switch gears and dish out my ten favorite TV shows. This is a wholly subjective list - I'm not trying to say these are the best shows of all time, although some are certainly called that. This is just what I, as an individual, would choose to watch on a Friday night spent among friends - nothing more; nothing less.
10. Star Trek
The bridge of the Enterprise is a warm and friendly place, and the crew are all fantastic - Captain James T. Kirk is iconic, Lieutenant Spock is cold but efficient, and Doctor "Bones" McCoy is very capable at telling us when people are dead. But the best part of Star Trek isn't the visual effects, writing, humor, or long-running arcs - no, Star Trek earns its place here because of the future it depicts. Starfleet is not composed of conquerors, and this is not an action-adventure. They are explorers first and foremost, and seeing the idealized world wherein all mankind just wants to learn and understand others is always, always going to be an easy way to win me over.
9. Our Planet
Continuing our deep themes, Our Planet is a Netflix documentary about, you guessed it, Our Planet. While it only has twelve episodes, I'm somewhat combining it mentally with the BBC's Planet Earth. Actually, scratch that - spot #9 is taken up by my favorite trilogy - Planet Earth, Planet Earth II, and Our Planet. Each provides stunning footage and insight into the world we inhabit, giving beautiful warnings about preservation and acting to save our planet.
The footage is cinematic and beautiful, the whales never cease to impress, and the soundtracks all make your heart soar as the brilliant showcases of nature are presented. Additionally, they're all narrated by David Attenborough and thus extremely fun to listen to, and being able to see the far corners of the earth at home is a modern innovation that we so easily take for granted. I'd say, out of every time I've had people over, I've put on nature documentaries more times than anything else, both due to their beauty, episodic nature, and how inherently captivating the subject matter is.
8. The Clone Wars
Let's just add a disclaimer that about half of The Clone Wars is actually really, really bad - four-episode arcs centered around R2-D2 and his friends are known to cause insanity, and don't even get me started on the Martez sisters. The next quarter of it is watchable, even if occasionally robotic animation hampers the stories and themes presented. The last quarter, however? Genuinely the peak of Star Wars. The Clone Wars, at least some of it, is arc after arc that expands the lore of the Star Wars universe, adds nuance to Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, retroactively makes Revenge of the Sith better, and introduces the greatest Jedi of all time through Ahsoka Tano.
While the lows are low the highs are high - some of my favorite arcs are that of the Father, Daughter, and Son, the one with Pong Krell, Oder 66 conspiracies, the Zillo beast, a Jedi Temple bombing, and, of course, the Siege of Mandalore, the final four episodes that collectively create my favorite Star Wars movie. In those last four episodes, The Clone Wars comes to a tragic and solemn end, beautiful in design but inevitable. In one fell swoop, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader feel like the same person, and Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex leave their mark on the Star Wars franchise in the best way possible.
7. Better Call Saul
The prequel to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul is about the comedic relief character Saul Goodman, a gimmicky lawyer who treads the law in order to get his clients the best deal possible; in the words of Jesse Pinkman, "You don't want a criminal lawyer. You want a CRIMINAL lawyer." While Breaking Bad is instrumental to understanding the plot of Better Call Saul, I prefer this prequel over the acclaimed original for a few different reasons.
For starters, it's much more palatable, bordering on fun. No corpses are dissolved in acid here, only fun and harmless cons that occasionally involve various drug kingpins. It's undeniably a slow burn, but the arc that Jimmy McGill goes on to become Saul Goodman is superbly well-written, turning Breaking Bad's throw-away comedic lines into fear-mongering statements of grief. Better Call Saul also has two of the most nuanced leads in all of television, one being the title character and the other being Kim Wexler, who carries the show. Better Call Saul is superb and ends on an impressive and emotional note - but alas, #7 is where it resides due to the decidedly un-standalone nature of the show and the bajillion montages that happen throughout all six seasons.
6. Hilda
Another Netflix series, Hilda is an animated children's show about a little girl who has to move to Trollberg after a giant crushes her house in the woods. Hilda is a visual miracle - it's completely Halloween-coded, coming in soft and comforting shades of orange, blue, yellow, red, and brown, and the art style looks like a children's book brought to life. The themes add to this feeling, as the protagonist would rather solve problems through open communication and learning rather than fighting.
Hilda is a series that celebrates life and our differences, with Hilda coming into conflict with trolls, giants, deerfoxes, interdimensional imps, and various other inhabitants of her world. However, never once does she treat them with prejudice or disrespect - once again, this is a series about exploration and understanding first and foremost, about the curiosity and excitement of youth. It's beautiful in the simple message and even more beautiful in its color, with tons of humor from the supporting cast and an infallible lead everyone could learn a thing or two from.
5. The Good Place
I love NBC's half-hour comedies as much as the next guy - Parks and Rec just barely didn't make the list - but the one I love the most is The Good Place. In the premiere episode, we learn that Eleanor Shellstrop has died and is now in the titular Good Place, but there's a twist! She's actually an Arizonan trashbag who landed there by accident, and her actual place is down below. Her assigned soulmate, Chidi Anagonye, a professor of ethics, agrees to help her try and earn her place there, even though it has terrible ethical implications for the cosmic balances.
What I loved the most about The Good Place was the focus on ethics. Without being an ad or a PowerPoint, the audience is subtly and hilariously taught about the philosophical musings of Plato, Socrates, and moral dessert. It's also wholly unpredictable and rather high concept, with each new twist the series takes opening up new doors and windows for growth. At the end of the day it's emotional as well - at least once per season, the tear ducts might get some use as simple lessons on friendship, jealousy, and loss are given. However, I'm not sure how well the series will age - unending celebrity namedrops are very topical, and the emotional beats are occasionally drowned out by immediate follow-up jokes. I love the series, but I would have appreciated some breathing room after emotional beats.
4. Amphibia
Amphibia is a cute Disney Channel show about Anne Boonchuy, a young girl who gets stuck in a world of anthropomorphic frogs with her two best friends, and for most of Amphibia's run, I was not very impressed. The short and gimmicky eleven-minute episodes aren't my favorite format, some of the characters are grading, and not all of the jokes totally land. However, I stuck with it, thinking at some point the series would grow up and take itself more seriously. It never did - not after the first season finale, second season finale, penultimate finale, or the actual finale. You've just about given hope until, with ten minutes left, Amphibia grows up.
Now, I can't explain it and I can't recommend you watch 57 episodes so you can experience it, but Amphibia is definitive proof that the ending of things is what makes them special. Amphibia was easy, modest, and never too concerned with the things it set up, but in those last ten minutes, the series grew up and suddenly the show was over. Suddenly, out of nowhere, you find yourself sobbing inconsolably as you say goodbye. It's no hyperbole when I say that it's one of the most beautiful and heartwrenching finales ever made. I can't describe the loss nor the shock of that experience, nor can I describe the beauty of the closing monologue - all I can do is think back and fondly get lost in Amphibia.
3. Justice League Unlimited
This is mostly a nostalgia pick - until I was eight I lived, breathed, and ate two television shows: Justice League and DuckTales. While DuckTales didn't make the list, Justice League Unlimited remains fantastic upon rewatch. It's the definitive version of the greatest superheroes of all time and played a major part in who I am now and why I love Superman so much (The second episode, "For the Man Who Has Everything," is one of my favorite television episodes of all time).
While the first and third seasons are mostly episodic and charming adventures about the goings of the various Leaguers, the second season is what makes JLU shine so brightly. There's a tangible and unexpected focus on the power, authority, control, and the burden of responsibility that makes superheroes so great. The second season's Cadmus arc is one of the greatest arcs of any television show, with riveting and smart dialogue, action, and heroic moments in abundance. The last two episodes are perfect ends to the series, and the DCAU as a whole, giving some of the best Batman, Superman, and Flash moments we'll ever get. Unfortunately, the success of the second season led to a third season being greenlit, which, while fun with iconic moments, isn't as thematic or visually lush as the prior entries.
2. The Simpsons
From 1989 to 1998, The Simpsons delivered episode after episode of emotional and hilarious stories showcasing the Simpsons family and the inhabitants of Springfield. It's unbelievable how many quotable lines are found and the cleverness of the gags the writers were able to come up with. It's equally unbelievable how good the voice acting is - even the lines that aren't funny are turned into absolute riots when Dan Castellenata is given a go at it.
I can't count the number of times I've seen classic episodes like "Lisa the Vegetarian," "Homer's Enemy," or "A Fish Called Selma." The plotting is madcap lunacy, the characters all work hilariously off each other, and the series always shines brightest when it focuses on the heart and soul of the family. In fact, those nine seasons are good enough that I'm willing to completely disregard the subsequent 26 seasons, none of which I have seen. If it had taken advice from Amphibia and just ended, The Simpsons would undoubtedly be at #1. Alas, corporate will be corporate, and it's gotten to the point that I've only seen 25% of the show. Que sera sera.
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender
After SpongeBob but before they rebooted Rugrats, Nickelodeon struck gold with Avatar: The Last Airbender. In a world where everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked, a hundred years pass until Katara and Sokka discover the Avatar, master of all four elements - an Airbender named Aang who can save the world. Avatar is... well, it's perfect. Some of the episodes aren't as good as others (Cough The Painted Lady cough), but the animation, musical score, action, originality, emotional weight, characters, humor, storytelling, voice acting, and payoffs are all unparalleled.
While half of the first season is spent finding its voice (Things don't pick up until "The Storm"), the rest of Avatar is hit after hit after hit. The ensemble, composed of lovable characters such as Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Appa, Momo, Azula, Uncle Iroh, and Zuko, are all fantastic and well-rounded characters. The series is absolutely hilarious throughout - never before has an ensemble worked this well together, and it's unlikely to be surpassed. The originality of the premise is fantastic, and the character designs are all instantly iconic.
Additionally, the third season ups the ante and delivers some of the funniest and most emotional television episodes to date. After the Day of Black Sun, everything hits its peak and the series doesn't slow down, reaching new artistic heights with every episode and giving some of the best payoffs to any series to date. If you haven't seen Avatar, do yourself a favor and check it out on Netflix. If you have seen Avatar, do yourself a favor and watch it again.
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