A few weeks ago, a question was posed to TV critics on Twitter: What are the Top 10 best streaming shows, not counting international shows that air in the US on streaming sites? A smattering of critics discussed what they would pick, and the choices included several common shows, but, for the most part, were fairly varied in response. Rolling Stone TV critic Alan Sepinwall even put together his own Top 20 list. While I hold a great deal of respect for Alan’s opinion (and, as you will see, even agree with him on some choices), I decided to throw my own hat into the ring. I have eliminated foreign productions bought here in the US by streaming sites (which means no Babylon Berlin from Netflix or Catastrophe or Fleabag from Amazon, but which does not include The Crown), but unlike Alan, I’m not going to eliminate shows that were initially bought by a network (so Kimmy Schmidt is in). So, here they are – the Top 10 streaming television shows, so far.
10. The Crown, Netflix
There’s an awful lot to love about The Crown, from it’s sweeping production values, impeccable casting, and juicy storylines about the rich and famous having the same problems as everyone else in the world. The work of Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby during the first two seasons was spectacular (especially for Kirby, who has gone from a relative unknown to a star in waiting), and while the series spent a bit too much time wallowing in a “poor Prince Phillip” arc in season two, the series has rarely dragged (a minor miracle in the age of streaming bloat impacting nearly every streaming series – particularly those on Netflix). Netflix has more money than it knows what to do with (see the insane amount of projects the network releases on a weekly basis), and it was put to excellent use bringing this story to the screen. With Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter taking over for Foy and Kirby in season three, one can only expect the level of excellence to continue as we move forward in Queen Elizabeth II’s life story.
9. GLOW, Netflix
GLOW was nearly canceled after its first season, due to low ratings. But, saved by rapturously positive reviews, it lived to fight another day, following up its smart and fun first season with an even better second (and a host of award nominations). A half-hour comedy that manages to lean into the absurd elements of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, while mining the personal lives of the characters for just enough drama, GLOW is the quintessential example of a show that could only exist in the realm of streaming television. Genre without really being genre, but certainly not mainstream enough for network or even cable, GLOW is a series that will leave a smile on your face (and, on occasion, make you ugly cry). Led by the impeccably cast Allison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and Marc Maron (seriously, this is the role Maron was born to play), GLOW is something special.
8. The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu
The first steaming drama to win an Emmy for Best Drama Series, The Handmaid’s Tale did fall apart in its second season (and, depending on how the upcoming third season turns out, could become more of a cautionary tale for streaming shows that less can be more), but even when the narrative was trending more to torture porn that feasibility, it churned out some of the best performances on television. From showing us that Alexis Bledel is, in fact, a talented actress when given a role she can sink her teeth into, to cementing that Elisabeth Moss is one of the finest actors working today, the performances are the reason to watch this series (if you can stomach the horrific things that happen to these characters on a weekly basis). The first season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which covers the entire novel from Margaret Atwood, is one of the best single seasons in recent television history. It raised streaming programming to the level of HBO, FX, and other elite networks. Hence, it’s place on this list.
7. Homecoming, Amazon
This might be a case of recency bias, but it’s been awhile since I’ve enjoyed a binge as much as I enjoyed Homecoming. From a star-making turn from Stephen James, to finally giving Julia Roberts a role worthy of her talents, this series from Sam Esmail was visually stunning and emotionally engaging. I didn’t expect the emotional wallop of the series’s final moments, which hit me right in the feels. It also didn’t hurt that, at roughly 35 minutes per episode, the series takes just over five hours to fully watch. In the era of Peak TV, every little bit helps. We don’t know if there will be a second season of the show, but I hope it’s a one-and-done, since they pretty much got it perfect the first go-round. As Handmaid’s Tale has shown, more isn’t always better.
6. Orange is the New Black, Netflix
I’ll openly admit that Orange is the New Black is no longer the series it once was. But boy, what a series it once was. Its first four seasons were incredibly successful in every facet of production, from writing, to casting, to directing, to set design. And the series’s fourth season was one of the best seasons ever created for television, full stop. It was so good that it took the top spot of my 2016 Top 10 list. And it’s those first four seasons that netted Orange this spot on the list. The series’s most recent outing this summer took a number of strides toward righting the ship, and with the show’s final seventh season set to air in 2019, one can hope the show will go out on top – or at least as close to the top as it can. But even if it doesn’t, there’s still the haunting and tragic storytelling of Orange is the New Black‘s incredibly fourth season to tide us over.
5. One Mississippi, Amazon
There’s just something special about this small, smart, and incredibly heartfelt semi-autobiographical series from comedian Tig Notaro. Lasting just two pretty perfect seasons on Amazon (before it was axed along with a number of promising smaller series when Amazon culled its television stable to make way for the upcoming Lord of the Rings show(s)), the series delves into a myriad of complex topics, from sexual orientation, grief, love, loss, personal pain, and reconciling the present with the past, all while keeping an undercurrent of comedy. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish, and that’s what makes it all the more impressive. While Notaro is the show’s star (and she does a great job leading the way), the real breakout performance of the series is Jonathan Rothman as Tig’s widower step-father Bill. It’s an understated but brilliant performance.
4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon
There’s only been one season of this delightful series from Amy Sherman-Palladino, but I suspect its upcoming sophomore run will be just as great as season one. Capturing the hallmarks of Palladino’s other shows (the much-beloved Gilmore Girls and the gone too soon Bunheads), Maisel also manages to provide the balance in storytelling that was missing from her earlier forays into television. Midge (played with aplomb by Rachel Brosnahan) is a heroine who manages to be realistically flawed while still succeeding. She’s easy to root for, but still have a few reservations about. The real kicker of the series, however, is that it’s legitimately funny, both in its storytelling and in the stand-up comedy presented in each episode (something that is much harder to pull off than one might think – just look at the infamous Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). With a winning lead and smart supporting cast (Alex Borstein crushes it as Midge’s manager), the show’s a winner through and through.
3. Transparent, Amazon
The first of Amazon’s original programming to take home an Emmy, Transparent was groundbreaking in a number of ways. Bitingly funny and heartbreakingly sad, the series managed to traverse the struggle of coming out as trans late in life while never making its numerous trans characters vessels for pity or projects for the show’s cis characters to “fix.” The series also tackled a number of hot topics, including sexual abuse, sexual fluidity, identity (beyond gender, looking at religious and culture identities, along with exploring one’s role within a family), and love in any number of forms. Moving from the past to the present almost effortlessly, some seasons worked better than others (the most recent fourth season was the least successful of the four that have aired so far), but this was a series that has always worn its heart on its sleeve, for good or for ill. Its final season is set to air sometime in 2019 (following the ouster of star Jeffery Tambor for #MeToo accusations), and one can only imagine what the Pfefferman clan will be up to this time around.
2. Master of None, Netflix
Master of None is a great comedy from Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to make this list. Rather, it’s everything else that the series encompasses that makes it land in the number two spot. From taking an experimental approach to constructing a comedy (while the show’s first season lent itself to some experimenting in form, its masterful second season managed to blend filmmaking and series television in a way that hasn’t been done before or since) to creating complicated and multi-faceted characters you root for, Master of None was a thing of beauty to behold. When it wasn’t creating an homage to the classic Italian film Bicycle Thieves, the series was delving into complex questions of identity, family, and discovering who you are. Like the best television shows, it never shied away from dealing with difficult answers, and no character was perfect. Master of None was a show that could only have worked on a streaming site, and we are the richer for having it.
1. BoJack Horseman, Netflix
Anyone who has ever watched BoJack Horseman knows why it’s the only show that could possibly top this list. How to describe a series that manages to be so many things, but also so incredibly human (and considering the series is a centered on a cartoon anthropomorphic horse, that’s saying something)? As with the other shows on this list, the series never shies away from exploring the complex elements of what what it means to be a conscious being on this planet, but it does so with such a deft touch that you can almost forget you’re watching characters grapple with difficult life issues like depression, addiction, and crippling insecurities. I say almost because even at its most ridiculous, BoJack grounds itself in the mundane. A trip to an underwater colony turns into a rumination on silence and the struggle for forgiveness. A eulogy becomes an exploration of family pain and lost time (with a kicker that makes you laugh while wiping tears from your eyes). A night of debauchery with a friend turns into a sobering lesson in loss. But the series is also uproariously funny. I will never look at a list of Oscar nominees the same after watching this show. And it will give you a new respect for Jessica Biel. Seriously. When people come to me looking for a new show to watch, this is almost always on the list I offer. I’m thrilled that in recent months, people have told me they’ve already binged it and are looking for something in the same vein (to them I offer Big Mouth). But there’s just something magical about BoJack Horseman that I can’t quite explain. The only way to really understand how amazing this show is is to watch it.
