The Best TV Shows of 2014 (So Far)

Warning: There may be spoilers scattered throughout the following list. None will be too major, but it’s worth including that disclaimer because, well, the fanatical members of today’s TV-watching public love saying sarcastic things like, “Thanks for the spoiler alert, asshole.”

Blame it on the social media age, a time when people in New York can’t resist live-tweeting their favorite shows even though their Los Angeles followers won’t see that same show until three hours later; a time when George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice novels have been available in bookstores for decades yet late-to-the-game folks are ready to crucify recappers for discussing what happened during the previous night’s Game of Thrones episode. These are hyper-sensitive times, but to properly explain why these are The Best TV Shows of 2014 (So Far), some context will be necessary. So prepare yourselves.

Even though spoilerphobes have turned television into an online bloodsport this year, that doesn’t take away from just how strong the medium’s been this year. Starting with HBO’s culture-enthralling True Detective, which sent wannabe theorists into endgame-predicting frenzies and made the network’s HBO Go service seem about as technologically evolved as Atari, the first half of 2014 has been a spoil of riches for couch potatoes and DVR utilizers alike. Our dude Don Draper began his swan song, a classic Coen Brothers movie somehow became one of TV’s best new shows despite their lack of hands-on involvement, major characters continued to flatline in Westeros, and a couple of hilarious NYC ladies turned their popular web series into Comedy Central’s funniest program since Chappelle’s Show.

To break down the rest of the year’s TV high-points, our countdown should suffice. Check it out and voice your agreements and/or disputes in the comment section. You know, the section where all of those “You spoiled everything!” complaints go.

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30. House of Cards (Netflix)

Stars: Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara, Michael Kelly, Sakina Jaffrey, Kristen Connolly, Constance Zimmer, Michel Gill, Mahershala Ali, Molly Parker

House of Cards is the Kevin Spacey-led political drama that skyrocketed Netflix original shows into the national spotlight. Produced by Beau Willimon and based on a BBC mini-series of the same name, House of Cards became a hit last year with its first season, and it was an even bigger sensation with its sophomore season this year. The show centers around Frank Underwood, a jilted politician who swears revenge upon those who wronged him and manipulates the game to take over Washington. At his side is his wife Claire Underwood, portrayed with cold grace by Robin Wright, and his right-hand man Doug Stamper, played by Michael Kelly.

Things are never quite as they seem on House of Cards, and the show has no qualms about revealing the gritty underbelly of the political world. The machinations, backdoor dealings, and downright illegalities are merely scratches on the surface. The series is chock-full of lies, deceit, lust, and bloody murder. The show could easily fall into the trap of conventionality and campiness, but subtle, nuanced portrayals by talented actors like Spacey combined with bold artistic moves by the show’s creators elevate House of Cards to something greater.

It’s not entertainment for the faint of heart, but if you want a nail-biter, screw-with-your-head kind of show, then House of Cards is right up your alley. (Warning: Proceed with caution down that dark alley lest you be stabbed in the back.) —Rachel Sheldon

29. Kroll Show (Comedy Central)

Stars: Nick Kroll, Jon Daly, Jenny Slate, Chelsea Peretti, John Mulaney

Unpopular opinion alert: Comedy Central’s Kroll Show is the second-funniest show on TV right now, after the orgy of profanity and meanness that is HBO’s Veep. The twisted brainchild of comedian/actor Nick Kroll, it’s a sketch comedy program that’s refreshingly experimental. The formula: Episodes revolve around two to three recurring skits, with candid, hilarious Woody Allen-style to-the-camera confessionals segueing between the commercial breaks and Kroll’s bizarre brand of humor.

”Bizarre” as in a Degrassi spoof called Wheels, Ontario steeped in pokes at Canada and high school drama cliches; “PubLIZity,” Kroll’s spot-on evisceration of vapid celebrity publicists co-starring the equally funny Jenny Slate; and the almighty Bobby Bottleservice, Kroll’s amazing send-up of Jersey Shore meatheads featuring fellow comics Jon Daly and Chelsea Peretti (also on Parks and Recreation) as Peter Paparazzo and Bobby’s vapid lover, Farley, respectively.

Fact: Inside Amy Schumer’s been hoarding all of Comedy Central’s sketch attention as of late. “No disrespect,” but Kroll Show deserves that kind of love, too. —Matt Barone

28. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (Fox)

Star: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey manages to pay homage to Carl Sagan's 1980s original, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, while creating an engaging show for a 21st century audience. Tyson proves a charismatic host, the science is high-level enough to interest adults, and the special-effects are trippy enough retain the core audience of stoners and kids (weird how similar the two are when it comes to TV). Even the new ship looks relatively cool, even if it's just a sleeker version of Boba Fett's Slave1. What’s more, Tyson goes hard in the paint when it comes to controversial topics; climate change skeptics and intelligent design advocates watch out.

The fact that this all aired in primetime on Fox is, despite what Tyson might believe, an actual miracle. Even though few people may have watched it during the season, it's a victory for modern culture that the show aired at all. —Nathan Reese

27. 24: Live Another Day (Fox)

Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Tate Donovan, Yvonne Strahovski, William Devane, Benjamin Bratt, Michelle Fairley, Stephen Fry, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Michael Wincott, Giles Matthey, Kim Raver

This could've gone so wrong. 24 could've come back and reminded everyone of why it needed to go off in the first place. Instead, with only two episodes left, the fear of jinxing it can now be put to rest: Live Another Day is damn near perfect.

At this point it doesn't even matter if Howard Gordon and co. don't stick the landing, because right now, the parts can easily outweigh the sum. The halving of the series' usual episode order while still remaining true to the one hour/one day format has resulted in a truncated season that neatly does away with all the narrative fat that has slogged down many an otherwise great 24 day in the past.

But the success isn't just in the numbers: Gordon and his writers are, very clearly, actively working to subvert typical tropes and twists to make this de facto season nine feel fresh. The inevitable mole's motivations actually make sense. The bureaucrats are less stubborn for difficulty's sake. People are putting two and two together much quicker to see the setup before their eyes (RIP, Jordan the analyst). All throughout the veteran 24-fan will notice little zags where the story used to zig.

Some complained about a lack of urgency and forward momentum—this is the longest the story has stayed with one villain, with only one diabolical goal since Day 1. But those doubts were put to rest when the main conflict climaxed in a breathtaking thirty minute sequence that elicited more visceral, physical reactions from me than anything on broadcast has in a long time.

Where does the story go from here? Where does Jack Bauer go after Live Another Day? Who knows, but if this is the last we see of TV's last action hero, then bravo. —Frazier Tharpe

26. Scandal (ABC)

Stars: Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Díaz, Jeff Perry, Bellamy Young, Joshua Malina, Scott Foley, Henry Ian Cusick

Let’s be frank—Scandal’s third season wasn’t its best. Olivia and Fitz’s cat-and-mouse act became exasperating, nearly becoming a caricature of itself. How much of Olivia’s wide-eye pouting and breathy makeouts turned shoving sessions can we endure? We can’t even feign surprise at their antics anymore.

At the heart of Scandal’s third season, thankfully, is not Olivia and the President’s tired love affair, but the takedown of B613, a success that has grave consequences for Fitz and co., thanks in equal measure to Mama and Papa Pope’s nefarious scheming. They don’t work in tandem, per se, but each contributes to the most shocking plot twists in the season (well, after Fitz learning that Mellie was raped by his father). Fitz avoids being blown to POTUS-sized bits by a bomb, only to have his son Jerry succumb to meningitis. What is it called when you have both daddy and mommy issues? Whatever the term, Olivia’s got familial dysfunction in spades, which is why we don't blame her for finally boarding Daddy's jet with Jake.

Liv may not know Dad is responsible for Jerry's murder, but Harrison certainly does. Does he pay for the knowledge with his life or leave his gladiator sandals behind to become the newest member of B613? Will Maya escape the torture hole with her sanity in tact? Will Melly's revelation bridge the rift between her and Fitz? Will Huck continue to lick Quinn's face now that he's discovered his family is alive? We have so many pressing questions! Shonda, you better bring the answers. —Shanté Cosme

25. Teen Wolf (MTV)

Stars: Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, Colton Haynes, Shelley Hennig, Arden Cho

We forgive you if your eyes collectively rolled back into your skulls at the mention of an MTV produced series based on the goofy 1985 comedy, Teen Wolf. Ours did too. Michael J. Fox’s version, transforming him into a universal monster replete with copious amounts of pubic hair and super powers to aid his lack of success with g-spots and jump shots, is referenced in this update, but thankfully has its delicate throat ripped out for what is ultimately a much darker, slicker high school thriller.

Ushered in shrewdly after the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, these modern day Teen Wolves are, of course, gorgeous, witty, hyper-sexualized, and paranoid high schoolers that are always one striptease away from danger. With its charismatic lead Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and a scene-stealing role in best friend Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), Teen Wolf’s casting, also boosted by great performances by Tyler Hoechlin and Holland Roden, is the lifeblood pumping beneath the all the brawn.

We have long been bombarded by television shows that overpopulate their tiny towns with toothy creatures of all supernatural ilk (re: Buffy, True Blood, Hemlock Grove, Being Human, etc) all masking teenage angst with spooky snarings. Where Teen Wolf succeeds, especially in its ferocious third season, is keeping the romances, and bromances, consistently bubbling under a stew of gore, slick production, bare flesh, and deep mythologies.

Teen Wolf was once our guilty pleasure and, like the title beasts, has transformed into a witty, bloody send-up of our favorite teenage tropes. It’s like a big, bad, B-movie that keeps on giving, and we’ll gladly keep on watching. —Jonathan Lees

24. Community (NBC)

Stars: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong, Jim Rash

While the last two episodes of the Dan Harmon re-piloted season five aren't very strong, the year as a whole was a better return to form than anyone imagined.

In the wake of the dismal fourth season, Harmon returned to the hot seat not triumphant but with something to prove. Sometimes that resulted in enjoyable albeit over-ambitious high-concept episodes like "App Development and Condiments." Other installments stayed true to the law of sequels, good but not as strong as the first time the show used a similar concept ("Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons"). None of that matters and no Community fan can complain though, not when Harmon and co., down Chevy Chase and Donald Glover, hit all the major points on Community's vast spectrum of tones with an efficiency that all but erased past mistakes from existence.

The unrelenting goofiness and spot-on David Fincher thriller parody of "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics." The geeky niche pop culture homage with a relatable human heart at its core that drives "G.I. Jeff." And, the show at it's best: all of these sociopath-lite, deeply flawed, deeply insecure weirdos in a room brutally hashing out their differences and beefs before emerging closer than ever by [bottle] episode's end in "Cooperative Polygraphy."

Don't weep for Community just yet, though. Yahoo! just picked it up for the sixth season the world deserves. —Frazier Tharpe

23. The Americans (FX)

Stars: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Noah Emmerich, Annet Mahendru, Holly Taylor, Keidrich Sellati, Margo Martindale, Richard Thomas, Lev Gorn, Costa Ronin

Life without smartphones is nearly unfathomable today, but television spy drama without them is riveting. Set in the U.S. during the 1980s Cold War period, when espionage relied heavily upon disguises and analog signals to acquire and relay sensitive information, FX’s The Americans makes tremendous use of the tension and isolation felt by two Soviet agents (Russell, Rhys) who were strangers when the KGB sent them to live as husband and wife in the D.C. suburbs and help topple the U.S. government.

Having established actual trust and affection for each other (if not their superiors) in season one, in the second they must carry out physically and emotionally taxing missions while solving a murder mystery and protecting their two clueless children, who they love but also resent for their privileged American upbringing, from physical harm and the psychological damage that the truth might cause them. Russell and Rhys are both magnificent at subtly expressing the burden shouldered by their characters, whose duplicity and exceptional responsibility could give you an ulcer just watching.

Sexy and suspenseful, with plenty of fascinating old-school spy tricks courtesy of ex-CIA officer showrunner Joe Weisberg, The Americans is a multi-layered and thought-provoking series that makes you want to put down your smartphone and focus for a second. Unless, of course, you’re watching episodes on yours. —Justin Monroe

22. Penny Dreadful (Showtime)

Stars: Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Reeve Carney, Harry Treadaway, Rory Kinnear, Billie Piper, Danny Sapani

Hannibal is the best horror show on television, but watching any given Hannibal episode is akin to spending an hour inside the mind of Guggenheim-obsessed serial killer. Which, while enthralling, isn’t exactly “fun.” That’s all good, however, since horror lovers now have Showtime’s Penny Dreadful to satiate their good-time needs.

It’s both an artistically Gothic creepshow and The Monster Squad for grown-ups, uniting the genre’s classic characters and literary staples (i.e., Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray) with cable TV sex and violence. There’s also the show’s ace-in-the-hole, Eva Green—as the demon-haunted Vanessa Ives, she’s given one of the best TV performances of the year, even if the Emmy committee ultimately ignores her. Although, they’d only need to watch her amazingly bonkers exhibition of freaky possession in the episode “Séance” to get the point.

Series creator, and lone writer, John Logan (the screenwriter of films like Skyfall) basks in his horror influences, hinting at possible monster additions in seasons to come (as in, will Josh Hartnett’s gunslinger Ethan Chandler become the Wolf Man?) while meshing his Penny Dreadful versions of classics into intriguing hybrids. For instance, the show’s answer to Frankenstein’s monster (“Caliban,” played by Rory Kinnear) owes more to The Phantom of the Opera than Mary Shelley. Even the most jaded horror fans have to appreciate Logan’s imagination. —Matt Barone

21. New Girl (Fox)

Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Damon Wayans, Jr.

New Girl is basically what you get if a rom-com became a TV sitcom, but it wasn't cliche in the ways that you expect a rom-com to be. That is, it isn't annoyingly schmatzy and it's actually LOL-worthy. The series has certainly come a long way from pinning the show on its main actress, Zooey Deschanel, already a well-known movie star, as "adorkable." (Shudder.) Dark times.

Now, New Girl has somehow found the perfect balance between a great romantic tale (with Deschanel and a surprisingly charming, manly, and hilarious Jake Johnson), and the friendships that unfold in a shared apartment. Making up the rest of the cast are equally amazing performers that make the friendships feel more sincere and not just the "lead actress' bestie," or "lead actors' bros and confidants." —Hope Schreiber

20. Sherlock (BBC)

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Louise Brealey, Mark Gatiss, Andrew Scott, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves

Sherlock’s stellar third season begins with a departure from the show’s satisfying case-by-case form. There is, after all, the issue of Sherlock’s apparent suicide to deal with. The episode opens with John tearfully pleading with Sherlock's grave ("Don't be dead"), while Sherlock’s fan base theorizes on how the detective might have faked his own death, a knowing elbow nudge to what the show’s own fans have been doing on its hiatus. The show continues on with the meta commentary, not-so-subtly winking at Sherlock’s actual fans with the hashtag #Sherlocklives, a Twitter trending topic fictional and real fans alike participate in. While Sherlock contends with his newfound fame, IRL, Cumberbatch does the same (Cumerbitches is a thing now, after all).

The season sees a number of series-altering plot points: Holmes’ marriage to Mary, Mary shooting Sherlock and being revealed as an assassin, and the finale’s shocking reveal that Moriarty might be alive. But none trump the reveal we've all been waiting for: Sherlock loves Watson. Sherlock may tout himself as a "high-functioning sociopath," but over the course of the season his once unyielding facade reveals a tenderness towards his partner in crime.

Sherlock is notably less callous, and it's a bittersweet development, like when the bad boy you've been dating finally lets you in, revealing he's human, which makes him ordinary, boring almost. The revelation is strangely disappointing, but despite his increasingly sappy declarations for Watson, Sherlock's intrigue remains thoroughly in tact. Color us Cumberbitches...for life.—Shanté Cosme

19. Louie (FX)

Star: Louis C.K.

It was not Louie's finest hour. Even before the first episode aired, Twitter talk indicated that the tide was turning against Louis C.K. The seemingly untouchable comic (and actor, director, writer, editor, etc.) was going to get poked by the pestering finger of the daily critic. (I poked, but I poked late.) This is going to be remembered as the season where Louie feinted at grappling with the ugliest side of masculinity and consent. And then he didn't, leaving a ragged hole in the moral fabric of the show, even though it seemed like the comic thought he had mended the damage done by "Pamela Pt. 1" with a clean run through the bathtub.

But it was also the season where Louis C.K. made not one but two movies, with "Elevator" and "In the Woods." These episodes were largely brilliant, exploring the limits of communication and the casual violence of adolescence. Nobody's perfect. —Ross Scarano

18. The Good Wife (CBS)

Stars: Julianna Margulies, Josh Charles, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Graham Phillips, Mackenzie Vega, Alan Cumming, Zach Grenier, Matthew Goode, Christine Baranski

Before we praise the many fine qualities of The Good Wife's run so far in 2014, let's all agree that—SPOILER ALERT—killing off Will Gardner was a horrible idea. The episode where he went out in a blaze of courtroom crossfire was shocking in the worst way, particularly in the context of a show that has never relied on gimmicks to draw in fans.

But it's a testament to the capital that The Good Wife has built up over the past four seasons—as well as its unimpeachable cast and writers—that the sucker-punch plot twist hasn't completely derailed the show. In fact, after a couple shaky episodes and some next-level depressive self-flagellating by Alicia, things are back on track: Shakespearean power struggles in the boardroom of Lockhart-Gardner; political chicanery in the corridors of city hall; and TV's most nuanced exploration of the thin line between healthy ambition and malignant obsession in the American workplace.

So yes, Will's departure casts a bit of a shadow over the season. But The Good Wife is a show for adults, and adults get over things. By the end of the year, expect the show to be a contender for that no. 1 spot. —Chris Schonberger

17. Banshee (Cinemax)

Stars: Antony Starr, Ivana Miličević, Ulrich Thomsen, Frankie Faison, Hoon Lee, Rus Blackwell, Matt Servitto, Demetrius Grosse, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Ryann Shane, Daniel Ross Owens, Lili Simmons, Ben Cross, Anthony Ruivivar

Banshee is the best show on TV that you’re (probably) not watching. And if you are watching it, you’re not talking about it enough.

Just like the breakneck series’ first season, Banshee’s sophomore go-round perfected everything that Spike TV’s been trying to do since its conception. The story of a former criminal (played by the underrated badass Antony Starr) hiding out in Amish Country as a fugazi sheriff, Cinemax’s best original show is an intelligently written, wonderfully performed showcase of guy-centric entertainment. The women, especially deputy Siobhan (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and Amish girl turned seductive gangster princess Rebecca (Lili Simmons), are gorgeous but also well-developed as characters; the action sequences, of which there are many, are staged with the simulated recklessness cum tightly choreographed mayhem you’d find in a movie like The Raid 2.

Banshee isn’t all heightened Stallone/Van Damme anarchy for the TV screen, though. The season’s best episode, “The Truth About Unicorns,” focused solely on Starr’s Lucas Hood and his star-crossed ex-lover, Anna (Ivana Miličević), taking a brief respite in a secluded farmhouse, talking through their complicated affections, and, of course, leaving a few dead bodies in their wake. On Banshee, you can be sure that quiet moments of character development will be punctuated by savagery, and that the cumulative effects will be awesome. —Matt Barone

16. Arrow (The CW)

Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Susanna Thompson, Paul Blackthorne, Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes, Manu Bennett, John Barrowman

Here's why Arrow works: It's a show for teeny boppers and comic book nerds. That is, it's the kind of series sentimental enough for O.C. fans, but hard enough not to alienate DC devotees. It doesn't condescend to those who only discovered the hooded hero via the CW. Rather, the series embraces the newbies, giving them non-canon couples to ship (#Olicity) and spelling out backstories (with flashbacks galore) for the casual viewer to follow along.

As for those who've collected Green Arrow books for years, the series keeps the DC universe references coming. Just this season alone, Arrow managed to weave in the Suicide Squad and the League of Assassins, introduce the Red Arrow, and present the Flash's origin story—all while keeping its IRL hero, Oliver Queen, an accessible guy with enough family drama for a daytime soap.

If you're the cynical comic book snob type who's secretly counting down 'til Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, let your guard down and give Arrow a chance. It's entertainment that doesn't demand anything from you but to have fun with it. —Tara Aquino

15. Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)

Star: Amy Schumer

If there was any doubt about Amy Schumer's ability to carry her own sketch comedy show, season two surely squashed that. With hilarious sketches, like her parody of The Newroom, "The Foodroom," or her really realistic military video game sketch, Schumer has earned herself a spot as one of the funniest comedians working tiday. Her sketches are hard hitting, painfully true, and complete game-changers. —Hope Schreiber

14. Girls (HBO)

Stars: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, Andrew Rannells

Months removed from the week-to-week experience, the third season of Girls still impresses for how lived-in the roles felt. Adam Driver’s Adam has never felt more three-dimensional, never been more capable of disarming the viewer than when he learned he’d been cast in Major Barbara and stuffed paper towels in his mouth. His admission about his own sexual dysfunction during the role playing episode was a revelation of depth matched only by Lena Dunham’s juggling of her own conflicting guises in the same scene. Alison Williams’ Marnie has never felt more complex than she was during her on-again, off-again relationship with Ray. Zosia Mamet’s Shoshanna broke hearts during the finale, with her scene opposite Ray, and every moment where Jemima Kirke's Jessa and with Louise Lasser's Bedelia felt like it was opening new avenues for the show to explore with regards to women and art.

Maybe the finale didn’t all the way work—still, this was the strongest, strangest season of Girls yet. Which is remarkable, considering last season ended with ejaculation and a breakdown. —Ross Scarano

13. In the Flesh (BBC America)

Stars: Luke Newberry, Harriet Cains, Marie Critchley, Steve Cooper, Emmett J Scanlan, Emily Bevan, Stephen Thompson, Wunmi Mosaku, Kevin Sutton, Gerard Thompson, Ricky Tomlinson, Kenneth Cranham, Steve Evets, Karen Henthorn, David Walmsley

If you didn't tune into this exceptional show this year, you get a pass for now. In the Flesh didn't receive much recognition until it won a BAFTA this past May, despite having premiered on BBC Three (in the UK) and BBC America in March 2013. It's a long-deserved honor, though. In the Flesh perfectly balances the supernatural, drama, and comedy all within one-hour episodes.

As the title suggests with the word "flesh," the series does involve zombies. Luke Newberry stars as a young man named Kieran Walker who, after committing suicide at the age of 18 three years prior, is inexplicably resurrected as a zombie, along with various other deceased members of his small countryside community. Similar uprisings take place all around the globe, briefly sending the world into a The Walking Dead-like state, but life gets back to normal (somewhat) when a drug is created to help zombies regain some brain functions.

Provided, of course, that they maintain doses of their meds every day to prevent themselves from re-entering a rabid state. In an effort to be PC in the media, doctors refer to those affected as "sufferers of partially deceased syndrome," or PDS for short. Though PDS sufferers are generally more accepted in larger communities like London, Berlin, and Paris, Kieran's small town of Roarton in the north countryside of the UK isn't as welcoming of his kind, and maintains a movement called the Human Volunteer Force (HVF) to patrol the town nightly in search of rabid PDS sufferers.

Whereas a plot like this could easily turn hokey, creator Dominic Mitchell takes the opportunity to model PDS sufferers' oppression as a metaphor for modern-day racism and homophobia. They're required to wear heavy make-up and contact lenses when in town, to not "frighten" humans, and their homes are all spray-painted "PDS" in large letters.

The show goes even farther than that, though. Not only does it manage to represent a variety of sexual orientations amongst its various characters, including Kieran, it's also very much a show about growing up and moving on after a tragedies.

In the Flesh may be modeled as very much a supernatural drama on the outside, but, at its core, it's about the Walkers. They've gone through a great tragedy (Kieran's suicide) and never had the proper emotional capacity to deal with it until Kieran was brought back to their lives. Which leads to heart-shattering scenes that will likely leave even the most stone-faced viewers with tear-streaks down their cheeks. —Tanya Ghahremani

12. Silicon Valley (HBO)

Stars: Thomas Middleditch, T. J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Christopher Evan Welch, Amanda Crew, Zach Woods

Usually it's really frustrating to watch people smarter than you interact with each other, be creative, and be successful. But with Silicon Valley, it's almost like you're tricked into believing you could be a big-wig at the newest start-up. You could be the next Steve Jobs; you already have the hygiene issue.

One of the smartest comedies out there, the series follows the development of a fledgling new compression company Pied Piper, which is being run by a bunch of awkward weirdos who were gifted $250k to go ahead with their vision. Of course, this is their entire life—no girls, no families, nothing. Don't be surprised if you find yourself living vicariously through their screw-ups.

That said, $10 says Silicon Valley is probably also the show your most neurotic friends keep telling you to watch, but you keep putting off. Typically, its inadvisable, but you should actually listen to them this time. Now, quit being stupid and turn it on. —Hope Schreiber

11. Orphan Black (BBC America)

Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan Bruce, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyne Brochu, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Skyler Wexler, Michiel Huisman, Michael Mando, Kristian Bruun, Inga Cadranel, Matt Frewer

Dear Tatiana Mas—no. Nope. Not going to happen this time. This will not turn into another open love letter to the beautiful, brilliant, infinitely talented, and most deserving of all the awards in the world, Tatiana Maslany. Damn it!

Sorry. It's impossible to talk about Orphan Black without waxing poetic about its lead actress. Get this: Maslany plays several vastly different clones of herself—this season alone she played a soccer mom, a sociopath, a criminal, a scientist, a sick suburban teen, a CEO, and, the latest one to be revealed, a transgender person. Each of these clones is being hunted down by two warring groups, the Proletheans (religious fanatics) and the Neolutionists (staunch advocates of eugenics), each of whom want control of the clones for their own endgame.

And if you haven't noticed, a ton of fans are engrossed in that war. Orphan Black, created by Graeme Mason, is quickly developing its own cult following, #CloneClub. You can't scroll through Tumblr or Reddit without finding a tribute to the show. Not like any person who's watched an episode would mind. In fact, we're all for ubiquity. The more GIFs of the show are out there, the more we can all feel less creepy about gushing over Maslany's talent. —Tara Aquino

10. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)

Stars: Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker, Joel McKinnon Miller

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is Andy Samberg’s latest foray into TV. As a goofy yet talented cop with a Peter-Pan mentality working in Brooklyn’s fictional 99th precinct, Detective Jake Peralta (Samberg) and his ragtag band of cohorts clumsily attempt to solve crimes and impress their unimpressed new commanding officer, Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher). The show’s tagline says it all: “The law. Without the order.”

The sitcom's concept is straightforward, which is exactly where the show succeeds. It’s good comedy, plain and simple. The writing is witty and doesn’t fall victim to the over-dramatization that many cop shows are killed by. In fact, it embraces these faults and turns them on their head, making fun of the things that are wrong about bad cop shows. All of the characters on the show represent classic TV archetypes, but with a modern twist. Braugher’s Holt is more than a robotic drill sergeant, just as Melissa Fumero’s Detective Amy Santiago is not just an uptight overachiever. And, like he did for years on SNL, Samberg proves time and time again that he can reliably bring in the laughs.

This year, the series proved itself in rating and awards, raking in millions of viewers and snagging the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series. You don't need more justification than that to binge-watch the first season this summer. —Rachel Sheldon

9. Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

Stars: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Uzo Aduba, Danielle Brooks, Michael J. Harney, Michelle Hurst, Natasha Lyonne, Taryn Manning, Kate Mulgrew, Jason Biggs

Okay, if you want to be a jerk and get technical, Orange Is the New Black isn't on TV. It's on Netflix. And if you really want to be that guy, well, there's probably a reason why you don't get invited to parties. Like, you're the kind of person who would be like "Actually, Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster." Everyone knows, ugh, you're the worst.

Anyway, earlier this June, OITNB season two was released on Netflix, and it encouraged people everywhere to call out of work and play hooky from school. The world came to a stop to discuss the inner workings of the prison system, women's rights and how the U.S. protects them or forgets them, and, of course, #Vauseman.

More than its first season, its second go-round toyed with more unexpected back stories, darker twists to previously lighthearted characters, and set shippers' hearts on fire. Many speculated that OITNB couldn't top its near-perfect debut, but then again, no one ever expected the show to be this big. But we're calling it now: season three will be even better. —Hope Schreiber

8. Game of Thrones (HBO)

Stars: Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Charles Dance, Natalie Dormer, Aidan Gillen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Carice van Houten, Stephen Dillane, Liam Cunningham, Jack Gleeson, Gwnedoline Christie, Rory McCann, Ian Glen, John Bardley, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Alfie Allen, Pedro Pascal, Diana Rigg, Rose Leslie, Kate Dickie

2014, the year when HBO’s Game of Thrones graduated from “pop culture hot topic” to “pop culture juggernaut you can’t avoid.” With that escalation, though, came a first for co-creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s epic adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice novels: moments of fan backlash. Mostly Teflon throughout its first three seasons, Game of Thrones finally started pissing book loyalists and TV critics off by demonizing certain characters (see: Jaime’s raping of Cersei) trivializing others (see: Daenerys’ largely one-note arc).

Yet it’s difficult to harp on those atypical Game of Thrones missteps when there was so much greatness on display. Season four was the show’s grandest one to date, dispatching of several major characters in masterfully executed “Oh, shit!”-worthy scenes, increasing the visual FX budget, and staging full-scale battles that most action movie directors couldn’t even pull off (e.g., episode 9, “The Watchers on the Wall”).

Even if Weiss and Benioff veered away from Martin’s source material in key instances, there’s no denying that Game of Thrones continued to transcend mere television standards and reach cinematic grandiosity. To paraphrase the network’s slogan, “It’s not TV, it’s Game of Thrones.” —Matt Barone

7. Parks and Recreation (NBC)

Stars: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Schneider, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Jim O'Heir, Retta

Has there ever been a feel-good show that centers around politics? Sure, you've got your House of Cards and the hilarious murder that happens. And yeah, you've got The West Wing, but that's for old people and it's probably not as sweet and laugh-out-loud funny as Parks and Rec.

What makes Parks and Rec so successful? It may be due to the fact that everyone in the cast and crew openly love each other and their on-screen chemistry is undeniable. Amy Poehler as the ever optimistic Leslie Knope inspires something in others, and not just on the show. She makes viewers want to be happier people. And with Knope, Ben Wyatt, played to perfection by Adam Scott, helped create one of the most genuine romances on a sitcom since Jim and Pam of The Office. Each character brings their own charm to the table and it's just a joy to watch every week. —Hope Schreiber

6. Mad Men (AMC)

Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, Harry Hamlin, Jessica Pare, Kiernan Shipka, Ben Feldman, Allan Havey, Kevin Rahm, Christopher Stanley

In an interview with The Paris Review earlier this year, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner expressed his love for digressions: "Someone’s on a journey and sure, we’re heading toward a climax, but there are so many digressions. To me, those digressions are the story." More than any other season, the first half of season seven has embraced the digressions. There is no endgame in sight for Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Joan Harris, Roger Sterling, and the rest of SC&P. On Breaking Bad, at halftime, we knew that there would be some reckoning between Walter White's two lives. At halftime on Mad Men, after one unnerving song-and-dance routine, we can make no such prediction. However, given the consistency of these past episodes, especially all-time highlights like "A Day's Work" and "The Strategy," the one thing you can seemingly count on is that the show will end gracefully. It's the most we can ask for these broken, broken people. —Ross Scarano

5. True Detective (HBO)

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle, Monaghan, Michael Potts, Tory Kittles

If it’s not the all-around best show of 2014 so far, HBO’s True Detective is certainly its most important. Produced as if it were an eight-hour movie, the dark, haunting neo-noir series was a whole new kind of TV beast: one writer (creator Nic Pizzolatto) and one director (Cary Fukunaga) working with two Hollywood A-list actors (Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson) on a self-contained, one-season-and-out story (meaning each subsequent season would be a new story with a different cast). And, best of all, it exceeded all preconceived notions of high quality.

With its unexpected horror subtext, fueled by influences from “weird fiction” authors like Thomas Ligotti, True Detective transcended its crime roots to be the year’s most unsettling show so far. The creepiness only worked, though, because McConaughey and Harrelson were so believably engulfed in its mystery, the former playing the fascinatingly philosophical and nihilistic Rust Cohle, the latter dropping the eccentricities in favor of pent-up rage as the cheating son-of-a-bitch Marty Hart. Ostensibly, True Detective was about a murder investigation that stretches from 1995 through 2012, but the show’s core remained Rust and Marty’s ever-changing but reluctant and always complex brotherhood.

And, of course, there were those masterful moments of direction from Fukunaga, scenes that previous TV shot-callers had never attempted—that brilliant six-minute tracking sequence, the time-lapse shown through an aging tiara, McConaughey’s unloading a machine gun in slow-motion. Through True Detective, television landed devastating punches in the “TV’s kicking film’s ass” fight for Hollywood supremacy. —Matt Barone

4. Veep (HBO)

Stars: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, Reid Scott, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole

There's a certain diabolical comfort you get from watching Veep. With its profanity laden dialogue and its arsenal of legendary ethers, the show embodies the big middle finger you wish you could give to anyone who's ever screwed you over. And boy do the characters on Veep know all about getting screwed over.

The Emmy-winning series follows the day-to-day shitstorm that Vice President Selina Meyer and her incompetent staffers constantly have to clean up. Left and right, everyone in D.C. is scooping each other, throwing frenemies under the bus, and manipulating more powerful people all for a seat in the Oval Office—or at least a stool next to the person behind the desk.

Through the end of third, consistently hilarious season—which is too big to spoil if you haven't finished it—Veep expectedly delivers a show for sadomasochists with a vindictive sense of humor. That is to say, it delivers f*cking perfection. —Tara Aquino

3. Hannibal (NBC)

Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Laurence Fishburne, Caroline Dhavernas, Hettienne Park, Scott Thompson, Aaron Abrams, Cynthia Nixon, Gillian Anderson, Gina Torres, Katherine Isabelle, Michael Pitt

There really isn’t anything else like Hannibal on television—or, frankly, in movie theaters.

Somehow having convinced NBC to let him make 13 art-house psychological horror films per season, showrunner/madman Bryan Fuller and his audacious team of writers and directors create weekly fever dreams. There’s a comfort in the show’s fictionalized nightmares, though, being that Fuller’s adapting Thomas Harris’ string of novels that gave the world the infamous made-up serial killer/cannibal Hannibal Lecter, previously owned by Sir Anthony Hopkins but now the sole property of the staggeringly great Mads Mikkelsen. You recognize the characters by name, yet Hannibal boldly reinvents everything you’ve known from movies like The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon.

And in the show’s phenomenal second season, Hannibal upped the ghoulish antes. Opening with an insane flash-forward, one that basically promised a major character death but then dangled that possibility for 13 more hours, season two delved deeper into the hyper-complicated relationship between Hannibal and troubled former FBI investigator Will Graham (Hugh Dancy, ready for his Emmy nomination). Since it’s Hannibal, their dynamic was explored not only through strongly written convos—Fuller, in his sickest bit of storytelling finesse, used I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening-on-television murder set-pieces to bring the characters from points A to B and then See All The Gore!

Game of Thrones may have the bigger talking-point deaths, but Hannibal definitely has the nastiest visual flat-lines, from an artsy mural of piled-up corpses to bodies dropped into pig pens and chewed up like human slop. Bonus points go to Fuller and company for bringing Michael Pitt back to television, casting him as a Dr. Strangelove-esque version of Mason Verger and getting him to treat his own face like…

Actually, like Hannibal’s second season as a whole, you just need to see that for yourself. And gape at it. —Matt Barone

2. Fargo (FX)

Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman, Bob Odenkirk, Keith Carradine, Adam Goldberg, Russell Harvard, Kate Walsh, Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Joey King, Oliver Platt, Glenn Howerton

Let’s also label this one “2014’s biggest surprise.”

It could’ve been a pointless pastiche, turning Joel and Ethan Coen’s acclaimed 1996 film Fargo, creating new but similar characters, and stretching the Coen brothers’ darkly comedic crime flick into a 10-episode TV show. And first impressions, provided by early stills and preview footage, hinted that showrunner Noah Hawley’s episodic Fargo would hue very closely to the filmmaking siblings’ work, with The Hobbit’s Martin Freeman cast as a William H. Macy riff and newcomer Allison Tolman playing a well-meaning deputy not unlike Frances McDormand’s film one.

Hawley’s series, thankfully, was anything but a copycat. Capturing the Coens’ unique brand of heavy violence offset by aw-shucks characters and off-center humor, FX’s risky Fargo kicked off with a superb pilot and consistently bettered itself each week. The performances, namely from Tolman, Freeman, and Billy Bob Thornton as the year’s most fascinating small-screen villain, were all, as Thornton’s Lorne Malvo would say, “aces”; Hawley, meanwhile, who wrote all 10 episodes, kept the seemingly basic narrative (small-town nebbish gets prodded into homicide and sparks a deputy’s interests) loose, unpredictable, and replete with sudden, emotionally taxing jolts.

You’d be hard-pressed to find 2014 TV sequences more intense than Thornton’s diner standoff against Keith Carradine, or Billy Bob’s triple murder inside the world’s bloodiest elevator. Those are only two of unforgettable moments from a show that both exceeded expectations and maintained excellence. —Matt Barone

1. Broad City (Comedy Central)

Stars: Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson

Giving a rookie not only the championship trophy but the Finals MVP isn't unheard of, not when said rookie is playing its most self-assured game and leaving its contemporaries looking like they'd benefit from to taking a note or two from its playbook. Consider Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer the Magic Johnson of television right now.

Both women play like they've been doing this forever, and really, they have. Before Amy Poehler signed on to produce their series for Comedy Central, Jacobson and Glazer met at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City. After struggling to land a regular gig on one of the theater's shows, Jacobson and Glazer decided to start their own. What they decided on was a web series about two twenty-something low-income women trying to get by in New York City, called Broad City.

As a web series, a live UCB show, and then a full-fledged TV series, Broad City continues to honor its unspoken mantra: "It's funny because it's true." The women deal with everyday annoyances, like sweaty stuffy subway commutes, shitty Craiglist jobs, and awful roommate situations. And while it's certainly fun to commiserate with these women, what really makes the show a joy to watch is how obviously Jacobson and Glazer love each other. Their homoerotic flirtations, their moot attempts to be each other's wingmen, their pointless debates on everything from smoking pot to Rihanna's sex appeal—they truly enjoy shooting the shit together, which translates into a viewer experience akin to hanging out with your own best friend.

Their success isn't a fluke, nor is their chemistry, which guarantees the women plenty more rings to come. If Magic's career is anything to go by, they'll be national living legends in no time. To their die-hard fans who've rooted for them since day one, they already are. —Tara Aquino