From an Emmy-winning murder mystery set in an affluent California town to a comical take on this decade's obsession with true-crime series and an under-appreciated standout from the USA Network, this year's new TV shows stretched out the much-chronicled Golden Age of Television to officially include 2017.
Below, the nine shows that are worth re-watching over and over again.
The Deuce (HBO)
Photograph: HBO
With a plot arc that was at times too slow to be fully appreciated, the much-anticipated HBO production mostly fulfilled the expectations set by a great cast and a usually outstanding network. Adding to James Franco's creatively successful year, The Deuce features the actor as twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino in 1970s New York and explores the sex trade industry through various points of view, including that of a prostitute, Candy, played charismatically and with effect by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Photograph: Amazon
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, of Gilmore Girls fame, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel entices, provokes, surprises and warms your heart all at the same time. Although certainly reminiscent of Sherman-Palladino's previous work, it feels like a rounding out of her talents, officially establishing the role she should take in the cultural television atmosphere. A bit about the plot, which feels refreshingly different: Miriam "Midge" Maisel lives on New York's Upper West Side with her seemingly perfect husband and kids in the 1950s—until said husband, who aspires to be a stand-up comedian, deserts her. The comedy series follows the female lead's drift from the comfort of her past to the discovery of her own possible successful future in the comedy industry.
Mindhunter (Netflix)
Photograph: Netflix
A David Fincher and Netflix collaboration is a must-see no matter said collaboration's reviews. Add to it a storyline based on the FBI agent who inspired a Silence of the Lambs character and you've got yourself a show rightfully belonging to any best-of list. Although the acting chops of usually stupendous Jonathan Groff don't seem to translate into such a dark role, his character's journey through the minds of serial killers keeps viewers attached to the screen. The macabre tales of the murderers themselves are more interesting than the stories involving the detectives that interrogate them.
Ozark (Netflix)
Photograph: Netflix
The Netflix series starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as the unlikely leads explores the repercussions of a money-laundering scheme gone wrong and actually ends up reeling audiences in—a success measures if not by the online chatter following the premiere, by Netflix's renewal of the series for a second season. In season one, financial planner Marty Byrde (Bateman) relocated his family from Chicago to the Ozarks, trying to protect them while paying off a debt to a Mexican drug lord.
The Sinner (USA Network)
Photograph: USA Network
Jessica Biel stars as Cora Tannetti, a woman who stabs a man to death in public but doesn't know why. The USA mini-series, which focuses on detective Harry Ambrose's (Bill Pullman) murder investigation, quietly slipped into and out of the cultural realm to much critical acclaim but without the public recognition it certainly deserves. It begs the question: Would the series have been more successful if broadcast by HBO or Netflix?
The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Photograph: Hulu
Arguably the most surprising TV success of the year, The Handmaid's Tale, based on the eponymous dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, happened to fit right into the mood and the social and political themes defining the country in 2017. A must-see for people of all political leanings, of any age and social background, the show—and here one shall bow down to Atwood's own foreseeing capabilities and writing prowess—plunged into 2017's cultural landscape with tornado-like qualities that have seemed to define just about any other aspect of this constantly earth-shattering year.
GLOW (Netflix)
Photograph: Netflix
Another one of the year's female-led success stories, GLOW benefited from a combination of things: A never-before-told story, a light yet enticing vibe and the kind of casting of its female lead (Alison Brie as aspiring actress Ruth Wilder) that ends up turning the part into one that could never be played by other actors. Unlikely to have been picked up by any other network, the production has already been renewed for a second season.
Big Little Lies (HBO)
Photograph: HBO
Given the show's platform (HBO), star-filled cast (Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and Laura Dern) and the previous success of the book that the production is based on, Big Little Lies drew all the attention it deserved before even premiering and has effectively turned the mini-series into a fruitful, and to many preferred, TV format for years to come. The show's structure—with an unlinear timeline that ends with the discovery of the culprit of the murder committed in the rich town of Monterey, California—adds to the binge-ability of it all.
American Vandal (Netflix)
Photograph: Netflix
The Netflix mockumentary basically pokes fun at the kind of documentaries—written, spoken and broadcast—that have come to define millennials' entertainment preferences. The first series, consisting of eight episodes, follows the investigation launched by a high school sophomore to uncover the truth behind a high school prank that leaves over twenty faculty cars vandalized with phallic images. Taking the public's thirst for mysteries and flipping it on its head by turning it into both the subject of and the commentary on the show, American Vandal is as 2017 as it gets.