HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC)
The bloody melodrama’s legacy can be summed up in a single scene: Annalise (Viola Davis) sitting in front of her vanity, slowly removing her wig and makeup. It’s forlorn at first but becomes revelatory, an act of emotional burlesque anchored by Davis’s raw performance.
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
The days when a sitcom could run for 10 years and make its cast zillionaires seem past, with Modern Family the last of a breed. The pitch-perfect cast always made the show sharper and more clever than its family-comedy trappings seemed to promise.
POWER (Starz)
For six seasons, Omari Hardwick’s conflicted kingpin, Ghost, juggled his family, his legitimate business, and his illegal enterprise in a crime drama that became Starz’s top-rated show. The final season ended his reign—but fortunately, a spin-off with Mary J. Blige is on the way.
SCHITT’S CREEK (Pop TV & CBC)
This Canadian sitcom took a while to catch on Stateside, but once it did, the performances of comedic titans Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy drew fans into a sweet series about a rich family learning to be better people in a small town. The final season celebrated with tears, goodbyes, and a wedding—officiated by O’Hara wearing a bishop’s miter.
SHAMELESS (Showtime)
After a decade growing up onscreen, the Gallagher family bows out this summer with their 11th season. The Showtime dramedy is stacked with heartbreaking performances, including dear old drunk dad, played with relentless selfishness by William H. Macy.
SILICON VALLEY (HBO)
The long journey for start-up Pied Piper—and its founder, played by Thomas Middleditch—ended last year with a brilliant finale. The team (Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, and Zach Woods) more or less stuck through it all, even when their paradigm-shifting algorithm proved too dangerous for this world.
SUITS (USA Network)
An oddly addictive drama about an arrogant lawyer (Gabriel Macht) and his arrogant sidekick (Patrick J. Adams). Rick Hoffman was next-level Shakespearean as the guy nobody could stand. Meghan Markle was good too but quit for a better gig.
SUPERNATURAL (The WB)
Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have been to hell and back more than a few times on this, the longest-running sci-fi show in America. Supernatural meant to lay its weary head to rest but, because of the coronavirus, the Winchester boys will say farewell sometime soonish.
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