Staff Favorites: Television Shows of the 2020s

We discussed in our introduction yesterday just how incredible an accomplishment it is for a great film to be made. Perhaps, we’d argue, it’s even more incredible for a sustainable television show to be produced. Because not only do you have the same constraints as making a film, but now you have ratings to worry about, network notes, different directors with different visions in every episode, a constant casting cycle for guest stars, and hundreds of different things that make running a television program an arduous task. You have to tell your story in a vacuum and an overarching story week-to-week so that those who have been watching and who are tuning in for the first time can enjoy it at the same level. But there are benefits to a television show. They can allow you to explore far more with the benefit of additional time. You can pivot when the audience rejects something. You know each week you have work and an audience.

What shows did our staff select as their favorite television shows of the decade thus far?

Jameus Mooney, Admin of Dirt Sheet Radio and Editor at Comic Book Clique.

Shrinking, Apple TV.

I don’t think there’s anybody doing it like Apple TV, and as much as I love Severance, to know that every year like clockwork I’m going to get a television show at a high level is important to me.

I’ve been a big Jason Segel fan since Big Fudge was lawyering people on How I Met Your Mother, and Harrison Ford, like any kid who grew up in a post-Indiana Jones world, represents one of my favorite actors ever. When Apple TV+ launched, as apprehensive as I was that another tech company would go into streaming, this is the show that sold me. The general premise of a therapist who refuses to grieve his wife, and thus tells his patients what he really thinks about their problems fostered a perfect environment for hilarity, but also a character study exploration of grief and found family, and the cast, including a very fun career resurgence role from Married with Children’s Jefferson D’Arcy, bring so much levity that makes it worthwhile.

The last two years where Harrison Ford’s character has Parkinsons and has to deal with his own life and what he achieved with both his work and daughter, as well as the new relationship with Wendy Malick’s character, I’d argue is the best dramatic acting work of his career, and I don’t say that lightly.

If you haven’t checked it out, I implore you to do so.

Nick LaRocco, Admin of Dirt Sheet Radio.

AEW Collision, TNT Sports.

While there have been plenty of incredible television shows throughout the 2020s, my favorite weekly show has been AEW Collision. More than anything, it reminds me why Saturday night wrestling has always held a special place in my heart. Growing up, one of our family traditions was ordering pizza, grabbing a few sodas, and settling in to watch WCW Saturday Night. You never knew who would walk through the curtain, but you knew you were in for a few hours of quality professional wrestling. Even after Nitro and later Thunder pushed it into more of a secondary and then tertiary role, Saturday Night remained one of my favorite wrestling shows because it gave opportunities to wrestlers who weren't always featured in the main event scene. It was also a great way to catch up on everything happening across WCW if you couldn't dedicate your entire week to wrestling.

AEW Collision scratched that exact same itch for me. Tony Khan understood that the show could not simply be another Dynamite. It needed its own personality. The pacing is different, the atmosphere is different, and the emphasis has always been on letting the wrestling breathe. In many ways, it feels like the SmackDown to Dynamite's Raw. The opening theme, for a long time, was Elton John and it had immediately set the tone. One of my favorite touches has always been the opening promos from the wrestlers on that night's card. Before the first match even begins, you already know what's at stake and what everyone is fighting for.

Another thing I love about Collision is that it embraces unpredictability. Just like the Saturday wrestling shows I grew up with, you never quite know who might walk through the curtain. It has become the perfect showcase for wrestlers who don't always receive the spotlight on Dynamite or pay-per-view, creating hidden gems almost every week. Acts like FTR and the "Collision Cowboys," aka the Bang Bang Gang, have become synonymous with the show, and some of my favorite matches of the decade, including the incredible CMFTR battles with the Bang Bang Gang, helped establish Collision as something truly special.

Collision feels like a love letter to an era of wrestling that doesn't really exist anymore. It captures everything I loved about spending Saturday nights with my family, watching great wrestling, discovering new favorites, and simply enjoying the ride. Every week, it reminds me why I fell in love with professional wrestling in the first place, and that's why it's my favorite television show of the 2020s.

Robert Acosta, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

Ted Lasso, Apple TV.

My biases coming back into play! SNL Season 35 is my favorite season of the show, that is my cast. Jason Sudeikis being one of my favorite parts of my favorite SNL cast means that Ted Lasso was going to be right up my alley from the jump. He does such a good job of blending the absurd with really sincere, heartfelt moments and character growth - rooting for Ted is easy.

What I didn’t expect from the comedy about a Soccer Manager going to manage a Futbol team in the UK is the amount of heart the show has. How every character feels like a real, relatable person rather than a written character. Dealing with a strained relationship with a parent, tackling toxic masculinity, what going through divorce looks and feels like - I felt all of it.

A talented cast overall that reminds me of The Office in the way that each character is a small piece of the puzzle that makes this show work. Sure, the titular character is the main character but this show doesn’t work without handing the spotlight around and making us care for the group. Roy Kent, inarguably my favorite character, with his rough edges that hide his soft interior. Rebecca Welton, an imposing

I love what Ted Lasso stands for: Working as a team to achieve personal & professional goals and growth, a focus on mental health, especially for males and a belief in people to do the right thing and providing teaching moments when they don’t always do the right thing. It’s been therapeutic watching this show.

Jhuvin Palaganas, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

Very Important People, Dropout.

Is it cheating if I pick something from a streaming service? I kind of feel like everyone is going to do that anyway. Dropout is doing something really special, and the one thing that puts them above streaming services, for me, is their drive to experiment. The company is not afraid to try something new, to make shows that think completely outside the box. Very Important People embodies that experimental nature in fascinating ways.

The premise of the show is to take a comedian, put them in outrageous and elaborate costumes/makeup, and have them come up with a character based on how they look. Then, they have a completely improvised interview with the host, Vic Michaelis. The interviews go off the rails almost immediately. Yet, Vic Michaelis finds a way to make sense of the madness to construct a coherent, and sometimes profound, piece of online television. In the latest season, Vic tries to help a giant, sentient hotdog understand their self-worth, and that’s maybe the seventh weirdest episode of the season.

Amanda Woods, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

The Pitt, HBO.

Although I find myself sometimes avoiding popular shows in order to watch later and form my own opinions, The Pitt is not one of those instances. Now, many people have watched and have their own thoughts/opinions on this show, hailing it as the “most realistic medical drama of all time”. It has also developed a life of its own because of social media and some of the “controversies” surrounding it. But regardless, I still highly recommend this show.

The Pitt follows a shift-in-the-life of a hospital emergency room, located in Pittsburgh. Throughout the series, you meet a variety of doctors, nurses, and patients as they come and go from the ER. Although the show is more of an ensemble, we primarily follow Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (played by Noah Wyle), the morning shift attending. Overall, I think this show exemplifies how to bring more of a filmmaking approach to a television medium. This show makes excellent use of blocking and long camera takes to keep viewers entrenched in the action. The Pitt is also paced fantastically, with its hour-long episodes feeling almost half of that because of how much happens in a single episode. Sometimes in these larger-cast shows, some characters might feel underdeveloped compared to some others. For the most part, this show avoids that issue. Every major character feels like an actual human being with their own lives and struggles outside of their current environment. No two characters are the exact same; in fact sometimes their similarities serve as major points of contention instead. It is for this exact reason why Dr. Langon (played by Patrick Ball) and Dr. Santos (played by Isa Briones) are my two favorite characters in the show.

Now, do I worry that this show runs the risk of buying too much into its own hype moving forward, decreasing the quality of the show over time? Absolutely! I felt some potential issues with that starting in season 2. However, season 1 of The Pitt is some of the best television put to screen in recent memory. The entire show will have you on the edge of your seat, episode by episode, hour by hour. I think it's also one of the few shows that stands the test of being able to be both bingeable while also working as a part of a week-to-week release format. I highly recommend at least giving The Pitt a shot even if medical dramas or “Prestige TV” isn’t your thing. I would just avoid most things fandom related with this show (you’ll thank me later).

Jenny Catlin, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

Somebody Somewhere, HBO.

I love the cast. I love the humor. Love the heartbreak. I love a show about people who don’t always look like supermodels or live in awesome places or make the best choices, but get to fall in and out of love and have sex and get drunk and get their hearts broken anyway. In praise of thick girls, gay besties, and the square states.

Andre Porter, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

The Penguin, HBO.

The limited series seamlessly continues to build upon the foundations Matt Reeves laid out for his universe in 2022. The stellar cast delivers performances that will undoubtedly stand the test of time, supported by a captivating narrative that embodies the essence of this universe.

Sean Paul, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Netflix.

“There are no happy endings in Night City.”

It was only a matter of time until Cyberpunk 2077 (2022) got itself a tie-in TV show, and we got some of the most emotionally damaging content to ever surface on our screens. Every time when things were looking up for our protagonists, it all came crashing down to Earth. With season two coming out in the fall, you'll want to get on board right now.

Andy Chen, Admin of Dirt Sheet Radio and Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

The World Between Us, PTS.

I highly recommend The World Between Us. It is one of the best Taiwanese TV dramas I've watched. The series explores crime, justice, media, and human relationships from different perspectives. The realistic characters and powerful storytelling make it a show that stays with you long after watching it.

Abel Loza, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
The Chair Company, HBO.

Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company was my favorite series that started in the 2020s. Robinson’s type of humor is right up my alley, and I don't remember ever laughing or having that much secondhand embarrassment as much as I did watching The Chair Company. The idea that the premise is so ridiculous while all the characters and the production of the show itself (in the style of a dramatic prestige show) take themselves so seriously makes it that much more hilarious. As the show gets deeper and deeper into the season, you ironically get invested in the show. It was a masterful tightrope to walk. If you have an off-kilter sense of humor as I do, I can't recommend this show highly enough.

Ryan Norton, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

House of the Dragon, HBO.

I think it goes without saying that Game of Thrones fans weren’t exactly happy with the final one or two seasons, correct? So what if I tell you they have started doing prequels focusing on specific families of the Seven Kingdoms? Does that sound like something you’d enjoy? Then get your eyeballs on this! The backstory of the Targaryen family and their rise to power. Starring names including, but not limited to… Matt Smith, Emma D’arcy, Milly Alcock and Rhys Ifans as well as some huge cameos and guest appearances throughout its ongoing 3 seasons. It of course features the sort of content Game of Thrones is known for, so if any of that offends or puts you off then maybe don’t check this one out.

Dustin Lee, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.

The Bear, FX.

While it's centered around a restaurant, it's really a story about people trying to deal with pressure, grief, family, and personal growth. The characters feel authentic, and even the most stressful moments are balanced with humor and heart. Every season does a great job of making you care about the people on screen, and that's what keeps bringing me back. It's one of those shows that stays with you long after you've finished an episode.

Jessica Roberts, Editor at Comic Book Clique.

Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, Prime Video.

Rings of Power by a landslide in the last 10 years. I'm a lifelong Tolkien fan, scholar, stan, historian. I know that usually means a seething hatred for adaptations like the Hobbit films and Rings of Power, but I just don't feel that. Give me more adaptations with broader interpretations and greater liberties. Imagine your own stories in the world that I already love, and I will eat them up. That's how I feel about Rings of Power. I love seeing someone else's interpretation of stories that I already know and love.

George Serrano, Founder of Comic Book Clique.

Ted Lasso, Apple TV.

Ted as a protagonist is genuinely happy-go-lucky and a goody two-shoes in an era where everyone is looking for an anti-hero. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and the show gives you the backstory as to why. It gives me The Good Place vibes with good-natured people dealing with the world as it is, but choosing not to get swallowed up in negativity or the scapegoat nature of blaming everyone else for their problems. It speaks to how community, passion, and purpose can help win the day.

Jon Escudero, Founder of Dirt Sheet Radio and Editor at Comic Book Clique.

Takopi’s Original Sin, Crunchyroll.

I haven't been this emotionally moved by a TV show in a very long time. The devastatingly complex, psychological storytelling is hidden beneath a deceptively innocent sci-fi premise. I love shit like that.

That concludes our staff television picks. Tomorrow represents the final day of a dedicated topic as we look at literature of the 2020s.