A few years after the turn of the millennium, as reality TV dominated the major networks, a handful of ambitious HBO dramas launched what would eventually be known as a new golden age of scripted television: “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood,” “The Wire,” “Six Feet Under.” The success of those shows inspired cable channels to add “prestige” programming; FX and AMC led the charge, and now even USA, WGN, and Syfy are making Emmy bait. Add the deluge of original series now produced by streaming services, and you’ll understand why critics and industry figures are complaining about too much of a good thing. Last year, FX Networks president John Landgraf coined the term “peak TV” to describe the current landscape, lamenting its “enormous impact on everyone’s ability to cut through the clutter and create real buzz.”

This explosion of great TV has made showrunners household names, but it’s also led to a renaissance in music supervision. As described by the six-year-old Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor “oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games and any other existing or emerging visual media platforms.” Along with coordinating original scores, supervisors source prerecorded music. And while pop songs have appeared on scripted television for decades—notably on generation-defining teen dramas like “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “The O.C.”—a quality soundtrack is essential to helping a show stand out in the era of peak TV.

In 2016, strong music supervision is about more than sourcing big hits and spotting new talent in hopes of releasing a soundtrack album (though those are getting better, too). Today’s best music supervisors use songs to help set the scene, whether it’s ’70s Minnesota or contemporary Los Angeles, or provide subtle commentary on a show’s plot and characters. Series like “Mad Men”—whose soundtrack was overseen by legendary supervisor Alexandra Patsavas (“Gossip Girl,” “Grey’s Anatomy”)—raise the bar even higher by doing both.

With TV season now back in swing, here are ten current shows that get music supervision right.

“Mr. Robot” (USA)

Creator Sam Esmail’s anti-capitalist tech thriller follows Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a brilliant hacker who also happens to be losing it. The show hinges on its immersion in the psyche of a mentally ill morphine addict. Along with composer Mac Quayle’s original score, eclectic selections from music supervisors Amie Bond and Charlie Haggard are essential to creating an disorienting experience. A single episode from the show’s current, second season featured tracks by Lupe Fiasco, Sonic Youth, Phil Collins, the self-described “apocalyptic pop” of New York newcomers Glitterbitch, and the Sufi devotional music of Pakistan’s Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwli, among others. “Mr. Robot’s” ’90s selections are particularly witty—which makes sense, considering that the show both celebrates and critiques films like The Matrix and Fight Club. The show even referenced David Fincher’s movie with an instrumental cover of its most iconic soundtrack cut, Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” And, as witnessed below, Len’s goofy hit “Steal My Sunshine” is lethally dissonant on a show this dark.

Essential sync: Perfume Genius’ “Queen” scores a lengthy detox hallucination in season one’s “eps.1.3_da3m0ns.mp4,” providing a perfectly surreal mix of romance, delicacy, and boldness.

“American Crime Story” (FX)

In its first season, “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” everything about Ryan Murphy’s anthology true-crime series screamed 1995: the costumes, the cars, poor Marcia Clark’s perm (with excellent hair acting by Sarah Paulson). The soundtrack followed suit, with music supervisor P.J. Bloom pulling songs that evoked the MTV-saturated era. There were some obvious yet satisfying choices: inevitably, the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” popped up during the Bronco chase. But most of the syncs were subtler, reviving songs that many viewers may not have thought about since the real O.J. trial was airing. Enigma’s “Sadeness, Pt. 1” opened the season with some Pure Moods vibes. Ice Cube’s “Bop Gun (One Nation)” played at a backyard cookout. We heard TLC’s “What About Your Friends?” as Chris Darden (Sterling K. Brown) cast his vote in a radio station’s “Marcia Clark: Bitch or babe?” survey.