19. Tie: Mr. Robot (USA) and The Righteous Gemstones (HBO)

Danny McBride in The Righteous Gemstones and Rami Malek in Mr. Robot Photo : Ryan Green/HBO, Scott McDermott/USA

It speaks to the amount of good shows on the air that both The Righteous Gemstones and Mr. Robot aren’t ranked higher on this list. Quibbling with rankings will get you stuck in a subjective, never-ending loop, but both of these shows managed to be the purest, most entertaining versions of their creator’s visions to date. The Righteous Gemstones is the best of the three Danny McBride collaborations with Jody Hill and David Gordon Green. It’s the story of a wealthy, powerful evangelical family that explored ideas of family dynamics, faith, greed, and fame. The Righteous Gemstones gets top-shelf performances from its stellar cast: Walton Goggins as the sly, foul-mouthed uncle who wants in on the riches; John Goodman as the soulful but intimidating patriarch who’s become unmoored since his wife died; Edi Patterson as the insecure, conflicted outcast of the family; and McBride himself, who brings a certain gravitas to the show’s look at father-son relationships. The Righteous Gemstones struck the perfect balance between comedy and drama.



It’s a shame that Mr. Robot fell away from the spotlight a bit—partly because of an underwhelming reception to the second season (which I personally think is very good), and partly because there’s just so much to watch—because it’s quietly delivered one of the best final seasons of all time, right up there with the likes of Halt And Catch Fire, Breaking Bad, and The Americans. Not only did the show remain visually ambitious and thematically sharp, but also the final season closed out its character arcs with real emotional nuance, showing that amongst all the political revolutions and anti-capitalist messaging was a character-driven show about finding connection and meaning in a system that’s designed to keep you isolated and desperate. [Kyle Fowle]

Mr. Robot is available in Amazon Prime Video. The Righteous Gemstones is available on HBO Now.

