Year end lists, and particularly the blurbs at the start of year end lists, are about one thing: how do we distill said year down to its essence, and filter it through the lens of whatever specific discipline you’re focusing on? “This was the year of Halo Top knock-offs,” you’d probably read on a list of best ice cream, for example. But any attempt to do that with television would be futile.

For years, the amount of TV has been increasing, but what was clear about 2018 was that the variety and quality has been rising, as well. Yes, we’re starting to hit a critical mass in number of streaming services; and 2019 will be a crucial year, with the addition of potential behemoths created by Disney and WarnerMedia. But this was the year the viewing public got used to watching as many TV shows as they could fit in their eyeballs at one time. That led to dings in the armor of long-running broadcast shows, and of course many worthy contenders got lost in the shuffle or outright canceled. But every week, it seemed, we got a new, original, exciting TV show to invest ourselves in, write fanfic for, meme and GIF, and stimulate us critically… At least until the next week, when we moved on to another one.

Still, it probably wasn’t possible for any one person to watch the hundreds of shows that premiered between January 1, 2018 and December 31. That’s why Decider’s staff got together to create our list of the best shows of the year… And ended up with a longer, more comprehensive list than ever before. A word on methodology: every member of Decider’s staff voted for their personal top ten; then those votes were weighted, tabulated, and a brief runoff held to break any ties.

What we ended up with runs the scope of dramas and comedies on streaming and broadcast: from a period wrestling comedy; to a rebooted reality makeover show; to a gothic family mystery; and shows so bizarre they defy classification. Without further ado, here are Decider’s Best TV Shows of 2018:

1 'GLOW' GLOW Season 2 was hands down the best season of scripted television that Netflix has ever produced. The series tackled the drama of sexual harassment, the heartache of motherhood, and the uproarious glory of sticking it to a man. As funny as it was heartbreaking, as entertaining as it was technically excellent, GLOW was just about perfect. (Oh, and it didn’t suffer from any of the dreaded narrative bloat Netflix’s shows always have.) — Meghan O’Keefe For more on why GLOW was our pick for show of the year, click here. Stream GLOW on Netflix

2 'The Good Place' The most unpredictable TV show continues to be a primetime NBC sitcom starring Sam from Cheers and Veronica Mars. Forking ridiculous, right? But we wouldn’t have it any other way. The Good Place spent 2018 doing what it does best: plowing through premises that lesser shows would’ve spent years exploring in pursuit of TV heaven. They blew up the neighborhood, met a burrito-loving judge, rewrote Earth’s timeline, and sang the ballad of Donkey Doug. There’s nothing The Good Place won’t do, and that’s what makes it still a must-watch three seasons in. — Brett White Where to stream The Good Place

3 'Killing Eve' No freshman series of 2018 was more of a surprise than Killing Eve, a cat-and-mouse thriller about a British intelligence officer (Sandra Oh) and a strong-willed assassin (Jodie Comer). The BBC America adaptation follows the women as they slowly become obsessed with one another, often to the detriment of their personal and professional lives. Thanks to brilliant writing from Phoebe Waller-Bridge and dark, nuanced performances from Oh and Comer, Killing Eve was the gift that kept on giving. Season 2 cannot come soon enough. — Claire Spellberg Where to stream Killing Eve

4 'Barry' Anyone who’s seen The Skeleton Twins already knows that Bill Hader has no problem blending humor and drama, but the comedian exceeded all theatrical expectations with HBO’s Barry. A deft mix of dark comedy and emotional drama, the critically-acclaimed HBO series humanizes the arcane world of contract killing. Similar in tone to Grosse Pointe Blank, Barry combines exceptional writing, genuine emotion, and superb acting to deliver one of the most enjoyable shows of 2018. — Josh Sorokach Stream Barry on HBO

5 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story' If the first season of American Crime Story took a story we were all intensely familiar with — the O.J. Simpson murder trial — and made us re-think our reactions to it on the basis of race and gender, the second season focused on the story we didn’t necessarily know about: the Versace murder. The season traveled backwards through the life of Andrew Cunanan (a chillingly perfect Darren Criss), showing not only the making of this murderer but also the effects of a homophobic society on keeping his victims silent and his manhunt stymied. — Joe Reid Where to stream The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

7 'Queer Eye' When a great evil emerges, a greater force for good must rise to meet it. 2018 was that evil, and Queer Eye was that greater force for good. Netflix’s reboot did more than makeover schlubby dudes; it made over every single person that watched it, soothing their soul and boosting their confidence. Queer Eye went places that no other show did in 2018 — specifically rural Georgia, dropping flashy queens in the homes of Trump-supporting cops and Christian super dads. Tan, Jonathan, Bobby, Karamo, and Antoni weren’t the heroes we expected in 2018, but they were the heroes we needed. — Brett White Stream Queer Eye on Netflix

8 'Better Call Saul' In Better Call Saul Season 4, Jimmy McGill got closer to Saul Goodman than ever before. Bob Odenkirk’s Jimmy spent the season grieving his brother’s loss and biding his time — in some very interesting track suits — before his reinstatement to the New Mexico bar. The introduction of Gustavo Fring’s super lab moved the series further towards the events of Breaking Bad, but we’re not there quite yet, and that’s a good thing: there’s plenty more time for Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s prequel to stun us with striking visuals, bizarre (yet fitting) musical cues, and moving performances. — Claire Spellberg Where to stream Better Call Saul

9 'The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell' The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell was a miracle that no one saw coming. The zany show was framed as a spooky baking how-to guide starring a pretty Instagram star. In fact, it was a stealth return to Jim Henson’s bonkers roots. The series won us over with its hilarious puppets, gothic style, and dark humor. Can we get a season 2 order already? — Meghan O’Keefe Stream The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell on Netflix

10 'BoJack Horseman' Every year is seems like Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s depressed horse show can’t get any better. And every year, it proves us wrong. It’s not that Season 5 of the series hit any new emotional lows — after half a decade on the air that’s pretty much impossible. It’s the way BoJack Horseman expanded its pain that made this season so extraordinary. Whether it was pausing to give a eulogy or running through Vietnam, this season was filled with sobering portraits of beloved characters confronting their biggest secrets. It’s rare for any show to achieve this level of emotional honesty. It’s even more impressive to achieve that painful rawness while slipping on lube. — Kayla Cobb Watch BoJack Horseman on Netflix

11 'Star Trek: Discovery' CBS All Access’ reinvention of the Star Trek saga was already pushing the franchise to boldly go where it had never gone before when the first half of the season aired in 2017. But when it returned in January, it hit Black Alert and never looked back, with a series of twists that were so breathtaking, so shocking that the end of the every episode felt like it could have been a season finale on any other show. Going back and watching the full season, you can see how well these twists were set up. But even without them, Discovery stands as a near perfect first season with incredible characters, hugely emotional moments, and some of the best action set-pieces ever committed to screen. — Alex Zalben Stream Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access

12 'Castle Rock' As a Stephen King aficionado who holds a particular affection for the first several decades of his work, there was a hope that Castle Rock would be the Mario Party of the King universe, where Carrie White, Danny Torrance, Mother Abigail, and Cujo all team up, Avengers-style, to defeat the Crimson King. Castle Rock is not that; it’s better. It’s an original, deeply creepy and layered story, set in King’s most frequented fictional town, that paints in the colors of King’s best-known works while telling a tale whose creepiness is only deepened as we find out the devils we thought we knew aren’t what we expected. — Joe Reid Stream Castle Rock on Hulu

13 'American Vandal' How do you top perfection? That was the struggle facing Netflix’s true crime mockuseries American Vandal, which entered 2018 with the tough mission of following up the mystery of who drew the dicks. They succeeded. Season 2 played out like a scatological “Serial” as Peter and Sam sought to exonerate the annoyingly effete Kevin from causing a diarrhea outbreak. But much like Season 1, the saga of the Turd Burglar and their reign of terror spoke to a surprisingly deep, nakedly human issue: the loneliness and isolation of the social media age. And also, there were a lot of hilarious poop jokes. — Brett White Stream American Vandal on Netflix

14 'Atlanta' In its second season Atlanta wasn’t any bolder than it was in Season 1. If anything it was quieter, choosing to lean into the equally maddening and numbing insanity that defines life in this show. The effect was deafening as the series finally used its power-packed cast of Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz, and Lakeith Stanfield to its full advantage. In their own deeply intelligent and cringe comedy-laced way, Donald and Stephen Glover proved you can make pointed comedy without ever making a definite point. Oh, and then there was Teddy Perkins, a character who will haunt our dreams forever. — Kayla Cobb Where to stream Atlanta

15 'Pose' In a year where drag culture crossed over ever further into pop culture, FX’s Pose glanced over its sparkly shoulder to our queer past, where the house culture of Harlem and the Bronx provided shelter and family to those who had neither, and where the fashionable, exuberant, competitive house balls were both battlefields and community gardens. Executive producer Ryan Murphy and series creator Steven Canals kept the look a bit glossy but the stories stayed grounded. And while occasionally uneven, there was such truth in the central performances of Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, and Angelica Ross, not to mention the divine and Emmy-worthy Billy Porter. The season’s final ball competition made for the most extravagant, celebratory, fierce-as-hell finale of 2018. — Joe Reid Where to stream Pose

17 'Succession' The pilot episode of HBO’s Succession, penned by Jesse Armstrong and directed by Adam McKay, was a tonal mess. Making matters worse, things didn’t really improve in Episode 2. (Or Episode 3, for that matter.) In our era of Too Much TV, taking four-plus hours to get to the good stuff is generally a death sentence, but by the time Brian Cox’s Murdoch-ian patriarch finally roared back to life in Episode 4 after suffering a near-fatal stroke in the pilot, Succession not only found its stride … it developed the gait of an Olympic sprinter. The show’s venerable ensemble finally adjusted to Armstrong’s pitch black comedic perspective, and those final 6 episodes of the show’s first season deserve to be considered among the most fruitful creative stretches in HBO’s storied programming history. — Mark Graham Stream Succession on HBO

18 'Magic for Humans' Thanks to his universally adored Netflix show, Justin Willman is now a household name to magic lovers everywhere. Magic For Humans follows the charismatic host as he performs man-on-the-street magic and elaborate experiments for unsuspecting strangers. This six episode series dedicates entire episodes to themes like self-control, romance, and terrifying technology so that Willman can display as wide array of illusions as possible. From his take on the Stanford marshmallow experiment to levitating goat yoga to his viral “invisible” man moment, Willman always makes sure we are laughing with his audience and not at them. Magic for Humans is the feel better show of 2018. — Karen Kemmerle Stream Magic for Humans on Netflix

19 'Counterpart' Counterpart was and is — get this — the rare mystery box thriller that makes sense. In a year stuffed with high concept genre shows that fall apart upon any inspection, Counterpart was a gem. It was full of gorgeous performances, real human drama, and spectacular twists that worked in tandem with the emotions unspooling before us. Basically, this is the show you should have watched instead of Westworld. — Meghan O’Keefe Where to stream Counterpart

20 'Sharp Objects' Sharp Objects is Southern gothic done right. The HBO limited series follows reporter Camille Preaker (an unbelievable Amy Adams) as she travels back home to Wind Gap, Missouri to investigate the gruesome murders of two young girl. Some viewers felt that Jean-Marc Vallee’s follow-up to Big Little Lies lacked direction, but those who stuck around were treated to a searing take on victimhood, femininity, and guilt. If you made it through Sharp Objects, chances are, you’ll never forget it. — Claire Spellberg Stream Sharp Objects on HBO