Staying up-to-date on television is a full-time job. Actually, strike that. It’s a full-time job with loads of expected overtime. Wouldn’t it be nice if the streamers and networks huddled together and were like, “You know what, gang? No new TV in January. Everyone catch up on what’s already out there and then we’ll reconvene in February!”

Honestly, I’d probably just end up rewatching Happy Endings and Flight of the Conchords again. But still, it’s the hypothetical thought that counts.

The never-ending avalanche of new shows notwithstanding, there was an overabundance of exceptional television this year. From the return of Fleabag to the debut of critical darlings like Amazon’s Undone and Hulu’s PEN15, this list is the perfect answer to the age-old question “What should I watch next?” Interestingly enough, the classic NBC sitcom Cheers was not eligible for our Best TV Episodes of 2019 list because it concluded in 1993. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Here are Decider’s picks for the top TV episodes of 2019!

'Succession' Season 2, Episode 10: "This is Not for Tears" Who could have predicted that Succession would provide us with TV’s best “but”? Amateur rapper Kendall Roy delivered the conjunction heard round the world when he went from company scapegoat to certified boss by waging war on the Roy patriarch during the final moments of Season 2. Succession’s sophomore offering gifted us with an array of unforgettable scenes (“boar on the floor,” Kendall’s rap, the Roman and Gerri of it all), but nothing could mentally, physically, or spiritually prepare us for Kendall and Cousin Greg Gregory’s act of defiance. It was truly one of the most infectiously exciting twists in recent memory. Where to stream Succession

'The Mandalorian' Season 1, Episode 2: "The Child" If Episode 1 of The Mandalorian showed viewers what a Star Wars story looked like on the small screen, then Episode 2 showed viewers how those Star Wars would be told on TV. Freed from the bloat that plagues all the shows on, well, every other platform, “Chapter 2: The Child” is a lean action tale that wastes no time getting into the thick of it. Centered around three vastly different action set pieces, “The Child” is a fantastic showcase for the show’s stunt team and director Rick Famuyiwa, who kept the bounty hunters actions clear during a string of mostly silent brawls. Plus, you can’t go wrong with any episode of TV that features a bunch of Jawas getting disintegrated. — Brett White Stream The Mandalorian on Disney+

'PEN15' Season 1, Episode 9: "Anna Ishii-Peters" In just 27 minutes, PEN15 transforms from a laugh-out-loud comedy into a full-on horror movie. Episode 9, “Anna Ishii-Peters,” follows middle school best friends Maya and Anna (played by 30-year-old Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle) as they embark on a days-long sleepover that blurs the line between obsession and suffocation. The episode serves as a turning point for the first season, as both girls must face the fact that their childhood is coming to an end, albeit in different ways. Underneath its hilarious montage of best friend-dom, the real strength of “Anna Ishii-Peters” is its carefully constructed story: just try not to cry when their relationship slowly unravels, forcing Anna to look elsewhere for help. — Claire Spellberg Stream PEN15 on Hulu

'Undone' Season 1, Episode 5: "Alone in This (You Have Me)" Every minute of Undone, Kate Purdy and Raphael-Bob Waksberg’s animated comedy about loss, mental illness, growth, and time travel, is heartbreakingly beautiful. But there’s something extraordinary about Episode 5. Written by Purdy and directed by Hisko Hulsing, the episode follows Alma (Rosa Salazar) as she finally gains control of her universe-altering powers right as she realizes that her long-time boyfriend has been lying to her. What follows is one of the most masterfully esoteric episodes of television as Alma effortlessly drifts from her own present and memories of her past to her ancestors and her boyfriend’s past. It’s never clear if Alma really witnesses Sam’s (Siddharth Dhananjay) childhood or if she’s slowly losing her mind. Yet the episode’s overarching message that everything in the universe is connected shines through its tender weirdness. — Kayla Cobb Stream Undone on Prime Video

'Fleabag': Season 2, Episode 1 Fleabag’s Season 2 premiere pulled off something of a miracle. It neatly recapped the first season, all while upping the ante for Season 2. From the opening moments, where we see a bloodied Phoebe Waller-Bridge happily chirp, “This is a love story,” to the introduction of Andrew Scott’s “Hot Priest,” to the extraordinary framing of the famous jumpsuit against a brick wall, the episode was chock full of moments waiting to go viral. But what really makes this episode so darn good is how it consistently hopped from tragedy to comedy, and always truthfully. For all its style, Fleabag’s substance is its raw, unbeatable soul. — Megan O’Keefe Stream Fleabag on Prime Video

'Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 3: "The Long Night" Say what you want about the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones — and many, many people certainly did — but the third episode, “The Long Night” was a masterwork, particularly on the part of director Miguel Sapochnik. Weaving between massive battle scenes between The Night King’s army of the undead and the last stand of our heroes at Winterfell, and terrifying moments like Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) being chased through the halls of the citadel by wights, it truly felt like any character could die at any moment. And then it all ended in a moment, a jump, so perfectly filmed and staged, it instantly became iconic. Sure we’ve picked the logic of the episode apart since then. Sure, the final episodes soured many fans on the series as a whole. And yes, if you didn’t watch on the right screen with the right contrast settings you may have seen a bunch of big, black blobs. But all that aside, “The Long Night” was a television event unlike any other, one that truly felt like the culmination of a decade of television. — Alex Zalben Where to stream Game of Thrones

'Cobra Kai' Season 2, Episode 10: "No Mercy" Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you not to sleep on the pop culture gift known as YouTube’s Cobra Kai. Not only did the streamer’s exceptional Karate Kid revival avoid the dreaded sophomore slump in Season 2, but it delivered one of the best finales of the year. The season-long rivalry between Johnny Lawrence’s Cobra Kai dojo and Daniel LaRusso’s Miyagi-Do Karate reached its explosive crescendo with an epic ten-minute fight scene that paid off an entire season’s worth of story. The episode not only delivered one of the most ambitious fight scenes in recent memory, but it also produced a number of nuanced, emotionally-devastating stories for the show to explore in Season 3. Where to stream Cobra Kai

'The OA' Season 2, Episode 8: "Overview" The bonkers twist ending of The OA: Part II wasn’t for everyone, but you can mark me down firmly in the “loved it” camp. There were moments of this wild season that lost me but, by some miraculous feat of plotting, the finale (mostly) brought everything together. No, we never figured out what that giant octopus was for, but when Karim gazed into the rose window, tears filling his eyes, I felt like I, too, had unlocked the secrets of the universe. And no spoilers, but that Netflix would cancel the show after that cliffhanger remains infuriating to me. But that’s a rant for another article. — Anna Menta Stream The OA on Netflix

'Watchmen' Season 1, Episode 6: "This Extraordinary Being" As of this writing, there is still one more episode of HBO’s sequel series Watchmen to go, so it’s entirely possible something might surpass the show’s genre-busting sixth episode, “This Extraordinary Being.” But as it stands, the hour isn’t just one of the best episodes in an already phenomenal series, it might be one of the best TV episodes of all time. After Angela Abar (Regina King) swallows a bottle of pills that contain her grandfather’s memories, she dives back through his history, experiencing the idea of inherited trauma firsthand. Written by Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson, and directed by Stephen Williams, the camera dips and weaves throughout amalgamations of pasts both real and imagined, weaving a superhero origin story with our deep history of racism in America and the overall story of Watchmen the TV show, while completely recontextualizing “Watchmen” the comic book at the same time. Thousands of words have been written about this episode already, and thousands more will be written in the years to come — a statement piece not just for the show, but the genre as a whole. — Alex Zalben Where to stream Watchmen

'Broad City' Season 5, Episode 1: "Stories" Of course the fifth and final season of the beloved Broad City would start off with a bang! In “Stories,” Abby and Ilana choose to celebrate Abby’s 30th birthday by walking from the top of Manhattan to the bottom in a single afternoon and documenting it all on Instagram. Shot entirely like an Instagram Story (hand-held with emojis, GIFs, handles, hashtags, polls, and stickers galore), this is easily one of the most innovative, fun, and downright hilarious episodes of television in 2019. — Karen Kemmerle Where to stream Broad City

'The Other Two' Season 1, Episode 5: "Chase Goes to a High School Dance" TV shows that premiere in January are often neglected when it comes to end of the year lists. But today, one hero (me) says, “Hey, I remember that show.” Comedy Central’s The Other Two is on the short list of funniest TV shows of 2019. “Chase Goes to a High School Dance” is a top-to-bottom masterpiece, but the first scene after the cold open is comedy perfection. From Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider’s writing to Ken Marino’s endearing aloofness to Heléne Yorke and Drew Tarver’s flurry of wonderful reaction shots, this three-minute scene delivers a barrage of visual, physical, and cerebral humor. “That’s Hollywood, baby!” The above clip has so many wonderful moments that I didn’t even get to mention the brilliance of Richard Kind and Jackie Hoffman! If you’re looking for a new show to binge over the holidays, you can’t go wrong with The Other Two. Where to stream The Other Two