Some gentle shows are just too fragile for this cruel earth, and “Lodge 49,” about the oddball members of a down-on-its-luck fraternal order, was so tender and lovely I felt like I was protecting it as much as I was watching it. The show blended its mythology and tinges of magical realism with the grinding spiritual drain of debt and work nonsense, resulting in a show that was sometimes cynical about the world but always hopeful about its characters. Also there was a scene where a very animated Paul Giamatti lost a dumpling-eating contest. R.I.P., “Lodge 49.” (Streaming on AMC and Hulu.)

It’s unusual for a show to get straight-up canceled these days, and the fact that “Tuca & Bertie” was such a creative high-point of 2019 made Netflix’s move all the more galling. But at least we got one season of this wild specimen, an often surreal look at friendship and contemporary womanhood. The show’s anthropomorphic animal world doesn’t shy away from visual puns, but then, it doesn’t shy away from anything, including the brutal disgustingness of having a body, the incoherence of lust, the trauma of sexual assault and the complexities of prioritizing romantic relationships over platonic devotion. (Streaming on Netflix.)

“Orange” ushered in the streaming age, helped legitimize the current wave of issues-oriented shows, nudged conversations about incarceration reform into the pop culture sphere and portrayed women of all walks of life — and it was an interesting, funny, audacious show for seven seasons. Yes, there was torture; yes, there was a singalong to Lisa Loeb’s “Stay.” And both felt appropriate for a show so sprawling, so curious about all the weird nooks of the human condition. (Streaming on Netflix.)

6. ‘Veep’ and ‘Madam Secretary’

The shows are spiritual opposites in every way — one completely pickled, the other so earnest it makes you want to recycle — and have completely different attitudes about what might draw someone to politics. But the profane “Veep” and the virtuous “Madam Secretary” both poked at society’s deep issues around women in power, looked skeptically at the watered down compromises we’ve been conditioned to see as leadership and found themselves predicting real life in ways that make you want to dig a hole in the ground and shout into hell. (“Veep” streams on HBO Go and HBO Now and “Madam Secretary” on CBS and Netflix.)

“Mr. Robot” could never quite climb back to the heights of its first season, but the hacker-oriented thriller found its way back to vibrancy this year. (The final few episodes don’t air until after this list runs; I hope they are good!) Sometimes conspiracy stories lose track of characterization and depth, but “Mr. Robot” loved all its silky specifics, the hidden sensitivities of even its minor figures. (Streaming on USA.)

The low-fi stoner buddy duo of Abbi and Ilana and the loopier, more saturated Kimmy and Titus have seen both the grimy filth of New York City and the enviable lushness the One Percent enjoys. The shows have given us songs — full-scale wine commercials or just a catchy a cappella tune to sing to yourself on the toilet — and weird names for various parts of the city, as well as lessons in essential backpacks and how tech companies work. New York City is weird and disgusting, but if you can find even one friend amid the chaos, you’ll survive. (“Broad City” streams on Hulu and Comedy Central. “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” streams on Netflix.)