Best spin-off: Better Call Saul

The Hollywood recycling project was in full-swing this decade, but Better Call Saularrived as the most pleasant surprise of the bunch. When AMC first announced its spin-off focusing on Saul Goodman, the crooked lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk on Breaking Bad, the first thought for many fans was, "Why?" The end of Breaking Bad was perfect, and the idea of revisiting that world, especially so soon after the show ended, seemed like a cheap cash grab that couldn't possibly live up to the 99.1 percent purity standards of the original. But Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould knew exactly what story they wanted to tell and made a show that's slow and quiet and reflective, but no less methodical than its predecessor. It's a perfect complement to the original series and manages to stand on its own, imbuing complexity into characters we already knew and introducing new ones we've grown to worry about just as much. The recipe might be very different, but the taste is arguably even more refined. -- Liam Mathews

Most uplifting revival: Queer Eye

So much changed in queer culture in the decade that passed since the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy went off the air in 2007. Technology has united LGBTQ people in ways previously unthinkable, public acceptance and representation has been on an uptick, and of course, the Supreme Court allowed same-sex couples to marry beginning in 2015. All that helped Queer Eye, Netflix's revival starring Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, and Tan France, start off with enormous goodwill; no longer were gay men speaking mostly to themselves but to pop culture audiences who had long since welcomed them as peers and friends.

But Queer Eye went a step further in making an impact with its revival and put an emphasis more on internal overhauls than cosmetic image updates. The show helped its guests rethink how they saw themselves as a whole, and in the process they have served up many a tear-jerking moment. Now in its fourth season, the show's best trick has been to focus on connecting through the heart and show how its hosts, once outcasts because of their orientation, empower others to live their lives in full, too. -- Malcolm Venable

Best nostalgia play: Stranger Things

The best part about a period piece is that it transports you to another time and place, and Stranger Things does this better than just about any show out there. From the mall and the clothes to the music and the props randomly peppered into the background, Stranger Things commits to its '80s aesthetic so hard it's like Netflix is directly targeting the nostalgia neurons in your brain. It has such a strong effect that even '90s kids are getting nostalgic for an era that came and went before they were born. Plus, it's a whole lot of fun to go Easter egg-hunting for pop culture relics that are played upon through visuals, plot devices, and characters, even as the show's story holds its own water -- or, rather, goo. -- Lindsay MacDonald

Best impersonation game: The Good Place's D'Arcy Carden

To prep for the outstanding The Good Place episode "Janet(s)," in which she had to nail spot-on impersonations of her co-stars, D'Arcy Carden did a lot. She studied how her co-stars moved and spoke. She recorded the table read and listened to it on repeat for weeks. During filming, she banned her co-stars from set so she could focus, and she had a mirror put in her dressing room so she could see herself in each costume before every scene and know which Janet she was playing at any given time. To say it worked is an understatement. Not only did she carry the action of an entire ensemble, but her work also marked another moment of reinvention for a series that's consistently challenged its own parameters. -- Malcolm Venable

Funniest fight: Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation's flat-out funniest episode dramatized the first real clash between Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) by stretching it out across one raucous, boozy night at the club. "The Fight" was a sincere ode to the romance of Ann and Leslie's friendship wrapped in a party wild enough to impress Jean Ralphio (Ben Schwartz). Thank you, Snake Juice. -- Kelly Connolly

Most meme-able: American Horror Story

Over the course of its many anthology seasons, American Horror Story has given us so much: the lasting trauma from seeing what Twisty the Clown's (John Carroll Lynch) face looks like under his mask, Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) triumphantly flipping off Bloody Face (Zachary Quinto), Jessica Lange just chewing the absolute sh-- out of the scenery. But perhaps AHS's greatest, or at least most lasting, contribution to culture can be reduced to one GIF. It comes, of course, from the unforgettable line, "Surprise, bitch. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me." After Emma Roberts uttered those words as Coven's Madison Montgomery, it became one of the biggest memes of the decade. And years in the future, once we've forgotten about the cannibals inRoanokeor the clowns inCult, we'll still be here, yelling "Surprise, bitch!" whenever the opportunity arises. -- Sadie Gennis

Most satisfying take-down: Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadfulwas at its best when the series let its leading ladies tear through the screen. Late in the second season, the Showtime drama gifted Billie Piper a theatrical monologue that doubled as a thrilling twist: In a nearly nine-minute demolition of the facade she'd spent all season building, Lily (Piper) revealed that she remembered her life as Brona and her death and reanimation courtesy of Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway). Watching her lay into the Creature (Rory Kinnear) for the mistreatment she'd suffered at men's hands was tremendously satisfying. Lily's power grab eventually went off the rails, but in that moment, her anger was a cathartic release. -- Kelly Connolly

Instant fashion icon: Scandal's Olivia Pope

Each episode of Scandalfelt like an unmissable event, and that's due in part to Olivia Pope's (Kerry Washington) iconic outfits. Every week felt like an episode of 24 set during New York Fashion Week, as Olivia handled Washington's most salacious scandals while decked out in a luxe ensemble of neutrals and the occasional pop of color. Audiences may have come for the hair-splitting drama, but they stayed for Pope's impeccable wardrobe. -- Keisha Hatchett

Thomas Jane, The Expanse SYFY

Best accessory: The Expanse

The Expanse, one of TV's best-kept secrets, introduced viewers to a vast space conspiracy set in a distant future where Earth and Mars were going to war and the human race was threatened by a mysterious alien entity. Serious stuff! But a lot of our focus was on the series' best character, detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane), specifically his trademark hat. The hat was more than just window dressing; it was a gift from its previous owner, Miller's friend Sematimba (Kevin Hanchard), who gave it to Joe to remind him not to repeat his mistakes after he was kicked off the police force. But really, it was of historical importance; it was the first evidence that someone besides Don Draper could wear a Fedora and make it look cool. -- Tim Surette

Coolest car: Supernatural

Through all the monster hunting, exorcisms, heavenly wars, and dimension-hopping that happened on Supernatural, the one thing that's stayed constant in Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean's (Jensen Ackles) lives is their ride. The Impala isn't just a hunk of parts and four wheels, she's a member of the Winchester family as far as we (and they) are concerned. Why else would an entire episode of Supernatural be told from Baby's perspective? The coolest car of the decade was an easy pick, and not just because Dean Winchester would have come after us with holy fire if we'd said otherwise. -- Lindsay MacDonald

Tiffany "New York" Pollard and Angie Bowie, Celebrity Big Brother UK Channel 4

Most WTF reality moment: Celebrity Big Brother UK

Describing the chaos of the moment that Angie Bowie, David Bowie's ex-wife, was on Celebrity Big Brother UK as the music legend died in 2016 is almost impossible for its sheer senselessness. After producers told Bowie of his passing, she went back out into the house, distraught. Her castmate, Tiffany "New York" Pollard -- star of Flavor of Loveand I Love New Yorkand one of the most outrageous reality TV personalities of all time -- asked her what was wrong. "David's dead," Bowie whispered. New York proceeded to excessively freak out, so much that Bowie -- whose ex-husband had just died, remember -- had to calm her down, and politely asked her not to tell anyone.

But what did New York do? Why, promptly and defiantly run off to some of the other housemates to tell them that David was dead. Only, New York's theatrics weren't owed to some deep-seated love of Ziggy Stardust, no. She thought fellow castmate David Gest -- Liza Minelli's ex-husband -- was the dead "David" whom Bowie was talking about. After that, they all ran off to find David, who was taking a nap because he didn't feel well, and New York became furious with Bowie for lying to her about Gest being dead. It was the most surreal case of mistaken identity ever captured on film. And here's the cruelest kicker: David Gest really did die just three months later. It's hard to believe such an impossible chain of events ever happened, but it did. There was even a museum exhibit devoted to it. -- Liam Mathews

Most epic reality clapback: Real Housewives of New York City

A general rule when it comes to Real Housewivesis that the more real the drama is, the better. The exception to this rule, though, is Aviva Drescher refuting accusations that she's fake by removing her prosthetic leg, slamming it on the table, and screaming, "The only thing that is artificial or fake about me is THIS!" before throwing the leg at one of her co-stars. The outlandish reaction, which was preceded by Aviva showing off an X-ray of her chest to "prove" she has asthma, was completely staged. (Aviva later admitted she pulled the stunt in the hopes of securing her job.) Normally, something this contrived would come off as too sweaty to be entertaining for seasoned Housewives viewers. But thanks to the other ladies' genuine reactions to Aviva's outburst -- and, OK, the amusement in watching Aviva tell Heather, "Why don't you take it? I'll crawl home" -- we got a moment so deliciously dramatic that it somehow usurped Teresa Giudice's "prostitution whore" table flip place in the reality TV hall of fame. -- Sadie Gennis

Dirtiest dialogue: Silicon Valley

In the Season 1 finale of Silicon Valley, Richard (Thomas Middleditch) was against the wall at TechCrunch Disrupt to present his idea for a new internet. Nothing had gone right, he was due to present in the morning, and time was running out. Erlich (T.J. Miller), sensing that he was close to becoming a bajillionaire, said they were going to win even if he had to personally go pleasure everyone in the audience. What followed was the most detailed mathematical breakdown of how to naughty-service 800 people in 10 minutes, and it was gloriously gross. The conversation wasn't just the most calculated penis joke to ever make it to air, either; it also inspired Richard to rethink his plan, and they won. -- Tim Surette

Sam Trammell, True Blood HBO

Craziest kiss: True Blood

True Bloodwas a major part of the vampire craze that underscored the turn of the decade, but part of what made it unique from its peers was how deliciously committed the show was to being wild. No subject -- sex, drugs, violence, you name it -- was too taboo, and on top of that, it embraced its utter oddness with the types of supernatural creatures that came into play. Werepanthers and witch doctors and faeries, oh my! Perhaps the strangest moment of the entire series came when Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) was dating a fellow shape-shifter named Luna (Janina Gavankar), and when she fell ill, she adopted his form. Instead of being freaked out by the sight of himself, Sam softened up, complimented her new appearance, and planted a loving kiss on Luna-Sam's forehead. Sure, it was just a quick peck, but even in a series already riddled with batty moments, seeing this bit of PG Sam-on-Sam action was next-level weird. -- Amanda Bell

Most anticipated kiss: The Vampire Diaries

While Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena's (Nina Dobrev) first proper kiss felt like it was years in the making (and it was), their most anticipated kiss actually happened much later in the series, in Season 6. You know where this is going -- the Delena Rain Kiss. To understand this moment, you have to go back to Season 1 ofThe Vampire Diaries, when Damon and Elena staged a rescue mission for Stefan (Paul Wesley) that happened to occur when it was raining. Fans latched on to that aesthetic and that couple, and then launched a campaign to have them kiss in the rain. For five years, #DelenaRainKiss frequently trended on Twitter as fans stuck by that line item on their wish list, and finally, in Season 6, showrunner Julie Plec found a way to make it happen in the show. It may have been freezing and miserable to shoot, but the fanfare that followed made it worthwhile. -- Lindsay MacDonald

Best thirst soundtrack: My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

It's no surprise that Rachel Bloom, who went viral back in 2010 with "F--k Me Ray Bradbury," would be the one behind TV's horniest songs. No intimate topic was off-limits for Bloom and her fellow Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-songwriters, Adam Schlesinger and Jack Dolgen. There's "I Gave You a UTI," "We Tapped That Ass," "First Penis I Saw," and, of course, "Period Sex." While it's not always ideal to have "My sweet love infection caused a urinary tract infection" stuck in your head, the songs are hilarious and raunchy enough to stick with fans forever. -- Tatiana Tenreyro

The Legend of Korra Nickelodeon

Best slow-burn relationship: The Legend of Korra

When Korra, a brash and powerful warrior, and Asami, a confident and level-headed business mogul, first met in Nickelodeon's animated series The Legend of Korra, they made up two points of a love triangle. But over the course of four seasons, the man in the middle faded out of view, and the women slowly developed their own relationship. When Korra had to grapple with the consequences of devastating trauma, Asami was the one she opened up to and leaned on. The series' ending, which showed the women holding hands as they stepped into a new adventure, marked the beginning of their romance -- a slow burn indeed. -- Noelene Clark

Hottest priest: Grantchester

Fleabag's Hot Priest (Andrew Scott) took the television world by storm in 2019, but what many TV fans might not know is that our hearts were already stolen years ago by a different man of the cloth who also f---s: Sidney Chambers (James Norton) of Grantchester. Sidney loved jazz, downed more than his share of whiskey, had a cute dog named Dickens, and he solved murders in between his sermons. So while we will always love the Hot Priest and how he united us for a brief moment in time, we still have to give the edge to Sex Vicar, for he came first. -- Kaitlin Thomas

Samira Wiley, Orange Is the New Black Netflix

Most horrifying death: Orange Is the New Black

There've been a great number of devastating TV character deaths throughout the decade, but Orange Is the New Black hit us the hardest when it killed off Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley). It wasn't just the way she died -- she was accidentally suffocated by a guard who got too aggressive with her, a not-subtle statement on the hot-button police brutality issue -- but it was also the fact that she was so dang lovable. Poussey, the library-loving peacemaker who brought so much positivity to her fellow ladies of Litchfield, was a complete delight at all times, so to see her go down in such a senselessly violent fashion still stings. -- Amanda Bell

Most over-hyped death(s): The Walking Dead

The summer betweenThe Walking Dead's Season 6 finale and Season 7 premiere was an exhausting one. Season 6 ended with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) killing someone with his barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat Lucille, but the person on the receiving end was not revealed at the time, fueling months of borderline unhinged speculation that we couldn't help but be a part of. Who knows how many misdirection teasers were released ahead of the Season 7 premiere. Then, when the episode finally aired, we found out it was indeed Glenn (Steven Yeun) who became human batting practice, as it was in the comics, but not before Negan took out Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) in a sickening one-two punch of absolutely depraved brutality. That episode was inestimably hyped, and, as a result of the eye-popping grisliness of the scene, turned off a lot of Walking Dead viewers once and for all. -- Liam Mathews