“Breaking Bad” (Season 5).AMCThe most critically acclaimed TV shows in history have earned their praise by repeatedly producing innovative and memorable seasons.
Shows like “The Wire,” “Breaking Bad,” and “The Larry Sanders Show” consistently won over critics, and their best seasons have set a standard for what great television should look like.
To find out which series have been the most influential, we turned to the review aggregator Metacritic for its list of the all-time best TV seasons, which ranks shows by their composite critical reception. We used audience scores to break any ties.
Check out the 50 best TV-show seasons of all time, according to critics:
50. “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 7.8/10
Notable episodes: ““Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum,” “Jezebels”
49. “Homeland” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.3/10
Notable episodes: “The Weekend,” “Crossfire,” “Marine One“
48. “Rectify” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 9.1/10
Notable episodes: “Mazel Tov,” “The Great Destroyer,” “Unhinged“
47. “The Simpsons” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 9.0/10
Notable episodes: “Bart Gets an F,” “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment”
46. “The Americans” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.5/10
Notable episodes: “Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?,” “March 8, 1983“
45. “The Staircase [2018 version]” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 7.6/10
Notable episodes: “Looking for Closure,” “Flawed Justice”
44. “Halt and Catch Fire” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.0/10
Notable episodes: “Ten of Swords,” “Search”
43. “The Shield” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 9.3/10
Notable episodes: “Pilot,” “Our Gang,” “Circles“
42. “Mad Men” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 9.0/10
Notable episodes: “Public Relations,” “The Summer Man,” “Tomorrowland“
41. “The Americans” (Season 6)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.1/10
Notable episodes: “Jennings, Elizabeth,” “START”
40. “The Larry Sanders Show” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 7.2/10
Notable episodes: “Montana,” “Hank’s Divorce,” “End of the Season“
39. “Bleak House” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 9.1/10
Notable episodes: “Episode 1,” “Episode 2,” “Episode 15“
38. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 8.8/10
Notable episodes: “Chet’s Shirt,” “Krazee-Eyez Killa,” “The Grand Opening“
37. “Louie” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 8.7/10
Notable episodes: “Back,” “Model,” “Pamela Part 1“
36. “Deadwood” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 9.2/10
Notable episodes: “A Lie Agreed Upon (Parts 1 and 2),” “Requiem for a Gleet”
35. “The Office: UK” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 8.9/10
Notable episodes: “Merger,” “Party,” “Charity“
34. “The Americans” (Season 5)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.3/10
Notable episodes: “The Soviet Division,” “Darkroom”
33. “Louie” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.8/10
Notable episodes: “Something Is Wrong,” “Miami,” “Dad“
32. “Transparent” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 6.7/10
Notable episodes: “Kina Hora,” “Oscillate,” “Grey Green Brown & Copper“
31. “Battlestar Galactica” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 9.1/10
Notable episodes: “Occupation,” “Precipice,” “Exodus Part 2“
30. “Game of Thrones” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 9.2/10
Notable episodes: “First of His Name,” “Mockingbird,” “The Children“
29. “Homicide: Life on the Street” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.5/10
Notable episodes: “Gone for Goode,” “Ghost of a Chance,” “A Dog and Pony Show“
28. “The Wire” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 9.2/10
Notable episodes: “Ebb Tide,” “Bad Dreams,” “Port in a Storm“
27. “The Americans” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 8.9/10
Notable episodes: “Glanders,” “Pastor Tim,” “Chloramphenicol“
26. “The Staircase [2004 version]” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 7.8/10
Notable episodes: “Crime or Accident?,” “The Last Chance”
25. “Enlightened” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 7.6/10
Notable episodes: “The Key,” “Higher Power,” “All I Ever Wanted“
24. “Catastrophe” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.0/10
Notable episodes: “Episode 6,” “Episode 5”
23. “Planet Earth II”
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.3/10
Notable episodes: “Islands,” “Cities”
22. “Fargo” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.3/10
Notable episodes: “Waiting for Dutch,” “Fear and Trembling,” “Palindrome“
21. “Better Things” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 7.2/10
Notable episodes: “Graduation,” “White Rock”
20. “The Sopranos” (Season 6)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.9/10
Notable episodes: “Soprano Home Films,” “Kaisha,” “Made in America“
19. “Breaking Bad” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.5/10
Notable episodes: “Box Cutter,” “End Times,” “Face Off”
18. “O.J.: Made In America” (Season 1/1)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.5/10
Notable episodes: “Parts 1-5″
17. “Twin Peaks” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.3/10
Notable episodes: “Pilot,” “Traces to Nowhere,” “The Last Evening“
16. “Homeland” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.3/10
Notable episodes: “Broken Hearts,” “In Memoriam,” “The Choice“
15. “The Sopranos” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 9.4/10
Notable episodes: “Mr. Ruggerio’s Neighborhood,” “Second Opinion,” “Army of One”
14. “Atlanta” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 7.9/10
Notable episodes: “Alligator Man,” “Helen,” “Teddy Perkins”
13. “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II”
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 8.1/10
Notable episodes: “One Ocean,” “The Deep”
12. “The Larry Sanders Show” (Season 5)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 5.6/10
Notable episodes: “Everybody Loves Larry,” “Ellen, Or Isn’t She?,” “The Roast”
11. “The Sopranos” (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 9.3/10
Notable episodes: “From Where to Eternity,” “Bust Out,” “Funhouse“
10. “The Wire” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 9.6/10
Notable episodes: “Boys of Summer,” “That’s Got His Own,” “Final Grades“
9. “The Wire” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 9.5/10
Notable episodes: “Time After Time,” “Straight and True,” “Mission Accomplished“
8. “The Leftovers” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 9.1/10
Notable episodes: “The Book of Nora,” “Certified”
7. “The Office: UK” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 8.5/10
Notable episodes: “Downsize,” “New Girl,” “Judgement“
6. “The Office: UK” (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 8.3/10
Notable episodes: “Christmas Special Parts 1 & 2″
5. “Breaking Bad” (Season 5)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 9.7/10
Notable episodes: “Ozymandias,” “Granite State,” “Felina“
4. “The Larry Sanders Show” (Season 6)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 5.3/10
Notable episodes: “Another List,” “I Buried Sid,” “Flip“
3. “Murder One” (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 6.3/10
Notable episodes: “Chapter One,” “Chapter Twenty-Two,” “Chapter Twenty-Three“
2. “The Larry Sanders Show” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 5.7/10
Notable episodes: “Roseanne’s Return,” “Hank’s Sex Tape,” “Eight“
1. “Rectify” (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 8.8/10
Notable episodes: “All I’m Sayin’,” “Happy Unburdening”
![45. "The Staircase [2018 version]" (Season 1)](https://static3.uk.businessinsider.com/image/5b21313d7708e91d6e1fc967-1200/45-the-staircase-2018-version-season-1.jpg)
![26. "The Staircase [2004 version]" (Season 1)](https://static5.uk.businessinsider.com/image/5b3b9a3d7708e97aa54bf63a-1200/26-the-staircase-2004-version-season-1.jpg)
