1. Justified - What a return to greatness. After a subpar (by Justified standards) fifth season, the sixth (and final) season knocked it out of the park. The main cast was as good as ever, if not better. This season also added some wonderful characters like Ty Walker, Avery Markham, Mundo/Choo-Choo, Boon, and Zachariah Randolph, none of which felt out of place in the show's universe. Not only that, but they managed to bring back old favorites like Dewey Crowe, Dickie Bennett, Ellstin Limehouse, Loretta McCready, Constable Bob, and even Arlo Givens, and do it in a way that didn't feel forced in the slightest. Really, the biggest losses with the end of this show are its incredible cast of characters and its world-class dialogue. I earnestly believe that this show has some of the best dialogue that's ever been on television. It flows freely and is always believable, smart, and often hilarious.
What was the absolute best about this season though was the finale. During the course of the whole show, one of the recurring elements was the saying and song "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," which often played during the finales (aside from season 3), and it was hard not to have that on the forefront of your mind whenever it was time for a season finale. The series finale did a great job of subverting expectations while simultaneously feeling absolutely appropriate. The last exchange was perfectly acted and the dialogue was wonderful, with so much said using so few words. Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins nailed it. It was the perfect end, and was honestly one of the best, most apropos series finales I've ever seen for any show. My only complaint for the season was that there wasn't enough Tim and Rachel, but that was a given for every season, so not a big deal in the long run. I will miss this show, and I hope down the road that more people will watch and enjoy it. Graham Yost really did a great job of doing Elmore Leonard proud.
2. Fargo - When they first announced a TV series for Fargo, I was skeptical, but was willing to give it a shot. It blew away my expectations. This season, I didn't have the same skeptical thoughts, but it definitely managed to blow away my expectations yet again. Perfect casting, great humor, frequent bizarreness, lots of tension, solid cinematography, solid emotional payoffs, awesome use of the score, and a large amount of visual and narrative style made this season something I looked forward to every week. Each week a different actor or actress seemed to shine, and I was left very impressed especially by Kirsten Dunst, Bokeem Woodbine, Ted Danson, Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Donovan, and even Nick Offerman (who I never expected to deliver the way he did). Great season, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the future of the show.
3. Mad Men - The end of an era indeed. Impeccable writing, a varied and brilliant cast of characters, subtle humor, and remarkable emotional lows and highs are all trademarks of the series which continued in the last part of season 7. There were so many great moments, and taken as a whole it's really crazy to think of how these characters started out and how they ended up. The final moments we got with the characters were all appropriate and true to the way they had been developed over the eight years of the show's airing. The finale was an interesting choice with Don largely being separated from the rest of the cast, but as Roger says in one of the late episodes, he tends to do that. I think it was a largely successful series finale, and it was really surprising that the biggest, most affecting scene was one from a one-off character, and his monologue was fantastic, as was Jon Hamm's subsequent acting. The final moment of the show was brilliant. Loved the season, loved the show, and there will absolutely be a void left with it gone. One of the all-time greats. A thing like that.
4. The Americans - An incredibly smart and gripping show that continues to do a great job balancing the spy aspects with the familial ones. This show continues to get better each season, which is amazing considering the quality. This season had two of the most hard to watch scenes this year: the suitcase scene and the tooth scene, the latter of which was surprisingly intimate. Credit to Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, who continue to effortless and masterfully embody their roles with the perfect amount of resolve, care, anger, and sadness. They also do a great job of feeling relatable even when you have to reconcile that with the fact that they're committing terrible and uncomfortable acts. Noah Emmerich, Holly Taylor, Alison Wright, and newcomer Frank Langella were all also great, though one must mention Lois Smith, who was absolutely stellar in the amazingly titled "Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?" and was a large part of one of the most powerful scenes of the season. The plot also went interesting places, with several characters now understanding the basics of who Elizabeth and Philip truly are. Really, it's just an amazing show that more people should watch.
5. Rectify - This show continues to be one of the most beautiful, affecting shows on television. The dialogue is wonderful, but the things that aren't said are just as important. So much emotion is relayed in every interaction, and the characters make your heart ache and soar, often interchangeably within minutes. The cast continues to be great, with Aden Young, Abigail Spencer, and Clayne Crawford being especially wonderful this season. Some powerful cinematography as well, with many shots saying more than words ever could. Rectify continues to be a show I wish more people would watch. It'll break your heart, but you'll love it.
6. Better Call Saul - If people were worried that this show was going to be a shameless cash-in on the popularity of Breaking Bad, they were thankfully quite mistaken. Most people loved Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul allowed the audience to get to know and really care for Jimmy McGill (and made them wonder what his ultimate post Breaking Bad fate is). There were lots of great Breaking Bad references, whether they were character related or dialogue related. Lots of great acting as well. Who knew that Bob Odenkirk could do serious so well? Jonathan Banks had a really amazing episode as well that deserves a ton of praise. Michael McKean also had some really fantastic parts as well, particularly in the penultimate episode of the season. My only complaint was Michael Mando didn't have a lot to do, but hopefully next season remedies this. The show had lots of hilarity as well of course, such as the perverted talking toilet, and adding "Chicago Sunroof" to our lexicon. Really great stuff from Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan. They even brought back Michelle MacLaren to direct an episode. What more could you ask for?
7. Mr. Robot - Often thrilling, just as often confusing, and almost always entertaining. Mr. Robot has a great cast of characters, with Rami Malek giving an amazing performance. There is a twist that most will probably figure out, but the execution and fallout are delivered quite well. The show does a great job of developing the main character's paranoia, and the fourth wall breaking internal monologues are great. Really fun show.
8. Deutschland 83 - A fun and entertaining spy tale during the Cold War which takes place in Germany and explores the relationship between East and West Germany. The standout performance is Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch, a young border patrol guard from East Germany who goes undercover as the aide-de-camp of a West German general. Deutschland 83 has lots of excitement, some cool spy moments, a great use of 80s music, and lots of interesting context for the time period. As much as I love The Americans, it was definitely cool to see things from this time period from the perspective of a different country.
9. Person of Interest - This season explored what happens after the main protagonists suffered a huge blow, and it absolutely delivered. Lots of tension, twists, and an amazing finale. This show makes really great use of its cast, especially with how thoughtfully they bring back old characters. Keeps getting better and better.
10. Rick and Morty - Incredibly creative and endlessly quotable. Rick and Morty's sophomore season was even better than the first. The laughs were great of course, but perhaps even more compelling were the moments of humanity that the season had in regards to Rick in the premiere, the episode with Unity, and the finale. Plus, there was a character named Mr. Poopy Butthole. Enough said.
Honorable mentions:
South Park - Continuing the continuity aspect of the previous season but with a more streamlined focus, South Park was fantastic this year. Extremely biting and witty. The "Yelper's Special" song might be one of their best songs ever, and it killed me.
Daredevil - Very enjoyable. I quite liked the leads, especially Charlie Cox in the titular role.
Louie - I preferred season four, but this was still a great season of Louie. Lots of laughs and lots of surprises. Still remember jumping from that fucking nightmare thing.
Archer - A much better season than the fifth. Plus, it had the return of Conway Stern (which is not his real name).
Orphan Black - Tatiana voiced a scorpion. She's awesome.
Fail of the year:
True Detective - Left everyone feeling apoplectic, or else looking up what apoplectic meant and then feeling that way. Huge letdown compared to season one, though it did have some decent moments here and there.
I had a really hard time with the ordering of two through six, so might change my mind there.
