The Best of the Best TV Shows, Vol. 9

In this Retro series, a longtime professional art critic and a former professor of digital culture ranks the best television programs of this century—from network to cable and web series to streaming.

ABOVE: Black Sails (Amazon Prime, 2014).

{Note: Listings are alphabetical by category. All the shows below are worthwhile, but tastes do vary—caveat lector, cave videntium, and caveat emptor. Starred shows (⭐) are “the best of the best of the best.” You can watch the Top 50 Television Opening Credits of This Century here.}