Top 10 TV endgames of all time

Greetings, reader!

Today's post is about another amusingly specific topic: the art of the 'endgame', or final act, in a plot-heavy TV series. In most serialized modern-day TV shows, a lot of thought goes into how to end the final season, not just in terms of the final episode but the ones leading up to it as well. In the best cases, there's a clear final stage of the story, usually kicking off with the third-, fourth- or fifth-last episode, as the stakes get higher and a chain of events begins and is carried all the way to the series finale. Sticking such a landing is a form of art, and one that I'm celebrating with this list: I've ranked the very best final acts / endgames from the world of TV, based on a combination of factors such as the quality of the individual episodes within the endgame, how invested I became as a viewer, how interesting the plot becomes during the final act, and how well the endgame works in terms of bringing the whole series to a close. I hope you enjoy!

Here are my honorable mentions: The three last episodes of Game of Thrones; The three last episodes of Star Trek: Picard; The four last episodes of Succession; The three last episodes of The Newsroom; The four last episodes of The West Wing.

Oh, and a spoiler alert is in order, as I will be discussing plot details! So please be careful and skip any shows that you haven't seen yet but might want to see some day!

10. The three last episodes of Mr. Robot

Many TV buffs might put Mr. Robot even higher, as its final season was widely acclaimed, and for good reason. The reason why it's only tenth on today's list is that for me personally, the very strongest elements of the admittedly amazing final season came earlier: there were masterpieces throughout season 4, from the brilliantly directed concept episode 405 Method Not Allowed through the 9.9-on-IMDB-scoring 407 Proxy Authentication Required all the way to my personal favorite of the series, 409 Conflict. By the time we get to the very last episodes, the very best utmost Godtier material of the series was already behind, as it was more about the journey than the destination (and the storyline I was the most invested in already got its climax in 409 Conflict), so the three final episodes feel more like an epilogue.

But why does it still make into my top ten? Because it's a damn good epilogue.

One might almost wonder what story there is left to be told, when entering the third-last episode, eXit. Even the episode titles reflect this, as every episode in the series had been numerically titled until we get to the last three, symbolizing the fact that we're in a different stage of the story. However, the creative direction that the episode takes makes for a new and engaging scenario to unravel, and it's brilliantly continued in the penultimate episode whoami, and brought to a close in the series finale Hello, Elliot. All in all, a very fine endgame, but not the best of the best because the true climax to what the show did best had already come before it.

9. The four last episodes of Better Call Saul

The endgame to Better Call Saul is unusual, because even more so than with Mr. Robot, the final season feels like it contains multiple series finales for different aspects of the series. The Nacho Vargas storyline is wrapped up in the season's third episode Rock and Hard Place, while the Howard Hamlin arch gets its tragic closing in the midseason finale Plan and Execution, and a massive part of the subplots, relationships and character archs that we had followed throughout the show's 'present-day' setting come to a close in the show's fifth-last episode Fun and Games, which really feels like it could be the series finale - if it wasn't for those pesky flash-forwards.

You see, the show is largely a prequel to Breaking Bad, but throughout the season premieres, viewers had enjoyed a cryptic sequel element as well, as each season began with a black-and-white flash-forward to Saul Goodman's life after the events of Breaking Bad. In a bold writing move by the genius Vince Gilligan, the final four episodes of the series are reserved for wrapping up that side of the story, truly bringing the story of Saul (and Kim) home. Much like the case with Mr. Robot, this deserves to be on the list because it's a fantastically creative way to do the endgame and it does work, but it can't be too high because a big part of the series already felt dead-and-buried (as it was supposed to) at this point, and the very best endgames are the ones where every element of the series comes crashing down to a close in a beautiful climax.

8. The five last episodes of The Sopranos

The final act of The Sopranos doesn't feel as strongly like an endgame as many on today's list, because it's only a semi-serialized show - sure, it was much less 'episode of the week' than most of the shows in its time, but drama television has become even more serialized after it, so The Sopranos never was as narratively chain-of-events plot-heavy as the likes of Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. This can be seen from the endgame; it's not like the more modern instances, where the episodes leading up the finale are all about bringing the larger plot forward in an escalating tempo. The five last episodes are, in many ways, typical Sopranos episodes, with their own vibe and many scenes that exist only for the themes and storylines of that specific episodes. However, especially for that time and for the type of show that it was, those last episodes are the show at its most serialized, containing many big and game-changing events.

It's debatable whether the endgame encompasses the last five or last four episodes, as Walk Like a Man doesn't yet contain any huge plot turns; but it lays the groundwork, with the stakes starting to feel higher than before, especially with the rising tensions between Paulie and Christopher. The endgame fully kicks off in the next episode, Kennedy and Heidi, with Christopher's shocking death and its aftermath. The third-last episode The Second Coming has a bunch of its own stuff, but it also builds up the final episodes by escalating the tensions between the central crime families - and this all blows up in everyone's face in the penultimate episode The Blue Comet. The series finale is left to pick up the pieces, and while the unique way in which the finale ended continues to split opinions to this day, I've always been all for it.

7. The five last episodes of Twin Peaks (the original run)

With Twin Peaks, there were two endgames to choose from, because the show ended with its second season in 1991, and then again with The Return in 2017. While I'm a huge The Return enjoyer, I never saw its fantastic set of final episodes as an endgame at least in the conventional sense, because of how wonderfully disjointed and narrative-rule-breaking the structure of the final episodes is. The original 'final' season, however, has a final act that is surprisingly conventional structurally, even if the substance of the episodes is as unconventionally obscure as you'd expect from the series.

After multiple episodes of low-stakes vibing and oddball subplots in what Twin Peaks fans know as 'the slump', the pace is picked up for the last five episodes. Starting off with On the Wings of Love, it isn't one of those cases where the endgame starts with a bang, but rather it begins a slow crescendo - suddenly there are more intriguing mysteries going on, and storylines that don't feel like sidequests but rather like something deeper and more important. The crescendo continues with Variations on Relations, which is still a relatively chill and atmospheric episode but with the sense of simmering build-up towards something big. This escalates further with The Path to the Black Lodge with its high-stakes cliffhanger ending, and the penultimate Miss Twin Peaks is all escalation and build-up. And this all leads to Beyond Life and Death, one of the greatest TV episodes of all time, which may not be a conventional climax but still feels like a proper culmination to what was built up in the previous four episodes.

6. The six last episodes of The Office

Bravo to the only sitcom to make it onto this list! Many sitcoms have somewhat of an endgame, usually starting to wrap character archs and relationship stories up an episode or two before a two-part series finale (F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Frasier and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are perfect examples), and while those final acts are most definitely good enough and just what the series needs, they aren't all-time-top-10 worthy because drama shows tend to have more reason to do a big, dramatic endgame. However, The Office is an interesting exception to the rule.

First of all, it technically starts already before the six last episodes - as is often the case, the specific beginning of the final act is somewhat debatable, as many final seasons have one episode that works as a 'soft launch' for the endgame, and then another even closer to the finale that kicks off the full-steam final stage. Technically, the endgame of The Office could be seen to begin from the ninth-last episode Promos, because pretty much all of the wrap-ups for the character development, love stories and other long-build plotlines start to reach their final stage there. But where it really starts to come to a close is the six last episodes, consisting of three consecutive two-parters that should really be viewed only as a two-hour mini-marathon.

Starting off with Livin' the Dream, the two-parter already feels like a series finale even if there are two more two-parters to go, because it's full of sweet payoffs and fan service, as so much thought was put into the events and their pacing in the show's final season. Jim and Pam finally manage to work on their marital issues that had served as the final stage of TV's perhaps greatest love story in the final season, and seeing them working through the rough patch and starting to feel happy together again is a big payoff. Also, Dwight's dreams finally become true as he becomes the Regional Manager - and the moment where Jim is offered the job but he thinks Dwight should have it, and is visibly proud of him, feels like such a sweet culmination after nine seasons of love-hate frenemy dynamics.

Things feel even more final in the next two-parter, A.A.R.M., as the fictional documentary that has been shot throughout the show's duration is wrapped up and ready for release, while Dwight proposes to Angela, and P.B.&J get one of their best moments (Jim proving his love to Pam by asking the documentary crew to put together a montage of their sweetest moments - tears, man). And then, we finally get to the actual finale, a two-parter taking place one year later, where all still-loose plot threads are tied up in addition to a heavy dose of fan service (Michael Scott's return is the cherry on top of this delicious sundae). Fantastically built, especially for a sitcom.

5. The seven last episodes of Lost

Okay, arguably the endgame is only the four last episodes, as that is where it really picks up the full-steam no-going-back mega-high-stakes approach. But it can just as easily be argued that it begins with Happily Ever After, the show's seventh-last episode, in a brilliant example of the 'soft launch' of the show's final act. After five and a half seasons of relentless mysteries upon mysteries, Happily Ever After is where we finally start to get some answer, little by little, while connecting various storylines in a profound manner befitting the emotionally driven final season.

Then, we get Everybody Loves Hugo and The Last Recruit, which continue to slowly add the right pieces to the puzzle, giving the viewer more and more of a sense that it's all coming to a beautiful close. This sense escalates with The Candidate, one of the most shocking episodes in television history - not one, nor two, but three beloved major characters who had been with us since the beginning are killed off, while the plot escalates to completely set the stage for the final act.

Now, the third-last episode Across the Sea is an oddball addition in the midst of the endgame, as the entire episode consists of flashbacks to the island's lore and deep-end mythology, giving our final keys to the show's enduring mysteries - someone might say that it breaks the rules of the endgame as the present-day plot doesn't advance, but I think that thematically it's actually the perfect extra piece, making the stakes and power dynamics of the upcoming final showdown even clearer. Then we get the two last episodes - while the ending of Lost is divisive to this very day, I've always been on its side, vehemently believing the showrunners did the best possible job in bringing such a bizarre and magical journey of mystery television home.

4. The four last episodes of Breaking Bad

Vince Gilligan sure knows to stick a landing, seeing as both of his best-known shows are in today's top ten. Breaking Bad has one of the most complete, fully realized archs I've ever seen, with the escalation of the plot starting from the very first episode making it clear that it's an antithesis to the "Let's make one season at a time, milking out as many seasons as we can" TV culture. The amount of foresight and planning that went into the show's larger narratives can be felt, to the point that the entire sixteen-episode-long fifth and final season feels somewhat like an endgame. But even more so, it's the second half - and even more so, the second half's second half.

In the fourth-last episode, To'hajiilee, the already-high stakes spike up to an astronomical degree, culminating in a massive cliffhanger with massive implications. This leads to Ozymandias, the show's most famous and acclaimed episode, and that's where everything truly comes to a head - Walt goes on the run, Walter Jr. learns the truth about his father, Jesse is taken captive, and nothing is ever the same. That leaves just enough time for the two final episodes, Granite State and Felina, to tie up the loose ends and bring to a climax those storylines that didn't culminate with Ozymandias. It all goes down with a poetic feel, paced just right.

3. The five last episodes of 24 (the original run)

The two endgames ahead of this one have it barely beat due to factors like emotional investment, genius writing and epicness. In terms of pure intensity, nothing hits quite like the final act of 24's original eight-season run. I can't wait to re-watch this set of episodes in *checks notes* January 2035, as a part of me and my best friend's real-time mega-marathon that we started in 2020.

But, yeah. The fifth-last episode ends some subplots and puts the main narratives of the final act into full focus, while the fourth-last one stirs the pot with delicious additions such as the dramatic return of fan-favorite villain Charles Logan into the mix, because of course he had to be involved in the endgame. The third-last episode is pure-fire adrenaline, and the penultimate one brings events to the point that the show's main character is at a window with a sniper, and with the President of Russia at gunpoint. That leaves things wide open for the series finale, which maintains that "No fucking idea how all this will shake out" intensity until the very last minutes, after which it gives just enough time to wrap things up in a beautiful bow.

2. The nine last episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The fact alone that the endgame lasts nine episodes, instead of the usual three or four, is cool as shit. Deep Space Nine is one of the most deliciously plot-heavy shows I've ever seen, with tens and tens of long-winding narratives having been built across all seven seasons, in addition to all the storylines added with each season. They all lead up in a clearly planned, well-built manner, to this majestic chain of events that manages to pull off the mission that would scare the hell out of any writer - sticking the landing for such a mess of many, many story archs in a manner that balances them all without feeling rushed.

I definitely see the ninth-last episode Penumbra as the beginning of the end, even if it might not feel completely that big at the time for first-time viewers. With the retrospective of all that happens next in mind, it's easy to recognize that Penumbra is the push that shoves things into motion in a wonderfully escalating way. The events of the episode feel small-scale, but when Worf's subplot isn't resolved and ends in a cliffhanger, it leaves you with the sense that it might be leading to something big. The next episodes, 'Til Death Do Us Part and Strange Bedfellows, unravel the implications of this subplot as it begins to connect to bigger and bigger things - and the sixth-last episode, The Changing Face of Evil, really hits hard in terms of what a point-of-no-return is going on with regard to all the storylines.

Then, we get When It Rains..., where the plot continues to thicken as every narrative continues to progress in a naturally rapid pace, followed by Tacking into Wind, with its bombastic turns-of-events and mega-high stakes. The episodes leading up to the finale, Extreme Measures and The Dogs of War, continue the satisfying crescendo, bringing everything forward but leaving everything just open enough, leaving it to the masterful series finale What You Leave Behind to perfect the climax.

1. The five last episodes of Person of Interest

Yeah, it doesn't get better than this. The entire fifth and final season of Jonathan Nolan's underrated sci-fi crime drama Person of Interest is a work of art, in many regards but particularly the art of the narrative and building a perfect climax to a story. With the stakes already damn high when arriving at the fifth-last episode Sotto Voce, we are treated to a final set of building blocks that truly set the board for the final act in a dynamic, crystal-clear fashion. What follows is the show's 100th episode, The Day the World Went Away, which escalates the plot with dramatic perfection, making for a strong sense of no going back - every long-term storyline built across the series is now coming to a head, with rapid-tempo perfection.

Then we get Synecdoche, with its brilliant balance of nostalgic fan service as the end nears and advancing the high-stakes plotlines further, and .exe, which is a high-concept gimmick episode (quite a bold move for the penultimate episode of a plot-driven series), but manages to use its concept to further flesh out the stakes and make the viewer realize the complete extent of their emotional investment to an unforeseen degree - while also just being a damn memorable concept episode. Finally, we get Return 0, my favorite series finale of all time. The culmination of the show's plotlines and themes throughout the finale is perfection, and without taking anything away from it as a magnificent individual episode, I must say that it wouldn't hit half as hard if the endgame leading up to it hadn't been so ingeniously built. The payoff is off the charts here.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I begin my long-awaited Grey's Anatomy theme month (yes, I finally finished all 20 seasons that are available on streaming), with a ranking of the beloved medical drama's 20 seasons.

Top 4 TV shows that begin with the death of a female character who is one of the show's most important and interesting characters even though she dies in the 1st episode

Greetings, reader!

Today's topic is ridiculously niche and specific. You see, I recently realized that I have watched four different TV shows that have this in common: A) the story of the series begins with the death of a woman, and B) that woman is one of the show's central characters, and one of the best characters, even though she dies in the very first episode. I had to do something with this information. So, here's my ranking of the four shows that follow this oddly specific premise!

Trigger warning: Two of the deaths in question are suicides, so read at your own discretion if it's a sensitive subject for you (I won't go into graphic detail about the specific nature of the suicides etc.).

4. 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020)

With this series, the death in question is that of Hannah Baker, played by Katherine Langford. The first episode begins right after her tragic suicide, and when protagonist Clay Jensen (Dylan Minnette) uncovers tapes left behind where Hannah explains why she took her life, we start to flash back to fill in the gaps while continuing the present-day storyline. Pretty much the entire plot of the series is, more or less, the aftermath of Hannah's death, as her life and its abrupt ending affected the lives of all other major characters, so she's definitely one of the central characters despite her passing (we also hear her voice throughout the tapes, and see plenty of her in the pre-suicide flashbacks).

The show is ranked last here, because it's a very flawed and even controversial one. I believe the intentions were noble and I personally did like many of the show's elements and got a lot out of it (the first season especially), but at the same time, I recognize the seriousness of why it has been criticized. Themes like sexual violence, depression and suicide are very hard to deal with in a sensitive manner, so the very idea of this series was on the playing-with-fire side of things. If the end result is healing for some but triggering for others, is it really worth it?

Also, those last few seasons really jump the shark. The fuck was up with the horror-style camping episode? Did I dream that?

3. Desperate Housewives (2004-2012)

With Desperate Housewives, the series-kick-off death is also a suicide, but in quite a different way. It happens in the very first scene, and out of all the possible ways to start a TV series, that is certainly one of them (the need for a trigger warning aside, I have to hand it to them - it certainly had viewers like me locked in from the get-go).

Despite her life ending in the first scene of the show, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) would remain one of the show's most fascinating characters throughout it all. Every now and then, we'd see flashbacks to the time before her death, when she was just one of the girls, and those scenes are always a treat. Even when we can't see Mary Alice, we can certainly hear her, as the character narrates every episode to the viewers' great delight. Additionally, she's especially inherent to the plot in season 1, as the question of why she took her own life and what chain of events lead to that is the season's central mystery storyline.

As an overall series, Desperate Housewives is an excellent one - the battle between third and second place today was a tough one, and this fantastic comedy-drama was only barely edged out by its competitor. I actually haven't seen all of Desperate Housewives yet, as I only started to watch it through a few months ago with my fiancée (it's one of her favorite shows), so it's very possible that it would be in 2nd place if I had the context of the full series to work with.

2. The Good Place (2016-2020)

With The Good Place, the question of how to keep the woman who dies in the beginning as a central character was quite an easy one to answer - you see, the series takes place largely in the afterlife. Kicking off seconds after protagonist Eleanor Shellstrop's (Kristen Bell) death, the pilot episode follows her as she's introduced to a zany and vibrant take on what the ever-speculated concept of afterlife might look like. All of the show's major characters are either recently deceased humans getting acquainted in this Good Place, or celestial beings in charge of running the afterlife.

The concept is certainly out there, and it makes for a brilliant fusion of philosophical/ethical ponderings and wacky sitcom hijinks. Showrunner Michael Schur's version of the afterlife is a creative fusion of various theories throughout human history and different religions, with a goofy modern twist to it all. It's a series very much worth watching, and definitely one of the most creative ways to keep dead characters in the main cast!

1. Twin Peaks (1990-1991; 2017)

Ah, the best to ever do it. In case you've missed the premise of the arguably greatest television series of all time: in the town of Twin Peaks, Washington, the body of local teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is found, and her death touches the lives of everyone in the town while FBI agent Dale Cooper, the absolutely best fictional character of all time, rolls into town to investigate the case. Everything that happens is magical, beautiful, severely f**ked up, and perfect. And Sheryl Lee's performance as Laura, via every flashback, dream sequence and piece of video evidence, is truly one of the best parts.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the 10 greatest TV endgames (the final set of episodes in a plot-heavy series) of all time.

Top 100 TV acting performances of all time

Greetings, reader!

A few months ago, Variety released a ranking of the 100 greatest TV acting performances of all time. It was a good read, but my primary thought was a strong "I could do a better one". So, here is my ranking of the top 100 greatest TV acting performances of all time!

Here are my honorable mentions: Aidan Gillen as Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish (Game of Thrones), Courtney Cox as Monica Geller (F.R.I.E.N.D.S.), Hiam Abbass as Maysa Hassan (Ramy), Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy (Succession), Jessica Barden as Alyssa (The End of the F**king World), John Mahoney as Martin Crane (Frasier), John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell (Dexter), Peter Capaldi as The Doctor (Doctor Who), Sam Waterston as Charlie Skinner (The Newsroom), Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret (The Crown).

100. Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank (Barry)

Apparently Hank was written to be just a goon in the Chechen mafia, and making him a wholesome and eccentric gay dude was Carrigan's own innovation. A delightful addition to the show's dynamic.

99. Liza Weil as Paris Geller (Gilmore Girls)

A brilliant parody of a certain type of annoying person for ninety per cent of the time - but the moments where she shows her underlying vulnerability are the true reason for being ranked in my all-time top 100.

98. Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead)

One of those performances where the actor disappears so thoroughly into the role that it's still disorienting to watch Andrew Lincoln in anything else.

97. John De Lancie as Q (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

He only appears in eight episodes, but steals the show every damn time and makes for one of TV's most beloved recurring characters.

96. Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry (Community)

The character may not be especially likable or consistently written, but Jacobs delivers every line with perfect comedic timing.

95. Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett (Modern Family)

Speaking of comedically sharp line deliveries, this legend is one of TV's greatest examples of dry, sarcastic wit and hilariously relatable comments.

94. Carly Chaikin as Darlene (Mr. Robot)

Some characters are written to be so fascinating that they require a next-level actress to work - so the people behind Mr. Robot must be thanking the universe every day for the absolute gift that they got with Carly Chaikin.

93. Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen (House of the Dragon)

Matt Smith, the only actor to make this list with three different roles, is just so good at being on television, as proved by this encapsulation of the chaotic-neutral character archetype.

92. Sean Gunn as Kirk Gleason (Gilmore Girls)

Funny-weird characters have been a major part of movies and TV since Chaplin, so it takes some comedic genius to create a character who is weird in a fresh and original way - and that's what Sean Gunn does with this uniquely bizarre performance.

91. Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace (Lost)

Rarely does an actor show this much range with an individual role - it's a portrayal of a washed-up rock star, a gripping account of drug addiction, a wisecracking provider of smiles and levity, an occasionally unlikable asshole and a mostly lovable goofball all rolled into one.

90. James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber (Grey's Anatomy)

Speaking of portrayals of addiction, this performance is powerful as hell when dealing with the character's struggle with alcoholism, although Pickens Jr. spends a majority of his screentime absolutely carrying the show's more comedic element by being so great as the entire hospital's dorky dad.

89. Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

I'd put this even higher, but Dukat being one of the greatest fictional villains of all time is more thanks to the writing than the acting by my estimation - that being said, Alaimo's portrayal is exactly what the script called for, and the character wouldn't hit as hard with a lesser actor.

88. Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)

The character may have aged quite poorly (like the series in general), but that's a fault of the writers and not NPH, who is a firecracker of energy and charisma in every scene.

87. Catherine E. Coulson as The Log Lady (Twin Peaks)

I'm a fan of all things different and weird, and the late great Catherine Coulson created one of the most oddball role performances of all time with the iconic Log Lady.

86. Taraji P. Henson as Jocelyn 'Joss' Carter (Person of Interest)

A consistent, likable yet flawed, and emotionally raw performance that makes for a big chunk of this show's heart.

85. Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

In this underrated performance, Fumero has 10/10 chemistry with literally everyone in the main cast, gluing everything together with how well she bounces off everyone else's comedic chops while providing a ton of her own.

84. Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles (The Crown)

The episode Tywysog Cymru from this historic drama's third season is one of the best-acted individual TV episodes I've ever seen, largely thanks to the nuance and vulnerability in Josh O'Connor's role.

83. Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida (24)

I can't really say my favorite thing about this role without giving away major spoilers - let's just say that Tony's character arch really goes places, and Carlos Bernard portrays every part of this crazy journey with intrigue and credibility.

82. Mahershala Ali as Sheikh Ali Malik (Ramy)

Mahershala Ali is pure gold in everything he's cast in, very much including the depth he brings to Ramy's second season. Apparently he liked the first season so much that he called Ramy Youssef, asking to be on the show, as he wanted to be a part of this desparately-needed positive and sensitive portrayal of Islam in American media, which is cool as f**k.

81. Andrew Robinson as Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Sometimes heroic, sometimes villainous, always up to something, often with plans within plans and underlying schemes and/or agendas - and you can just feel how much fun Andrew Robinson had playing this recurring wild-card character.

80. Stockard Channing as Abbey Bartlet (The West Wing)

Stockard Channing only appeared in a handful of episodes in the first season. Apparently Aaron Sorkin made her a main-cast character from season 2 onward because of how f**king perfect she is in every moment of screentime.

79. Ken Jeong as Ben Chang (Community)

A key part of why Community works so well is that this guy was cast to stir every episode and storyline up by being just the most chaotic, unpredictable and hysterically strange guy imaginable.

78. Justin Chambers as Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)

A tragic character whose gradual growth works so well because Justin Chambers is every bit as good at playing a complete asshole as he is at playing the ideal best friend (and these are somehow completely realistic and believable sides of the same character).

77. Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

One of those roles that'll have every viewer's complete attention with the raise of an eyebrow. Absolute consistency and a magnetic presence with every line delivery and facial expression.

76. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan (The Walking Dead)

Being one of TV's most frightening and evil villains is reason enough to put this guy in the top 100, but the fact that they gave him an against-all-odds redemption arch (that wouldn't have worked unless the actor streched the character to an incredible range) is the cherry on top.

75. John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn (Arrow)

Basically, the stuff that I said about Deep Space Nine's Garak but even better. TV's greatest example of the 'charismatic recurring guy you always want to see more of without ever knowing which side he's on because he's so tricksy and complex' trope.

74. Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

It's Always Sunny has been running for sixteen seasons, and I for one hope that they continue for sixteen more, so that Kaitlin Olson can continue be just the most unhinged dirtbag (she's so good at that).

73. Andrew Scott as James Moriarty (Sherlock)

A fresh twist on one of literature's most iconic villains - a big role to step into, but Scott does it justice.

72. Jorge Garcia as Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes (Lost)

The fascinating villains and complex antiheroes always get the biggest acting praise, but let's be real - it also takes a truly great actor to make a character so lovable that you just want to be able to give the fictional character a hug (and would maybe take a bullet for them).

71. Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy (Modern Family)

She may not be as laugh-out-loud funny in an obvious manner as many in the Modern Family main cast - but I'd argue that it takes even more acting skill to portray the beating heart of the show's themes and humor, with a consistent and nuanced performance worthy of the sitcom hall of fame.

70. Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones)

When you portray someone as monstrously evil as Cersei Lannister with a fittingly villainous coldness, but still make the viewers feel sympathy for the character with consistent portrayals of tragedy and loss at the right times, you know you're one of the greats.

69. Brent Spiner as Data / Lore / Various Soongs (The Star Trek franchise)

One of those unique character concepts that call for just the right actor - and Brent Spiner was the man for the job in this career-defining performance.

68. Rita Moreno as Lydia Alvarez (One Day at a Time)

Anyone with an iconic grandma (I should know; I have two) will appreciate this testament to silly, badass and thoroughly remarkable grandmothers.

67. Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko (Shogun)

In just one ten-episode season, Anna Sawai sears the character of Mariko deep into the viewer's mind with this spectacularly captivating performance.

66. Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly (The Office)

So underrated that it hurts. Every line delivery, every brilliant reaction, every facial expression (especially the one after Jim asks her out in the season 3 finale - possibly the best acting portrayal of being in love I've ever seen in a single facial expression), is nuanced perfection. Pam is the heart of the series and Fischer should've won awards for this.

65. Matt Smith as Prince Philip (The Crown)

Did I mention that Matt Smith was born to portray various complex characters in various TV shows? As a young Prince Philip, Smith would do this thing where he's an arrogant jerk in one scene and a charming heartthrob in the next, while consistently and believably staying in character through all that range.

64. Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Voyager)

One of television's most amazing character archs, with Jeri Ryan slowly transforming her portrayal of the character from point A to point B in the exact tempo the plot called for.

63. Lorraine Braco as Jennifer Melfi (The Sopranos)

The therapy scenes are more captivating and thrilling to watch than any of the mob violence and crime power plays, and that's because there are two world-class actors bouncing off each other in the dialogues. Braco is ranked below her counterpart only because the character of Dr. Melfi had less to do and therefore didn't call for as much range.

62. David Tennant as Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)

One of the reasons David Tennant is one of my all-time favorite actors is that almost no one else has this much range - he's known best for playing one of TV's most endearing and lovable characters in Doctor Who, but he's equally believable as a frighteningly cold-blooded pure-evil villain in Jessica Jones. Chills.

61. Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring (Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul)

Speaking of TV's greatest villains, this guy is certainly up there. This magnificent and multifaceted acting performance is the #1 greatest from Esposito's impressive career.

60. Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp (Desperate Housewives)

I could write the most boring and mundane lines of dialogue imaginable, and have full confidence that Marcia Cross in this role would make them compelling and iconic with her delivery. When working with writers who came up with great dialogue, Cross had the perfect material to work with, and fulfilled the potential of each and every line written for Bree.

59. Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute (The Office)

The concept of Dwight Schrute is such a unique and trope-defining combination of personality traits that even a lesser actor would've made him into an entertaining and memorable character. Rainn Wilson took the assignment with the utmost seriousness and passion, throwing himself into the role with such conviction (I can't comprehend how he made it through Dwight's lines without breaking in laughter every time) that Mr. Schrute became the stuff of legends.

58. Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash (The Flash)

Not half as deep and complex as most of the roles on this list, but deserves to be here because Grant Gustin is 100% what the live-action portrayal of The Flash needed to be, and one of the greatest casting decisions of all time. Everything the character called for, from looks and general vibe to facial expressions and way of speaking, is just right.

57. Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Andy Samberg's God-given gift for comedy is on full display here - he's constantly on the verge of over-acting without ever crossing it in a "now it's not funny anymore" way, and walking that line for eight straight seasons is quite the achievement.

56. Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett (Community)

Sometimes Shirley is a manipulative, passive-aggressive parody of religious bigotry. Sometimes she's a sweet, thoughtful friend with a massive heart and willingness to learn. Sounds like two different characters, but Yvette Nicole Brown sells every scene and every dimension of the character so completely that Shirley ends up feeling like a real person you know and love.

55. John Spencer as Leo McGarry (The West Wing)

Sometimes I watch the season 1 episode Let Bartlet Be Bartlet's final scene and cry, thinking about the tragic loss of John Spencer and what a legacy he left behind with this towering performance.

54. Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti (The Sopranos)

A dumb and funny comic relief at times and a tragic victim struggling with addiction at others, Michael Imperioli combines wit, bitterness and about a thousand other interesting personality traits in bringing this deeply complicated character to life.

53. Maisie Williams as Arya Stark (Game of Thrones)

In the earlier seasons, it's one of the most captivating and fleshed-out child acting performances I've seen in TV or film. As the character and actress grow, the performance gains more and more layers, while always being staggeringly loyal to George R.R. Martin's source material.

52. Bill Hader as Barry Berkman (Barry)

In the most artistic move of his career, Bill Hader (known for being a hilarious comedy actor) wrote and produced a drama-comedy hybrid series, cast a bunch of comedically talented people to play supporting characters who are funny in various ways, and cast himself in the depressingly serious main role. It might be near-impossible to imagine Hader as a PTSD-suffering psychopath if you're used to him on SNL, but trust me, he pulls it off.

51. Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso (Ted Lasso)

A role so record-breakingly full of heart that it'll make the viewer feel better about themselves and the world. One of the most sympathetic and soul-healing performances I've seen.

50. Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

For a character whose death kicks the series off, Laura Palmer does get her share of screen time via flashbacks, video material and dream sequences. And thank God for that, because Sheryl Lee is so outrageously good in this role that it really makes the viewers understand why the fictional town of Twin Peaks felt her loss so deeply.

49. Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II (The Crown)

Bringing a well-known and complex historical character to life is a hard job, but Claire Foy proves how well it can be done if you just happen to be a magnificent actress. All three Elizabeths across the show's run were well-cast and impressively acted, but Foy had the toughest job ("young girl thrust into becoming Queen while mourning her father and her chances of ever having an ordinary life" is a significantly more challenging arch than "yep, still Queening") yet she nailed it.

48. Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

She'll make you laugh with her hysterical comedic timing, she'll make you cry with her powerfully acted moments of frustration and pain, and she'll make you feel like you're a part of the show's world by being so relatable and real.

47. Jim Rash as Dean Pelton (Community)

Imagine being so great in a supporting role that you get more and more screen time each season because the writers keep realizing that no matter how heavily your character is utilized, it should still be utilized more because the role is such an endless barrel of laughter.

46. Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler (Better Call Saul)

Rhea Seehorn's acting had viewers like myself in awe throughout this show's six-season run, with her interactions with fellow castmembers and the complexity of her performance feeling unreal because it's just so good.

45. Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Avery Brooks built an impressive early acting career, crowned it by bringing one of the Star Trek franchise's most engaging and complex characters to life with depth and gravitas, and then left acting to focus on his passion for jazz music. Absolute king.

44. Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

Dahmer this, Hannibal that - one of TV's most utterly fascinating and psychologically consistent portrayals of a dangerous, mentally unstable psychopath is from a f**king sitcom. You could take the character of Dennis Reynolds, exactly as he is, into a different context and he'd work as a case study in a psychological thriller or a villain in a slasher film just as well as he works as in IASIP as just one of the guys.

43. Yunjin Kim as Sun Kwon (Lost)

Probably the most hands-down underrated acting performance on this list! Yunjin Kim is insanely captivating in this role, with so much thought, work and talent going into all sorts of microexpressions and other nuances to make the character feel so fleshed-out and complete. No matter what specific subgenre of a complex emotion the script calls for, she’ll spell it out to the viewers by making just the right face.

42. Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy (Game of Thrones)

Whether he's shooting the breeze as a funny side character in season 1, going through a bitter and heartbreaking betrayal arch in season 2, losing his humanity and winning back the viewers' sympathy via unspeakable suffering in season 3 or fighting for redemption against all odds in season 5, Theon's character arch works so well because Alfie Allen portrays every step of the journey with equal prowess.

41. Bill Hader as Various (Saturday Night Live)

The Saturday Night Live cast has many comedy legends, yet hardly any of the sketch comedy show's repertory players made it onto this all-time list. Bill Hader, however, is in a league of his own - every celebrity impression, every weird-ass one-time character, every Weekend Update segment with his recurring character Stefon, it's all just so next-level.

40. Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Rarely have I fallen in love with a fictional character as much as I did with Major Kira. Not because of superficial reasons, but because Nana Visitor makes the character so real and raw that she feels like a real person, and one who the invested viewer grows to care about with all their heart.

39. Steve Carell as Michael Scott (The Office)

I must admit that I considered this award-winning performance to be overrated when watching the show for the first time. It takes some serious re-watching to fully grasp and appreciate how great the role is - in all obnoxiousness and over-the-topness, Carell's way of playing the character makes for a huge percentage of the entire show's signature humor, and it's clear how every line becomes the absolutely funniest version of itself in his mouth.

38. Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy (Succession)

Succession's most psychologically complex character could be endlessly analyzed, as Kieran Culkin binds all his traits together to create a real-feeling human who is hilarious in one scene, a sympathetic victim in the next and an unhinged monster in the third.

37. Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo (Desperate Housewives)

Anyone who was raised by a great mother (I should know; I had the best one) will appreciate Felicity Huffman's way of paying tribute to society's unsung heroes with this kick-ass performance. The emotional toll of being responsible for five little kids and one manchild is heartbreakingly felt in a performance that will make you want to A) call your mother and B) demolish the patriarchy.

36. Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy (Modern Family)

One of the greats of comedic timing, and outrageously good at making an already funny moment infinitely funnier with just the right microexpression.

35. Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy)

I'm currently on the 20th season of Grey's Anatomy - some might call me stubborn as the writing and quality have admittedly gone downhill, but I vow to continue to watch as long as Chandra Wilson continues to kick ass and take names as Doctor Miranda Bailey, as she has been doing for two decades. Her unapologetically flawed yet genuine and lovable way of playing Bailey is just that good. #alwaysmychief

34. Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler (The West Wing)

There is endless depth to the tragic character of Toby Ziegler, whose subdued vulnerability comes brilliantly to life in Richard Schiff's acclaimed performance.

33. Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul)

Playing an entertaining comic relief sidekick in one series, and then fleshing the same character out with a gripping backstory in a prequel series, takes some skill - and Bob Odenkirk was nice enough to bring about ten times more skill than was even required to ensure the show's success.

32. James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano (The Sopranos)

If one were to write an essay about TV's rise from inferior form of big-screen entertainment to an equal art form to cinema, it would be absolutely necessary to mention the influence of The Sopranos, and how the acclaim of the late great Gandolfini's performance felt 'too good for TV' by contemporary viewers.

31. Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison (Homeland)

I'm very much not an expert, but many who are experts have said that Claire Danes in Homeland is one of the most realistic portrayals of bipolar disorder in cinema and television, so major points for that. I just know she's generally incredible in bringing the protagonist's every trait to life.

30. Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek: Voyager)

Seven seasons of pure badassery, raw emotional power, range within consistent parameters, and inspiring conviction. Nothing short of a feminist icon.

29. Andre Braugher as Raymond Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

As you can surmise from the amount of comedy performances on this list, I'm not as dismissive of comedy acting in comparison to dramatic acting as many of my fellow TV/movie buffs. It takes some serious talent to be genuinely funny while also playing a character in an interesting, credible and consistent manner. And the late Andre Braugher was one of the best to ever do it.

28. Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (24)

For eight years, Kiefer gave his everything into this intense and passionate lead performance, disappearing into the role so thoroughly that you forget it's an actor playing a fake person when you watch the series.

27. Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne (Twin Peaks)

The weird and magical way in which Sherilyn Fenn plays this role is one of the most enthralling acting feats I've witnessed. It honestly feels downright anticlimactic and boring to see her playing normal characters in other shows after this delirious high.

26. Donald Glover as Troy Barnes (Community)

Donald Glover is great at everything he does, and that very much includes the role performance that originally put him on my radar. He clearly has so much genuine fun playing the character, he delivers some of television's all-time funniest lines, and he provides such a big chunk of the show's heart and atmosphere that it never feels quite the same after his exit.

25. Leonard Nimoy as Spock (Star Trek)

One of the most compelling and original characters in all fiction, and Leonard Nimoy's legendary portrayal is just the tour-de-force the character's writing deserves.

24. Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian (24)

A performance so bizarrely unique that there will never be anything like it. I don't know who had the idea that a fast-paced high-stakes thrill-ride about counterterrorism agents, with a cast full of conventionally intense action tough-guys, should add a socially awkward, clearly autistic and constantly annoyed woman into the main cast in the third season, but that's probably the greatest decision in TV history. Re-watching the first two seasons feels so wrong because once you've experienced Chloe, 24 without Chloe feels like a cheap rip-off.

23. Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

One of the great TV antiheroes, and one of the most consistent and complete realizations of a TV character in the history of the medium.

22. Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing (F.R.I.E.N.D.S.)

This man is to sarcasm what Lionel Messi is to football.

21. Terry O'Quinn as John Locke (Lost)

I feel emotional whiplash whenever I see Terry O'Quinn in any other role. He was born to be the odd, cryptic and magical John Locke, a character who encapsulates everything that is great about Lost.

20. Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

If I hadn't seen the series and you'd show me the trial scene from season 4 without any context, that alone would put Dinklage as Tyrion into today's top 50.

19. Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)

I'm a massive fan of the way Sandra Oh plays the role that is more or less synonymous with the series in pop culture - she's consistent in the character's 'default setting' as a deeply professional, self-confident and cold-blooded surgeon, but whenever the script calls for it, she finds the right layer of dry humor, painful emotion, friendly warmth, internal conflict or literally anything else that the script calls for, in just the right manner.

18. Bryan Cranston as Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Yeah, I know, many TV buffs would have this at #1 and I can see why. I don't even consider the role overrated; there are just 17 other performances in the world of TV that I respect even more. But yeah, it's the modern-day Macbeth, and it's astronomically acclaimed with good reason.

17. Matt Smith as The Doctor (Doctor Who)

DID I MENTION HOW GOOD MATT SMITH IS AT BEING ON TV?! No, really, just watch the speech from The Rings of Akhaten and you'll see what I'm talking about. How a young human man can play a 900-year-old alien with the utmost credibility is beyond me.

16. Kate McKinnon as Various (Saturday Night Live)

Okay, I lied when saying Bill Hader was next-level from any other SNL castmembers, as there is one who is in another tier yet. The fact that I'd trust her to do a brilliant, genius parody of any of the other 99 roles on this list with complete confidence speaks for itself.

15. David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane (Frasier)

From pitch-perfect line deliveries to hilarious physical comedy, from impeccable chemistry with every castmember to hysterical facial expressions, from being so relatable for us awkward undiagnosed-autism dudes that it hurts to bringing an immense amount of heart into his endearing moments, David Hyde Pierce does Niles Crane with perfection for the entirety of the show's 11-season run. 

14. LaKeith Stanfield as Darius (Atlanta)

Darius is one of those characters that you don't even have to write - you can just trust LaKeith to do LaKeith and make the character his own, as I'm guessing Donald Glover trusted him to do when creating Atlanta. One of the most memorable acting performances I've witnessed, and a spectacularly unique one.

13. Brad Whitford as Josh Lyman (The West Wing)

The range within keeping in the believably same character goes back and forth between "arrogant prick" and "fist-pumping inspiration to make the world a better place" about a thousand times throughout the show's seven-season run. Whitford's work in the season 2 episode Noël should be studied in any given acting school.

12. Michael Emerson as Ben Linus (Lost)

Every second this bug-eyed motherf**ker is on screen is a second you'll be so glued to the screen that blinking feels wrong. The absolute craziest visual shit could be happening (as it often does in this show), but if Ben's in the frame, you'll be locked in and focused on his illuminating facial expressions.

11. David Tennant as The Doctor (Doctor Who)

Sometimes the world feels like a bleak place, and in those moments, it helps to remember that the world gave us David Tennant in the role of the Doctor, from which you can't possibly draw any possible conclusion other than that the world is also magical, and our potential is endless.

10. Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg (The West Wing)

The great, towering, indescribably talented Allison Janney gives her everything into the role that keeps on giving, a role so complete that C.J. feels like a full human being and an old friend you care deeply about.

9. Michael Emerson as Harold Finch (Person of Interest)

I've seen Michael Emerson in two TV roles, and they both made my all-time top twelve. Needless to say, I'd like to see Michael Emerson in more TV roles. He consistently retains the most captivating presence in Person of Interest throughout its run, and the interrogation scene from the final season's The Day the World Went Away is probably the second-best-acted TV scene of all time.

8. Martin Sheen as Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet (The West Wing)

Martin Sheen's acting skill and passionate inspiration seen in this role has done more good for the world than a vast majority of real U.S. Presidents. The cathedral speech in the season 2 finale is probably the only TV scene even better-acted than the Person of Interest interrogation scene.

7. Zendaya as Rue Bennett (Euphoria)

I've seen countless skillful, heartwrenching and impressive portrayals of drug addiction in various Oscar-bait movies. Zendaya in Euphoria is roughly better than all of them combined.

6. Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir (Community)

I would've wanted to put Danny Pudi as Abed at #1, because on a completely subjective level, no other acting performance has moved me as much and meant as much to me as this one. An attempt to balance objective appreciation for acting skill and the subjectivity inherent to making such a list ended up with ranking him just a notch lower, but I can't possibly go any lower than #6. It takes a special actor to make a role so good that it becomes relatable, therapeutic and borderline life-changing to any viewer, and Danny Pudi did that for me by playing who became my ultimate emotional support character.

5. Emily Mortimer as MacKenzie McHale (The Newsroom)

Some call it over-acting, I call it an unprecedented burst of inspiring idealism and pure passion so raw that mainstream TV audiences couldn't handle it. Every word out of her mouth was sending me to the barricades.

4. Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: The Next Generation / Star Trek: Picard)

When you take the themes and ideals of the Star Trek franchise that I love so much, and add one of the greatest actors of all time into the mix with full Shakespearean gravitas, it gets too good to fully comprehend.

3. Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson (Mr. Robot)

An unforgettable, sledgehammer performance that nails everything from the character's social awkwardness and sensitively handled mental health issues to his emotional core and revolutionary nature.

2. Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks)

With the combination of David Lynch's writing of the role and the casting of the only person who could possibly make the role his own, Dale Cooper is become the greatest fictional character of all time. Lynch and MacLachlan are my favorite director/actor combo of all time, and of their many collaborations, this larger-than-life role is the GOAT.

1. Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

I honestly didn't expect this role to end up at #1 when I started to make this list - but as the process went on, I noticed that putting any other performance ahead of this one felt wrong. No other TV actor has put as much creativity, passion and pure genius into a role as Charlie Day - as funny as the rest of the main ensemble is, he could be argued to be the MVP of any given episode, because every moment that Charlie Day spends in his role of a lifetime is perfection. It's the funniest performance I've seen in TV and movies, but Day also goes so much beyond humor to make the character tragic, endearing and somehow amiable and humane beneath the layers of surrealism and chaos.

That’s the list! Here are some fun statistics.

Actors who appear on the list more than once:

Matt Smith (3)

Bill Hader (2)

David Tennant (2)

Michael Emerson (2)

TV shows that appear on the list more then once:

Community (6)

The West Wing (6)

Lost (5)

Game of Thrones (4)

Gilmore Girls (4)

Grey’s Anatomy (4)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (4)

Twin Peaks (4)

24 (3)

Breaking Bad (3)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (3)

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (3)

Modern Family (3)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (3)

The Crown (3)

The Office (3)

The Sopranos (3)

Barry (2)

Better Call Saul (2)

Desperate Housewives (2)

Doctor Who (2)

Mr. Robot (2)

Person of Interest (2)

Saturday Night Live (2)

Star Trek: Voyager (2)

The Walking Dead (2)

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a ridiculously niche and specific list: a ranking of the four TV shows that share the premise of "The pilot episode kicks off with the death of a female character, who goes on to be one of the show's central and most interesting characters despite being killed off in the very first episode".