The 50 best TV show seasons of all time, according to critics
Travis Clark  Â
- "Breaking Bad" and "The Sopranos" are some of the most acclaimed shows of all time.
- We broke down quality TV by seasons and ranked the best TV seasons of all time based on Metacritic reviews.
The 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 Sopranos" consistently won over critics, and their best seasons have set a standard for what great television should look like.
More recent shows like "Fleabag," "Atlanta," and "Better Call Saul" have broken into this elite group, as well.
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.
John Lynch contributed to an earlier version of this story.
Check out the 50 best TV-show seasons of all time, according to critics:
50. "The Americans" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.5/10
49. "The Staircase" 2018 (season 1)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 7.6/10
Netflix added more episodes to the 2004 version, which Metacritic counted as its own season.
48. "Halt and Catch Fire" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.2/10
47. "Better Call Saul" (season 5)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.7/10
46. "The Shield" (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 9.3/10
45. "Mad Men" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 9.0/10
44. "The Americans" (Season 6)
Metacritic score: 92/100
User score: 8.2/10
43. "The Larry Sanders Show" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 7.5/10
42. "Bleak House" (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 9.0/10
41. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 8.8/10
40. "Louie" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 8.7/10
39. "Deadwood" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 9.1/10
38. "The Office: UK" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 93/100
User score: 8.9/10
37. "The Americans" (Season 5)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.4/10
36. "Louie" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.8/10
35. "Transparent" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 6.6/10
34. "Battlestar Galactica" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 9.1/10
33. "Game of Thrones" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 9.2/10
32. "Better Things" (season 3)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.2/10
31. "Homicide: Life on the Street" (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 94/100
User score: 8.7/10
30. "The Wire" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 9.0/10
29. "The Americans" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 9.0/10
28. "The Staircase" 2004 (season 1)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 6.7/10
Netflix added more episodes to this original version, which Metacritic counted as two seasons.
27. "Enlightened" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 95/100
User score: 7.6/10
26. "Catastrophe" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.1/10
25. "Planet Earth II" (season 1)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.4/10
24. "Fargo" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.3/10
23. "Fleabag" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.7/10
22. "Better Things" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 7.4/10
21. "The Sopranos" (Season 6)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.9/10
20. "Breaking Bad" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.5/10
19. "O.J.: Made in America" (season 1)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.0/10
18. "Twin Peaks" (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 9.3/10
17. "Homeland" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 8.3/10
16. "America to Me" (season 1)
Metacritic score: 96/100
User score: 5.6/10
15. "The Sopranos" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 9.4/10
14. "Atlanta" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 8.1/10
13. "Blue Planet II" (season 1)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 8.2/10
12. "The Larry Sanders Show" (Season 5)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 6.0/10
11. "The Sopranos" (Season 2)
Metacritic score: 97/100
User score: 9.3/10
10. "The Wire" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 9.5/10
9. "The Wire" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 9.4/10
8. "The Leftovers" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 9.1/10
7. "The Office: UK" (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 8.6/10
6. "The Office: UK" (Season 3)
Metacritic score: 98/100
User score: 8.5/10
5. "Breaking Bad" (Season 5)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 9.6/10
4. "The Larry Sanders Show" (Season 6)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 5.5/10
3. "Murder One" (Season 1)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 6.2/10
2. "The Larry Sanders Show" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 5.8/10
1. "Rectify" (Season 4)
Metacritic score: 99/100
User score: 8.6/10
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