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The 21 best TV shows of 2017

Carrie WittmerDec 13, 2017, 00:01 IST

HBO

There was a lot of TV this year, and thankfully, a lot of it was great.

In fact, there was so much great TV in 2017 that putting together a list of the best shows was tough - and a bit stressful. So many new shows were worth including, like "American Vandal" and "Big Little Lies," and so many returning shows broke ground like "The Good Place" and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."

One of the best things about TV in 2017 was the number of shows with female-driven stories (that women liked), from Hulu's Emmy-winning "The Handmaid's Tale" to Freeform's "The Bold Type."

And there were many shows that didn't make the list that are still worth noting. For example, Comedy Central's "Nathan For You" went places you'd never be able to imagine in its fourth season. Netflix, which dominated this list both in new shows and returning shows, also delivered some notable shows that didn't make the cut, like "Alias Grace" and "Big Mouth."

Here are the best TV shows of 2017, categorized into new shows and returning shows: