Page 48 - Esquire - USA (Winter 2020)

the Big Bite

ALL THE TV THAT’S National Anthem”), producing
the most endearing love
story of the decade (“San
FIT TO BINGE Junipero”), or changing

the way we interact with
BLOCK OUT THE WEEKEND. HERE ARE THE 10 BEST SHOWS OF THE DECADE. TV (“Bandersnatch”), the
anthology series leads Fleabag
the charge for innovative
storytelling. —J.K.
can be won when there’s
a little heart buried in
7. BOB’S BURGERS our windowless government
2011–, FOX offices. —Brady Langmann

Coming on the heels of
caustic fare like South 9. VEEP
Park and Family Guy, Bob’s 2012–19, HBO
Burgers has proved with
heart and humor that As political life in America
animated shows needn’t be became a farce, Veep rose to
unkind. Ten seasons in,
meet the challenge, exposing
it’s as glorious and goofy as the myopia of Washington
ever, with a takeaway as with potty-mouthed genius
comforting as one of Bob’s
and a blistering joke-per-
cheeseburgers: The right minute velocity. —A.W.
people will love you for exactly
who you are, because what
Lakeith Stanfield
and Donald Glover makes you weird makes you 10. GAME OF
on Atlanta. wonderful. —A.W. THRONES
2011–19, HBO
1. ATLANTA 2016–, FX 8. PARKS
AND RECREATION
Yes, many fans were
2009–15, NBC
In just two seasons, Atlanta has managed to subvert television. disappointed by the ending.
But it’s indisputable that it
A surrealist commentary on race, class, the music industry— Before everything went was a television event the
every episode of Donald Glover’s show delivers something to shit, we had a lone beacon likes of which we’d never
of government-employed seen before. One of the most
completely unexpected. From Glover himself acting uncredited optimism: Leslie Knope. expensive series ever made,
in whiteface to the viral Migos phenomenon to the skyrocketing Even through its grouchiest Game of Thrones rejuvenated
character—the mustachioed, our love of fantasy, and we’ll
careers of Lakeith Stanfield, Brian Tyree Henry, and Zazie Beetz,
steak-shoveling Ron be seeing imitators for years
Atlanta is what the future of television looks like. —M.M. Swanson—Parks and to come. And that’s not a bad
Recreation showed what thing. —M.M.

Finding a character more
2. BREAKING BAD suavely broken than Don is 5. FLEABAG 2016,
2008–13, AMC nearly impossible. Bonus: 2019, AMAZON
Peggy’s strut through McCann
Having ushered in our In 12 daring, perfectly
Erickson is TV perfection.
modern era of Peak TV, —Justin Kirkland compact episodes, Fleabag
Breaking Bad remains a excavated family tension,
historic achievement in visual grief, trauma, and spirituality,
4. THE AMERICANS
storytelling—an obsessively all through an extraordinary
detailed and brilliantly acted 2013–18, FX arc of growth and self-
narrative of greed and knowledge that made it
Who knew a show about
darkness lurking in suburban one of the most emotionally
America. —M.M. Russian interference in intelligent shows of the
American politics would only
decade. —A.W.
get more timely? Led by Keri
3. MAD MEN Russell and Matthew Rhys
2007–15, AMC as married Soviet spies living 6. BLACK MIRROR
on U.S. soil, the drama was 2011–, NETFLIX
This complex portrait of remarkable in its ability to
midcentury America helped make you root for individuals As damning of humanity
set the prestigious tone with (much!) blood on their as it is haunting, Black Mirror
for television in the 2010s. hands and begged you to theorizes how our greatest
Don Draper was the slick examine the notion of loyalty, technological advances could SAY HIS NAME
ad guy who brought the as well as what happens when be our demise. Whether Bryan Cranston’s Walter White was one of this
antihero back into vogue. it leads you astray. —M.V. predicting headlines (“The decade’s most iconic antiheroes.

42 Winter 2020_Esquire