For 250 columns, I have written about television in this space. My wife considers Stream Of Stories an elaborate way to enable an addiction. I don’t dare disagree, but, in my defense, there has never been a finer time to dive in—or to drown. TV is richer, more diverse, more unexpected than ever. As an interlude, here is a fussily chosen selection of the 25 most outstanding shows I have written about over the years.
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Best Writing: Fleabag
Many have smashed the fourth wall, but Phoebe Waller-Bridge forged an intimate relationship with the viewer, making us feel seen—and eavesdropped upon. (Amazon Prime)
The fearlessly clever storytelling of Fleabag. Read here.
Best Direction: Mindhunter, Season 1, David Fincher, Asif Kapadia (Netflix)
Mindhunter is about death by dialogue. Read here.
Best miniseries: Feud (Disney+ Hotstar)
BattleAxe-Royale: Femmes turn fatal in Feud. Read here.
Best Satire: The Boys (Amazon Prime)
The supe nazis. Read about Season 1 here.
The superhero satire gets even wilder. Read about Season 2 here.
Best science-fiction Series: DEVS (Disney+ Hotstar)
All the mirrors are black. Read here.
Best Drama: Succession
It’s no coincidence that the whitest, wealthiest show on television is also its most frightening. A savage — and dizzyingly profane — morality tale. (Disney+ Hotstar)
Crazy Rich Americans. Read about Season 1 here.
The best show on television. Read about Season 2 here.
My interview with Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy.
Best long-running Comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm (Disney+ Hotstar)
How Larry David made the sitcom great again. Read here.
Funniest Series: What We Do In The Shadows (Disney+ Hotstar)
A Few Good Vampires. Read here.
Best TV family: Schitt’s Creek (Netflix)
Up Schitt’s Creek without a paddle. Read about Season 1 here.
Television’s most romantic relationship. Read about Season 3 here.
Why the Awards couldn’t resist Schitt’s Creek. Read about the series here.
Best Concept: The Good Place (Netflix)
Why I’ve decided to spoil The Good Place. Read here.
Best Documentary Series: The Last Dance
A story about basketball should not be this riveting, or this humane. This series about The Chicago Bulls is sharper and more telling than fiction. Call it air fiction. (Netflix)
The God Of Tall Things. Read here.
Best Investigative Series: American Vandal (Netflix)
TV’s most compelling mystery. Read about Season 1 here.
A+ For American Vandal. Read about Season 2 here.
Best true crime recreation: American Crime Story: The People Vs OJ Simpson (Disney+ Hotstar)
The People vs OJ Simpson and our fascination for true crime. Read here.
Best Romance: Normal People (Lionsgate Play)
TV’s tenderest romance finally comes to India. Read here.
Best stand-up comedy special: Dave Chappelle, The Age Of Spin (Netflix)
The top 10 standup-comedy specials on Netflix. Read here.
Best Episode: BoJack Horseman, season 3 episode 4 Fish Out Of Water
This remarkable episode fearlessly shushed up its sensational vocal talent, allowing protagonist (and viewer) introspection with a quiet episode that spoke volumes. (Netflix)
Why a cartoon horse is the best thing on TV. Read here.
Best Genre-Change: It’s Always Funny In Philadelphia, Season 13 final episode (Disney+ Hotstar)
It’s not always funny in Philadelphia. Read here.
Best First Episode: The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Amazon Prime)
Stand up for The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Read here.
Best Final Season: The Comeback (Disney+ Hotstar)
How Phoebe turned out to be the best Friend. Read here.
Best Series Finale: The Americans (Disney+ Hotstar)
Mr Cold & Mrs War. Read here.
Best show from the subcontinent: Churails
No local production proved quite as memorable — or defiantly original — as this angry, cool Pakistani vigilante series. The vibe is fiery, sophisticated, messy, decisive. All at once. (Zee 5)
A feminist vigilante show we must celebrate. Read here.
Best series about music: Roadies (Amazon Prime)
A love letter to Cameron Crowe’s Roadies. Read here.
Best series about religion: Ramy (Amazon Prime)
Just a slob like one of us. Read about Season 1 here.
Is Ramy TVs most essential comedy? Read about Season 2 here.
Best nostalgic series: GLOW (Netflix)
There’s no business like GLOW business. Read about Season 1 here.
Time for Wrestle-Womania II. Read about Season 2 here.
Best 2021 series: The White Lotus (Disney+ Hotstar)
A series about a getaway offers more than escape. Read here.
Stream of Stories is a column on what to watch online. Raja Sen is a film and TV critic, screenwriter and the author of The Best Baker In The World (2017), a children’s adaptation of The Godfather.
@rajasen
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