The 50 Best Shows on TV, From Star Trek: Discovery to Schitt's Creek

Culled from our guide to the very best shows on TV right now, here's an all-star list of today's top 50 shows.

The rundown includes sci-fi (Star Trek: Discovery), superheroes (Legends of Tomorrow), reality (Vanderpump Rules), spooky stuff (Stranger Things), and comedy (Schitt's Creek), but, sorry, it does not include Game of Thrones and other shows that have already wrapped.

Start clicking to see our picks!

Get the full list: The 100 Best Shows on TV Right Now

Star Trek: Discovery walked a fine line in Season 2, calling back to the original series through Spock (Ethan Peck) and Captain Pike (Anson Mount) while also pushing the boundaries of the Trekverse with thrilling new storytelling. The show proves that nostalgia and modernity aren't mutually exclusive.

The supernatural Western about an unconventional heroine (Melanie Scrofano) sending demons to hell is a powerful force for good, on-screen and off. With inclusive casting and a famously kind fanbase, Wynnona Earp is groundbreaking in more ways than one.

The Other Two follows two washed-up millennial siblings who may finally get their moment in the spotlight when their 13-year-old brother becomes an overnight YouTube singing sensation. It's a spot-on satire of fame and influencer culture, but it's far sweeter than you'd suspect.

Good Girls -- an intelligent drama starring Retta, Christina Hendricks, and Mae Whitman as a girl gang of reluctant criminals -- exemplifies how to portray multifaceted female characters while also keeping fans on the edge of our seats.

No show is having more fun than Legends of Tomorrow. The CW's zaniest series recognizes (and relishes) the whimsy of its premise, pushing the boundaries of what a superhero show can look like.

Lodge 49 follows a surfer bro who joins a fraternal lodge, where he finds out he might be the Messiah, and there's a guy who chases crows, and-- you know, describing Lodge 49 is a total disservice to the show. Just trust us and prepare for a light-hearted, wacky adventure about finding one's place in the universe.

Tim Robinson is one of the most unique comedy performers we have today. Half of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's skits probably sounded dreadful spilling out of his mouth during his pitch, but he makes them funny, even when they have no business being so.

Vida is the tale of a fractured family trying to heal as much as it's an unflinching look at gentrification in L.A.'s historic Mexican-American community. And it's also filled with lots of hot sex -- including queer sex -- but depicted in ways that refute the cis male gaze.

Even as the alcohol-soaked stars of Vanderpump Rules age not-so-gracefully into adulthood, the series continues to be one of the best, thanks to the kind of epic blowouts and drunken shenanigans that reality TV show fans dream of.

Ramy Youssef's semi-autobiographical comedy series, Ramy, does something you almost never see on TV: It depicts a devout person who never questions their faith in God. It's difficult to talk about faith in mixed company, but Ramy nails it.

American Crime Story doesn't just mimic history or enjoy the smug pleasure of bringing vintage panormas to life. Every American Crime Story retelling urges audiences to pay attention to important lessons we didn't get the first time. The drama is always provocative, a little bit sexy, and a guaranteed must-see.

On Billions, the pyrotechnics are all conversational. The finance drama's delightful blend of Wikipedian references, business jargon, pugilistic insults, and outrageous metaphors make for the most distinctive dialogue of any show on TV, delivered by actors who are thrilled they get to talk instead of run away from zombies or yell at a tennis ball on a stick.

Murder and mayhem drive Claws' chaotic and thrilling plots, but the heart of the story lies in the unbreakable bond between five female friends trying to survive a perilous, criminal world that constantly underestimates their value.

Any early concerns about how this film-to-TV adaptation would be able to turn 85 minutes of vampire gags into a full television series were quickly staked in the heart. Why did we ever doubt Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi?

Featuring a story told in multiple timelines, and with the threat of a nuclear apocalypse looming over it all, Dark is one of the best sci-fi shows in recent memory. Just when you think you have the show's non-linear narrative figured out, yet another complicated layer threatens to change everything you thought you knew. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Planet Earth takes viewers around the world and offers them a rare, in-depth look at some of our planet's most beautiful creatures and locales, all without leaving the comfort of the couch.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a thrilling watch as fast-talking funny lady Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) slowly but surely comes into her own as a comedian.

Fast-paced, sexy, and packed full of explosive twists, Power has become Starz's most-watched show in the network's history and one of the best TV crime dramas of all time.

The Crown, which follows the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II through the decades, offers delicious insight into what went on behind the monarch's poised facade.

Late night talk shows are stale...except for Desus & Mero. Through sheer force of personality and brains like comedy supercomputers, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero are reinvigorating the format.

Reliving your own puberty might not sound appealing, but reliving puberty through the eyes of John Mulaney and Nick Kroll as a pair of middle school boys -- now that sounds like a fun time. Even when tackling big topics like consent, Big Mouth is a nonstop hoot.

The Handmaid's Tale still manages to curdle our blood, but just when it seems that hopelessness might win, June (Elisabeth Moss) always discovers a new reason to keep going. Blessed be the fight.

A risky three-year time jump landed Pose in the epicenter of the AIDS crisis, as well as the precise moment pop culture started co-opting the voguing scene. Yet no matter what gets thrown at the characters, Pose remains a triumphant song about the humanity of every person, regardless of how they identify.

BoJack Horseman is an animated sad-com that details the fallout of a deeply unhappy person (er, horse) getting everything he wanted and realizing he's still not happy. It's a beautifully empathetic study of how people turn into their own worst enemies.

This season of New York delivered one of the darkest and most captivating fights we've seen in any Housewives city in a long time when Bethenny finally turned on Luann with a scathing monologue we'll be dissecting for years to come -- a perfect example of the spectacular, must-see TV moments the show delivers season after season.

On My Block, about a group of black and Latinx teens growing up in a neighborhood of Los Angeles that has been torn apart by gang violence, balances an absurd sense of humor with honest and heartfelt character moments.

When is a spin-off more than a spin-off? When it's The Good Fight, which took Diane (Christine Baranski, a hero and legend) from The Good Wife and turned her into the centerpiece of a thoroughly entertaining, often subversive procedural. The Good Fight is fearless, relentless, essential viewing.

An intimate study of the chaos and strain of motherhood, especially single motherhood, Better Things captures what hard work it is to care for -- and about -- someone. Stylistically, the series continues to get bolder as Pamela Adlon taps into the surreal side of parenting with dreamlike flights of fancy that somehow only make the show more realistic. Better Things isn't about how life looks; it's about how it feels.

The world of gel pens and AIM comes bursting back to life in all its awkward glory in this horrifically accurate comedy about two teenage girls (played by adults) set in 2000. PEN15 is a real heartwarming story of friendship that will leave you reminiscing... and cringing.

Part Mad Men, part Gossip Girl, part Being Very Online, The Bold Type brought the real world into its orbit during Season 3 thanks to ripped-from-the-headlines plots that didn't feel pandering or forced -- and the genuine chemistry between the show's three delightful leads.

The new Veronica Mars was a treat for longtime fans while also successfully evolving into a more adult series. And despite the season's shocking conclusion, we can't deny how much fun we had returning to Neptune.

Nailed It's thesis is that we're all going to mess up, so we might as well have fun and get some cake out of the deal. And if anyone is having a better time than Jacques Torres and Nicole Byer, we haven't seen them.

The raunchy-on-the-outside, sweet-on-the-inside British series is a charming coming-of-age story that blends modern sensibilities with a nostalgic John Hughes vibe. Sex Education takes its intimate subject matter seriously, but with its playful visual style and distinct sense of humor, the show insists growing up can be whimsical too.

Succession, the sleeper hit of summer 2018, is now just a hit, and Season 2 penetrates even deeper into the dark souls of the super rich. The saga of the media mogul Roy family is as hilarious as it is tragic.

Bodyguard became a word-of-mouth sensation for Netflix after first airing on the BBC, taking audiences on an intense ride with Richard Madden's David Budd as he tries his hardest to protect the woman he's sworn to keep out of harm's way.

Even after six seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still one of the most joyful things on TV. You can be giggling at Captain Holt's (Andre Braugher) playful vacation shirts in one moment and tearing up at Gina's (Chelsea Peretti) heartfelt goodbye in the next. If that isn't great television, we don't know what is.

Natasha Lyonne anchors Russian Doll as Nadia, a gravel-voiced game coder who can't seem to stop dying on the night of her birthday party. As she unravels her own trauma, she finds the companionship she needs to carry on. Russian Doll is saturated with death, but it's about the absurdity of being alive.

Even as Bob's Burgers approaches a decade on television, it's as clever and as laugh-out-loud funny as it's ever been. What more could we ever ask for?

Killing Eve's sophisticated cat-and-mouse game is still worthy of our obsession, thanks to the macabre delight at watching Villanelle (Jodie Comer) stab, slice, and shoot everyone in her path, and the thrill of seeing Eve (Sandra Oh) face pulse-quickening physical danger and a mental hell of her own making.

It's rare that bingeing a show could be considered self-care, but treating yourself to a few hours of Queer Eye is like getting a cleansing facial, a mani-pedi, and a massage.

YOU became 2019's first viral sensation and pushed misplaced thirst for Penn Badgley's Joe, the show's sociopathic murderer, into overdrive. But that's the trick of the series, which forces viewers to flirt with empathy for Joe and in turn examine their own internalized misogyny: It takes the well-worn romantic-comedy tropes many of us grew up on, flips them over, and exposes the dark underbelly to the light.

GLOW, which started ostensibly as a series about the fledgling launch of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, has become something so much more: a series about what happens when women force change, take what's theirs, and don't apologize for anything.

The Haunting of Hill House was more than just some jump scare-heavy horror show. In this thoughtful adaptation of Shirley Jackson's classic novel, Mike Flanagan managed to creep everyone out with spooky atmospheres, grisly imagery, and heartbreaking twists that stayed on our minds long after the finale.

After One Day at a Time was ruthlessly canceled by Netflix, Pop TV swooped in to save the day. Now, one of the best casts on television (Rita Morena! Justina Machado!), will be back for a (hopefully) long tenure at their new home where they can tackle all the beautiful subtleties of being a loving immigrant family in modern America.

With Game of Thrones done, it's left to Stranger Things to become television's biggest event series. Fortunately, Season 3 of the Netflix show was more than up to the task, remixing pop culture in ways that feel fresh and lively. Let's hope the '80s never end.

Better Call Saul is built on knowing Jimmy's (Bob Odenkirk) schemes will be his undoing, even when those schemes are fun or well intentioned. And yet the AMC drama still knows how to keep fans guessing. Better Call Saul could have been a paint-by-numbers prequel; instead, it takes its time watching a fascinating cast of characters try not to fail.

The Good Place tackles some ridiculously profound content, but the creative team and this gifted crew of actors have made a serious moral philosophy lesson genuine, heartwarming fun.

HBO's Barry packs more into a half-hour than most dramas manage to fit in an hour. Not only is it a laugh-out-loud showbiz satire, but it has hold-your-breath action scenes and gut-punching character drama about people trying and failing to change who they are.

When this list was released last year, Atlanta placed No. 2 overall. One year later, with no new episodes to its name, Atlanta is still No. 2, having aged like a fine wine. Funny, heartbreaking, poignant, and unapologetically weird, Atlanta distills the whole black experience through one small, powerful prism.

It's a rare thing to make art that swears people are good. It's rarer still to do that without being toothless. But Schitt's Creek is never saccharine; it's just smart about how weird, terrifying, and worthwhile it is to let yourself grow. It's no wonder new fans are still flocking to the fictional town, even with a farewell season on the horizon, and finding a warm welcome. In Schitt's Creek, the door isn't just always open -- it's all the way off the hinges.