Top 10 TV Programs of 2017-2018

Maybe I've become spoilt for choice over the years, but I must confess that the overall TV programming in 2017-2018 didn't feel as groundbreaking as seasons past. Apart from a few exceptions - including a returning powerhouse duo from the ever reliable FX - the top programs I watched this year were mostly stalwart favourites offering familiar pleasures. Still, the ever growing TV landscape did provide some freshman entries which underlined the boundless potential of peak TV. As eclectic as ever, the best of TV provided a diverse range of entertainment to suit virtually all tastes. Here are those Top 10 Programs of the 2017-2018 TV Season:

1. Queen Sugar (OWN)
2. The Americans (FX)
3. Patton Oswalt: Annihilation (Netflix)
4. Outlander (Starz)
5. Godless (Netflix)
6. Insecure (HBO)
7. Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
8. Game of Thrones (HBO)
9. Atlanta (FX)
10. The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Honorable Mention: Queer Eye

Top 10 Acting Performances of 2017-2018 TV

Best Casting: Godless, GLOW, Queen Sugar

While the 2016-2017 season brought a heavenly smorgasbord of outstanding female performances, I found myself unexpectedly drawn more to the scintillating men of the small screen this year. Indeed, my Top 10 Acting Performances features 6 such male actors who challenged themselves with daring work that proved integral to the success of their respective shows. Crude, bizarre and even downright psychotic, these MVPs never played within the comfort zone.

Equally impressive were their 4 female counterparts on this list, who all portrayed leaders in their own right and brilliantly navigated the associated complexities relating to racial oppression and capitalism. Altogether, their characters may live in vastly different eras and locales. But they are all uncompromising portrayals that get to the heart of what it means to live in America. Here are my Top 10 Acting Performances of the 2017-2018 TV Season.

1. Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
2. Donald Glover, Atlanta
3. Marc Maron, GLOW
4. Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Queen Sugar
5. Rutina Wesley, Queen Sugar
6. Keri Russell, The Americans
7. Matthew Rhys, The Americans
8. Jon Jon Briones, The Assassination of Gianni Versace
9. Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta
10. Danielle Brooks, Orange Is the New Black