https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/arts/television/best-tv-shows-21st-century.html
In every imaginable universe, "Somebody Somewhere" is a smarter, subtler show than "The Pitt." I have watched and written about both shows. You will never convince me that the Times is justified in ranking "The Pitt" *above* Bridget Everett's masterpiece. You will never convince me that this is anything other than sexism. Everett would never make something as clunky as the "Tree of Life" chapter from "The Pitt."
That said, I want to share my happiest memory of TV watching. It involves "Better Call Saul," a show that did not crack the top twenty in the Times. (Absurd.) There are moments in history when all of New York City and its suburbs seem to be focused on one TV mystery. Will Jesse survive the finale of "Breaking Bad"? Did Ralph, in "The Sopranos," murder his own horse (just to collect insurance money)? Which identity would turn out to be the identity of the "first corpse" in "The White Lotus"?
My own favorite recent mystery--not as buzzy as "Succession" Season Four but much more interesting--was the following: What would become of Kim Wexler on "Better Call Saul"?
This was a fabulous question. That's because Kim is among TV's great characters; the Times called Rhea Seehorn's performance "the most finely calibrated work on television." It's not clear to me that the writers understood Kim's importance when they invented her. But--as Seehorn began to hijack the show--America began to notice Kim's *absence* from "Breaking Bad." If Kim makes an exit from the prequel, then she must get murdered?
This was a question that kept me up at night. And the answer was startling. It involved a now-iconic moment of television, in which Seehorn has a nervous breakdown on a bus. This caused the critic Mark Harris to argue that "Saul" deserved *two* Emmy Awards: one for Seehorn herself, and one for Seehorn's intriguing, surprising left hand. An award for "hand acting." I can't disagree.
In any case, I think I'd give "Saul" the top spot on the Times's list. Just saying.
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