Succession

Inarguably one of the most compelling TV series in recent history, Succession came to an end this summer after a hugely successful five-year run. This engagingly written and enacted series powered by a strong ensemble of actors — the formidable Brian Cox, along with tour-de-force performers like Jeremy Strong, Matthew MacFadyen, Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook — was built around the politics of wresting power and authority within the family of a media conglomerate whose patriarch was suffering from health issues. This was a rare show comprising awful people that the viewer fell in love with and its whip-smart writing and detailed character studies made it a consistent winner.

Riverdale

Seven seasons and 137 episodes later, the finale of Riverdale — reimagined as a dark version of the saccharine-sweet Archies comic — aired in August. The series, comprising everything from telegenic teens, love triangles, serial killers, high school musicals and even an organ-harvesting cult, had the writing running off the rails, but viewers remained invested in it for this very quality, knowing fully well that we would never get to such a zany teen soap ever again. Truly the end of an era on television.

Ted Lasso

This feel-good sports comedy-drama is about an American college football coach (Jason Sudeikis in top form) who is hired to work with a British soccer team. He makes up for his inexperience with optimism and a sunshine attitude, which won Ted Lasso millions of fans. The show — ending after a three-season run — worked because of its inspiring and uplifting template, which is sometimes all that we need.

Shadow and Bone

The protracted writers’ strike and a reevaluation of its content strategy resulted in Netflix cancelling Shadow and Bone after two seasons, much to the chagrin of fans across the world. Leigh Bardugo, on whose bestselling young adult Grishaverse novels the much-loved fantasy series was based, stated that she was “heartbroken and deeply disappointed” by the streamer’s decision, which has also put the brakes on the Six Crows spinoff of Shadow and Bone.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel ended the way fans would have wanted it to — with Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and Susie (Alex Borstein) as still friends and laughing together 50 years after they met. Ending after five seasons, the show — which won quite a few awards, especially for Brosnahan — stood out for its milieu (late ’50s-early ’60s) and theme (an aspiring female stand-up comedian trying to make a mark in a world dominated by men) as well as for its cleverly-crafted message of female empowerment. The series had its fair share of ups and downs, but left its mark in many ways, including bringing an eye-catching period fashion lookbook to life.

Sex Education

Often billed as a “perfect show”, Sex Education bowed out after four seasons. A huge success — over 40 million viewers streamed the show — the young adult drama was, at its core, a story about friendship and finding one’s kind of people in life. Considered a masterclass in truly representative teen TV, the series turned things around for the world of sex education in media.

The Crown

It took six seasons to capture six decades of the crests and troughs and the political and personal lives of the British royal family. Even though the Emmy Award-winning show was consistently boosted by sterling performances and remained potently dramatic, the law of diminishing marginal utility caught up with The Crown. Nevertheless, this lavish Netflix series will always remain a favourite for its historical context and for the way it intertwined real-life events with personal drama.

Priyanka Roy
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