2014 has been another great year for television. How great exactly? Well, we’re only halfway through it, but winnowing 2014’s selection of fantastic shows down to a list of just ten meant cutting more than a dozen other nominees. Taking the temperature of the TV landscape this early in the year would make for an unnecessary exercise had 2014 not delivered in six months enough new and returning content to keep viewers busy for a full year. Best of all, half of the slots on this list are needed just for the freshman shows, with more familiar faces rounding out what’s looking to be another record-setting year for sheer volume of quality television.
How many of these shows will still be considered among the very best of 2014 come December is anyone’s guess, but narrowing down the last six months of excellence to just ten programs was no easy task. Each show did something better than, and unlike, any other program on TV, so the only way to organize a batch of shows this diverse and outstanding was alphabetically.
With that in mind, take a look at what kept us glued to the screen all Winter and Spring, and let us know what you thought made for the pinnacle of TV programming in 2014 (so far).