6) Transparent
What does a TV show look like when you remove most of the usual boundaries? How do you write a story with no clear objective, where the heroes and villains are one and the same? Transparent, as it did in 2014, figured out how to make the aimless lives of uncomfortably relatable narcissists into some of the year’s most emotionally nuanced and perceptive programming.
Along with the Pfefferman clan, Jill Soloway’s series continues to broaden its understanding of how people relate to one another, both as individuals, and bearers of different faiths, sexualities, and genders. It’s not a show you watch in the hopes that this is the episode where Maura, Ali, and the rest finally get it together. Instead, the joy of watching Transparent is in knowing that every step forward or back for these characters will be funny, thoughtful, and fully realized.