The 2017 Uproxx TV Critics Poll

Let the mystery be solved: The Leftovers has won this year’s Uproxx Television Critics’ Poll.

Continuing a tradition that began in the HitFix days, we asked 55 critics for lists of both their 10 favorite overall shows of the year and their 10 favorite new shows. (Then, when we put them all together, a 1st place choice was worth 10 points, 2nd place 9 points, etc.) Peak TV really hit home in the poll this year: where in the 2016 overall poll, 103 different shows got at least one vote, this year 146 different shows got named by at least one critic. (Interestingly, the increase in new shows getting at least one vote was only from 67 to 70.)

In the end, though, there were consensus winners for both polls. The Leftovers — HBO’s alternately devastating and ridiculous epic about grief, loss, depression, the end of the world, and Tasmanian lion sex boats — handily won the overall poll, thanks to the passion of its supporters: other shows appeared on more ballots, but Leftovers received by far the most first-place votes.

The show it beat in the overall poll was the victor for the new shows poll: Hulu’s religious dystopian nightmare The Handmaid’s Tale, which finished well ahead of HBO’s star-studded Big Little Lies.

If you scroll below, you can see every show that received votes, as well as links to each critic’s ballot. Clicking on each show will, in turn, show you the votes it received and give you a chance to look for patterns and oddities in the voting. And for more trivia — about shows that rose or fell significantly from last year, the show that got one first-place vote and no other votes at all, and more — click here.

Best New TV Show Of 2017

373 points

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale depicts America in the not so distant future reborn as Gilead, a religious state where women have been stripped of their rights and forced into either indentured servitude or sexual slavery. Elisabeth Moss stars as the titular handmaid at the center of the conflict desperate to escape her circumstances and reunite with her family.

304 points

Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies had all of the makings of a pulpy, escapist mystery, with the HBO budgets, lust-worthy real estate, and a slew of Hollywood A-listers, including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Laura Dern. However, the series ended up being more than just a whodunit with an incredible view.

228 points

The Deuce

The creators of The Wire managed to take the seedy, often dark beginnings of America’s porn industry and give us a wildly entertaining drama infused with a surprising amount of humor and heart. The Deuce revisited New York circa 1971, when sex work morphed into adult entertainment and everyone was grappling for a piece of the profits.

181 points

GLOW

There’s something about a scrappy group of misfits coming together for a higher purpose, and GLOW takes that old formula and gives it a fresh spin. A diverse group of women, led by a pair of actress frenemies played by Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin, find a new path in wrestling with the help of a washed-up filmmaker (Marc Maron), helping each other leave behind toxic relationships, rise above their circumstances, and kick some serious ass.

175 points

Mindhunter

Two FBI agents in the 1970s start to delve into the horrifying psychology of murderers and what makes a serial killer. As Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) starts to get too close to his subjects, one starts to wonder if he understands them a little too well. Mindhunter bears all the hallmarks of David Fincher’s works, raising the tension with a meticulously crafted slow burn.

166 points

One Day At A Time

Neflix’s revival of Norman Lear’s One Day At A Time managed to feel timeless while speaking to the current social and political climate as it focused on a Cuban-American family with an Army veteran mom (Justina Machado) who is trying to raise her two kids with help from her mother (Rita Moreno).

133 points

American Vandal

In addition to adding their share of true crime shows to the mix, Netflix decided to parody the genre with American Vandal, a mockumentary from Funny or Die that tries to track down the perpetrators of a campaign to draw dicks on cars in a high school parking lot while exploring strange conspiracy theories and a surprising amount of emotions.

116 points

Feud: Bette And Joan

When Ryan Murphy decides he’s going to chronicle the beginnings of one of Hollywood’s most notorious beefs between two of its biggest stars, you can bet there will be plenty of drama, lengthy monologues, and an overabundance of cat fights. Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange played the Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, two actresses struggling to fight back against a sexist system and taking out their frustration on each other.

103 points

Legion

FX proved that comic book shows don’t have to be formulaic. In fact, if they’re like Legion, they can be trippy and strange, and even make you question your own sanity. That’s what the show’s hero (or antihero, we’re still not sure) David Haller does for most of the first season as he struggles with his incredible abilities and the parasitic monster (played by a hellishly fun Aubrey Plaza) who preys on his mind.

92 points

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Mrs. Maisel gives us a fresh take on making it in the comedy world from the perspective of a 1950s Jewish housewife who discovers her perfectly planned life isn’t as fulfilling as getting up on stage and behind the mic. Because this series comes from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, Mrs. Maisel takes the form of a fast-talking, wit-infused brunette, played by Rachel Brosnahan, who uses comedy as a brutally honest therapeutic outlet filled with more than a few laughs.