Every show has one season that’s just… better.
(We’re looking at you,Fleabag.)
And that all happened in what will go down asYellowstone’s most dramatic and therefore best season.
Credit:Emerson Miller for Paramount; Shane Mahood/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Macall B. Polay/HBO
Because nothing pairs with a Montana sunset like murder and mayhem.
The pilot episode boasted a primo premise twist these four strangers celebrating their 36thbirthdays are actually siblings and parents!
(Why is frozen yogurt the go-to cold treat in paradise?)
Luke Grimes and Kevin Costner on ‘Yellowstone’.Emerson Miller/Paramount Network/Everett
But viewers had no motherforking idea what exactly they were in for.
Dan Snierson
The O.C., Season 1
If you loveThe O.C.
and you should it’s because you love the first season.
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
kiss and with it, the hope that they were finally getting together.
And none could compete with the chilling, ice-in-the-veins evil ofJohn Lithgow’s domesticated monster, the Trinity Killer.
Stellar foreshadowing, by the way.
Guy D’Alema/FX
By anchoring all of its action with the love triangle which Salvatore will Elena choose?!
“Who is Don Draper?”
It’s when the Panthers are at the top of their game.
Steve Schofield/Amazon Studios
It has “Mud Bowl.”
He’s absolutely right.
“It was fun seeing everybody working against a clock.
Justin Lubin/NBC
And the final product was this sweet romantic moment that says everything we want to say with a show.
If you pick two minutes that tells what the show is about, I’d select those two minutes.
And in TV form, showrunnersDavid BenioffandD.B.
Jill Greenberg/FOX
Weissperfected their panoramic adaptation strategy.
Knight) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) have sex!
(Poor Coach turned to pink mist!
Justin Lubin/NBC
If that episode didnt make you cry, youre lying.
It was never afraid to blow up its status quo for present new challenges to its characters.
Think of it asThe West Wingwith walk-off home runs.
Randy Tepper/Showtime
The back half of the season Kim’s surprise marriage proposal!
Jimmy’s “lightning bolts shoot from my fingertips!”
Jimmy and Mike’s deadly desert survival trek!
Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS
Lalo’s terrifying “Tell.
was as mesmerizing and compelling as any stretch ofBreaking Bad.
Well, unless she chose Charlie.
Jeremy Strong on ‘Succession’.Macall B. Polay/HBO
But season 2 was the show’s perfect nexus between strangeness and brilliance.
ButBoneswas never more consistent than in season 2, a dark blend of the show’s best elements.
And did we mention that undercover trip to Vegas?
BBC/Hartswood Films for MASTERPIECE
But the season’s No.
Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) gets pregnant and has a miscarriage.
’s office and has a super-steamy flirtation with her boss, Ray.
Ursula Coyote/AMC
Packed with countless unforgettable moments, including the show’s first major death (R.I.P.
It doesn’t get better than that.Samantha Highfill
Star Trek, Season 1
Pop myth incarnate.
The simultaneous labors of Amy and Dina (Lauren Ash) cast a sharp light on healthcare inequity.
Bob Mahoney/The CW
And did we mention the climactic ICE raid?
Translation: It wasn’t hard to root for him.
AND they’re still married to this day.
Michael Yarish/AMC
How’s that for the most dramatic season ever?
Or having your heart completely shattered as Joey sings “On My Own”?
Or that grand finale when Joey and Dawson finally kiss for the very first time?
Bill Records/NBCU Photo Bank
In short: Have sex with a boy and he can become a monster.
Between that story line and the introductions of Kendra (R.I.P.
(EW even included the episode in ourend-of-the-decade best-of pop culture list.
Monty Brinton/CBS
From her epic Cover Girl commercial flub in episode 6 (“Hey, girl!”
twirls “Oh, I feelfabulous!")
and singular vocabulary (“decipheration,” “analystic,” and “dwelve,” anyone?)
HBO (2)
She set off a bomb
Without any qualms
Would this be the end of her killing spree?
Liz Reddick (Audra McDonald) joins the firm.
Jay (Nyambi Nyambi) and Marissa (Sarah Steele) team up as investigators.
Gene Page/AMC
Kurt (Gary Cole) and Diane reunite.
Season 2 isGood Fightat its greatest.
Sydney’s work with the CIA entangled itself in all of her relationships that year.
Frank Micelotta/Logo
Season 2 wasAliasat its go-for-broke best.
Or is it more??
This is the seasonIsabella Rosselliniutters the immortal phrase, “Oh dammit, Johnny!
Scott Garfield/ABC
You know I love my Big Beef and Cheddar.”
Gradually, the season built toward a reckoning for its antiheroine, Nancy, whomMary-Louise Parkerplayed with unsparing brilliance.
Too bad it didn’t.David Canfield
The Wire, Season 4
The Wirewas never afraid of change.
Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch on ‘Superman & Lois’.The CW
Kelly Connolly
Vanderpump Rules, Season 2
The actual logline ofVanderpump Ruleshas never been its selling point.
For people to watch that, Bravo had to make it a backdoor pilot during an episode ofHousewives.
These two story arcs showed the series at its best.
FX
(And also: The introduction ofJ.B.
Smoove’s Leon!)
Jessica DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker) is killed!
Craig Blankenhorn/FX
Any one of the last five could make a case for being the best episode of the series.
Kevin (Justin Theroux) broke from reality.
Nora (Carrie Coon) weighed an offer.
CBS
Matt (Christopher Eccleston) literally interrogated his faith.
Laurie (Amy Brenneman) strapped on a scuba mask.
Weston (Henry Rollins), who hope to drive SAMCRO out of Charming.
Touchstone Television /Everett Collection
’s murder trial to Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
Kristen Baldwin
New Girl, Season 2
A sophomore slump this was not.
(That is,if it’s really over.)
Everett Collection
And yes, season 2 had its highs and lows.
But you’ve got the option to’t deny that season 1 was pretty perfect.
(Some say it’s life!)
We never knew a game of darts could make us feel so many things.
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MTV
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HBO
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HBO
Adult Swim
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Jack Rowand/The CW
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Fox TV
Melissa Benoiston ‘Supergirl’.The CW
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Jaimie Trublood/FOX
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Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Tracy Morgan.Paul Drinkwater/NBC
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HBO
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Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis on ‘Ted Lasso’.Apple TV+
Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams on ‘Suits’.USA Network
