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What’s the best binge-watch of all time? It’s a tricky question that demands a lot of soul-searching, critical thought, and hours spent in front of the TV. All week long Decider has been counting down the Top 100 Best Binge-Watches of All Time and we’ve finally hit the Top 20. These twenty shows are the cream of the crop — and the most likely to suck you in for a week or two of non-stop binging.

To catch you up, Team Decider went through hundreds of our favorite shows to identify the 100 titles that make for the best binge-watches. Here’s the criteria we used to determine the list:

“Binge-ability”: A word we made up to describe theintangible ability that certain shows have to hook us in and keep us watching for hour after hour, until whole days pass us by.
Pop Cultural Relevance: How important was the show to the rise of binge-watching and how important was binge-watching for building its audience?
Quality of the Program: Point blank: How good is this show?
Our Personal Favorites: Yes, we admit that this list has a fair amount of bias. Everyone on the team wiggled something on the list that they are passionate about and believe that everyone in the mainstream should watch.

Click here for PART ONE of our epic countdown (#100-81)
Click here for PART TWO (#80-61)
Click here for PART THREE (#60-41)
Click here for PART FOUR (#40-21)

'Mr. Robot'

Original Network: USA Network
Years on Air: (2015 – Present)
Number of Seasons: 2
Time To Binge: 16 hours, 29 minutes

One of 2015’s sleekest new dramas returned this summer with an even better second season. Get on the Mr. Robot train now before you’re left in its dust.

[Binge Mr. Robot on Amazon]

'24'

Original Network: FOX
Years on Air: (2001 – 2010)
Number of Seasons: 9
Time To Binge: 6 days, 9 hours

When it debuted, 24 was treated as a novel experiment. Little did we know that its dedication to taut, tense storytelling would pave the way for a new kind of television viewing.

[Binge 24 on Amazon]

'Transparent'

Original Network: Amazon
Years on Air: (2014 – Present)
Number of Seasons: 2
Time To Binge: 10 hours

Jill Soloway’s dramedy about one family’s acceptance of their transgendered parent is almost heart-breakingly beautiful. Jeffrey Tambor’s portrayal of Maura is equal parts soft, strong, and, as Season Two showed us, authentically nuanced, and rest of the show’s cast deliver equally compelling performances. However, two things transform this series from a good watch to a great binge: its parent company and its subject matter.

Transparent was Amazon Prime Video’s first hit, establishing the streaming service as a major player in today’s TV climate. But more than that, the often-explicit themes of the series showed audiences how gorgeous a lack of rating limitations could be. Several of Transparent’s plots revolve around sexual exploration and gender identity, and though these topics are never handled in an exploitative way, it’s hard to imagine any network streaming the show’s more risque material. Transparent gave us a series that refused to look away while being funny, sensitive, and overwhelmingly smart. — Kayla Cobb

[Binge Transparent on Amazon Prime]

'Orphan Black'

Original Network: BBC America
Years on Air: (2013 – Present)
Number of Seasons: 4
Time To Binge: 1 day, 4 hours, 40 minutes

Orphan Black isn’t just a glorious addition to the trippy world of modern science fiction; It’s also a spellbinding one-woman show. That woman? The magical Tatiana Maslany.

[Binge Orphan Black on Amazon Prime]

'Sex and the City'

Original Network: HBO
Years on Air: (1998 – 2004)
Number of Seasons: 6
Time To Binge: 1 day, 23 hours

You’re sneering. I can feel your sneer from across cyber space. Even though Sex and the City gets a bad rap for its over-the-top look at Manhattan dating — and Carrie’s irrepressible selfishness — its brilliant writing and the gorgeous performances of its leading ladies stand up to the test of time. Sex and the City works best if you approach it from two separate angles. Early seasons focus on the depressing reality of modern dating with a blithely satiric wit and later seasons spin out into a really fascinating post-modern fairy tale. Through it all you can count on Sex and the City to be a delightful and daring look at modern relationships. — Meghan O’Keefe

[Binge Sex and the City on HBO Go]

'Orange is the New Black'

Original Network: Netflix
Years on Air: (2013 – Present)
Number of Seasons: 4
Time To Binge: 2 days, 4 hours

Netflix’s first real original dramedy broke down barriers and gave us one jaw-dropping storyline after another.

[Binge Orange is the New Black on Netflix]

'Fargo'

Original Network: FX
Years on Air: (2014 – Present)
Number of Seasons: 2
Time To Binge: 16 hours, 40 minutes

This is an idea that never should have worked. Whoever got it in their brain that Fargo, the 1996 Academy Award-winning film from Joel and Ethan Coen, should be adapted into a series has to have at least a few screws loose, right? Well, as it turns out, the gamble that FX head honcho John Landgraf took on the showrunner journeyman Noah Hawley (Bones, My Generation) to build off of the blueprints the Coens laid down paid off in spades. Both seasons of Fargo that have aired to date have been mini-masterpieces, unleashing episodes on unsuspecting viewers that brim with the kind of tension and dread (and occasionally wonder!) that you’re not really used to encountering in a television series. More than anything else, season 1 and 2 of Fargo can best be described as devoted testaments to the unique worldview of the Coen Brothers; viewers who possess a keen appreciation for their big screen legacy will be rewarded with one of the deepest, most fulfilling viewing experiences ever to land on the small screen. — Mark Graham

[Binge Fargo on Hulu]

'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'

Original Network: The WB/CW
Years on Air: (1997 – 2003)
Number of Seasons: 7
Time To Binge: 4 days, 7 hours, 12 minutes

Buffy The Vampire Slayer was inspired by a cheeky b-movie, but under the steady hand of Joss Whedon, evolved into a progressive and pulpy drama full of chills, thrills, and emotional moments.

[Binge Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix]

'The West Wing'

Original Network: NBC
Years on Air: (1999 – 2006)
Number of Seasons: 7
Time To Binge: 4 days, 19 hours, 30 minutes

Aaron Sorkin’s best TV series, The West Wing, has proved to be a durable political fantasy and an addictive binge-watch. It’s a peek into the political process that manages to be detailed and wonk-friendly while still being positively hokey in matters of dialogue and characterization. It’s still Sorkin, so be ready to point out problematic attitudes as they pass, but the annoyance is far outweighed by sparkling writing, one of the best casts ever on TV, and an impressive gallery of guest stars. Tip for binge-watchers: things get REAL bogged down and grim in seasons 5 and 6, but if you stick it out, you’re rewarded with a rather fabulous season 7 to close the series out. — Joe Reid

[Binge The West Wing on Netflix]

'30 Rock'

Original Network: NBC
Years on Air: (2006 – 2013)
Number of Seasons: 7
Time To Binge: 2 days, 2 hours, 36 minutes

No show has ever had as much fun skewering both pop culture and themselves, as 30 Rock. Tina Fey’s half-hour comedy that takes viewers behind the scenes and into the lives of people that work on a late night sketch show remains consistently funnier than anything else, anywhere. What would the internet even be today if it weren’t for all the “I want to go to there” and “blerg” gifs? The show continues to give us all gifts: most importantly let the life lessons. Jack Donaghy will teach you what to do in business, Liz Lemon will teach you what NOT to do in your dating life, and Tracy Jordan will teach you things you never knew you needed to know. The wacky muppet-people that make up this ensemble are endlessly watchable and quotable in a show that so brilliantly balances between smart and silly. In fact, the episodes are so fun and digestable, you won’t even realize how many you’ve enjoyed in a single sitting. Just make sure you’ve got your favorite sandwich on hand before you press play. — Lea Palmieri

[Binge 30 Rock on Netflix]

'The Wire'

Original Network: HBO
Years on Air: (2002 – 2008)
Number of Seasons: 5
Time To Binge: 2 days, 12 hours

For many, The Wire is more of an American literary triumph than a television show. Writer and creator David Simon depicted the drug war as a labyrintine world of violence, politics, corruption, hope, and greed. He created characters who were simultaneously both heroes and villains, victims and bullies. The Wire gave each one an equal balance of visceral reality and Shakespearean pathos. The Wire isn’t compelling because it’s non-stop explosive action, but because it makes the horror mundane and a seemingly simple battle between “good” and “evil” into a murky opera of grey. It is, in short, a masterpiece. — Meghan O’Keefe

[Binge The Wire on HBO]

'Mad Men'

Original Network: AMC
Years on Air: (2007 – 2015)
Number of Seasons: 7
Time To Binge: 3 days, 0 hours, 4 minutes

Seeing as Mad Men ranks as one of the best TV shows of all time, its streaming experience would have to be really terrible to bump it out of the top 10. But it’s as easy as having a Netflix subscription. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the time and place of Matthew Weiner’s acclaimed Mad Men, which explains why it so binge-friendly. Mad Men was also a great example of a show that, as it approached its finale and more viewers became curious about it, they turned to streaming to catch up. — Joe Reid

[Binge Mad Men on Netflix]

'Gilmore Girls'

Original Network: The WB/CW
Years on Air: (2000 – 2007)
Number of Seasons: 7
Time To Binge: 4 days, 16 hours, 12 minutes

Gilmore Girls was always one of those shows that ended up on “shows that deserve more respect” lists. It was well liked by its audience, and that audience was hearty enough to get the show seven seasons. But it still felt like the fight for respect for the show was an uphill climb. And then the entire series was made available on Netflix streaming, and it was a whole new ballgame. Gilmore nostalgia went through the roof, a generation raised on Jess-or-Dean was activated, and in a triumph for nostalgia everywhere, the show was resurrected for four new seasonal specials for Netflix, to premiere on November 25, 2016. — Joe Reid

[Binge Gilmore Girls on Netflix]

'House of Cards'

Original Network: Netflix
Years on Air: (2013 – Present)
Number of Seasons: 4
Time To Binge: 1 day, 19 hours, 20 minutes

Netflix has created several addicting-to-watch and award-winning shows, but the streaming service wouldn’t be the treasure trove of original content it is today if it wasn’t for the success of the first Netflix Original. The creation of House of Cards still lives in the TV history books. When David Fincher and Kevin Spacey approached Netflix’s Chief Content Officer with the series, Ted Sarandos looked at Netflix’s user data and determined there was an audience for the project. How very right he was.

Though the show’s fourth season wasn’t as jaw-dropping as Seasons One through Three, House of Cards has consistently led the way for Netflix’s original programming while giving Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright the acting spotlights they deserve. If you’re in the mood for a political drama, this heart-pounding gem was literally designed to binge. — Kayla Cobb

[Binge House of Cards on Netflix]

'The Sopranos'

Original Network: HBO
Years on Air: (1999 – 2007)
Number of Seasons: 6
Time To Binge: 3 days, 14 hours

What can be said of The Sopranos that hasn’t already been said? After all, it is the show that’s not only responsible for changing the trajectory of the Home Box Office, but of the entire medium of television itself. From the very get-go, David Chase’s mafioso drama was being favorably compared to The Godfather (itself one of the great cinematic achievements), but what makes this show such an essential bingewatch in 2016 is how well it has held up sixteen years after its debut. Period trappings (VCRs, blocky cell phones) aside, the performances feel just as kinetic as they did in 1999, the plot just as engaging, and the tension as palpable. It works equally as well as a rewatch as it does as a first time viewing experience, and the fact that it’s available to stream in its entirety for both HBO and Amazon Prime subscribers means that there aren’t really any barriers in anyone’s way to watching what very well may go down as the single greatest television series of all-time. — Mark Graham

[Binge The Sopranos on HBO Go]

'Friends'

Original Network: NBC
Years on Air: (1994 – 2004)
Number of Seasons: 10
Time To Binge: 3 days, 14 hours, 32 minutes

Since Friends has landed on various streaming platforms, it has quickly pulled ahead in the race of “most popular sitcom of all time.” A whole new generation has befriended Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica and Rachel, with no intentions of ever taking a break. And yet 10 full seasons still doesn’t feel like enough! The characters will make you gasp, laugh, and cry while wearing clothes that are so relentlessly 90s, during each and every hardship, relationship and of course, friendship. While they’re most at home in Central Perk or their enviable apartments, it’s when this gang goes away that the good times roll. Their trips to London, Vegas, and Barbados have resulted in some of the funniest, most touching moments the show has ever produced. Because no matter where they go, they’ll be there for you. — Lea Palmieri

[Binge Friends on Netflix]

'Twin Peaks'

Original Network: ABC
Years on Air: (1990 – 1991)
Number of Seasons: 1
Time To Binge: 1 day, 6 hours

Twin Peaks became an instant, bonafide pop culture phenomenon from the very first night it debuted on the ABC airwaves back on April 8, 1990. The mystery of who killed Laura Palmer —”She’s dead. Wrapped in plastic.”— gripped an entire nation that spring, and unintentionally created an entirely new phenomenon during its hiatus that summer. Fans who had recorded the series on their VCRs began trading (and even bootlegging) videocassette tapes that included all of the episodes, which one could argue kicked off the whole phenomenon of binge-watching nearly 20 years before that term would even be coined. The cult of Twin Peaks was established that summer and has been building ever since.

The series, which is now available to view in its entirety on Netflix, is notable not just for its pervasive vibe of weirdness, but for the inescapable, gravitational orbit of obsession it locks viewers into. There’s no such thing as watching “just one” episode of Twin Peaks, as series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost managed to build something wholly unique and totally un-replicable —even, in some ways, for themselves— with those first seven episodes that set up the show’s central whodunit. Burning through that first batch of eps in a single evening is not unheard of, so get yourself a cup of damn fine coffee (and hopefully, for all you GlutenHeads out there, a slice or two of cherry pie) so you can stay awake. The show, which runs 30 episodes in total, is not without its rough patches—there’s a four or five episode stretch after Laura’s killer is revealed that can only be described as truly awful—but as a binge-watching experience, it’s virtually unrivaled. And there’s no time like the present to get yourself familiarized, as the series will be returning on Showtime in 2017 with a slate of brand new episodes. — Mark Graham

[Binge Twin Peaks on Netflix]

'Lost'

Original Network: ABC
Years on Air: (2004 – 2010)
Number of Seasons: 6
Time To Binge: 3 days, 18 hours

For many people, Lost was the original bingewatch. And rightfully so! That crazy island kept the eyeballs glued to the screen in the search for clues. A plane crashes on an island, and slowly but surely, things switch from survival mode to sci-fi. Lost was one of the first shows where the internet got involved, lighting up message boards with theories about smoke monsters and polar bears and “Others.” After recovering from the whiplash of flashbacks and then flashforwards, we all started judging our friends by their personalities, if they were a Locke or a Jack, and if they believed Sawyer belonged with Kate or Juliet. If you’ve already watched all of Lost, go back and watch it again. Take that time to feel bad about all the shit you talked after the finale of this show. Sure, it proved to be more meh than mind-blowing, but what you should’ve been realizing all along is that life is about the journey, not the destination. So stop being such a Jack, ok? — Lea Palmieri

[Binge Lost on Netflix]

'Battlestar Galactica'

Original Network: Sci-Fi
Years on Air: (2004 – 2009)
Number of Seasons: 4
Time To Binge: 2 days, 6 hours, 16 minutes

Battlestar Galactica weaseled its way onto basic cable in a time that was not yet ready for psychologically complex dramas or intensely grounded fantasy tales. Nevertheless, it found an audience. As people binged their way through the miniseries and first seasons in cable marathons and on DVD, they realized that the show was perfectly designed to keep you hooked. There’s even a landmark Portlandia sketch about the show’s effect on viewers.

Even though it paved the way for later shows, Battlestar Galactica is still a product of its time. The battle against the cylons spoke to our countries’ increased paranoia after 9/11. The idea that our enemies were amongst us, lying in wait to exploit our most sensitive weaknesses was an anxiety of the age. Battlestar Galactica balanced the social philosophy with a compelling soap opera. The series opened with a series of mysteries, that only led to more questions when answered, until finally, the show led us on a quest to figure out what it means to be human. — Meghan O’Keefe

[Binge Battlestar Galactica on Netflix]

'Breaking Bad'

Original Network: AMC
Years on Air: (2008 – 2013)
Number of Seasons: 5
Time To Binge: 1 day, 22 hours, 30 minutes

It should be no surprise that Vince Gilligan’s revolutionary series stands at the top of our list. Walter White’s epic story from high school teacher to drug lord gave us some of the greatest performances in recent TV history from Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul as well as some of the most innovative television writing to ever exist. However, that’s not the only reason why this AMC classic leads the 100 best binge watches. Breaking Bad’s addition to Netflix marked one of the first times mainstream audiences could use the streaming service to catch up on an ongoing critical gem. Finally, people could watch this buzzy drama on their own time, even if they didn’t have cable.

AMC’s partnership with Netflix increased Breaking Bad’s already vast viewership while establishing Netflix as a force to be reckoned with in the age of modern television. Those reasons and so many more are why we’re still saying Heisenberg’s name all these years later. — Kayla Cobb

[Binge Breaking Bad on Netflix]

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