Russell Murray

Love it or hate it, "American Horror Story" will be remembered as one of the most important television programs of the 21st century. A year after "The Walking Dead" premiered on AMC, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk proved there was a massive appetite out there for straight-up small-screen horror. They led with the over-the-top sex and gore that defined the genre at the cinema and kept pace with prestige television with a self-aware, campy tone that read as artistically committed rather than classless.

The beloved "Parks and Recreation" series may surprise its longtime and loyal fanbase as the show made a hilarious and historical sports prediction.

As exhausting as politics is, there's no denying it makes for extraordinary entertainment. The worst examples in scripted television are overly precious with the subject, steering themselves (intentionally or otherwise) toward self-conscious moral grandstanding and browbeating, with the covert intention of convincing a viewer their neighbor might be the enemy. When done right, political shows unite the audience rather than divide, exposing how political systems work for and against them.

If it hadn't been overshadowed by "Game of Thrones," "Sons of Anarchy" would probably be remembered as the bloodiest show on television in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The series has an estimated 300-plus on-screen deaths, with dozens of them being attributed to named characters appearing in multiple episodes.

Despite Nickelodeon producing some of the best animated series of the '90s and 2000s, it's a bit hard to pin down the network's identity. Disney Channel is decidedly family-friendly and optimistic; Cartoon Network is bold, brash, and transgressive even outside of Adult Swim.

Every decade of television is predominantly shaped by its heroes — but the 2020s might be the first to be defined by its villains. So far, this has been the decade when shows have largely stopped hand-wringing over antiheroes and started asking audiences to immerse themselves in true evil. We've moved past the morally conflicted mobster and the socially conscious serial killer — now, a show can confront you with a straight-up stalker and murderer and trust you'll watch him narrate his growing body count.

Despite Nickelodeon producing some of the best animated series of the '90s and 2000s, it's a bit hard to pin down the network's identity.

Like Batman and Robin or the chocolate and peanut butter in the candies you've probably been snacking on throughout this spookiest of seasons, superheroes and Halloween are a perfect dynamic duo. The holiday's traditions — costumes, masks, villainous supernatural entities, and the gathering of one's friends — naturally lend themselves to dramatic double entendre within the superhero subgenre. For any comic book fan looking to program a marathon tailored specifically to this pairing, we've found the 10 best examples of all time.

Every decade of television is predominantly shaped by its heroes — but the 2020s might be the first to be defined by its villains.

We all have our favorite Halloween episodes of television — but what about our favorite costumes? After all, the most popular and widely beloved spooky detours on TV don't always have the best costumes. Even a swiftly canceled sitcom or the cold open of a mostly non-Halloween episode are capable of standing out by dressing their characters up for the season.