There are plenty of incredible TV shows out there, but very few feel like they accomplished exactly what they set out to do. Some have extraordinary characters, others tell enormous stories, and a select handful completely change what television can look like. Calling a TV show "perfect" is obviously subjective, but there are certain series that make the argument surprisingly easy.

These eight TV shows aren't just a collection of the greatest series ever made; instead, they all have different strengths, and some are much more unconventional than others. What they share is the ability to offer something that's difficult to find elsewhere, whether that's impeccable world-building, ambitious storytelling, or a huge willingness to trust its audience. Even if they don't become personal favorites, these TV shows are so good, everyone needs to watch them at least once.

It's sometimes difficult for a beloved TV show to properly stick the landing, but these 5 shows did it flawlessly.

Set during the Cold War, The Americans follows Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two KGB spies living undercover as an ordinary married couple in suburban Washington, D.C. Their two children have no idea who they really are, while FBI agent Stan Beeman just happens to live across the street. The Americans' premise is immediately compelling, but what makes the FX series so perfect is that it takes its spy thriller set-up and turns it into a deeply uncomfortable exploration of marriage, identity, and loyalty.

Elizabeth and Philip are constantly asked to decide where their personal feelings end and their ideological commitments begin, and The Americans never makes those choices look easy.

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