Friday, 5 April 2019

All 36 notable Showtime original TV shows, ranked from worst to best — from 'Billions' to 'Homeland'

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With "Billions" back on Showtime and "Homeland" entering its final season this year, it's a good time to take stock of all the great TV the premium network has brought us over the years.

Business Insider went back in time to rank all the network's notable original scripted programs from the last 11 years based on how well they did with critics.

Showtime launched in 1976 and is now owned by CBS. Its original programming took off in the 1990s with shows like "Twin Peaks" and "Stargate SG-1." But it really grew into a powerhouse in the late 2000s with shows like "Weeds" and "Dexter." Most recently, "Homeland," "Shameless," "The Affair," and a "Twin Peaks" revival have been prominent on the network.

But which did critics love the most?

To answer that question, we used review aggregator site Metacritic to determine the ranking, excluding variety and sports programs (and shows that didn't get enough reviews to qualify). We calculated the average score for each show based on the scores of the various seasons.

If any season of the show aired in 2008 and beyond, we counted it. "Twin Peaks" was an unusual case, as the series originally aired in the 1990s but returned for a special third season last year called "Twin Peaks: The Return." With that in mind, we counted the series on the list, and calculated the average score of all three seasons.

Below are the 36 notable Showtime original shows to air since 2008, ranked from worst to best by critics:

36. "Our Cartoon President"

Critics score: 42

Number of seasons: 1

Years aired: 2018

Summary: Based on a character introduced on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," this comedy follows an animated President Trump and his staff through their chaotic White House, but it failed to land with critics.