Best TV Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting  

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List Rules TV shows with the best overall ensemble performance by the cast. Only shows currently in-season or expected to return.

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Acting classes are expensive. That's why the aspiring actors and actresses of tomorrow should watch these current TV shows with the best acting today. Studying the performers in these 2018-2019 television series, which are all currently filming more episodes, will undoubtedly help one’s own performance. These are the shows whose stars make you laugh, cry, and fall in love, all thanks to the amazing acting talents of the cast as a whole. Whether it is Jeffrey Tambor and the rest of the Transparent cast or the gang on Veep, these shows have the best overall acting on television today. 

Though many of these series also have great writing and nuanced individual performances, what really sets them apart are the ways in which the entire casts of every show are great performers. Even if it is not technically an ensemble series, every actor and actress in Better Call Saul and Fargo surely make FX proud every day. When it comes to Netflix, it is no surprise that Orange Is The New Black received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble. Watching Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in Grace and Frankie is like watching a master class in acting, while William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum consistently impress viewers on Shameless.

These network, cable, and premium channel shows are all airing right now and all have incredible casts. Which TV shows below do you think have the best acting? Cast your votes on what you think are the best TV casts currently on air and be sure to add any other well-acted series for others to vote on.

 

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1
575 311
Game of Thrones is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011) is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, based on the series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. Nine noble ...more

2
345 293
Sherlock is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
LanaYoshii added Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs Sherlock is a British television crime drama that presents a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it ...more

3
378 342
American Horror Story is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
aria2000 added Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Evan Peters Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial American Horror Story (FX, 2011) is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, ...more

4
388 363
Orange Is the New Black is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning Orange Is the New Black is an American comedy-drama series created by Jenji Kohan and first released on Netflix on July 11, 2013. The series, produced by Tilted Productions in association with ...more

5
285 208
Supernatural is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
melissa-collison added Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Katie Cassidy Supernatural (The CW, 2005) is an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke. Two brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), follow their father's ...more

6
402 323
The Walking Dead is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
liplip added Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies The Walking Dead (A&E, 2010) is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed by Frank Darabont, based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie ...more

7
275 320
How to Get Away with Murder is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Alfred Enoch This television show is an American drama television series created by Peter Nowalk. A law professor (Viola Davis) at a prestigious Philadelphia university and five of her students become ...more

8
370 414
The Big Bang Theory is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
RobLein added Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head ...more

9
317 322
Modern Family is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen Modern Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009, which follows the lives of Jay Pritchett and his family, all of whom live in suburban Los Angeles. ...more

10
201 229
Vikings is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
ChrisBateman added Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial Vikings (History, 2013) is a historical drama television series created by Michael Hirst. A farmer (Travis Fimmel) rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventually becomes a ...more

11
203 183
Criminal Minds is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
James Taylor added Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas Gibson Criminal Minds is an American police-procedural television program that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based ...more

12
240 263
Better Call Saul is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn Better Call Saul (A&E, 2015) is an American television drama series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, and a spinoff prequel of Breaking Bad. The trials and tribulations of lawyer, ...more

13
137 202
Mr. Robot is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
LanaYoshii added Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday Mr. Robot (USA Network, 2015) is an American drama–thriller television series created by Sam Esmail. Elliot (Rami Malek), a cybersecurity engineer and hacker who suffers from social anxiety ...more

14
189 236
Fargo is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks Fargo (FX, 2014) is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Noah Hawley, and inspired by the 1996 film. Various chronicles of deception, intrigue and wrong doings ...more

15
144 152
The Blacklist is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
beernbugs added James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff The Blacklist is an American crime drama television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former U.S Navy officer turned high-profile ...more

16
145 191
Shameless is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Ethan Cutkosky Shameless is an American television comedy-drama which airs on Showtime. This remake of the award-winning British series is set in Chicago's Canaryville neighborhood on the South Side, although ...more

17
100 134
Suits is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
julian-marimuthu added Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial Suits is a USA Network legal drama created by Aaron Korsh that stars Patrick J. Adams as Michael "Mike" Ross and Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter. The first episode debuted on June 23, ...more

18
136 201
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 2013) is an American police television sitcom created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), an immature but talented NYPD detective in Brooklyn's ...more

19
68 67
Doctor Who is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
LanaYoshii added Peter Capaldi, Tom Baker, Eric Roberts Doctor Who (BBC, 2005) is a British science-fiction television show created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson. The further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer ...more

20
50 42
Westworld is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
LanaYoshii added Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright Westworld (HBO, 2016) is an American science fiction western thriller television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and based on the 1973 film. In a technologically advanced Wild ...more

21
104 198
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is an American sitcom created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock and starring Ellie Kemper that has streamed on Netflix since March 6, 2015. Originally set for a 13-episode ...more

22
116 191
Homeland is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend Homeland is an American political thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Hatufim, which was created by Gideon Raff. The series stars ...more

23
84 141
Chicago Fire is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
julian-marimuthu added Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund Chicago Fire is an American television drama series that airs on NBC and was created by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas with Dick Wolf serving as an executive producer. The series originally ...more

24
107 197
Empire is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray Empire (Fox, 2015) is an American musical drama television series created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong. The life of hip hop mogul, and CEO of Empire Entertainment Lucious Lyon (Terrence ...more

25
38 42
Law & Order: Special Victims U... is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Current TV Shows with the Best Overall Acting
Clay Glenny added Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural, legal, crime drama television series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced. In the style of the ...more