He made history by being true to his talent when it was rare. Marvin Lee built a career on giving everything he had, even when his body protested, and that stubborn spirit never really left.

Millennial women may have jobs, responsibilities, and a concerning number of browser tabs open at all times—but emotionally, many of us are still exactly who we were the first time a girl group chorus hit just right. The 2000s weren’t just a great era for girl groups; they were a full-on personality-forming experience. These songs taught confidence, heartbreak, friendship, independence, and how to dramatically stare out a car window like you were in a music video.

Streaming was supposed to free us from appointment television, endless reruns, and whatever random procedural happened to be on at 9pm. Instead, it’s given us something arguably worse: shows that look prestige-y, sound expensive, and somehow still feel like background noise you didn’t ask for. Cable at least knew what it was. These shows? They often aim high, miss wildly, and leave viewers nostalgic for the days when changing the channel was easier than committing to eight disappointing episodes.

Adapting a book for television is always a gamble. The best adaptations honor the heart of their source material while also embracing what makes television special. The following shows did just that, each bringing a great book to life in ways that resonated with audiences and critics alike.

Every artist on this list reached a moment where momentum stalled and the future felt uncertain. These albums arrived at critical points when another misstep could have completely ended things. Instead, they reconnected artists with audiences, and ushered in some of music's best comebacks.

Some TV shows are built for easy viewing. These aren’t. They reward patience, attention, and the ability to sit with ambiguity. If you didn’t just watch these shows but actually followed what they were doing—narratively, thematically, or structurally—you were probably exercising more brainpower than the average viewer.