It's decided: These are the five best TV shows of 2017.

It’s been a bloody marvellous year for TV and people who like to lock themselves in a dark room and binge their weekends away (ahem, us).

This year has seen some top-notch psychological thrillers, true crime documentaries, and comedies hit our streaming services.

Honestly, there’s almost been too much good TV to keep on top of. Almost.

So, to help ensure you’ve watched all the things worth watching, we’ve rounded up our top five TV shows for 2017:

1. The Sinner

The Sinner is both the most mesmerising and disturbing TV show of 2017.

It’s a sleeper-hit that kind of crept up on all of us and very quickly began to dominate all of our conversations. “Have you watched The Sinner?” is now a perfectly acceptable way to greet someone.

In many ways, The Sinner has been groundbreaking.

Listen: We deep dive on new Netflix show The Sinner, from Jessica Biel’s acting to the major plot hole. (Post continues after audio…)

Firstly, it’s a ‘why-dunnit’ rather than a ‘who-dunnit’. In the first episode, we witness Cora murdering a stranger on the beach, seemingly on impulse. We then spend the next eight episodes trying to figure out why. This is very different to the ‘who-dunnit’ narratives we’re used to.

Secondly, it was intended to be a one-time series event. Everything that needed to happen, happened in those eight episodes.

And thirdly, The Sinner is one of the rare shows that’s pretty much female-focused. Most of the time the story-line focuses on Cora, her sister Phoebe, and to a lesser extent Maddie, and the horrible events that unfolded that night.

The Sinner is the kind of TV show that grips you in the first episode and doesn’t let you go into the final credits are rolling; the sort of TV experience you’ll immediately want to discuss with your friends so you can dissect every little detail.

And it’s the kind of story that will follow you around for days – if not weeks – after you’ve watched it. Cora and her story will stay on your mind as you try to process the brutality of one woman’s experience and wonder whether anyone can ever truly move on from their past.

You definitely won’t regret watching this eight-part series. You can watch the first season of The Sinner on Netflix now.

2. The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale was probably the most important and topical TV show of 2017.

An adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s book of the same name, the series took us into a dystopian future where women’s wombs are currency.

The series follows the story of  ‘Offred’, a ‘Handmaid’ living in the Republic of Gilead where women have had their rights and power totally stripped and are now reduced to reproductive vessels.

It’s a dark, harrowing, and scarily familiar story. The series made us question of own lives and our own sense of freedom and how quickly these things could be taken away from us.

To add to the general spookiness, Atwood revealed that everything that happened in the book – and the series – has actually happened at some point in history.

You can watch the entire series of The Handmaid’s Tale on SBS On Demand.

3. Big Little Lies

Based on Australian author Liane Moriarty’s bestselling book of the same name, the Big Little Lies mini-series centres around a circle of suburban mums who are caught up in a murder investigation.

The twist? Not only do we not initially know who did it but we don't even know who the victim was.

While Big Little Lies initially draws you in with its stunning setting and its promise of a "mummy drama" - it end ups offering you a whole lot more.

The series is one of the best psychological thrillers this year. It takes you on a chilling psychological journey through the lives of the three central characters and keeps you guessing right up until its final moments.

Big Little Lies is the kind of show that's breathtaking in its delivery and non-stop twists.

You can watch season one of Big Little Lies on Foxtel Now.

4. Mindhunter

Mindhunter took our obsession with all things true crime and turned it into a slick, bone-chilling drama that audiences can't get enough of.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to sit across from a serial killer and ask them anything you like, this is the series for you.

Mindhunter tells the story of Holden Ford (Jonathon Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), two special agents from the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) who travel around the United States in the 1970s interviewing the country’s worst serial killers.

The David Finch-helmed series takes us into the early days of criminal profiling, to a time before the term ‘serial killer’ was a part of our vernacular and Ted Bundy was a household name.

Ford and Tench are the first FBI agents to ever study serial killers and to look closely at why they do what they do. Throughout the series, they sit across from some of the most dangerous men in history and attempt to make sense of how their minds work.

Ford and Tench go on to coin the term ‘serial killer’ during their special investigation.

The first season of Mindhunter is available to stream on Netflix now.

LISTEN: Binge hosts Laura Brodnik and Clare Stephens discuss the biggest TV shows of 2017. Post continues after audio....

5. The Good Place

The Good Place is the most unexpected comedy of 2017.

The series is set in a heaven-esque location called the Good Place where nothing is exactly what it initially seems to be.

The comedy stars Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop a woman who dies a sudden and slightly humiliating death, via a row of rogue shopping trolleys and some cheap margarita mix.

There's a mix-up and Eleanor ends up in the Good Place, when she should have been sent directly to the Bad Place. There she meets Michael, the creator of "the neighbourhood", played by Ted Danson.

But Michael and the Good Place aren't exactly what they first appear to be. This mystery, combined with the series' unique sense of humour, has resulted in a cult following of loyal viewers.

The whole first season and some of the second season of The Good Place are available to stream on Netflix now.

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