Best TV Shows for costume design

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Best for costume design

My Brilliant Career

5.0 feature score

Highest scored product for this feature based on supporting review evidence.

Safest pick

Emily in Paris season 5

4.9 feature score

Balances feature score, supporting reviews, and overall product strength.

Most evidence

Bridgerton, Season 4

14 supporting reviews

Has the broadest review evidence for this feature.

Best overall product

Hacks, Season 5

4.6 overall score

Strongest overall product among items with scored evidence for this feature.

See ranked products
#1 My Brilliant Career
5.0

The period wardrobe is a standout: lavish, beautiful, and carefully balanced between historical silhouettes and a slightly modern edge.

Pros: pilot episode quality, main cast performance

Cons: family friendliness, continuity

#2 The Gentlemen, Season 2
5.0

Wardrobe remains a signature strength, using tailoring, watches and accessories to communicate rank, confidence and changing identity. Season 2 is described as an elevation of an already distinctive look.

Pros: finale satisfaction, character consistency

Cons: screenplay quality, release schedule

#3 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Season 1
5.0

The clothing and armor feel convincingly worn-in and period-appropriate, helping the tourney setting look lived-in rather than polished or artificial.

Pros: plot originality, episode structure

Cons: character development, family friendliness

#4 A Thousand Blows, Season 2 Review
5.0

The period costumes are consistently praised as sumptuous and convincing, helping sell the Victorian setting.

Pros: season finale quality, main cast performance

Cons: episode structure, pilot episode quality

#5 Invincible Season 4
5.0

Small costume choices land well, including praise for Tech Jacket’s updated uniform and the return of Mark’s classic yellow-and-blue look. These touches reinforce character identity without dominating the season.

Pros: finale satisfaction, continuity

Cons: plot clarity, screenplay quality

#6 Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2
5.0

Daredevil’s black suit is an immediate visual hit, with the new look receiving enthusiastic praise.

Pros: costume design, score quality

Cons: realism, plot clarity

#7 Dark Winds, Season 4
5.0

Costume design gets a direct rave for the L.A. episodes, especially the flare pants, button-up blouses, and Chee’s styling. The clothes help sell the city-bound 1970s shift.

Pros: costume design, directing quality

Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness

#8 Hacks, Season 5
5.0

The wardrobe remains part of the show’s comic identity, with Deborah’s brooch-heavy styling and deliberately tight Jimmy outfits drawing enthusiastic notice.

Pros: plot originality, episode structure

Cons: season length, realism

#9 High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam
5.0

The costumes are praised for reflecting professional roles, military environments, personal circumstances, and the early-2000s setting without feeling showy.

Pros: world-building, production design

Cons: finale satisfaction, season finale quality

#10 How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Season 1
5.0

Costuming gets its biggest boost from Saoirse-Monica Jackson's escalating comic looks. Her wardrobe is singled out as part of what makes the character's appearances so memorably funny.

Pros: character consistency, cast chemistry

Cons: cliffhanger effectiveness, season length

#11 Run Away, Season 1
5.0

Elena’s styling drew specific praise, with one reviewer singling out her yellow windbreaker as especially memorable.

Pros: episode structure, supporting cast performance

Cons: character consistency, soundtrack quality

#12 Squid Game: The Challenge, Season 2
5.0

The guards’ and Front Man’s costumes contribute strongly to the faithful recreation of Squid Game’s look.

Pros: world-building, visual style

Cons: pilot episode quality, directing quality

#13 The Beast In Me
5.0

Wardrobe choices quietly reinforce character psychology, from the Jarvis family’s polished cashmeres to Aggie’s more worn-in look.

Pros: plot clarity, series finale quality

Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness

#14 The Night Manager, Season 2
5.0

Tailored suits, crisp shirts and luxury styling are part of the show’s seductive appeal and help preserve its distinctive high-end spy-thriller identity.

Pros: episode structure, pilot episode quality

Cons: accountability handling, finale satisfaction

#15 The Testaments, Season 1
5.0

The expanded color-coded wardrobe gives the younger generation a vivid identity while preserving Gilead’s social hierarchy and visual symbolism.

Pros: supporting cast performance, realism

Cons: family friendliness, sexual content level

#16 Emily in Paris season 5
4.9

Fashion is the clearest consensus strength. Reviewers repeatedly praise the bold styling, Rome/Paris contrasts, Emily’s new look, and Marylin Fitoussi’s costume work.

Pros: plot clarity, release schedule

Cons: finale satisfaction, cliffhanger effectiveness

#17 Young Sherlock, Season 1
4.9

Costumes are a standout craft element, praised for rich detail, character storytelling, texture, and visual appeal even when historical accuracy is imperfect.

Pros: pilot episode quality, emotional impact

Cons: continuity, modern political framing

#18 Spider-Noir, Season 1
4.8

Costumes are praised for selling the period world and for working alongside sets, hair, makeup, and color choices. Reviewers especially like how the wardrobe supports both the black-and-white and full-color...

Pros: plot twists, cliffhanger effectiveness

Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness

#19 Margo’s Got Money Troubles
4.8

The show’s bright, attention-grabbing wardrobe fits its heightened personalities and wrestling-inspired flair. One critic called the costumes impeccable, while another celebrated the retina-burning outfits.

Pros: episode structure, dialogue quality

Cons: plot twists, season finale quality

#20 The Abandons
4.7

Costume work is generally a strength, from Anderson’s tailored wardrobe to broader period clothing. A few reviewers note that some outfits look too clean or curated for the frontier.

Pros: cast chemistry, renewal interest

Cons: episode structure, character consistency

#21 Rivals, Season 2
4.5

Big hair, crushed velvet, bright florals, and deliberately tacky fashion make the 1980s setting vivid, funny, and instantly recognizable.

Pros: score quality, critic appeal

Cons: character consistency, plot clarity

#23 Crew Girl
4.5

Juliet’s wardrobe receives specific praise for quickly signaling how she differs from Easton Prep’s tightly coded social world.

Pros: episode structure, season finale quality

Cons: season length, character consistency

#25 Stranger Things: Tales From ’85
4.5

Costumes closely mirror the live-action second season, with recognizable outfits and small period details that reward longtime fans.

Pros: world-building, production design

Cons: plot clarity, realism

#26 Vladimir, Season 1
4.5

Rich reds and purples help sell the protagonist’s polished, seductive exterior, visually contrasting with how chaotic and self-deluded she can be inside.

Pros: cinematography, production design

Cons: cliffhanger effectiveness, character consistency

#27 Running Point, Season 2
4.4

Isla’s polished suits, boots, and monochrome looks remain part of the show’s charm. The styling is still admired, though one fan feels it is less striking than Season 1.

Pros: media scrutiny portrayal, season finale quality

Cons: cancellation satisfaction, product placement

#28 Silo, Season 3
4.4

Costume design is only lightly discussed, but one review groups the costumes with the writing, acting, and lighting as part of what makes the season memorable.

Pros: drama quality, finale satisfaction

Cons: character development, season pacing

#29 The Shards
4.3

The period wardrobe is widely admired as chic, opulent, and character-revealing, though one reviewer wished the fashion were more transporting.

Pros: score quality, accent authenticity

Cons: season finale quality, sound design

#30 The Seduction
4.2

Most reactions praise the lush, opulent costuming as part of the show’s visual appeal. One costume-focused critique strongly objects to the historical shortcuts and mishmash of styles.

Pros: episode structure, cast chemistry

Cons: character consistency, editing quality

#31 Bridgerton, Season 4
4.2

The gowns and masquerade looks remain a signature attraction, with frequent praise for detail and spectacle. A minority found some styling overdone or unflattering.

Pros: rewatch value, supporting cast performance

Cons: CGI quality, continuity

#32 A Tale of Two Cities
4.0

Costumes are generally admired as beautiful and elegant, though one reviewer questions whether they always look right for the period.

Pros: finale satisfaction, series finale quality

Cons: cast chemistry, makeup quality

#33 Not Suitable for Work, Season 1
4.0

Costuming stands out most clearly through the fashion-world storyline. The pomegranate Dolce & Gabbana suit is treated as a striking visual win.

Pros: renewal interest, bingeability

Cons: plot clarity, soundtrack quality

#34 What It Feels Like For A Girl, Season 1
3.9

Costuming adds fun and personality, especially around the Fallen Divas and noughties culture. One critic, however, felt the Y2K styling looked a little too polished and rose-tinted.

Pros: genre satisfaction, main cast performance

Cons: family friendliness, violence level

#35 A Woman of Substance, Season 1
3.7

Costumes are often a major selling point, with lavish gowns, wigs, and period frocks helping define the show’s escapist appeal. A minority found some clothes too new or costume-box obvious.

Pros: season finale quality, main cast performance

Cons: humor, plot clarity

#36 Amadeus
3.7

Costumes are widely admired as lavish and beautiful, although one pre-release critic strongly disliked the fit and styling shown in promotional material.

Pros: finale satisfaction, acting quality

Cons: renewal interest, family friendliness

#37 Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Season 1
3.6

Costumes range from immaculate and whimsically period-styled to disappointingly modern or generic. The strongest praise goes to the overall lavishness, while detractors feel Bundle’s styling weakens the 1920s illusion.

Pros: main cast performance, drama quality

Cons: directing quality, franchise connection

#38 Calabasas Confidential, Season 1
3.5

Clothes and styling add to the rich-kid glamour, giving the show a polished influencer look even when the substance is criticized.

Pros: world-building, costume design

Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness

#39 Spartacus: House of Ashur
3.3

Costuming draws sharply different reactions: one review calls it lush and highly crafted, while a historically focused trailer critique objects to specific armor and wardrobe choices.

Pros: episode structure, finale satisfaction

Cons: makeup quality, family friendliness

#40 Elle, Season 1
3.1

Costumes are memorable but contested. Minetree’s pink wardrobe draws affection, while the 1995 grunge and teen clothes are often called anachronistic or overly broad.

Pros: cast chemistry, bingeability

Cons: episode length, episode pacing

#41 Steal, Season 1
2.5

The robbers’ polished black-and-gray styling looks deliberate but also familiar, making them resemble stock streaming-thriller criminals.

Pros: pilot episode quality, main cast performance

Cons: family friendliness, dialogue quality

#42 The Season (2026), Season 1
2.5

Costumes do not fully sell the ultra-wealthy fantasy for everyone. One critic specifically felt the wardrobe looked surprisingly chintzy for a show built around elite wealth.

Pros: world-building, cinematography

Cons: finale satisfaction, season finale quality

#43 The Beauty, Season 1
2.0

The costume design is a recurring weakness, with critics finding it ineffective or poorly handled.

Pros: humor, faithfulness to source material

Cons: cultural representation, cliffhanger effectiveness

#44 The Drop: A Snowfall Saga
2.0

One reviewer thought Lamar’s styling looked overly theatrical, comparing it to a full costume for a stage play.

Pros: character consistency, screenplay quality

Cons: dialogue quality, directing quality

#45 Lanterns
1.5

The live-action Green Lantern suit gets a notably harsh reaction in one review, which calls it ugly and clunky.

Pros: rewatch value, renewal interest

Cons: power scaling, modern political framing