There’s some debate surrounding when exactly the most recent golden age of TV was, and whether it’s still ongoing, but most will agree that it includes some years of the last quarter of a century. Right now, that conveniently includes anything made in the year 2000, or later. And since the turn of the most recent century – the 21st one, for those counting –the best television shows have rivaled what the best movies have to offer.
The following shows are among the best of the best, and include both comedic and drama-focused shows. One disclaimer, though: only shows that began airing in 2000 – or later – are considered here. So, if you’re wondering where the likes ofThe Sopranos(which first aired in 1999) orBuffy the Vampire Slayer(1997-2003) are, for example, that’s why they’re not here, despite being phenomenal shows that had some of their seasons air in the last 25 years.
10’Lost' (2004-2010)
Created by J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof
Say what you want aboutLost, but one thing cannot be denied: it was a ridiculously ambitious piece of television. What began as a story about the survivors of a plane crash on a strange island gradually becamemore bizarre and heavy with science fiction/fantasy elements.Time bent in increasingly strange ways, the complex history of the island was unraveled, and things soon became about more than “just” survival.
WatchingLostcontinually grow and redefine exactly what it was across six seasons made for a thrilling experience, and a sometimes confounding one, sure. But ofthe many mysteries the show raisedthroughout its run, most were answered, and the series finale is kind of over-hated.Lostpushed network TV to its absolute limits, and it can be seen as a last hurrah for that kind of show, given the 2010s became increasingly dominated by pay television and streaming services, neither of them seeming particularly interested in producing series that wouldair 20-ish hour-long episodes per year(Lost, with its six seasons, had 121 episodes).
9’Community' (2009-2015)
Created by Dan Harmon
Communitywas a scrappy, underdog sort of sitcom, with its chaotic production andcontinual brushes with near/temporary cancelationbefitting the nature of its main characters, in odd ways. Those characters formed a study group in a bizarre community college, and perhaps thanks to all the meta-humor, their struggles with life seemed in line with the show’s struggle to get the sort of popularity it probably deserved.
Thankfully, though,Communitybuilt up enough of a passionate fanbase to air six seasons (still waiting for that movie, though). Of those, season 4 is heavily flawed, and season 6 is a bit of a mixed bag, but seasons 1 to 3 consistently deliver some ofthe funniest episodes in sitcom history, and season 5 is also pretty strong, all things considered (even with all the cast members leaving or starting to leave). It was the little show that could, andits unique sense of humor has yet to be replicated or even approximatedin the years since its final season aired.
8’Game of Thrones' (2011-2019)
Created by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
So,Communityisn’t the only iconic show of the last 25 years to have a less-than-perfect track record. Right out of the gate, it’s worth admitting thatGame of Thronesdid drop off inquality in its last couple of seasons, perhaps, most of all, because the show ran out of books to adapt. Things sort of sped towards a climax, too, though many of the things that happened could have been fitting finality-wise if the pace wasn’t so breakneck.
But – and the but is beyond important here –Game of Thrones, at its peak, was genuinely incredible. It had some of the most heartbreaking,cathartic, and memorable episodesin the history of television, too many iconic characters to count, and a sense of spectacle that never fell short of impressive or cinematic (even the lesser seasons are, for the most part, well-produced). For a time,Game of Throneswas about as good as high-budget television could get, and itstill deserves to be celebrated for what it did right, while nonetheless acknowledging those other ways it did eventually go wrong. You gotta take the good (well, in this case, the great) with the bad, you know?
Game Of Thrones
7’Nathan for You' (2013-2017)
Created by Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman
Just what isNathan for You? Youcan watch all 32 episodes(most of which are phenomenal) and still not know for sure, mainly in terms of what’s documentary and what’s fabricated. The whole show walks a line between ridiculous comedy and oddly realistic absurdism, centering on the titularNathan(surnameFielder) thinking about wild plans to help struggling businesses.
If it’s all staged to look genuine, it’s genius, and if it’s all real, then it’s still just as funny (and also genius). How Fielder gets some of the material he gets here, andthe way he escalates situations that begin ridiculously and just balloon into further lunacy… it’s all quite wonderful to watch. Fielder has also gone on to work on further acclaimed (and weird) TV shows likeThe RehearsalandThe Curse, butNathan for You, for now, remains his masterpiece.
Nathan for You
Created by Matthew Weiner
Mad Menis a slow-burn sort of drama series, but it’s worth sticking with because of how mature, complex, and eventually riveting it becomes. Certain things are revealed near the end of the first season that make Don Draper, the series protagonist, a much more interesting individual, and various supporting characters similarly become more nuanced, endearing, and flawed as the show goes on, too.
Also,Mad Menmight not sound exciting on paper, given it’s mostly centered around the people who work at an ad agency during the 1960s, but it’s the way the show grows and develops its charactersthat make it essential television.It covers a fascinating time in American history, all the while following fictional characters through that dramatic era, and it ended up being an extremely consistent show, considering it ran for almost 100 episodes across seven seasons.
Created by Vince Gilligan
Just callingBreaking Bada drama series and leaving it at that is sort of underselling it, especially inregards to how intense it can be. It was dramatic, sure, but also thrilling and centered on crime, beginning withthe protagonist/eventual antagonist, Walter White, manufacturing methamphetamine because of a cancer diagnosis, feeling as though he has nothing left to lose while also wanting to leave some money behind for his family, once he’s gone.
But things escalate consistently, with almost every episode ofBreaking Badadvancing the overall narrative forward slightly, with thingseventually exploding in spectacular – and inevitable – fashionduring the show’s final season. It might not have as much to offer upon rewatches as some of the other shows mentioned here, but for being so thrilling, well-paced, and brilliantly acted,Breaking Badremainsworth shouting out as one of the 21st century’s most essential TV shows so far.
Breaking Bad
4’Succession' (2018-2023)
Created by Jesse Armstrong
Across four breathless seasons,Successionfound immense comedy and tragedy within what’s essentiallyan extended family conflict where everyone, no matter the outcome, is still going to be rich at the end of the day. Things kick off when the family patriarch – and owner of a vast media empire – has some health concerns that suggest it might be time for a successor to step up, and there are a handful of people who really want to be that successor.
Tonally, it’s a miracleSuccessionworks, given how much fun it is to watchthese characters fall over themselveswhile feeling sorry for them on occasion. Also,Successionis sobering regarding what it has to say about wealth, the media, and politics at this stage in history. If you want tonominate a recent series as an eventual perfect time capsule of the late 2010s to early 2020s(minus the COVID stuff), thenSuccessionmight well end up being that show.
Succession
3’Six Feet Under' (2001-2005)
Created by Alan Ball
Six Feet Underdidn’t lacksome dark comedy across its five seasons, but it was generally a pretty emotionally brutal show. And it had to be harrowing, to some extent, given death was a constant throughout the show. It follows a family of people who run a funeral home, and depicts their struggles to adjust when, in the opening episode, the family patriarch dies suddenly.
It’s a show witha lot to say about relationships, emotional turmoil, mortality, the meaning/meaninglessness of life, and family. And make no mistake, it is a great show for most of its run, but it’s the series finale that shootsSix Feet Underfurther into the stratosphere quality-wise.It might sound like hyperbole, but the finale to this show is about as good as series finales can possibly get(well, it’s this one orMAS*H, as far as the best of the all-timers go).
Six Feet Under
2’Arrested Development' (2003-2019)
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
WithArrested Development, its best years wereundoubtedly between 2003 and 2006, which is when it aired its first three seasons (and the bulk of its episodes). It was revived in 2013 for an interesting and experimental fourth season that definitely had its moments, though the less said about the eventual final season of the show (which aired in 2018 and 2019), the better.
It’s a bit likeGame of Thronesin that way, though here, the majority of episodes are unequivocally not just great, but about as jam-packed with consistently hilarious jokes as a sitcom could conceivably be. It’s staggering to revisit a show likeArrested Developmentand find new jokes you either didn’t get or completely missed the first time around, making it one ofthe most rewatchable shows ever made. Also,as far as quotable shows go, few rivalArrested Development, as it’s about as well-written as a comedic show can be.
Arrested Development
1’The Wire' (2002-2008)
Created by David Simon
It’s possible to describeThe Wireas being a bit of a slow-burn show in the same vein asMad Men, because things really start to take shapearound the end of its first season. There are many moving pieces at play early on, andThe Wirekind of throws you, as a viewer, into the deep end. But you adjust, learn, and gradually sink into a show like this, and eventually, it becomes riveting in a way few other pieces of fiction ever have.
At the same time,The Wiresometimes doesn’t feel like fiction,covering a whole range of social, cultural, and political issues throughout five sprawling seasons, adding a new area to explore every season. Somehow, it all comes together in the end, with next to no loose ends and an undeniable sense of having absorbed something wholly satisfying, brilliant, and staggering. It’s a show that’s been hyped up a lot in the 17 yearssince it aired its final episode, but it lives up to that hype.The Wiretruly is that good.
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