At the turn of the millennium, TV entered a new golden age of expansive narrative scope, unyielding artistic vision, and cinematic prestige. In the decades since, it has arguably usurped the feature film as the primary medium of aesthetic expression through motion pictures. More has changed about television over the past 25 years than during any other period in history.
As an inevitable consequence of the revolutionary developments we’ve seen in the format during the first quarter of this century, we’ve seen many of the best TV shows ever made released during this time. From big-budget small-screen blockbusters to exquisitely executed chamber pieces, from genre-bending extravaganzas to definitive procedural dramas, 21st century television has it all.
Of course, a key aspect of TV’s development over the past decade and a half, in particular, has been the transition from network scheduling to streaming platforms, which are now the predominant mode of consumption for viewers across the globe. The formal and stylistic changes resulting from this transition were already precipitated by early prestige dramas such as The Sopranos.
The artistic advances of television in the early noughties informed the creation of perfect streaming shows later on. Unfortunately for David Chase, we’re only counting series which began after the year 2000 here. Monk, The Good Wife, The Haunting of Hill House, and Severance, and others can also feel aggrieved that just one show per debut year makes this list.
Band Of Brothers
2001
The first series that dared to produce something on the scale of a major theatrical release, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers changed TV forever when it debuted on HBO. Boasting an unrivaled pool of acting talent from both sides of the Atlantic, this visually extraordinary and emotionally resonant war drama remains the benchmark for its genre.
The Wire
2002
A great American novel for the 21st century, The Wire isn’t just a crime thriller or procedural show. It paints a vivid picture of modern society with piercing clarity, by examining the complex relationship between a city’s criminal underworld and its state bureaucracy. Nothing else since this inimitable series has been able to match its absorbing approach to televisual storytelling.
Arrested Development
2003
This fly-off-the-wall sitcom is just about the funniest portrait of a family ever rendered on the small screen. If Arrested Development seasons 4 and 5 disappointed fans, that’s because the pre-cancelation seasons were streets ahead of any other TV comedy at the time they first aired. Countless other shows would never have happened if it weren’t for the Bluths.
Battlestar Galactica
2004
Battlestar Galactica is the most enduring sci-fi masterpiece of 21st century television. A dazzlingly dark and beguiling extraterrestrial drama with allegorical references to contemporary geopolitics, the future of technology and artificial intelligence, Ronald D. Moore’s seminal remake of the campy 1970s original is now more relevant than ever.
Grey’s Anatomy
2005
The touchstone for modern-day medical dramas, this ongoing ABC series is brilliantly innovative at its finest, and endlessly entertaining at all times. Grey’s Anatomy’s best episodes are masterpieces in procedural TV, which also compel us to invest deeply in the show’s central characters. House might feature a more singularly brilliant protagonist, but Grey’s Anatomy ultimately does more for its genre.
Life On Mars
2006
A detective series made with Doctor Who fans in mind, Life on Mars is a beautifully rendered love letter to ‘70s cop shows, via an ingeniously imaginative conceit. Gene Hunt could be one of the police-procedural genre’s greatest ever creations, and the period details that bring Sam Tyler’s time-traveling exploits to life are virtually flawless.
Mad Men
2007
While we’re on the subject of exquisite period details, they don’t come much better than this masterful drama about the rise of Madison Avenue’s advertising industry during the 1960s. But beyond the all-time great set designs, costumes, and soundtrack, it’s Mad Men’s best characters that really made us keep coming back for more.
Breaking Bad
2008
A Shakespearean tragedy played out in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the 21st century, Breaking Bad transforms Walter White into Heisenberg across the course of five of the unlikeliest TV seasons you’re ever going to watch. It works so spectacularly well precisely because it shouldn’t happen, but the writing, directing, and acting force us to believe that it does.
Archer
2009
Adam Reed’s wonderfully inventive satirical cartoon based on mid-century spy comics was this century’s first truly great adult animated sitcom. Archer’s cast blends previously unknown voice actors with comedy legends like Judy Greer, Chris Parnell and Jessica Walter, making for a wickedly witty concoction of genre satire and rapid-fire one-liners.
Justified
2010
Justified is a contemporary Western masterpiece even if it isn’t set anywhere near the Western frontier. Starring Timothy Olyphant as neo-Western lawman Raylan Givens, it serves up traditional tropes in clever and compelling new guises, satisfying both lovers of the genre and more casual viewers alike. The show’s last episode is a genuine contender for TV’s greatest ever finale, too.