by Nathaniel R
Mad Men, my personal vote for Best TV show of the 21st century
Have you seen the latest list that has tongues wagging? BBC polled TV critics to come up with a list of the 100 greatest TV series of the 21st century. Usually 100 greatest lists are silly because the time frame is too long and there are more than 100 things that are great in a century (or more) but given the short time frame (2000-2021) this one is more reasonable to argue about. We only wish they had nixed reality tv (it's silly to have only one show - RuPaul's Drag Race -- representing an entire enormous genre of television; better to just ignore it than have a single token show) and that they would not have allowed series that have not yet wrapped up to qualify; final seasons ALWAYS effect how people judge a show, for better and worse. And they should!
You should read the whole list but here's are three pulled samples to discuss...
THEIR TOP 5
- The Wire (2002-2008)
- Mad Men (2007-2015)
- Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
- Fleabag (2016-2019)
- Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
It's true that I am not a fan of Game of Thrones (wildly uneven which should disqualify you from being so high up the list) or Breaking Bad (miserabilism porn) but saying they're superior (by far) to several dozen other contemporary classics like the more consistent quality of Friday Night Lights or the daring versatile ambition of Battlestar Galactica is mildly enraging. Your mileage may vary of course. It's also frustrating how male dominant the list is.
TOP 5 THAT ARE STILL ON (what if they get better or what if they jump the shark?)
10. Succession (2018-)
14. Atlanta (2016-)
16. The Crown (2016-)
21. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-)
22. Black Mirror (2011-)
FOUR THAT ARE WAYYYY TOO LOW
Some of the choices higher than these are so dumb in comparison - How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy??? -- that the list is probably not worth taking seriously at all.
70 Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
79 Mindhunter (2017-2019)
84 Normal People (2020)
98 Crazy Ex Girlfriend (2015-2019)