The Top 10 Shows For Every Channel (That Mattered) From 2010-2019

It was an amazing decade for television, we watched TV in ways we never imagined and we saw things on TV we never imaged. Let's take a look back at the Top 10 shows from each channel during the 2010 decade, the era that changed television. To be eligible a show had to air at least partially in the decade but we a judging mainly the body of work in the decade alone.

FOX - It was a...strange… decade for the youngest of the big four network siblings, early in the decade Fox saw ratings juggernaut American Idol’s popularity wane and by the end of the decade the Disney-Fox merger turned Fox the network into its own company with a whole new direction.

10 - Hell's Kitchen: Fox was the home of the reality show of the decade for the 2000’s with American Idol, while Hell’s Kitchen never reached those heights for Fox in the 2010’s Gordon Ramsay’s meme-ability has kept the show relevant. The Simon Cowell of the cooking world, Ramsay’s fiery attitude captured a bit of the “let’s watch to see people feel bad” that American Idol’s early rounds did

9- Lucifer: The 2000’s was the rise of the anti-hero, Tony Soprano, Walter White, Vic Mackey weren’t conventional heroes and Lucifer built of that premise with a show about, yep, The Devil. Lucifer had a quick trip through network television, with just 3 seasons on Fox before being saved by Netflix in 2019. Lucifer debuted to strong viewership but middling reviews but as viewership fell the quality rose. A solid 3 seasons was a decent get for this decade of Fox

8- Glee: Oh what could have been, there is a timeline where Glee is Fox’s top show of the 2010’s. Glee debuted with a special spring pilot in May 2009 that gained almost 10 million viewers, before a full debut in the fall of 2009.The show was one of the perfect springboards into the 2010’s capturing a lot of feelings that would define the decade; Glee would parody the high school drama shining a humorous light on a genre that was on it’s way out (as One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, and Gossip Girl were wrapping up), it was also ahead of the acapela trend that would invade pop culture, and through it’s song selections also pinpointed the impending 80’s and 90’s nostalgia wave. On top of all of that Glee’s first few seasons had a strong award season presence. Then it all went south, star Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose, Mark Salling who played Puck left the show after legal issues (before even more damning legal issues and eventually committing suicide) and finally ratings plummeted after season 4 before the show ended in 2015 to tempid fanfair. The show that ushered in the 2010’s is perhaps the saddest story of the 2010’s but we’ll always have those first few seasons.

7- Gotham: In a way Gotham was to the 2010’s what Smallville was to the 2000’s. Batman is perhaps the most popular singular superhero in pop culture so a retelling of the classic Batman story wasn’t needed so instead we got the backstory that was so often lacking in the gap between the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents and the debut of the Caped Crusader. Following Gotham Detective Jim Gordon we follow the rise of future Batman foes such as Penguin, The Riddler, and The Joker, as well as original villains such as Jada Pinkett Smith’s Fish Mooney. As with many superhero and comic book shows Gotham started very strong debuting to 8.21 million viewers but eventually numbers dropped and the show was carried by a small but dedicated audience.

6- Sleepy Hollow: A common criticism of the decade was taking interesting premises and shoehorning it into a police procedural format to better attract the NCIS audience that dominated most of middle America. While, Sleepy Hollow falls into that trap and could have been even higher on this had it stuck to a more original format it was still the best version of this trend that Fox delivered. Debuting to strong numbers and remaining one of TV’s top 100 shows for 3 of it’s 4 seasons the supernatural drama was just different enough to stand out on network television

5- The Simpsons/Family Guy/Animation Domination: With the exception of one animated show that will be held out for later on this list, Fox’s Animation Domination (while at times taking on other names) was the Sunday anchor for the network so we will count them all at this point in the list. Many shows have called Animation Domination home but only 2 were a part of the lineup for the whole decade, The Simpsons and Family Guy. The Simpsons saw a bit of a renaissance late in the decade as many longtime fans saw the show move on from a creative funk that hindered the show in the 10 years prior. Family Guy on the other hand did not reach the heights it did in the 2000’s but still proved it could pack a punch.

4- Brooklyn Nine-Nine: One of the most refreshing sitcoms of the the 2000’s the Andy Samberg led workplace comedy was almost lost for good as it was one of the main casualties of the Fox strategic shift late in the decade. Andy Samberg received a Golden Globe award for his role as goofy but lovable Brooklyn detective Jake Peralta and Andre Braugher has received universal claim for his role as Sergeant Raymond Holt. In a decade of great ensemble casts Brooklyn Nine-Nine might be the most loveable.

3- New Girl: The era of the “Friends Hanging Out” sitcom came to an end this decade as the workplace comedy and more high concept comedies became the norm, but perhaps it’s final stand was New Girl. A show as quirky as it’s leads New Girl’s strength was its embrace of it’s oddball characters, while a show like FRIENDS always tried to give it’s characters the perfect line at the perfect time, New Girl operated more in imperfections. Jess, Nick, Schmidt, Winston, Cece, and Coach were a Fox fixture for 7 seasons, season 6 appeared to be the end and provided a satisfying apparent finale before the show was given an abbreviated final season that gave us an even more satisfying ending.

2- Empire: Maybe the defining characteristic for Fox’s decade will be shows that took the TV world by storm and then flamed out. Empire was perhaps the hottest drama on network TV for a couple seasons thanks to stellar performances by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Empire finished its first 2 seasons as the number 5 overall watched show on TV, it’s season one finale was watched by over 17 million people. This absolutely was the high point for Fox scripted program in the decade, but for as high as highs get the lows got low with the show’s latest season averaging just over a third of the viewers it average in season one. That numbers falling off coupled with the embarrassment of the Jussie Smollett controversy Empire went from a show trending to be Fox’s top show of the decade to settling for number 2

1- Bob's Burgers: For all the shows that should have been Fox’s defining legacy of the decade its the show that had no right to be that defines what went right for Fox in the 2010’s. Bob Burgers, is quirky, goofy, it’s a bit rough around the edges, and the animation quality is a bit unrefined but it’s also hilarious, endearing, and captures the minute details of being a family in the 2010’s that make us happy to be here. With countless merchandise available now, growing ratings, and a lot of award season love, something about Bob’s Burgers has entranced pop culture, and indefinable quality that makes us want to like the Belcher family, is it Tina’s love of butts? Louise’s pink bunny airs? Or is it that the show has a different catchy tune written for the episode to accompany the end credits. Whatever it is, Bob’s Burgers went from Animation Domination filler to Fox’s top show of the 2010’s

CBS: Could CBS do anything wrong in the 2000’s? They had a strong stable of sitcoms, top performing dramas, and fully embraced the reality TV wave to great results. As the 2000’s turns to the 2010’s the consumer’s tastes changed and CBS, although still the strongest performing network became the network for the older middle america viewer. For many that may not be ideal but CBS doubled down on that role and rode that mantra to strong ratings through the decade

10 - Mike and Molly: It was a strong decade for Melissa McCarthy, in 2010 she made the jump from sitcom supporting actress to a lead alongside Yes, Dear alumni Billy Gardell. Then, thanks to the success of Bridesmaids, and other rated R comedies it felt like McCarthy had outgrown the sitcom by the middle of the decade. If for nothing else than being the launching pad for McCarthy’s career Mike and Molly deserve a spot on this list.

9 - The Mentalist: CBS does procedurals correctly, they just get the format better than most networks. They took what should have been a wonky premise (so wonky that it was the same premise of the USA network comedy Psych) and turned it into a top 25 watched show for most of the decade.

8- Undercover Boss: Talk about taking another wonky premise and making it successful. Undercover Boss follows industry leaders in (bad) disguises learning what their hourly and low level employees go through. It’s a bit hokey, but it’s made for some feel good television at a time that many people needed it.

7- Elementary: Talk about talking about wonky premi- okay fine I’m done with that. But at the beginning of this decade Sherlock Holmes became a popular entity with a BBC series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman and a Robert Downey Jr. led movie franchise. So how would CBS make the Sherlock franchise their own, by doing what they do best in turning it into a police procedural and for good measure they casted the eternal underrated Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson. Ratings dipped with less than half the original viewers tuning in for the 7th and final season than season 1. But for a time it was a decently rated show with even a few Emmy and People’s Choice Award nominations

6- Hawaii Five-O: Remakes don’t typically work, remakes usually shouldn’t work, except Hawaii Five-O did work, it worked big time for CBS. The remake of the 1968 original series has run for every year of the decade and carried by the chemistry between leds Scott Caan and Alex O’Loughlin it’s been a top 50 show for most of its run.

5- CSI: Whoooooooooooooooooo are you, who who, who who. Criminal Scene Investigation probably held on a little too long, but it did make it halfway into this decade after being one the top shows of the 2000’s. This is a bit of a legacy award for the longtime crime drama.

4- The Good Wife: Another top 30 show for CBS this decade. ER alumni Julianna Margulies led The Good Wife to 5 Emmy wins, nabbing two of them herself in an era where network stars winning Emmy’s was starting to fade

3: How I Met Your Mother: Legend- wait for-Dary! Ted, Robin, Barney, Lilly, and Marshall gave us a modern love story. The story of Ted’s search for, the one, gave us 9 seasons to fill the Friends void in our hearts. The show saw an uptick in viewership during the second half of it’s run but a much disliked final season keeps HIMYM from being an all-timer

2- NCIS: This very well could be a legacy award for the longtime procedural show that started in 2003 except NCIS saved their best years for their second decade to the tune of being a top 5 watched show for every year of the decade. A number of cast members have left over the past 10 years but Mark Harmon has remained the steadfast lead that has pulled in much of middle America.

1- Big Bang Theory: Love it or hate it The Big Bang Theory became the biggest sitcom of the decade behind the nerd power of Shelton, Leonard, Penny and friends. In an era of declining tv ratings Big Bang Theory saw it’s ratings climb in later seasons and saw their last 7 seasons as one of the top 3 watched shows on TV. Couple that with 39 Emmy nominations and 7 wins The Big Bang Theory, must to the chagrin of much of the internet, was damn near unstoppable this decade only coming to an end when the cast decided it was time.

ABC: Disney dominated the decade, the MCU, Star Wars, the Fox merger, everything came up Disney the past 10 years. That did not always translate to the ABC network as the network was often times defined by niche shows hanging on and longtime tentpole shows plowing along. ABC does deserve credit for taking some creative risks..

10- Revenge: Primetime soap operas were a big part ABC’s strategy this decade and believe it or not a non-Shonda Rhimes led one was successful. A modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo starring a pre-MCU Emily VanCamp, Revenge was campy and over the top but had some fun twists that fans of the genre would appreciate.

9- Once Upon A Time: This was the prelude to the Marvel tv series and Disney+ using the Disney owned properties in a TV format to give fans a new take on familiar characters. It felt like just about every Disney owned fairytale, princess, and fantasy popped up in Once Upon A Time. An early hit, the show saw a bit of a decline when three of the lead actors all departed but the show remained one of the most unique premises on TV this decade.

8- Black-Ish: Anthony Anderson is one of the most underrated comedic actors around and it was finally 2014’s Black-ish that used his potential to the fullest. Paired with Tracy Ellis-Ross, who went from underrated to one of TV’s most recognized stars, Anderson has delivered one of the best family sitcoms of the decade

7- The Bachelor/Bachelorette: Trashy TV done in the most elegant way possible. The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise through a fresh coat of makeup on reality show dating, found the perfect line between guilty pleasure and offensive to the senses, and became every women’s (and men being dragged along) reality show obsession. Extra point to host Chris Harrison who has embraced the fandom and cameoed in multiple shows and movies as his host persona

6- Rosanne/The Conners: I have avoided personal taste for most of this list but it is time to be honest, I had no interest in the revival of Rosanne, I was never a fan of the show or the title characters humor. But while it wasn’t my thing, the show proved me dead wrong with a huge debut and finishing as the 3rd most watched show on TV that season. Was Rosanne, Dan , and company about to usurp The Big Bang Theory as the most watched sitcom on TV? Nope. That’s when things went south, star Rosanne Barr was fired after an offensive tweet that she blamed on some medication she was taking and poof, just like the original final season of Rosanne it felt like all that success was just a dream. ABC retooled and built The Conners, more of a continuation than a spinoff, built around John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf. The show has been a modest success, keeping the Rosanne/Conners on this list but it’s a reminder kids, don’t do drugs and tweet…..and don’t be racist.

5- Dancing With The Stars: America loves reality competition shows with celebrities but it was really Dancing with the Stars that pulled all of this together. A surprise hit in the 2000’s the show continued into this decade with surprising lineups that have allowed us to see different sides of stars as well as chuckle at the inept dancing stars (Looking at you Billy Dee Williams)

4- How To Get Away With Murder: It’s hard to have a stronger decade than Viola Davis who proved to be a tour de force actor while en route to becoming the first African American to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Here’s to you Viola, keep getting away with murder!

3- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: The show that kicked off the Marvel TV universe, built off the success of the MCU early in the decade Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was a new frontier for the successful media franchise. The show became a little engine that could, plagued by the inability to show or continue certain plotlines when they wanted because of potential movie spoilers, the shows dedicated fan base made sure the show returned for a final season in 2020. With the launch of Disney+ and the more MCU-centric TV shows in development, the Marvel TV department was shut down which meant AoS did something remarkable, it outlasted every other Marvel show that was inspired by it’s success.

2- Scandal: Shonda Rhimes did it again with the Kerry Washington led Scandal. The show saw strong critical ratings for most of its run but the strength did in fact lay with the lead, Kerry Washington. Washington saw the bulk of the shows acting award nominations.

1- Modern Family: In baseball the Oakland Athletic’s championed something called Moneyball, and to sum it up quickly it was to exploit market deficiencies, everyone is paying for homeruns so they’ll pay for walks. In the 2010’s there was a market deficiency, everyone was paying for workplace comedies so ABC paid for a family sitcom. In baseball the Red Sox applied Moneyball tactics but used their deep pockets to build a Moneyball team with great players. ABC filled their family sitcom roster with some heavy hitters of their own. Led by Married with Children star Ed O’Neill, the Modern Family cast became a who’s who of sitcom stars. Stars Ty Burell, Eric Stonestreet, and Julie Bowen have all brought home Emmy’s for their performances and the show itself won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series each of its first 5 seasons.

NBC: The Peacock’s struggles in the 2000’s to recapture their glory days of the 90’s were well documented, capped off by the embarrassing Leno-Conan-Tonight Show saga. But the struggles wouldn’t last forever, some smart additions to their lineup late in the last decade, mainly additions to the sitcom lineup.

10- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: The first sign that the second decade of the millenium would be different than the first was naming Jimmy Fallon as the host of the Tonight Show, bringing his lovable brand of humor that was made to viral the former Weekend Update anchor has brought The Tonight Show to a younger audience.

9- Community: The high concept sitcom from the mind of Dan Harmon that follows a study group at Greendale Community College was one of NBC’s additions to their sitcom lineup right before the decade started. While Community never saw the ratings of The Office or Parks and Recreation it has become one of the internet's favorite shows. Known for the high concept genre bending episodes Community was saved multiple times by fan campaigns. Six Seasons and a Movie!

8- Superstore: NBC once had a Thursday lineup of 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Community, one of the strongest comedy lineups of the decade, but like all good things those shows came to an end. NBC needed somewhere to turn for their new top comedy and the answer came in the least likely of places, big box stores. After a strong start on Monday nights ratings have fallen in recent seasons against stiff Thursday night competition but leads America Ferrara and Ben Feldman have made Superstore one of the surprise comedies of the decade.

7-Chicago Fire: This section will also include, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Law, Chicago Sanitary Department, Chicago Improv and all the other Chicagos. NBC struggled to develop strong dramas in recent years so when they found something that worked they stuck with it. Chicago Fire was the first of the Chicago series and it performed strong enough to lead to a number of spinoffs. Now 8 seasons deep ratings have yet to slip (with season 7 averaging a series high 11.70 million viewers) and with it’s procedural format the show doesn’t seem likely to be going anywhere soon.

6- SNL: This decade saw two distinct eras for Saturday Night Live, the first half of the decade saw the last few years of the Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, and Jason Sudeikis led core and by season 39 in 2013 they had turned it over to the Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and Beck Bennett led era. SNL grabbed headlines during two election cycles this decade with the 2016 elections putting SNL right back into the fire where they seem most comfortable. After first inviting future president Donald Trump to host and then feuding with the POTUS, the 44 year TV staple continues to be the talk of the internet every Sunday morning.

5- The Office: The best sitcom outside of Seinfeld that has ever aired, their best days were behind them by the time the decade started but the gang from Dunder Mifflin still had enough juice left in the first half of this decade. The post-Michael Scott days still saw some of the best Dwight plots, Robert California (before that well went dry), and one of the more satisfying finales of the past 10 years

4- The Good Place: The perfect storm came together for this one, the extreme likability of Kristen Bell, the sitcom chops of Ted Danson, and the high concept plot to stand out in an age of workplace sitcoms. The Good Place has been a good combination of viewership (a top 100 show in its first 3 seasons) and critical success (at least a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for each of the 4 seasons). NBC found success in some unusual places this decade and one of their most unique and successful places was The Good Place

3-This is Us: Yes, NBC struggled in the drama department this decade with just a few outside of the “Chica.go” series really gaining any traction. But the one drama that did step up for NBC stepped up in a big way. This Is Us which tells the story of the Pearson family through the years has been a juggernaut for NBC, a top 10 rated show in its first three season, high Rotten Tomatoes scores, and even being selected as the Super Bowl lead out show.

2-The Voice: The 2010’s answer to American Idol, The Voice was the definite game/reality show of the decade. Although the panel of judges has rotated throughout the shows run, it’s been the chemistry between judges that has carried the show; anchored by longtime judge Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

1-Parks and Rec: It was Dunder Mifflin in the 2000’s and Pawnee in the 2010’s. After a rough first season that was panned by critics, the Amy Poehler led sitcom retooled just in time for the new decade. Parks and Rec was consistently just outside the Top 100 watched shows during its whole run. One of the strongest final seasons pushed Parks and Rec into the top spot for NBC’s decade. This decade was defined by the assembled cast and nobody did it better than Parks and Rec.

CW: This was not the decade that the CW broke away from being the little brother of the network TV family but they found a few successes in their first full decade of existence that helped the network move forward and even find some award season recognition

10- The Originals: The originals was a spinoff, how ironic. The supernatural show, spun off of Vampire Diaries was a modest hit, at time averaging around 2 million viewers and even snagged an Emmy nomination for Hair and Costume Design

9- The 100: Post apocalyptic and teenagers trying to survive in this new world was a big thing for younger viewers this decade. It was a key genre in film and it worked its way to TV with The 100. The show is still running as of this writing which is different than most of this list as the CW is going through a bit of a transition. The show averaged over a million viewers for a lot of it’s run. Not bad for what has typically been a mid-season replacement or summer series.

8- Supernatural: A legacy award if there ever was one, Supernatural is the last holdover from the WB days and continued well past 10 seasons this decade. Buzz among the show has died down after every twist in the book has been used but it still has a dedicated fan base and any show that can last this long deserves a spot on the list

7- IZombie: Zombies were a big genre this decade and CW put their typical young adult spin on the genre. To their credit it worked. IZombie had a strong pilot and was a strongly rated show for most of its run. That’s pretty much all to say about it, it won’t be remembered as anything amazing, it just did it’s job and moved on, like hopefully the zombie fad will.

6- Gossip Girl: Maybe behind only One Tree Hill for the CW’s top show of the 2000’s Gossip Girl was still the steamy rich fantasy for teens all over America. The shows final 3 seasons (the first three airing last decade) fell below averaging 2 million viewers like the shows early days did but it was still popular among Teen and People’s Choice Award voters

5- Crazy Ex Girlfriend: If you’re giving points for originality save some for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the Rachel Bloom led show was part musical part parody of relationship based sitcoms. Bloom herself won a Golden Globe for the show.

4- Riverdale: Take a 50’s light comic strip and turn it into a melodramatic teen drama, add in Zack or Cody and you have one of the most popular teen shows of the second half of the decade. Riverdale took Archie comics and turned it into a dark teen mystery show and against all odds it’s worked

3- Vampire Diaries: Vampires. You know Vampires has to pop up on this list somewhere on this list. Vampire Diaries was developed by Kevin Williamson also known for the Scream franchise and Dawson’s Creek. Critical reception has gone up and down throughout the shows run but at times averaging over 3 million viewers it was the CW’s most watched show (eventually passed by Arrow)

2- Arrow: For lack of success DC had in film versus the Marvel Cinematic Universe they actually built a pretty successful TV universe. The “Arrow-verse” all started with Arrow, a show about Green Arrow from the DC comics. The show has shared a universe with Flash and had crossover events with Super Girl. These crossover events which has gone to tie in all of the CW’s DC properties have become a huge event for fans and a ratings success for the CW

1- Jane the Virgin: A perfect 100% rating for every season on Rotten Tomatoes. A Golden Globe win for lead Gina Rodriguez. At times seeing over an average of 1 million viewers which is on the high end for the CW. Jane the Virgin was far and away the CW’s biggest hit of the decade.

HBO - The previous decade saw the ending of not only some of HBO’s best series ever but some of the best television series in all of television history, with the 1-2 punch of The Sopranos and the Wire ending during the second half of the 2000’s as well as Sex and the City, Deadwood, and Six Feet Under calling it a day and finally Curb Your Enthusiasm going on haitus for most if the 2010’s how could HBO possibly rebound in the new decade? By officially becoming TV’s powerhouse and being perhaps the last channel to draw mass audiences in to appointment viewing

10 - Girls: The last few seasons got away from the creator and lead actress Lena Dunham but Dunham and Girls deserves a lot of credit for the earlier seasons that truly seemed to simultaneously give 20-something millennials an honest look at their lives while lampooning what it meant to be young dumb and broke. It was also the launching pad for Adam Driver so extra points there.

9 - Barry: Only debuting in 2018 the comedy-drama about a former military man turned hitman has gained a lot of ground with only two seasons in the 2010’s. Former SNL cast member Bill Hader breaks new ground as the tortured title character Barry who longs to leave his hitman life to become an actor. Much of the show and Hader’s performance keep the show in drama territory but the laughs are often delivered by Henry Winkler (who was rightfully honored with an Emmy for his performance), the always underrated Stephen Root, and the breakout star of the show Anthony Carrigan.

8 - Last Week Tonight: Viewed as many as the true successor to Jon Stewart’s Daily Show Last Week Tonight lives on long form deep dives conducted by host John Oliver. The show has often become a viral hit with Oliver’s hilarious bits also often serving as an educational expose on industries and figures such as tobacco, net neutrality, and of course Donald Trump

7 - Boardwalk Empire: On any other channel Boardwalk Empire could perhaps have jumped to the top of the list but perhaps overshadowed by its perceived role as the show tasked to replace The Sopranos and the performances of a few shows later on this list Boardwalk Empire has to accept its position as a critically acclaimed show that falls just short of being all-time classic. Regardless, the show still carved out a good place in history with a number of Emmy nominations including two Outstanding Drama nominations

6 - Silicon Valley: Silicon Valley much like the Pied Piper team it follows started as the little engine that could and turned into a comedy freight train. The cast appeared to be made up of spare parts, Thomas Middledithch (that McDonald’s commercial), Zach Woods (The Office), Martin Starr (Freaks & Geeks), and Kumail Nanjiani (Franklin & Bash), but team gelled from day one as creator Mike Judge (Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill) delivered his quirkiest and most loveable project yet. The nerds finally win one.

5 - The Leftovers: This is where things get tough, The Leftovers ran for three seasons in which it’s Rotten Tomatoes rose every season finally settling on a 99% rated final season. The rapture based drama was a critical darling but didn’t gain traction among the general audience the way the four shows above it did. Perhaps more exposure during award season would have given The Leftovers the eyeballs it needed to take the next step but it’s hard to argue with just how highly acclaimed that final season is

4 - The Newsroom: If you thought the shine was coming off of Aaron Sorkin in the late 2000’s with his departure from The West Wing and the failure of Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Sorkin threw all that out the window with The Newsroom. Set in the newsroom of the fictional Atlantis Cable News, the show follows anchor Will McAvoy as his team tries to change the way the news is done. The show began airing in 2012 but was set in 2010 allowing for real news stories to be the centerpiece of the show. Jeff Daniels was a constant Best Actor nominee during the shows three season run, even usurping massive favorite Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) in 2013.

3 - Veep: HBO’s defining comedy series of the decade, the show that finally killed The Seinfeld Curse. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss took her position as a comedy legend with her portrayal of Vice President and eventual POTUS Selina Meyer. On top of being gut bustingly funny, Veep cleaned up during award season, the show was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys each of its seven seasons. Louis-Dreyfuss won a whopping six consecutive lead actress Emmys while seven other cast members won or were nominated for acting awards.

2 - True Detective: The truest of shooting stars in TV history, shining so bright and burning out so quickly. Season 2 was a massive letdown while season 3 was a step in the right direction, but the first season of True Detective was maybe the greatest anthology season TV has ever seen. From the psychological twists and turns, McConaughey’s stellar performance, and yes, even that Alexandra Daddario sex scene, True Detective season one was one of the greatest season’s of television in this or any decade.

1 - Game of Thrones: The defining show of the 2010’s, perhaps the last great tv spectacle. The quality controversially fell a little bit at the end but there was no doubt that Game of Thrones was appointment viewing for HBO. GoT truly became something we had never seen before on TV, it was sex, violence, complex and winding plots but we couldn’t look away. Khaleesi, Winter is Coming, and White Walkers have entered the zeitgeist and tv will never be the same

Netflix: Nobody outside of maybe HBO had a better decade than Netflix. Hit after hit, the streaming platform changed the way we watch TV. Releasing full seasons at once, saving canceled shows, not being handcuffed by strict 22 or 44 minute runtimes. Netflix was king; with the new decade bringing Disney+ and other streaming services to take their piece of the pie, Netflix’s glory days might pass as quick as they came but for now let’s tip our cap to them.

10- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: What could Ellie Kemper do to follow up her superb time at Erin on The Office? Double down on her quirky charm with one of the quirkiest and likeable shows of the decade created by comedy giant Tina Fey. Team her up with sitcom vets Jane Krakowski, Carol Kane and breakout star Titus Burgess and you have perhaps Netflix’s best per comedy of the decade. She’s alive dammit!

9- Narcos: A special thank you to Vinny Chase as it was the boys in Entourage that originally told this story but Netflix did the real thing telling the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. While the show never broke out and gained award buzz it did go on to earn a 92% and 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its second and third seasons respectively

8- Glow: Based on the true story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling of the 1980’s Alison Brie takes the lead role after years on Community. The show has seen modest success through award show nominations but has also seen “Universal Acclaim” for all of it’s season on Metacritic. A lot of 80’s nostalgia could be lost in the news of this decade but GLOW found a way to put its own unique spin on it

7- Daredevil: The Marvel TV universe got a big boost when a number of properties were given the greenlight at Netflix culminating with The Defenders series. Daredevil deserves credit as the series that kicked things off, it was also the only one of two Netflix Marvel series to make it 3 seasons (before they were all eventually canceled to allow for Disney+ series)

6- Ozark: Ozark won’t have the most mainstream recognition on this list but Jason Bateman proved himself to be a great versatile actor this decade and it continued with his performance in this crime drama.

5- The Crown: Clair Foy dominated as Queen Elizabeth, that feels like all I really have to say. The show followed Queen Elizabeth in her earlier years and while Clair Foy said goodbye to the role to allow for an older portrayal of the Queen in new seasons she did nab a Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress

4-Big Mouth: The closest thing we will get to a new age South Park. Creator Nick Kroll takes us on a journey through adolescence and puberty lampooning the awkward and confusing we have towards our bodies and others during that time. With the help of an all-star cast and a few “Hormone Monsters” the raunchiest show on TV also became one of the most endearing if only because it reminded us we weren’t alone.

3- House of Cards: The show that started it all, the show that put Netflix original series on the map. This show struggled later one with a lack of vision of where to take things and was dealt and awkward blow when star Kevin Spacey was fired for rape aligations. But there is a reason Netflix started out so strong and it was off the back of House of Cards’ first couple of seasons, they were, in a word, flawless.

2- Orange Is The New Black: If House of Cards was the first show to prove that Netflix Originals were going to be a critical success, Orange Is The New Black was the first show to prove Netflix Originals could be cultural phenomenons. Every group of girls were dressing as inmates for Halloween and everyone wanted to be Crazy Eyes.

1- Stranger Things- This was the decade of 80’s nostalgia and nobody did it better than Stranger Things. The show has become a cultural phenomenon almost on the level of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. The child stars that lead the cast have become mega stars and when this delight of a show finally wraps things up we will all be feeling like we’re living in the upside down.

Miscellaneous - This was the decade where a lot of TV’s best shows didn’t come from network TV. Listed below are the best shows from around the rest of TV

10- Impractical Jokers (TruTV): A few very critically acclaimed shows were left off to put Impractical Jokers on this list but you can’t talk about TV in the 2010’s without one of the feel good stories of the decade. Joe, Sal, Q, and Murr known as the Tenderloins were practically unknown before this decade before start

ing their show about “Four lifelong friends who compete to try to embarrass each other”. The likeability of the Jokers and their ability to always make sure the joke is on them and not the mark has made the show a comfort food hit. The show has spawned multiple spinoffs, apps, tours, and even a cruise.

9- American Horror Story (FX): America got way into two things this decade, their horror tv and serialized dramas. Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story played a big part in both of those trends. Telling a different haunting tale each season AHS have gained a dedicated following and has been an important tentpole for FX.

8- Rick and Morty (Adult Swim): Perhaps no show has represented the nihilistic sense of humor that the 2010’s, late millennials, and gen Z-ers feed off of more than Rick and Morty. A take on the relationship between Doc Brown and Marty McFly in Back to the Future, the show has become perhaps Adult Swim’s biggest mainstream hit.

7- Mr. Robot (USA): Early success and early buzz will be Mr. Robot’s legacy. The show debuted in 2015, won the Golden Globe for Best Television Drama in 2016, and in 2017 Remi Malek won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor. All huge wins for the USA Network which has never been the most recognized channel during award season. Mr. Robot wrapped up it’s run in late 2019 to less fanfare but those first two seasons were something special

6- The Americans (FX): A candidate to be the cleanup hitter on the all-underrated team of the decade. This Cold War spy thriller holds a whopping 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a perfect 100% season 3. Though it was never as popular as some of the other entries on this list, it was an award show mainstay with 18 Emmy nominations, even winning Outstanding Lead Actor for star Mattew Rhys.

5- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime): TV loved to make shows about standup comedy this decade, and while some fell flat (I’m Dying Up Here) and others were modest success (Crashing), it was The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel that has finally done the genre right. Maisel has become Amazon Prime’s biggest hit to this point, also becoming a main point of their marketing campaigns. The show has also become a late decade mainstay at award season.

4- The Walking Dead (AMC): It’s overstayed its welcome, it’s lost a lot of the original fans, it’s strayed too far from the comic books its based on. Forget the noise that follows The Walking Dead now, when the zombie based show first starting airing it was appointment viewing on par with Game of Thrones.

3- Mad Men (AMC): There have been a lot of “should be’s” in this decade, and in this decade there isn’t a show that should have topped the list more than Mad Men, it closed out last decade with Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and then opened the decade with the same award the first two years of the decade. Mad Men was the best show on TV, unfortunately a couple other shows, mainly Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones hit their stride or burst onto the scene and resonated just a little bit more with audiences. In 10 years there’s no doubt in my mind Mad Men will be rediscovered and move up on the list, but for now it falls just short.

2- Downton Abbey (PBS): Surely a British period piece about the 1920’s airing on PBS would never gain mainstream attention in America, right? Wrong. Downton Abbey became a huge success, it is recognized by Guinness World Records as the most decorated english language show of 2011 and owns the record for the most Emmy nominations for any international series in history

1- Breaking Bad (AMC): If it isn’t Game of Thrones, it’s Breaking Bad. The story of Walter White had us enthralled, rooting for the timid science teacher turned ruthless drug kingpin to the point we had to question our own morals.The late 90’s and 2000’s ushered in the era of the anti-hero, rooting for the Tony Soprano’s of the world but it wasn’t until Breaking Bad hit its stride this decade that we truly understood just how much we love our grey area protagonists. Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Walter White dominated award season transforming the former sitcom funny man into one of Hollywood’s most respected and recognizable actors. The show won Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor, or Outstanding Drama every year of it’s run, no show dominated at award season the way Breaking Bad did, couple that with a diehard fan base and you have one of, if not the, definitive show of the 2010’s.