Best TV Shows of the Decade

People talk about the Golden Age of Television being from the 1940's to the 1960's, which is essentially the inception of the medium. People have also talked about a new Golden Age of Television that began around the turn of the new century from the 2000's until now. Particularly, this past decade has been called "Peak TV," which is another term for the new Golden Age. Given that the initial Golden Age lasted about 20 years, it means that this new Golden Age or era of Peak TV is probably on a decline, but we'll see how the TV networks do in the decade to come. It's difficult to identify a trend for this new Golden Age as it were, but one trend could be the increase and focus on diversity, telling stories that aren't centered on white men but instead women and minorities, people of color and even people in the LGBTQ community. Progress in diversity still has been more evident on cable TV networks like HBO and on digital platforms like Netflix. Broadcast TV has made good strides forward, but those traditional broadcast networks still struggle in many ways.

Most of the shows that I have named contain links to reviews I've written. If there is no link, then I didn't get the chance to sit down and really craft an article. It doesn't take away my love for those unreviewed shows. Conversely, there are some reviews that I've written for certain shows that aren't that flattering at least at first. I might have even been too critical or simply the show got better in my eyes. Regardless, these are the shows that I look back and love the most.

25. GLEE (2009)

24. AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)

23. TYRANT (2014)

22. THE GRINDER (2015) - This is the series that brought Fred Savage back to TV, at least being in front of the camera. He was hilarious in this meta-comedy about Hollywood.

21. THIS IS US (2016) - Pictured above, this series was instantly a hit, garnering huge ratings and bringing back the idea of the family drama on network television, tackling interracial and other social issues in a way that continues to be rather refreshing

20. COMMUNITY (2009) - Dan Harmon's comedy about a group of students at a community college took the idea of "meta" to whole new levels.

19. BLINDSPOT (2015)

18. BLOODLINE (2015)

17. SHADES OF BLUE (2016)

16. NURSE JACKIE (2009) - Edie Falco stars as the titular character battling a drug addiction, struggling to raise her children and keep her job in this searing comedy.

15. UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT (2015)

14. SENSE8 (2015) - Pictured on the right, this series really explored the idea of being transgender, sex positivity, sexual fluidity, polyamory and multiculturalism in a bold and action-forward way that only the Wachowski siblings could accomplish.

13. POSE (2018)

12. HOMECOMING (2018)

11. HOMELAND (2011)

10. HOUSE OF CARDS (2013) - Kevin Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. He was one of the early figures taken down in the Me Too Movement, but it doesn't take away how incredible this TV series was for its entire run. Its look in the politics in Washington, DC might have been over-the-top, but amazing at almost every turn.

9. SEVEN SECONDS (2018)

8. BIG LITTLE LIES (2017)

7. SILICON VALLEY (2014) - This excellent comedy managed to be a great insight into how the tech world works, as well as a perfect spoof of the people in that world. Brilliant from beginning to end.

6. AMERICAN CRIME (2015) - Before she won her Oscar, Regina King was winning Emmy Awards for her performance in this anthology series that tackled racism, homophobia and the immigration issue with some of the best writing, acting and direction that I've ever seen in television.

5. BATES MOTEL (2013)

4. LOOKING (2014)

3. HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (2014)

2. THE GOOD WIFE (2009)

1. ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (2013) - This is one of those shows that I wasn't liking when it first started. I didn't embrace it at first. However, the show turned my mind around in the second season, which still stands as one of the best seasons of TV that I've ever seen. Since then, it has told really compelling and thoroughly interesting stories about women and especially women of color. It has always been a critique of the criminal justice system and has always had an undercurrent of prison reform. However, even in its seventh and final season, it drove that point home in wondrous, bittersweet and heartbreaking ways. The series was also able to integrate other issues like immigration reform into its narrative in a manner that I have to say was more than brilliant.