The 100 greatest TV series of the 21st century have been revealed.
Chosen by 206 critics, academics and industry professionals from 43 countries in a poll by BBC Culture – BBC.com’s home for all things cultural – the list is topped by gritty US drama The Wire, starring Idris Elba and Dominic West.
Brits also feature elsewhere in the top 10 with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy Fleabag at number four and Michaela Cole’s award-laden drama I May Destroy You at number six.
So how many have you seen? Be sure to let us know your views and glaring omissions in the comments below.
BBC Culture’s 100 greatest TV series of the 21st century
1. THE WIRE (2002-08) Baltimore cops probe homicide and narcotics.
2. MAD MEN (2007-15) Stylish 1960s advertising drama.
(L-R) Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) in Mad Men
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Image:
AMC/Lionsgate)
3. BREAKING BAD (2008-13) Chemistry teacher sells crystal meth.
4. FLEABAG (2016-19) Tragi-comedy about love and loss in London.
5. GAME OF THRONES (2011-19) Fantasy death-and-dragons drama.
6. I MAY DESTROY YOU (2020) Arabella’s life is transformed after nightclub sexual assault.
7. THE LEFTOVERS (2014-17) Residents vanish from Mapleton, New York in supernatural mystery.
8. THE AMERICANS (2013-18) Period Cold War spy drama.
9. THE OFFICE (2001-03) Boss David Brent makes staff and viewers cringe.
10. SUCCESSION (2018-) Savage comedy-drama about obscenely rich media family.
11. BOJACK HORSEMAN (2014-20) Animated sitcom about anthropomorphic horse.
12. SIX FEET UNDER (2001-05) The Fisher family run a funeral home.
13. TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (2017) Surreal mystery crime drama.
14. ATLANTA (2016-) Follows a music boss and rapper.
The celebrated cast of dynastic drama Succession
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© HBO)
15. CHERNOBYL (2019) 1986 nuclear fallout drama.
16. THE CROWN (2016-) Tale of Queen’s life from the 1940s.
17. 30 ROCK (2006-13) US comedy about eccentric stars.
18. DEADWOOD (2004-06) Western, set in corrupt town in 1800s.
19. LOST (2004-10) Survivors of a plane crash are stranded on an island.
20. THE THICK OF IT (2005-12) Sweary comedy satirises UK politics.
21. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (2000-) TV producer Larry David gets into pickles.
22. BLACK MIRROR (2011- Dystopian sci-fi series set in near future.
23. BETTER CALL SAUL (2015-22) Breaking Bad spin-off about an attorney.
24. VEEP (2012-19) Satirical US political comedy.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge in her hit comedy Fleabag
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BBC/Two Brothers/Luke Varley)
25. SHERLOCK (2010-17) Benedict Cumberbatch plays the famous detective.
26. WATCHMEN (2019) Superhero drama.
27. LINE OF DUTY (2012-21) Good coppers take down bent coppers.
28. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2006-11) US sports drama.
29. PARKS AND RECREATION (2009-15) Mockumentary follows Indiana town’s public officials.
30. GIRLS (2012-17) US comedy-drama about four young women.
31. TRUE DETECTIVE (2014-19) Dark crime drama.
32. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (2003-19) Quirky story of a dysfunctional, formerly rich family.
33. THE GOOD WIFE (2009-16) Political and legal US drama.
34. THE BRIDGE (2011-18) Nordic crime drama.
35. FARGO (2014-) Black comedy crime drama.
36= DOWNTON ABBEY (2010-15) 1920s upstairs, downstairs life.
Arabella (Michaela Coel) and Terry (Weruche Opia) in I May Destroy You
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Image:
BBC/Various Artists Ltd and FALKNA/Natalie Seery)
36= BAND OF BROTHERS (2001) US WWII drama.
38. THE HANDMAID’S TALE (2017-) Women are property of the state in tale of dystopian society.
39. THE OFFICE (US) (2005-13) Egos clash with Steve Carrell at the helm of American paper company.
40. BORGEN (2010-22) Danish political drama.
41. SCHITT’S CREEK (2015-20) Wealthy family the Schitts are suddenly broke. Canadian sitcom.
42. PEEP SHOW (2003-15) Robert Webb and David Mitchell play annoying flatmates hilariously.
43. MONEY HEIST (2017-21) Spanish heist crime drama.
44. COMMUNITY (2009-15) Sitcom about a suspended lawyer.
45. THE GOOD FIGHT (2017-) US legal drama.
46. HOMELAND (2011-20) Espionage thriller with Claire Danes.
47. GREY’S ANATOMY (2005-) Medical drama.
48. INSIDE NO 9 (2014-) Comic twisted tales.
Walter White played by Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad
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Publicity Picture)
49. THE BUREAU (2015-) French spy thriller.
50. HALT AND CATCH FIRE (2014-17) 1980s tech drama.
51. SMALL AXE (2020) Drama about London’s West Indian community.
52. THIS IS ENGLAND 86, 88 AND 90 (2010-15) Charts the troubled lives of a group of young pals.
53. CALL MY AGENT! (2015-20) Paris talent agency comedy drama.
54. HAPPY VALLEY (2014-) Crime drama set in West Yorkshire.
55. THE SHIELD (2002-08) Gritty US cop drama.
56. THE BIG BANG THEORY (2007-19) US comedy. Awkward geniuses live opposite aspiring actress.
57. THE YOUNG POPE (2016) Jude Law plays young American pope.
58. DARK (2017-20) German sci fi thriller.
Olivia Colman and Josh O’Connor in royal drama The Crown
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Des Willie/Netflix)
59. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (2021) A young woman flees slavery in the Deep South.
60. HOUSE OF CARDS (2013-18) Political thriller.
61. AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (2005-08) Animated fantasy adventure.
62= THE GOOD PLACE (2016-20) Comedy about the afterlife.
62= POSE (2018-21) Drama about New York’s 1980s underground.
64. DETECTORISTS (2014-17) Comedy about metal detecting pals.
65. ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (2013-19) US comedy-drama set in female jail.
66. MARE OF EASTTOWN (2021) Kate Winslet in US police drama.
67. RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE (2009-) A search for charismatic drag queens.
Netflix series Stranger Things made the list
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NETFLIX)
68. STRANGER THINGS (2016-) Sci-fi horror drama set in 80s.
69. 24 (2001-10) Jack Bauer’s fight with bad guys unfolds in real time.
70. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (2004-09) Last of humanity search for Earth.
71. ENLIGHTENED (2011-13) A woman tries to live enlightened life.
72. GILMORE GIRLS (2000-07) American comedy drama.
73. PLANET EARTH (2006) Epic David Attenborough documentary.
74. UTOPIA (2013-14) Group who meet online are targeted by a clandestine organisation in thriller.
75. BABYLON BERLIN (2017-) German neo-noir series.
76. RICK AND MORTY (2013-) Animated us sitcom.
77. AMERICAN CRIME STORY (2016-) Anthology true crime series.
78. THE KILLING (DENMARK) (2007-12) Police procedural drama.
79. MINDHUNTER (2017-19) Two FBI agents interview serial killers.
The ladies of HBO drama Big Little Lies
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YouTube/HBO)
80. HOUSE (2004-2012) US medical drama with Hugh Laurie.
81. OJ: MADE IN AMERICA (2016) . OJ Simpson documentary.
82. BIG LITTLE LIES (2017-19) Women live ‘perfect’ lives in US drama.
83. INSECURE (2016-21) Pals Issa and Molly face their problems together.
84= NORMAL PEOPLE (2020) Intense Irish love story.
84=NARCOS (2015-2017) Tells the story of Colombia’s cocaine trade.
86. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (2005-2014) US sitcom.
87. THE COMEBACK (2005-2014) Lisa Kudrow stars as a sitcom actress.
88. THE OA (2016-19) Mind-bending mystery drama.
89. DEXTER (2006-13) Serial killer Dexter targets bad guys.
Michael C. Hall as serial killer Dexter
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Peter Iovino/ Showtime)
90. IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (2005-) Five narcissistic pals run a run-down bar.
91. WESTWORLD (2016) Sci-fi Western-themed thriller.
92. SHOW ME A HERO (2015) Life in a 1980s New York suburb.
93. TREME (2010-13) Set in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina.
94. LOUIE (2010-15) Comic Louis CK plays a fictional version of himself.
95. LUTHER (2010-19) Idris Elba in British psychological crime drama.
96. CATASTROPHE (2015-19) Romantic comedy follows Irish woman and American man in London.
97. HANNIBAL (2013-15) Psychological thriller-horror series.
98. CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (2015-19) Musical comedy.
99. STEVEN UNIVERSE (2013-20) Coming of age animated series.
100. THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT (2020) Orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon fights addiction.
See more about how the poll was conducted here.
The Daily Mirror’s Sara Wallis gives her verdict
There’s nothing like a list of top telly to start an argument.
Firstly, calm down… it’s just 21st century TV. The Sopranos, The West Wing and Sex And The City all started in the previous century.
Still, there are glaring omissions. It’s A Sin deserves a place, as does Peaky Blinders, Desperate Housewives, Glee, Killing Eve and I’d even add Squid Game.
Where are Ted Lasso, Brooklyn 99, and Motherland?
The Wire, Mad Men and Breaking Bad make a decent top three but I’d move The Handmaid’s Tale, Schitt’s Creek, The Queen’s Gambit and The Good Place much higher.