The 2010’s are over, and as such, we wanted to look back here at Reel Heels at some of our favorite movies, shows, and performances of the decade. Here is my list of the Top 10 Television shows of the decade, along with some honorable mentions! A note up top: a show qualified for this list if half of the episodes aired in the 2010’s, even if the show premiered prior to the 2010’s. If I left off your favorite, there is a chance I haven’t seen it, or that I just didn’t have room! So with that in mind, let’s jump into it!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Archer/Bob’s Burgers/Bojack Horseman/Rick and Morty: This decade featured several strong animated series (along with a few other favorites that didn’t meet the time criteria) that I highly enjoyed. Bojack and Rick and Morty were particularly interesting as they often deal with themes and issues that few television shows dive into, much less animated ones that are so different than practically anything else on television. I recommend each of these if you haven’t watched them.
- Key & Peele: My favorite sketch comedy show of the decade missed the cut, but if you haven’t watched this show, do yourself a favor and watch as many of their sketches on YouTube as you possibly can. Be warned, it’s very easy to fall down the rabbit hole from one hilarious sketch to the next. Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key have both become performers that are “must watch” for me, but when they are together, they work so well.
- Fargo/True Detective: These anthology shows were both very very strong (Fargo in each season, but True Detective’s first season is still one of the greatest things on television), and I ultimately left them off the list because each season is a different story. But make sure you give these a watch, because they are worth your time.
- The Good Place: I didn’t have room for all of Mike Schur’s comedies on here, and as this one hasn’t finished yet (though it’s in its fourth and final season), I decided it didn’t quite make the cut over the ones that we have more episodes with. However, this one is probably his most ambitious and it’s chock full of wonderful stuff. Certainly a contender for best thing on tv right now, but just missed out on the decade as a whole.
- Atlanta/Barry: These two shows are both very genius, and feature two of my favorite people in Hollywood right now (Donald Glover and Bill Hader, respectively) but with each only having two seasons while every other show on the list had at least four, I just couldn’t put them ahead right now. Both very tough omissions.
10: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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This show was cancelled by Fox, only to be later saved by NBC, and thank goodness it was because the ensemble of characters in the Nine Nine are one of the strongest comedic ensembles in recent television. Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher headline a group that brings the laughs every week, but also is not afraid to shy away from heavier subject matter such as systemic racism and the biases against sexuality even today. This show is one of the funniest, sharpest, and all around best shows to air in the past decade, and if you haven’t already, make sure to check it out. NINE NINE!
9: Mad Men
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The period prestige drama of the decade belonged to AMC (though Downton Abbey was also quite good) in Mad Men. Show creator Matthew Weiner cut his teeth while working on The Sopranos, and he takes his skills to a different sort of anti-hero in womanizing Don Draper, played masterfully by Jon Hamm. This show was always concerned with the interpersonal relationships of the staff of Sterling Cooper (Draper Pryce), and they had a bevy of actors who shone working off each other. Mad Men never forgot that the characters were the heart of the show, and they found great success thanks to those characters.
8: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
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For a show that began as humbly as one can (they filmed the pilot on a minuscule budget), it’s hard to believe that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has tied the record (and will pass it next season) for longest running live action sitcom in television history. The show was able to hit that mark thanks to the never ending depravity of the gang, and yet, it’s largely due to the show’s ability to grow and evolve (something the characters themselves are largely incapable of) that has kept them going all these years. The show can do all sorts of outrageous things, and just when you think you have it all figured out, they throw you yet another curveball. Here’s to the gang keeping us guessing for years to come.
7: Justified
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Justified is what I often refer to as the forgotten great drama of peak tv. With so many great shows out there, it’s easy to overlook this show set in the backwoods of Kentucky that began as an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard short story, but thanks to the fantastic work of Timothy Olyphant as lawman Raylan Givens and Walton Goggins as outlaw Boyd Crowder (in addition to the deep roster of fantastic supporting characters over the years), Justified stands as one of the shining examples of television in the 21st century. The show could blend drama, action, and comedy so seamlessly thanks to its terrific writing, it’s easy to see why fans love it so much. It’s like curling up with a good book.
6: Better Call Saul
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It’s fair to say that many people were skeptical when they announced a spinoff to Breaking Bad, especially when that spinoff was going to be based around criminal/lawyer Saul Goodman, a character mainly used for comic relief. However, thanks to some terrific acting from Bob Odenkirk, a wealth of new characters, and well placed returning characters, this show has proved not only a fantastic spin-off, but a show that is among the best on television and in the discussion for the best all time. Not bad for for little ol’ Jimmy McGill.
5: 30 Rock
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There was a time when 30 Rock wasn’t even expected to survive because NBC already had a show about a sketch comedy show helmed by proven commodity Aaron Sorkin, but Tina Fey and company remembered the most important aspect of a show like that: you have to make it funny. And boy, did they. 30 Rock is one of the mostly densely packed joke machines to ever air. The ensemble is strong top to bottom, and with jokes coming so rapidly, fans fell in love. Fey deserves a ton of credit for giving us one of the strongest comedies ever in this peek behind the curtain of how the television sausage is made.
4: Community
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Community is a show about a study group at Greendale Community College, but more than that, it’s a show that was about how the people in our lives become family. It also was about how the form of television can be used for many things, including all sorts of homage episodes to the great movies and television tropes that we all know and love. This well beloved (though not widely seen) show aired its first five seasons on NBC before being cancelled then saved by the now defunct Yahoo Screen for a sixth season (Fans eagerly await the long teased movie to go along with those six seasons), and many know that the behind the scenes drama was often as entertaining as the show itself. If you haven’t joined the ranks of the Greendale Human Beings, make sure to check this show out on Hulu as quickly as you can.
3: Parks and Recreation
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When Parks and Recreation began, many saw it as an inferior carbon copy of The Office, but by the end of the show it had become something much more than that. It had become a comedy with more heart and one of the most optimistic shows on television. A show that believes that each person can truly make a difference if they give their best effort. It’s also a show that features one of the best comedic ensembles in television history, stacked with hitters at every roster spot, basically turning Pawnee, Indiana into a live action version of Springfield. A Cinderella story that main character Leslie Knope would be incredibly proud to have been a part of.
2: Game of Thrones
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While fans are quick to cut down the eighth and final season, it’s hard to deny that when Game of Thrones was at the top of its game, there were few things on television that could match it. It had great characters, great stories, great drama, and great scale. The battles are the greatest we have ever seen on television to this point, and with a willingness to take risks in killing beloved characters (thanks George RR Martin), it always kept viewers dying to see what would happen next. While the ending may have left a bad taste in some viewers mouths, I believe that the highs were among the best we have ever seen in television history. And now my watch has ended.
1: Breaking Bad
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Breaking Bad is my choice for the best show of the decade, and arguably the best show to ever air on television. Vince Gilligan’s story about a high school chemistry teacher who becomes a meth kingpin following a diagnosis of lung cancer is one of the most compelling things I (and many others) have ever watched. With career best performances from Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, and many others, this show’s characters and stories kept viewers coming back for more each week (or more realistically for many of us who joined late, kept us hitting “next episode” on Netflix). This show was superbly crafted in every sense, and holds up so well on rewatch after rewatch for those fans who keep coming back, like Heisenberg’s customers, just needing one more hit. Breaking Bad never failed to deliver.
So, there you have it, my top 10 choices (plus honorable mentions) for the best television shows of the decade. What were some of your favorites? Make sure to check out Jason’s lists as well, and keep you eyes peeled for more of our year and decade ending best of lists!