The BBC released their list of the 100 best TV series of the 21st century last week with The Wire coming out on top. With TV having played such a pivotal role in our lives over the past 18 months, it was a good time do so.
206 TV experts consisting of critics, journalists, and industry figures from 43 countries voted for their 10 favourite TV series of the 21st century, with the results compiled afterwards. The top three was unsurprising, with Mad Men and Breaking Bad following The Wire.
And honestly, it’s a pretty strong list overall. I May Destroy You placed wonderfully high; new favourites like Succession, Schitt’s Creek, and The Queen’s Gambit made it in.
There were plenty of nice surprises too, with animation Steven Universe, cult British comedy Detectorists, and heartbreaking drama Happy Valley all being included.
Somehow The Big Bang Theory got in there, while The U.K. Office placed way higher than its U.S. remake which is sure to make a lot of people mad.
You can see the full list below but first take a look at 4 excellent series that somehow didn’t make the list!
Nathan For You
Nathan Fielder’s show can be a difficult sell. A docu-fiction series fronted by the comedian playing a weird and off-kilter version of himself, it was odd and absurd and uncomfortable. Yet it also captured the utter ridiculousness of late capitalism, with Nathan ‘helping’ businesses with outlandish commercial strategies.
He famously took on Starbucks, his copycat Dumb Starbucks craftily using the ‘fair use’ trademark law. He started ‘The Movement’, which got free labour out of people who thought they were taking part in a fitness programme. By the pathos-filled finale, ‘Finding Frances’, the series had warped into something else entirely, becoming a genuine work of ingenuity. Truly one of a kind.
Superstore
A workplace sitcom that evolved into one of the best ensemble series in recent memory. Superstore followed employees at a big-box store in Middle America. After a slow start, it soon became the most charming comedy on TV. It also never shied away from important issues, with one character being chased by ICE as an undocumented immigrant and the consistent undermining of the working class employees by corporate being a constant issue.
It used its ensemble better than more famous sitcoms, and was genuinely progressive in its representation, never resorting to tokenism. There’s a reason Vox called it a “wildly funny and poignant capitalist tragedy.”
This Country
The spiritual successor to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s The Office, I’d argue that history will show This Country to be at least on par with its predecessor. It’s not a sexy show, focusing on the lives of two down on their luck cousins in a sleepy English village, but it’s full of pathos, eccentricity, hilarity, and sincerity.
It uses the mockumentary format excellently, raising attention to the serious social and economic issues that plague the British countryside under the Conservative government.
And it’s a grassroots series too, with siblings Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper creating it entirely themselves from nowhere and ultimately bringing it to the BBC.
Modern Family
Yes, I know: Modern Family severely declined in quality. The child actors got pretty bad and episodes too often descended into farce. But in its first few seasons, it was sweet and silly and a rare example of a major commercial comedy also being critically adored.
The characters speaking directly to the camera was a strong gimmick, building on other mockumentaries, and it did feel modern for a while, with important LGBTQ representation.
If nothing else, it deserved to be included for Phil Dunphy: the kindest, goofiest, most wonderful TV father of the century.
BBC 100 best TV series of the 21st century:
1 The Wire (2002-2008)
2 Mad Men (2007-2015)
3 Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
4 Fleabag (2016-2019)
5 Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
6 I May Destroy You (2020)
7 The Leftovers (2014-2017)
8 The Americans (2013-2018)
9 The Office (UK) (2001-2003)
10 Succession (2018-)
11 BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
12 Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
13 Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)
14 Atlanta (2016-)
15 Chernobyl (2019)
16 The Crown (2016-)
17 30 Rock (2006-2013)
18 Deadwood (2004-2006)
19 Lost (2004-2010)
20 The Thick of It (2005-2012)
21 Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-)
22 Black Mirror (2011-)
23 Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
24 Veep (2012-2019)
25 Sherlock (2010-2017)
26 Watchmen (2019)
27 Line of Duty (2012-2021)
28 Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
29 Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
30 Girls (2012-2017)
31 True Detective (2014-2019)
32 Arrested Development (2003-2019)
33 The Good Wife (2009-2016)
34 The Bridge (2011-2018)
35 Fargo (2014-)
36= Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
36= Band of Brothers (2001)
38 The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-)
39 The Office (US) (2005-2013)
40 Borgen (2010-2022)
41 Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)
42 Peep Show (2003-2015)
43 Money Heist (2017-2021)
44 Community (2009-2015)
45 The Good Fight (2017-)
46 Homeland (2011-2020)
47 Grey’s Anatomy (2005-)
48 Inside No 9 (2014-)
49 The Bureau (2015-)
50 Halt and Catch Fire (2014-2017)
51 Small Axe (2020)
52 This is England 86, 88 and 90 (2010-2015)
53 Call My Agent! (2015-2020)
54 Happy Valley (2014-)
55 The Shield (2002-2008)
56 The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
57 The Young Pope (2016)
58 Dark (2017-2020)
59 The Underground Railroad (2021)
60 House of Cards (2013-2018)
61 Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
62= The Good Place (2016-2020)
62= Pose (2018-2021)
64 Detectorists (2014-2017)
65 Orange is the New Black (2013-2019)
66 Mare of Easttown (2021)
67 RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009-)
68 Stranger Things (2016-)
69 24 (2001-2010)
70 Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
71 Enlightened (2011-2013)
72 Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
73 Planet Earth (2006)
74 Utopia (2013-2014)
75 Babylon Berlin (2017-)
76 Rick and Morty (2013-)
77 American Crime Story (2016-)
78 The Killing (Denmark) (2007-2012)
79 Mindhunter (2017-2019)
80 House (2004-2012)
81 OJ: Made in America (2016)
82 Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
83 Insecure (2016-2021)
84= Normal People (2020)
84= Narcos (2015-2017)
86 How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)
87 The Comeback (2005-2014)
88 The OA (2016-2019)
89 Dexter (2006-2013)
90 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-)
91 Westworld (2016-)
92 Show Me a Hero (2015)
93 Treme (2010-2013)
94 Louie (2010-2015)
95 Luther (2010-2019)
96 Catastrophe (2015-2019)
97 Hannibal (2013-2015)
98 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015-2019)
99 Steven Universe (2013-2020)
100 The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
