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10 Essential Shows That Defined the 2010s, Ranked Find help us

05/01/2025
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Television in the 2010s saw a shift in both how and where viewers would find their favorite show. Network offerings still came with a stamp of quality, but streaming newbies like Netflix were making moves away from licensed properties and into original programming, compelling everyone around them to up their game in innovation and quality.

A decade of groundbreaking television in the 2000s, like The Sopranos, supported long-term storytelling, leading to future creators becoming bolder with their ideas and enticing fans to tune in for every second. From fantasy epics to adventures in other dimensions, these are the most impactful shows of the 2010s that defined the decade and influenced the next.

10

‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ (2010-)

Created by Scott Dunlop, Alex Baskin, & Kathleen French

Image via Bravo

The Real Housewives franchise had given viewers a taste of Orange County and New York City, but it wasn’t until the sixth iteration that audiences could peek in on the lives of the Beverly Hill elite on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. While all the series boast larger-than-life personalities, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills had Hollywood nearby to inject a dose of star power into their adventures. Over the years, the cast has seen actresses like Denise Richards and Garcelle Beauvais volunteer to have their lives filmed for the enjoyment of Bravo viewers.

The popularity of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills carries on in the successful spin-off Vanderpump Rules, which was the site of the impossible-to-avoid “Scandoval” cheating scandal. The Housewives franchise is one of the most lucrative in all of television, with over ten different entries as part of the reality show Juggernaut, so for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to be a common fan favorite speaks volumes about the audience’s connection to the cast.

9

‘Black Mirror’ (2011-)

Created by Charlie Brooker

Liam from The Entire History of You Black Mirror episode trying to cut the grain out of his neck.
Image via Netflix

The technology-focused sci-fi series Black Mirror showed there was still room for new ideas in the anthology format. From episodes that predicted Artificial Intelligence could raise the dead for cold comfort or how the ability to rewind any moment in your day could lead to emotional devastation, Black Mirror cynically examined the impact technology has made on humankind. The series originated on the BBC with three episodes per season before coming to Netflix with U.S.-based stories.

Not many shows can instill the feeling of dread as Black Mirror does, even on repeated viewings of certain entries. The first two collections and the accompanying Christmas special from the UK are nearly flawless with a few exceptions, while the Netflix episodes are spottier when it comes to the wow factor of the originals. That said, The Penguin fans who need more Cristin Milioti should check out the episode “USS Callister” to see Milioti face off against a sufficiently creepy Jesse Plemons.

8

‘The Big Bang Theory’ (2007-2019)

Created by Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady

Raj, Sheldon, Penny, Leonard, and Howard from The Big Bang Theory.
Image via CBS

A group of Caltech geniuses may have the answer to the most complicated equations, but they still can’t crack the mystery of talking to women in the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. Physicists Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) are academically brilliant, but they rely on the street-smart wisdom of struggling actress and next-door neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco) to learn things not taught in school.

The Big Bang Theory is one of the longest-running live-action sitcoms with an impressive 12-season run that would have continued if not for Parsons’ choice to hang up his comic book-themed shirts. The Big Bang Theory would play a large hand in popularizing “Geek culture” and featured guest stars like Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking and Apple founder Steve Wozniak. The legacy of The Big Bang Theory continues on with the excellent and recently ended spinoff Young Sheldon and the newly premiered Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.

7

‘Modern Family’ (2009-2020)

Created by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd

Actor Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy looking at his wife Claire (Julie Bowen) in Modern Family.
Image via ABC

Three households share a bloodline and not much else on the ABC hit sitcom Modern Family. The documentary-style comedy balances focus between a piece of the Pritchett family tree with camera crews following the household of Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill), as well as his adult children Claire (Julie Bowen) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). By comparing Jay’s blended family, Claire’s nuclear family, and Mitchell’s same-sex family, the importance of love and unity was present throughout all.

Besides the social commentary at play, Modern Family was a technical marvel to service a staggering number of characters in overlapping plotlines, but the cast each played their parts so well that a little went a long way. Modern Family’s impressive ensemble cast devours perfectly written scripts with standout performances from Ty Burrell as lovably goofy dad Phil Dunphy and Eric Stonestreet as the delightfully dramatic Cameron. Modern Family defined the family sitcom for the decade, running for 11 seasons and nabbing numerous awards during that time.

6

‘Rick & Morty’ (2013-)

Created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland

Rick and Morty sit on the couch in Rick & Morty.
Image via Cartoon Network

A super-genius alcoholic and his reluctant grandson are an unlikely pair of adventurers in the adult animated cult hit Rick & Morty. The series consists of mostly standalone adventures of the week featuring all manners of intergalactic threats with a healthy dose of meta-commentary to sufficiently pack each episode. Known for its intricately plotted stories, Rick & Morty combines nihilistic humor with sci-fi action to create an original and offbeat comedy.

While there had been tried and true success with family-based animated series such as The Simpsons, Rick & Morty was able to expand a niche category like science fiction comedy into a cultural phenomenon thanks to the talent behind the scenes. Co-creator Dan Harmon was already loved by fans for his imaginative NBC sitcom Community, but with animation allowing his mind to explore any idea, Rick & Morty became his most well-known piece of work. Rick & Morty has a rabid fanbase that keeps the viewership high enough to warrant being renewed for up to 12 seasons.

5

‘The Walking Dead’ (2010-2022)

Created by Frank Darabont

Rick Grimes rides a horse through a ruined city street in the Walking Dead pilot.
Image via AMC

Horror series The Walking Dead became appointment viewing when it premiered in 2010 on AMC. The series initially followed Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) as he awakens from a coma in a rural Georgia overrun by zombies. Confused and desperate to reunite with his family, Rick sets out to find more survivors in the dangerous world of the undead. The Walking Dead would be an unexpected super-hit for the cable network, going on to last 11 seasons and being the basis for multiple spin-offs.

Based on the Image comic book of the same name by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, The Walking Dead posed the idea of a long-form zombie story that continued long after when the credits would typically roll in a movie. Successful horror shows are rare, and even the popular ones didn’t reach the level of fan frenzy as The Walking Dead, keeping viewers hooked with the idea that any character, no matter how popular, was not safe from the many threats they faced.

4

‘Stranger Things’ (2016-2025)

Created by Matt Duffer & Ross Duffer

Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas on bikes looking at an ominous cloud over Hawkins in Stranger Things.
Image via Netflix

A missing boy and the journey to retrieve him from a dark world is at the center of the nostalgia-driven first season of Stranger Things. After young boy Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is abducted in the middle of the night, his loyal friends and frantic mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), search for him. At the same time, the appearance of a mysterious girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) may be the key to saving them all.

If House of Cards brought prestige television to streamers, Stranger Things brought the big-budget spectacle of a 1980s-era Steven Spielberg movie to living rooms across America. Between the synth score on the intro and the attention to detail on the 80s-era costumes, the tone of Stranger Things is set without a character saying a single word, leaving the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, feeling like a town both familiar and dangerous. With each season striving to outdo the last, fans have high expectations for the fifth and final season.

3

‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013)

Created by Vince Gilligan

Walt and Jessie stand back to back while Mike stands off in the distance in Breaking Bad.
Image via AMC

A terminal diagnosis kicks off a descent into the criminal underworld in the modern noir masterpiece, Breaking Bad. When high school science teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is told he has six weeks to live, he begins to make and sell meth to leave money for his family. Aided by an ex-student, Jessie (Aaron Paul), Walt gets a crash course in the dangerous and unpredictable business of drug dealing.

While shows like The Sopranos gave viewers a character already a fully formed villain, Breaking Bad allowed audiences to follow the journey of a man who morally loses his way. Although the series started in the 2000s, strong word of mouth and increasingly tense storytelling captivated the country as Breaking Bad reached its inevitable conclusion. Breaking Bad is at the top of many critics’ lists for best series of all time, and it’s responsible for the equally incredible spinoff Better Call Saul and Netflix film El Camino. Many series had developed longer story arcs for patient viewers by this point, but Breaking Bad used every minute of its runtime to lay down perfectly plotted steps into the story of a well-meaning drug kingpin.

2

‘House of Cards’ (2013-2018)

Created by Beau Willimon

Robin Wright in her office in House of Cards.
Image via Netflix

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is a politician prepared to take power at all costs in the Netflix thriller House of Cards. Based on the 1989 novel House of Cards by Michael Dobbs, there had been a previously developed UK series of the same name that debuted on the BBC in 1990. The Netflix series would follow the basic plotline of both but swap out Parliament for Congress in the U.S. conversion. After criminal allegations caused Spacey to exit, Robin Wright Penn closed out House of Cards’ narrative as Frank’s wife, Claire, who continued the work of her now-deceased husband.

Netflix had released “originals” on their service that were licensed shows from other countries, but House of Cards was the first original to be produced by Netflix for their exclusive use. By having the series fronted by a bonafide Oscar-winning movie star like Spacey, Netflix was making a statement about its place in the future of entertainment, and audiences listened. Without the success of House of Cards, there could very well have not been a Stranger Things, or Orange is the New Black.

1

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019)

Created by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

Sean Bean as Ned Stark in Game of Thrones.
Image Via HBO

Fantasy made a comeback in a big way when Game of Thrones showed the casual viewer what a mature storyline can look like in the genre. Discovered secrets and betrayal lead to a prolonged and bloody war for the right to sit on the Iron Throne, slowly sucking in all surrounding noble families until almost no one survives the claim to power.

For anyone not familiar with the series of books by George R. R. Martin, Ned Stark’s (Sean Bean) fate was one of the most shocking plot twists viewers had seen before it was outdone by The Red Wedding. In Game of Thrones, the good guys didn’t always win, and the bad guys didn’t always get the brutal death they deserved, but that’s what made it impossible not to watch. While the ending collapsed under fan expectation and poor execution, Game of Thrones will be remembered as peak television that defined a decade.

Keep Reading: The 10 Best Comedy Shows of the 2010s, Ranked

05/01/2025
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