Over halfway through our countdown of the greatest television series of the past 25 years, selection no. 50 through 26 reveal programs that made a distinct mark on pop culture history. Two shows were defining moments for multiple generations of women, five series cemented themselves on the list of the best limited series of all time (well, six if you count the program that decided to do multiple seasons afterward), and three provided communities with few opportunities a stellar spotlight to shine. Plus, Russian spies, gunslingers, football players, and samurai warriors, oh, my.
Once again, a few caveats on how this list was determined. First, to be considered, at least half of the series episodes needed to have aired after January 1, 2000. Second, reality competition series, reality programs, docuseries, and news and information series were considered and included. Third, one or two great seasons did not take precedence over subsequent floundering installments in a program’s ranking. Yes, consistency is key (so, take a moment to think before you get upset about where your favorite show is on the list). Moreover, we will include a significant honorable mention list after the top 25 portion of the list is posted.
You can view the first 50 selections in the links below.
The Greatest Television Programs of the 21st Century #100-76
The Greatest Television Programs of the 21st Century #75-51
The Greatest Television Programs of the 21st Century #25-1 – Friday, June 20
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No. 50 – “Deadwood”
Premiere Date: March 21, 2004 (3 seasons)
HBO
It had been decades since a legitimate Western graced the screens of American television, but David Milch was undeterred. With “Deadwood,” he saw an opportunity in the real-life characters who inhabited the 1870s community that eventually became the town of the same name in South Dakota. Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), a Montana marshal, moves to the fledgling gold mining camp with his buddy Sol Star (John Hawkes) in hopes of a better life. When he eventually becomes sheriff, he finds himself often at odds with Al Swearengen (Ian McShane, the role that made him a star), the owner of the brothel and drinking establishment, the Gem Saloon. By the third season, none other than George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) has arrived on the scene as the political tensions in the growing town reach a fever pitch. Touching on historical themes (and not that outdated, to be fair), such as racism, sexism, xenophobia, and unfettered corruption by the ruling class as well as brutal action, beatings, and gunfights, “Deadwood” was as realistic a depiction of the “Wild Wild West” as anyone could hope for. Oh, and it also featured a ton of fun historical figures such as Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine), Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert), and Wyatt Earp (Gale Harold), among others. It deserved more than three seasons, but toasted its namesake with the very well-regarded “Deadwood: The Movie” in 2019.

No. 49 – “Mare of Easttown”
Premiere Date: April 18, 2021 (limited series)
HBO
Brad Inglesby’s barnburner of a thriller didn’t stand out because the mystery at the center of the series was that good (it was), but the depth his scripts and Craig Zobel’s direction brought to this fictional Pennsylvania enclave. A hero for bringing a state basketball championship to Easttown as a teenager, Mare (Kate Winslet) is now a police detective under fire over the case of a girl who has been missing for a year. She’s also still haunted by the suicide of her son and is in a custody battle with his ex-girlfriend over her 4-year-old grandson. Consoling Mare through this rough patch is her longtime friend Lori (Julianne Nicholson), while her mother, Helen (Jean Smart), can’t seem to give her a much-needed break. Inglesby maps out a slew of twists and turns as the series reveals an unexpected family cover-up and tests the bounds of friendship. It was also not afraid of providing a sliver of hope for Mare when she might just need it the most.

No. 48 – “Friday Night Lights”
Premiere Date: October 3, 2006 (5 seasons)
NBC, The 101 Network
Peter Berg had such a blast making the 2004 movie “Friday Night Lights” (already based on a 1990 non-fiction book) that he took the concept and turned it into a TV series that surpassed its source material, becoming a quintessential time capsule of Texas football in the early part of the century. Centring primarily on Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), a guidance counselor and principal, the Taylors face the non-stop pressures of being the face of multiple local high school football teams while raising their own daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden). Over five seasons, Taylor’s teams face moments of life-changing adversity (for example, Scott Porter is a star quarterback whose injury makes him a quadriplegic), the allure of performance-enhancing drugs, domestic abuse, abortion, racism, and wealth disparity. Berg and showrunner Jason Katims filmed the show in a cinema verite style using three cameras in a scene that allowed the actors to improvise their blocking and, often, their dialogue to stay true to their characters. This, along with shooting almost exclusively in real locations, gave the series an air of authenticity few sports television series, let alone high school set series, have ever reached. It also helped launch the careers of a few names you might recognize: Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki, Jesse Plemons, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Michael B. Jordan, and Jurnee Smollett.

No. 47 – “Orange is the New Black”
Premiere Date: July 11, 2013 (7 seasons)
Netflix
Inspired by author Piper Kerman‘s stay in a federal women’s prison, Jenji Kohan’s “Orange is the New Black” helped put Netflix on the map. It wasn’t just a streaming smash, but a series that broke ground in subject matter, showcased a diverse range of women rarely given the spotlight on screen, crafted a humane depiction of incarcerated people, and even made history with the first trans actress to be nominated for an Emmy Award (Laverne Cox). The series was a breakout for many, including a stunning turn from Uzo Aduba, Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, and Samira Wiley, as well as acclaimed performances from Natasha Lyonne and Kate Mulgrew.

No. 46 – “Boardwalk Empire”
Premiere Date: Sept 19, 2010 (5 seasons)
HBO
A whole generation of television viewers was already hooked on “Boardwalk Empire” the second they heard a collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter was in the works, and, as expected, the duo didn’t disappoint. An adaptation of Nelson Johnson‘s non-fiction novel on the explosion of organized crime from 1920 to 1931 at the onset of prohibition. At the center of this epic tale was Enoch “Lucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi, pretty much playing a real-life character), the city treasurer of Atlantic City who makes a deal with other politicos and mobsters to facilitate an underground bootlegging business. For five seasons, Lucky faces off against rival political figures, New York gangsters, and undercover and not-so-undercover federal investigators as he hopes to ride out prohibition and conduct his liquor business legally. The series had production value that would make a movie studio account blush, and some of the more memorable characters this side of the Holland Tunnel. The performances from a mostly ready-to-pop cast included Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Graham, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jack Huston, as well as familiar faces (at the time) Michael Pitt, Michael Kenneth Williams, and, in one of his last regular television roles, Dabney Coleman. There have been a ton of period dramas to hit prestige television since, but outside of an entry further up on this list, few could match the exquisite staging of “Empire.”

No. 45 – “Master of None”
Premiere Date: November 6, 2015 (3 seasons)
Netflix
Created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, this Netflix wonder was never afraid to change its tone or aesthetic as its creators continued to challenge themselves creatively. The first season centered on Dev (Ansari), a struggling commercial actor looking for love and romance at the end of the hipster era in NYC. He has fallen for a music publicist, Rachel (Noël Wells), who may or may not be the love of his life, and gets advice from his childhood best friend, Denise (Lena Waithe). Initially, “None” was a sophisticated, often hilarious comedy fueled by the performances of Ansari and Wells. The second season, released two years later, inherently took a stylistic turn (it was inspired by classic Italian films and the French New Wave) as Dev studies pasta in a culinary school in Italy, falls for a local Italian woman, Francesca (Alessandra Mastronardi) and eventually returns to New York where his “acting” career sort of takes off. The final season, subtitled “Moments in Love” and completely directed by Ansari, was a gutsy swing both narratively and aesthetically as it almost completely followed the years-long relationship between Denise and her new wife, Alicia (Naomi Ackie), with Dev only appearing in the first episode. Beyond its overall excellence, “None” might make the list for its season 2 chapter, “Thanksgiving,” alone. Set over four Thanksgivings between 1995 and 2017, Denise comes to terms with being gay and, eventually, finds acceptance from her family in a stellar 34-minute episode.

No. 44 – “The Knick”
Premiere Date: August 8, 2014 (2 seasons)
Cinemax
Once upon a time, Steven Soderbergh decided to “retire” from filmmaking to focus on painting. Thankfully, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler’s script for “The Knick” dropped into his lap, and only three months into his sabbatical, Soderbergh announced he would be directing all ten episodes of this period medical drama inside a fictionalized version of the Knickerbocker Hospital around 1900. Starring the incredible cast of Clive Owen, Andre Holland, Jeremy Bobb, Juliet Rylance, Eve Hewson, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, and many more, “The Knick” arguably remains Soderbergh’s most potent and fully-realized work – in either film or television – since that 2013 stepping-away retreat. Set to a throbbing, pulsingly modern electro score by Cliff Martinez, “The Knick” announces itself as resoundingly different than most period piece shows. Utterly captivating, the series is more than just a medical drama about how then-cutting edge medicinal expertise is being pushed to its limits by bold and unflinching surgeons, but also touches upon race, feminism, sexism, social and racial inequality, capitalism, greed, corruption, addiction and more—literally one of the most layered shows of this past century. To boot, “The Knick” was brilliantly shot with some of the most clever and economical uses of long-take camera work in recent memory. Soderbergh seemingly needed to just briefly recharge, and when he did so, he plugged back in with electrifying and hypnotic energy. – Rodrigo Perez

No. 43 – “Chappelle’s Show”
Premiere Date: January 22, 2003 (3 years)
Comedy Central
You could write 1,000 words about the saga over how this seminal sketch show ended and another 1,000 about how disappointing the creator and star, Dave Chappelle, has been in his public statements since returning to the public spotlight in 2016. Two decades later, however, the series remains an utter standout on its own. Only the second predominantly black sketch in television history, Chappelle and Neal Brennan‘s unfiltered creation delivered big laughs with a sophistication that its predecessor, “In Living Color,” didn’t always strive for. From classic sketches such as Charlie Murphy’s Classic Hollywood Stories (Chappelle as a basketball schooling Prince); to the Racial Draft (a skit on colorism and racial identity that “SNL” wouldn’t dream of touching even today); or Tron Carter’s “Law & Order” (flipping the script on how white and black suspects are treated by the police); “Chappelle Show” was inherently political like no sketch comedy program before it and, frankly (with all due respect to the fantastic “A Black Lady Sketch Show”), ever since. And, for a moment, it was the funniest program, of any kind, on television.