As we continue our countdown of the greatest television programs of the first quarter of this century, a number of themes begin to emerge. In this portion of our list, five series distinctively reflect the nation’s mood following the events of Sept. 11. Moreover, three programs debuted in the previous century, which inherently impacted the world politically and culturally over the past 25 years.
As a reminder, 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 next week.
You can view the first 25 selections here.
The Greatest Television Programs of the 21st Century #100-76
The Greatest Television Programs of the 21st Century #50-26 – Monday, June 16
The Greatest Television Programs of the 21st Century #25-1 – Tuesday, June 17
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No. 75 – “Rescue Me”
Premiere Date: July 24, 2004 (7 Seasons)
FX
One of the first programs directly inspired by 9/11, this hour-long dramedy centers on the members of the fictional New York City Fire Department Ladder Company 62 and, specifically, Tommy (Dennis Leary). Throughout the series, Tommy is haunted by the ghosts of his fallen comrades, a rocky relationship with his ex-wife Janet (Andrea Roth), and alcoholism. What keeps him sane is his company, the firefighters he puts his life on the line with every day. Created by Leary and Peter Tolan, the series took firefighting and post-traumatic stress disorder after 9/11 very seriously, even if some of the narrative events skewed over-the-top. That sort of fit with Tommy’s unfiltered personality, which probably wouldn’t fly if the show aired today. The series lovingly mocked its characters’ often homophobic, racist, and misogynistic views, and many of the characters did, ahem, “evolve” over seven seasons. That being said, even as a snapshot of working-class mid-00’s New York, in this era, many individual scenes have lost their comedic relevance. But the show had heart, was often hilarious, and, most importantly, constantly surprised with where the story was going next.

No. 74 – “The Night Of”
Premiere Date: July 10, 2016 (limited series)
HBO
Before the masterful cinematic brilliance of the underrated “Ripley,” Academy Award winner Steve Zaillian made his first foray into television with the semi-unsung, but not forgotten, “The Night Of,” which is another masterclass in cinematic TV storytelling. Inspired by Peter Moffat’s BBC series “Criminal Minds,” the HBO version follows Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), a college-age Pakistani-American accused of murdering a woman during a one-night fling. As his lawyer (John Turturro) looks to exonerate him, his world is forever changed after months of living on Riker’s Island, and his immigrant parents’ lives are shattered because of the ramifications of the case. Exquisitely crafted, superbly performed, filled with sublime little details, “The Night Of” is an incredibly captivating story of injustice, suspense, and resilience of the human spirit. – Rodrigo Perez

No. 73 – “The Walking Dead”
Premiere Date: October 3, 2010 (11 seasons)
AMC
Quite literally, “The Walking Dead” walked so “The Last of Us” could run. Well, the zombies at least. Adapted from the comic book of the same name by Frank Darabont, there had never truly been a television program like “The Walking Dead” before. Set in a near-apocalyptic future, Georgia sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) wakes up from a coma to discover the world has been overrun by a zombie pandemic. Eventually reunited with his young son Carl (Chandler Riggs) and a band of survivors, the pack travels across the country looking for a permanent safe haven. Darabont, who brought a fantastic cinematic flair to the show, controversially left the series after season one to be replaced as showrunner by “The Shield’s” Glen Mazzara. Even though the show was sticking somewhat close to the source material, early on, there was genuine tension over what would happen to Rick, Carl, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), Andrea (Laurie Holden), Shane (Jon Bernthal), and Darryl (Norman Reedus) every week. That was partially thanks to Mazzara, who kept the tension and drama high for two seasons before the show began to descend into predictable genre tropes. The middle years were held together by the charismatic performances of fan favorites Reedus, Steven Yeun, and Danai Gurira, among others. Zombie stories were nothing new on the big screen before “The Walking Dead,” but this apocalyptic setting, a genre seemingly now commonplace, was startling and fresh for almost half its run. It was must-see TV.

No. 72 – “Hannibal”
Premiere Date: April 4, 2013 (3 seasons)
NBC
When is a show too good for network TV? In the early half of the 2010s, that series may have been Bryan Fuller’s “Hannibal.” Inspired by Thomas Harris’ characters, Fuller sets a relatively young Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) before the events of “Red Dragon,” free in the world, a forensic psychiatrist partnering with the FBI. In that context, he encounters Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), an FBI agent who may or may not have similar killer tendencies to Lecter. Their chemistry is palpable (the actor’s performances help). Beautifully shot, with often inspired direction, intentionally horrific imagery (I mean, it’s “Hannibal”), and deep philosophical themes echoing below the surface, it’s amazing it lasted three seasons on NBC at all.

No. 71 – “The Amazing Race”
Premiere Date: Sept 5, 2001 (37 seasons)
CBS
It wasn’t the first reality-competition show; “Survivor” arrived a year earlier, but for 24 years, “The Amazing Race” has been the gold standard. The concept is pretty simple. A team of two contestants travels the world, making their way through international locations as they search for clues or participate in challenges to survive each leg of the journey. As they compete against 10 other teams (usually), they need to use their meager stipends to make it through each leg. After weeks on the road, if they make it to the finish line first, they win $1 million. Remarkably, the show has visited 97 countries and dropped its contestants in lands you’d never dream of. While the game is inherently captivating, it’s the casting that has made the show a standout. Best friends, married couples, parents and their kids, co-workers, and a ton of celebrities have ventured on the “Race” (yes, Mike White and his Dad were on season 14). The show made gay and lesbian teams commonplace and found ways for disabled contestants to participate as well. And while it may not spur as much inherent meme-worthy melodrama as some of its long-running peers, the euphoria of the winners and heartbreak of the teams that almost made it never ceases to, um, amaze.

No. 70 – “The Shield”
Premiere Date: March 12, 2002 (7 seasons)
FX
Set in a fictional Los Angeles police division inspired by the Rampart division, Shawn Ryan’s thriller followed a strike team of officers who took a tough approach to an area seething with gang-related crime. Filled with uber-talented actors (this is the show where Walton Goggins first popped), intense action scenes and the trademarked handheld camera aesthetic of the era, it’s best known as a fiery showcase for Michael Chiklis, who played corrupt police detective Vic Mackey, one of the most morally ambiguous characters in television history. Set over three years, “The Shield” seduced the audience into rooting for its charismatic anti-heroes, no easy feat over 88 episodes. As Mackey’s team becomes increasingly corrupt, the walls begin to close in on them, and you realize that at its core, the series was always headed down a tragic road.

No. 69 – “Ramy”
Premiere Date: April 19, 2019 (3 seasons)
Hulu
Still one of the only contemporary portrayals of Muslim Americans on American television, “Ramy” finds comedian and co-series creator Ramy Youssef playing a fictionalized version of himself as he deals with his faith, his friends, and living in the wilds of New Jersey. Over three seasons, Ramy is constantly torn between wanting to be the devout Muslim he thinks he should be or indulging in secular temptations he can barely avoid (like his sex addiction). Few comedies have taken religion this seriously, and Youssef and his creative collaborators are committed to exploring contemporary faith in the lives of the rest of Ramy’s family. In many ways, they are all struggling to find themselves. The brilliance of the show is demonstrated in the season finale. Having lost almost everything, does Ramy have a spiritual epiphany? Or is he having an emotional breakdown, meant to repeat the same mistakes over and over again? Perhaps the brilliance of the series is how Youssef leaves the door open to either path.

No. 68 – “Black-ish”
Premiere Date: September 24, 2014 (8 seasons)
ABC
African-American families have been depicted on network television since the 1970s, and the short-lived UPN and WB netlets featured a slew of Black-centric comedies, but few programs have successfully spotlighted upper-middle-class black families like Kenya Barris’ “Black-ish” (well, there is that on pop culture phenomenon from the ’80s, but…). Co-created with Larry Wilmore, the ABC staple found Anthony Anderson playing Dre, a top advertising executive, while Tracee Ellis Ross played Rainbow, a successful anesthesiologist. Over eight seasons, the pair raised their four children while dealing with Dre’s divorced parents, his mother, Ruby (Jenifer Lewis), and father, “Pops” (Laurence Fishburne). As Dre and Rainbow try to keep their kids level-headed growing up in an affluent white neighborhood, the series touched on a ton of cultural tipping points (the Trump election was a big one), Black history, police brutality, multiracial identity, feminism, and memorable theme episodes (the family in the ’70s, an inspired musical kick-off to season 4). The series was so successful that it fostered two spin-offs, “Grown-ish,” which ran for six seasons, and “Mixed-ish,” which lasted two.