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Mystery or comedy, with political, romantic or supernatural plots, limited or endless… there are series for all tastes.
BBC Culture has been conducting annual surveys among critics, experts and personalities from the film industry for some time to select the best films in one category or another.
Thus, it is likely that you have read our list of the 100 best films of 2019 directed by women or the list of the 100 best foreign-language films of 2018.
But this year we have considered that it was time to pay attention to another art, that of television, which has played a crucial role in our lives during the last 18 months, since we have turned to it to inform and entertain ourselves, or also to comfort and inspire us.
Has been the shape artistic dominant of the last 21 years: considered in the past -mistakenly or not- as the improvised little sister of cinema, its current status is irrefutable, thanks also to the content platforms that have allowed programs to reach unprecedented global audiences.
image source, Getty Images
How many series on the list have you seen?
So, in recognition of the dominance of the television format, we ask the question: what are the best TV series of the 21st century?
While there’s no single answer, the reactions we’ve collected are fascinating – and we hope they will inspire TV lovers around the world to seek out those shows they haven’t seen before, as well as rethink and discuss those they’ve already seen. have seen.
Total, 206 experts – critics, journalists, academics and industry figures – from 43 countriesfrom Albania to Uruguay, voted for 460 different series.
Of these voters, 100 were women, 104 men, and two non-binary people. Each voter prepared a list of their 10 favorite TV series of the 21st century, rated and ranked to produce the Top 100 list you’ll see at the end of this article.
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TV has been the dominant art form of the 21st century.
The result is a list that looks like a true testament to the power, versatility and innovation of the medium throughout the last two decades, from the small-town saga Gilmore Girls going through the biting comedy Curb Your Enthusiasmup to the most recent The Underground Railroaddirected by Barry Jenkins which was released in May 2021.
At the same time, while the list is extensive, it also reflects significant biases. 92 of the series have English as the main language, with Danish, Swedish, French, Spanish and German among the other languages.
Besides, 79 of the 100 shows were created by menonly 11 by women and 10 in a combination of men and women.
image source, Getty Images
I May Destroy You was one of the few series on the list to be created by a woman.
These two statistics address systemic inequities in the industry.
However, the future outlook heralds crucial changes: series in languages ​​other than English accumulate a growing international audience and there is greater diversity in the range of voices – in terms of race, gender and sexual orientation – that have creative control.
It would be interesting to see what the results of a similar survey might be in five, 10 or 20 years.
As always, the list is not designed as an end in itself, but rather as a a simple starting point for discovery, discussion and debate.
What do you think about it? Did we miss something?
We hope the results inspire and excite you as much as we do, for collectively they not only celebrate proper TV, but they represent a glimpse of the modern age.
image source, Getty Images
Part of the cast of The Wire, during the launch of the series considered the best of the 21st century, according to the BBC survey.
THE BEST 100 TV SERIES
3.breaking bad (2008-2013)
5.game of Thrones (“Game of Thrones”) (2011-2019)
6.I May Destroy You (“I Could Destroy You”) (2020)
7.The Leftovers (2014-2017)
8.The Americans (2013-2018)
9.The office (UK version) (2001-2003)
eleven.BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
12.six feet under (“Six Feet Under” or “Six Feet Under”) (2001-2005)
13.Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)
17.30 rock (“Rockefeller Plaza”) (2006-2013)
18.deadwood (“Corrupt Town”) (2004-2006)
19.lost (“Lost) (2004-2010)
twenty.The Thick of It (2005-2012)
twenty-one.Curb Your Enthusiasm (“The Larry David Show”) (2000-)
23.Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
26.Watchman (“Watchmen, the vigilantes”) (2019)
27.Line of Duty (2012-2021)
28.Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)
29.parks and recreation (2009-2015)
31.true detective (2014-2019)
32.Arrested Development (“Family Sacrifices”) (2003-2019)
33.The Good Wife (“The Exemplary Wife”) (2009-2016)
3. 4.Bron/Broen (“The Bridge”) (2011-2018)
36.Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
37.Band of Brothers (“Blood Brothers”) (2001)
38.The Handmaid’s Tale (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) (2017-)
39.The office (US version) (2005-2013)
41.Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)
43. “The paper house” (2017-2021)
Four. Five.The Good Fight (“The Exemplary Battle”) (2017-)
47.Grey’s Anatomy (“Grey’s Anatomy”) (2005-)
49.Le Bureau des Legendes (“Department Office”) (2015-)
fifty.Halt and Catch Fire (2014-2017)
52.This is England 86, 88 and 90 (2010-2015)
53.Call My Agent! (Ten Percent) (2015-2020)
55.The Shield (“The shield” or “Almargin of the law”) (2002-2008)
56. The Big Bang Theory (“The Big Bang Theory”) (2007-2019)
59.The Underground Railroad (“The Underground Railroad”) (2021)
60.house of cards (2013-2018)
61.Avatar: The Last Airbender (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) (2005-2008)
62.The Good Place (2016-2020)
64.Detectors (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-)
70.Battlestar Galactica (“Galactic, Battlestar”) (2004-2009)
71.enlightened (“Enlightened”) (2011-2013)
72.Gilmore Girls (“Gilmore Girls”) (2000-2007)
73.planet earth (“Planet Earth”) (2006)
75.Babylon Berlin (2017-)
76.rick and morty (2013-)
77.american crime story (2016-)
78.The Killing (2007-2012)
79.mindhunter (2017-2019)
81.OJ: Made in America (2016)
82.Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
86.How I Met Your Mother (“How I Met Your Mother”) (2005-2014)
87.The Comeback (2005-2014)
90.It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” or “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) (2005-)
96.Catastrophe (2015-2019)
98.Crazy Ex Girlfriend (2015-2019)
99.Steven Universe (2013-2020)
100.The Queen’s Gambit (“Queen’s Gambit”) (2020)
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The 100 best series of the 21st century, according to a BBC survey – BBC News Mundo