Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” has been named the best TV series of the 2010s, at least according to a group of TV critics, journalists, bloggers, entertainment reporters, and actors/directors. Gilligan’s meticulous gangster saga, which was included in almost half the ballots submitted (41), barely squeezed by its closest competitors, Weiner’s’“Mad Men” (34) and Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag” (25). “Breaking Bad” was such a profoundly important benchmark in not just television but popular culture, that Gilligan’s spin-off “Better Call Saul” ended up almost cracking the top 10 at #11. Close to 100 critics submitted their picks for the best of the decade. Votes were fairly spread out among the submissions, with only 4 of the top 20 shows having aired on one of the four major non-cable TV networks. Participants included leading critics from IndieWire, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, The A.V. Club, Forbes, The New York Times and Rolling Stone. Critics were asked to submit a list of 5 shows, unranked, released between January 1st 2010 and October 30th, that they thought were the highlights of the decade. Shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men,” despite having debuted during the previous decade, were eligible because the majority of their run happened in the 2010s. However, as expected, there were a few critics in the poll that refused to include them due to their unadorned opinion that they shouldn’t count as part of the last decade. Many couldn’t help themselves but to mention shows that just started their run in the last 12 months, such as “Succession,” “Barry,” and “Fleabag,” and these may very well reappear in such a poll next decade since these shows only just completed their second seasons this year. As you scroll through the results below, you will notice that David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” garnered the sixth most amount of votes. This makes Lynch’s surreal work the only entity to make both best of the decade movie and TV polls. Earlier in the year, it was named the 17th best movie of the decade in a poll consisting of close to 300 voters. A full list of the critics who participated – with all of the individual lists – can be found here.
- Breaking Bad (AMC)2. Mad Men (AMC)3. Fleabag (BBC)4. The Leftovers (HBO)5. Game of Thrones (HBO)6. Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime)7. The Americans (FX)8. Atlanta (FX)9. Bojack Horseman (Netflix)10. Veep (HBO)11. Better Call Saul (AMC)12. Justified (FX)13. Parks and Recreation (NBC)14. Hannibal (NBC)15. The Good Wife (CBS)16. Succession (HBO)17. Enlightened (HBO)18. American Crime Story (FX)19. Rectify (SundanceTV)20. The Good Place (NBC) Contribute Hire me
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