The best TV shows of the 21st century

The last quarter century has seen some pretty remarkable changes to our television landscape — and not just the way we consume it. The sitcoms and procedural dramas that reigned supreme in the 90s gave way to a more diverse range of content in the aughts.

Competition shows like Survivor and Big Brother kicked off a boom in reality shows. Foreign language shows like Dark and Squid Game found mainstream audiences. And hour-long prestige shows full of anti-heroes like The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, and Breaking Bad completely upended expectations of the small screen. 

The New York Times recently came out with a curated list of its top shows of the century, and Studio 2 is jumping into the debate. Two seasoned TV critics – the New Yorker’s Inkoo Kang and Fresh Air’s David Bianculli – join us to weigh in on which modern shows earned their flowers. And which are overhyped. 

• Inkoo Kang, television critic for the New Yorker
• David Bianculli, television critic for Fresh Air

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