10 Modern TV Masterpieces That Deserve A Perfect 10/10 Score

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Truly great TV shows are rare, but a few from the 21st century have become modern classics. Following the strong finish of The Sopranos in the 1990s, the 2000s ushered in what many consider a golden era for television.

Shows like The Shield, The Americans, and The Leftovers really changed the game for television. From Andor to The Wire and Band of Brothers, these shows from the 21st century are consistently excellent throughout every episode.

Chernobyl

Before creating The Last of Us, which portrays a terrifying fungal outbreak, Craig Mazin tackled the Chernobyl disaster in a miniseries. Many viewers find the realistic depiction of radiation poisoning and government failings in Chernobyl even more disturbing than the zombies and violence in The Last of Us.

Chernobyl vividly portrays the horrifying immediate aftermath of the nuclear disaster, showing its devastating impact on wildlife and the surrounding communities. Beyond the destruction, the series sharply examines the government’s efforts to conceal the truth and follows one person’s courageous fight to reveal what really happened.

Better Things

Pamela Adlon’s show, Better Things, brilliantly mixes humor and heartfelt moments, realistically portraying the ups and downs of everyday life – finding meaning in both the big and small things. Unlike typical TV shows, Better Things doesn’t follow a standard format. Instead, each episode is made up of short, connected scenes that capture the busy, unpredictable nature of the main character, Sam Fox’s, life.

Before the TV show Better Things, mothers were often portrayed as minor characters, mainly existing to react to the more outlandish behavior of their families. Better Things breaks from this tradition, offering a realistic and relatable depiction of the challenges and rewards of single motherhood – a perspective that’s often overlooked on television.

Six Feet Under

Alan Ball’s Six Feet Under is a show that’s both darkly funny and surprisingly life-affirming. It starts with a complicated family who must work together at their family’s funeral home after the sudden death of their father.

Though the show centers around a funeral home and begins each episode with a death, it ultimately focuses on what truly matters in life. It’s heartwarming to watch the Fisher family come together during difficult times, and the series concludes with a remarkably satisfying finale.

Andor

While directors like J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau approached Star Wars with a sense of personal fondness and nostalgia, Tony Gilroy took a different approach. He didn’t focus on reliving his childhood; instead, he saw the Star Wars universe as a grand setting to explore the difficult consequences of fighting for change.

The first Star Wars movies told the story of the Rebellion succeeding against the Empire. But Andor shows what happened before that – the difficult and often painful beginnings of the Rebellion. It’s a realistic and suspenseful spy story that happens to be set in the Star Wars universe.

Breaking Bad

As a huge TV fan, I have to say Vince Gilligan completely changed the game with Breaking Bad. Before that show, most TV was about keeping things the same, but Gilligan saw the potential of a long-running drama to really explore transformation. He famously wanted to show a complete character arc – turning a nice guy, a real Mr. Chips type, into a ruthless figure like Scarface. And that’s exactly what he did, telling the story of a chemistry teacher who truly ‘breaks bad’ and becomes a drug kingpin. It was brilliant.

As a movie buff, I truly believe Bryan Cranston delivered one of the all-time great performances as Walter White. He didn’t just play a bad guy, he made you feel every single dark choice, making it all unbelievably believable and, honestly, a little terrifying.

Band Of Brothers

Following the success of Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks teamed up again to create Band of Brothers, a groundbreaking HBO miniseries. It was among the first TV shows to demonstrate that television could achieve the same high production values and stunning visuals previously reserved for movies.

Like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers is a powerfully realistic and dramatic war story. However, with its longer, 10-hour length, it’s able to explore the characters and the bonds they form during wartime in much greater detail.

Mad Men

Matthew Weiner, known for his work on The Sopranos, went on to create another unforgettable TV character with Mad Men. While shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad used dramatic events like drug dealing and murder to grab attention, Mad Men succeeded through the depth of its characters and their relationships. This focus on character development ultimately made the show even more compelling.

The show Mad Men beautifully recreates the look and feel of the 1960s through its costumes and set design. However, the show’s emotional depth and stories about its characters resonate even today. Don Draper, in particular, is a compelling and ultimately heartbreaking character – skilled at convincing others of happiness, but unable to experience it himself.

Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul isn’t just a good spin-off; it’s one of the few that actually equals or even exceeds the quality of the original show, Breaking Bad. Like its predecessor, it’s a deep dive into the mind of a flawed character. However, Jimmy McGill is arguably more complicated than Walter White, and his story is particularly impactful because we see that he once had good intentions.

Walt always embraced his darker side, but Jimmy initially aimed for a respectable career as a lawyer. As the show progresses, he abandons that pretense, adopting a flamboyant and theatrical persona to hide his emotional struggles, ultimately transforming into a lawyer who actively defends criminals.

The Office (UK)

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant revolutionized sitcoms with The Office. They took the mockumentary style—popularized by films like Spinal Tap—and applied it to a traditional workplace comedy. This created a strikingly realistic show, with performances that felt genuine and like a glimpse into real lives.

Despite being hilariously awkward, The Office is ultimately a very relatable story. It realistically portrays the everyday boredom of office life – far better than the American version, which leans into exaggeration – while also showing the small, beautiful moments you can find even in the most ordinary places.

The Wire

Many consider David Simon’s The Wire to be the best TV show of the 21st century, and possibly of all time. The show uses the city of Baltimore to represent the problems facing America as a whole, offering a realistic look at how institutions fail. It’s like a detailed, journalistic investigation into corruption, feeling almost like a true documentary.

That description makes it sound more like a documentary than a show you’d enjoy. Ultimately, The Wire is a gripping drama, and it often feels like a classic Greek tragedy. It features a large cast of memorable characters – you’ll find yourself rooting for everyone from a detective with a complicated personal life to a vigilante who takes justice into his own hands. The writing is sharp, funny, and realistic; there’s even a scene where two police officers at a crime scene convey everything they need to with just one word – a very strong one at that.

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2026-01-18 21:40