The Best TV Shows of the 21st Century

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<p>The turn of the century was the beginning of a new era in television: prestige TV for the masses. Today, television is where big stars and innovative creators go to marshal sizable budgets and tell meaningful stories.</p><p>Over recent months, our colleagues at The New York Times ran a survey, asking industry insiders — on-screen talent, writers, directors, producers, executives and others — to pick their top 10 television series of the last 26 years. We compiled their responses into a list, published this week, of the best TV of the 21st century.</p><p>In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” The Times’s canon editor, Gilbert Cruz, and our chief TV critic, James Poniewozik, talk with our host Natalie Kitroeff about what made the list, and what didn’t.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>On Today’s Episode</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/james-poniewozik" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>James Poniewozik</strong></a><strong> </strong>is The New York Times’s chief TV critic.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/gilbert-cruz" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Gilbert Cruz</strong></a><strong> </strong>is the canon editor at The New York Times.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Background Reading</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/arts/television/best-tv-shows-21st-century.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/arts/television/reader-ballot-tv-shows-21st-century.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: Cast Your Vote</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/arts/television/votes-tv-shows-21st-century.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: How Stars, Creators and Other TV Lovers Voted</a></li></ul><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Photo: The New York Times</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>