The Bachelor? The Bachelorette? CSI (and every spinoff thereof)? That Charlie Sheen show, the Doogie Howser show? I could go on...but do I have to? Yikes.
But wait, has television ever been better? Without any explanation or analysis, let's examine the undisputed top ten shows of the past decade and arguably all-time.
10. Carnivale/Justified (tie)
9. Game of Thrones
8. Breaking Bad
7. Boardwalk Empire
6. Six Feet Under
5. Archer
4. The Sopranos
3. Mad Men
2. Arrested Development
1. The Wire
You'll note Arrested Development is the only top ten show that ran on network television--and it struggled to survive three years. As the major networks devolved into an orgy of formulaic crime dramas and an unending wave of abhorrent reality shows, cable television decided to go in the complete opposite direction. Smart, character driven programming is the order of the day on HBO, AMC and FX.
Somehow we're simultaneously experiencing the Dark Ages and the Golden Age of Television*.
*The term "Golden Age of Television" was coined by Raoul Bastardo
*The term "Golden Age of Television" was coined by Raoul Bastardo
Ahem - "Abhorrent reality shows?" Ouch! That's my bread and butter, man! While I'm a fan of many shows on this list - most of these are dramas. I can't help but argue that part of the reason it's a golden age right now is not only the number of quality dramatic series, but also the proliferation of so many different genres of television. Dark ages?! The only dark thing in this age is Snooki's tan. Zing!
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