21 best US TV shows in the last 21 years
21 amazing and/or groundbreaking TV shows made in USA 1990-2011, listed by year.
I have only included shows I have watched in their entirety.
I have only included shows I have watched in their entirety.
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21 titles
- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.Exceptional, extraordinary, groundbreaking. Bob still scares me.
- CreatorLarry DavidJerry SeinfeldStarsJerry SeinfeldJulia Louis-DreyfusMichael RichardsThe continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.Absurdly funny. Jerry is a bad actor but a hilarious comedian.
- CreatorPaul AttanasioStarsRichard BelzerClark JohnsonYaphet KottoAn American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.A-M-A-Z-I-N-G show from David Simon (who was later to create The Wire).
- CreatorMike JudgeStarsMike JudgeKristofor BrownDale RevoAnimated MTV series about two teenage heavy-metal music fans who occasionally do idiotic things because they're bored. For them, everything is "cool" or "sucks."From a time when MTV was still a _music_ television, comes this tale of ultimate metalheads.
- CreatorWinnie HolzmanStarsBess ArmstrongWilson CruzClaire DanesA 15-year-old girl and her trials and tribulations of being a teenager and dealing with friends, guys, parents, and school.For most people 'Freaks and Geeks' seems to be the best high-school show. I disagree. Predating F&G by 5 years, this show captured the best and the worst of the high-school experience in a (mostly) realistic manner and launched the careers of Claire Danes and Jared Leto. Like F&G, it was cancelled after only 1 season.
- CreatorTom FontanaStarsErnie HudsonJ.K. SimmonsLee TergesenA series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.This show works on a plethora of dramatic levels and is outstanding in every way. The hot naked guys are just a bonus.
- CreatorGlenn EichlerSusie LewisStarsTracy GrandstaffWendy HoopesJulian RebolledoA smart and cynical girl goes through teenage life as a proud outsider in a world of mainly idiotic adolescents and condescending adults.My hero.
- CreatorTrey ParkerMatt StoneBrian GradenStarsTrey ParkerMatt StoneIsaac HayesFollows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.The early seasons were funny and interesting. The recent ones not so much.. with an odd exception here and there.
- CreatorDarren StarStarsSarah Jessica ParkerKim CattrallKristin DavisFour female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives (or lack thereof) and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the late 1990s.A show that defined a generation of women... for better or worse.
- CreatorDavid ChaseStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoNew Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
- CreatorJhonen VasquezStarsAndy BermanRichard Steven HorvitzRikki SimonsAn alien named Zim from the planet Irk is sent on a secret mission to conquer Earth, not realising that his leaders were just trying to get rid of him and hoped that he would die. Once there, Zim manages to disguise himself as a human child, but one boy named Dib sees through his disguise.By Jhonen Vasquez, the creator of "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" and "Squee". Sadly, has under 30 episodes...
- CreatorDavid MilchStarsTimothy OlyphantIan McShaneMolly ParkerA show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.Shakespeare meets the western. Love, love, LOVE the dialogues.
- CreatorDenis LearyPeter TolanStarsDenis LearyMichael LombardiSteven PasqualeTommy Gavin deals with the fears of his job as a firefighter and seeing his ex-wife dating other men.Funny scripts, very dynamic storylines, interwoven with poignant and thought provoking moments.
- CreatorDavid ShoreStarsHugh LaurieOmar EppsRobert Sean LeonardUsing a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.When it first aired, there was nothing quite like it. Sadly it has grown too predictable and derivative. It should have been cancelled a few seasons ago so we could remember it for its brilliance and not the rom-com-drama-whatever drivel it has turned into.
- CreatorDoug EllinStarsKevin ConnollyAdrian GrenierKevin DillonFilm star, Vince Chase, navigates the vapid terrain of Los Angeles with a close circle of friends and his trusty agent.An ironic peek into the film industry.
- CreatorTina FeyStarsTina FeyAlec BaldwinTracy MorganLiz Lemon, head writer of the sketch-comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star while trying to run a successful television show without losing her mind.Liz Lemon is like a grown-up "Daria", and Jack Donaghy is a comedy version of SATC's Mr. Big.
- CreatorJames Manos Jr.StarsMichael C. HallJennifer CarpenterDavid ZayasHe's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.Is it weird that I like the antagonists more than the main characters? John Lithgow was beyond amazing.
- CreatorTom KapinosStarsDavid DuchovnyNatascha McElhoneEvan HandlerA writer tries to juggle his career, his relationship with his daughter and his ex-girlfriend, as well as his appetite for beautiful women.Season 2 is the best. I loved Lew Ashby!!
- CreatorKurt SutterStarsCharlie HunnamKatey SagalMark Boone JuniorA biker struggles to balance being a father and being involved in an outlaw motorcycle club.
- CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
- CreatorGraham YostStarsTimothy OlyphantNick SearcyJoelle CarterEnforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.The best show currently on TV.
The scripts are always engaging, funny and to the point, Olyphant is brilliant as Rayland Givens, and Walton Goggins steals every scene he appears in.