This past 10 years has seen a lot of change on TV. We barely still call it “TV” because it’s mostly watched via internet streaming, and on-demand. This age of “peak TV” has brought some big names (and big budgets) to the small screen, and we get to enjoy the fruits. Now that the 2010s are coming to a close, I thought that I (like so many others on the internet) would share a list of my favourite shows of the past 10 years (most of which are a product of the changing TV scene). My ranking is usually based on which shows in my queue I would watch first, or how many times I’ve rewatched them; but that’s tough when looking back over an entire decade, so I’m not going to bother to rank. Here’s my top 10; enjoy them in any order you wish:

Black Mirror

I loved this bleak, sci-fi anthology series when it first showed up on UK’s Channel 4 (and I was even more excited when it was revived by Netflix). I had heard such interesting things about it (which helped me get past the first episode, which I didn’t love). The series takes a thought-provoking look at how the future of technology might take our society to some not-great places, and how ultimately it’s really human nature that we need to watch out for rather than tech. I love how it gave some serious thought to what we might do with technology and what it may do to us. Some haunting images in my mind include a widow reconstructing her deceased husband’s personality through what remained of his social media and online activity; a young man being blackmailed into doing all kinds of crazy things by people who hacked his web cam; and a young woman finding love in a time-locked virtual universe.

Game of Thrones

This fantasy-adventure series has got to be the biggest show of the decade; at least the most talked about one — for myself included. For a while I even had a little email thread at work going after each episode so we could debrief on the latest machinations of the Lannisters, Starks and Targaryens. I have been a fantasy fan since childhood, so I was super-excited when this world full of dragons, direwolves, kingdoms, knights, horse-lords and white-walkers made its debut. By the first season I was gripped by a show that was not afraid to take chances (like killing off its leads and heroes). As much as I love The Lord of the Rings, this was a much more gritty fantasy world full of corruption, greed and violence. The classic struggle of good versus evil was, at most, a faint undertone when the show’s central epigram is: “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” Like many fans out there, I was seriously disappointed by the final season, but up to that point, this show was an amazing series like no other.

Community

A sitcom set in a community college seems like it’s just going to be about a bunch of losers goofing off in class, but this show barely spent any time in the classroom. What made this series refreshing and funny was the diverse mix of characters that were brought together to join a fake Spanish study group. It’s a credit to creator Dan Harmon and his writers that these crazy, mixed-up characters (including former-lawyer Jeff Winger, played by Joel McHale) quickly bonded and became like a second family (complete with all the complications that family can bring). The ensemble cast really helped make the series good, but also there was a lot of creativity in the kinds of jokes and episode formats played around with. I (and probably a lot of fans) especially love the annual paintball episode which turns the campus into an action movie. However, my favourite has got to be the episode that played with alternate timelines and how small events and choices can change outcomes. (Even as I think about that episode, others start popping up, like the one where the whole school had a civil war over blanket forts; or the one where all the characters were in an 8-bit video game; or the list can keep going on). This series was probably one of the most clever yet heartfelt sitcoms I’ve ever seen.

Rick and Morty

Another Dan Harmon creation (with the partnership of Justin Roiland), Rick and Morty seems like an innocuous animated show about a kid and his genius grandfather having sci-fi adventures. However, it does not take long (milliseconds, really) for any viewer to realize that this series is much more than that. It’s probably the most perverse, twisted, adult show that I’ve watched. Even though it’s drawn in a cute-ish way, with googly-eyed characters and fun, colourful animation, it’s also full of step-too-far sex, and a-bit-too-casual violence. So what is the appeal? As a sci-fi nerd, this show is pure genius, mining relentlessly from the full gamut of the genre. In a given episode, not only is the central premise something that is cool sci-fi, but there are so many stray references from pop culture and genre fiction that even the nerdiest cannot keep up. Plus, the wit and humour, which is as caustic as a strong acid, is also clever to the max. Someone got me a Pickle Rick collectable figure for Christmas — Pickle Rick is from an episode where main character Rick Sanchez transformed himself into a sentient pickle and then proceeded to have action adventures (a la Die Hard) as a pickle; anything more would take too long to explain — and I’m delighted to add it (like I’m adding the show that it comes from) to my collection.

Stranger Things

As much as it saddens me that the decade of my growing up (the 80s) is old enough to be a setting for nostalgia and “period pieces”, nothing embodied the spirit of 80s cinema like this show. The authenticity of the environment and all the sets and costuming really brought me back, but it’s not just about reliving fond memories (or rose-colouring the rest). Stranger Things was also able to capture that fun spirit of a spunky gang of kids who band together to fight off creepy, crazy, alien, weird things happening in their home town — another hallmark of the Spielbergean 80s. With its wild experiments and invasion from “the upside down”, this show also brought up some of that X-Files paranoia and scariness, and made for a rollicking-good sci-fi-horror time. While it might be a bit risky to include a show that is still ongoing on my list (since it may end up going seriously downhill). However, the cast is wonderful, the adventures (especially season 3) are super fun, and the nostalgia just gives me the feels. I think this show hits all the right spots to make it one of my favourites of the decade.

One Day at a Time

I am surprised that this show is on my list as well. However, this sitcom about a Cuban-American family living their life in LA is so much more than a remake of the original 70s sitcom of the same name (which I didn’t watch back in the day, anyway). I thought it was going to be weak and fluffy (like Fuller House) but it’s so much more than that. First, Rita Moreno is amazing as the fierce, sexy, and loveable grandmother Lydia. She makes and steals every scene that she is in (even when she’s in a coma!) The show is kind of silly in many parts, but can almost instantly turn into something very emotional and heartfelt. It deals with a lot of heavy issues, including alcoholism/addiction, PTSD, homophobia, racism, mental illness, immigration, just to name a lot. I have watched the entire series through three times already and I still get choked up and tear up at those scenes. Nevertheless, it’s also very funny and light and warm –plus, it really makes me want to eat some Cuban food!

Sherlock

This may be the smartest show of the decade. Each episode is like a puzzle, and when I watched the first episode of this slick, modern reboot of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s archetypal story, I was amazed by how un-dumbed-down the script was. I felt like I could almost figure out the mystery but it was also very challenging and out of reach. Normally, British drama seems too-dimly-lit and overly intense for me, but even though this show had that same atmosphere, my brain was fully engaged. Add to that Benedict Cumberbatch, in his star-making role, embodied this kind of “I’m too smart for you” genius so well that it was difficult not to be swept up into Sherlock’s thoughts. It was too bad that there were so few episodes of this series made, but maybe that made each one all the more precious and artful. Some people felt that the show declined in quality (or they may not have enjoyed the way Sherlock’s death was teased and resolved) as its leads became more famous and busier with other work. I enjoyed the show to the end, but still to this day mean to rewatch the entire series to see if I can’t pick up more of the clues before the answers are revealed.

Downton Abbey

One of the few hour-long dramas (outside of Star Trek) that I have rewatched repeatedly, I am as surprised as you might be that this series about the lives of the fictional Earl of Grantham and his family in the early 20th century would have a place so near to my heart, but it does. The characters are so well crafted, and the stories relatively straightforward but also enjoyably heartfelt, that it’s hard not to be swept up in the melodrama of it all. Of course, there’s also the touch of glamour and elegance of this upper-class lifestyle, blended with a glimpse into the lives of their working-class servants that is really interesting for a history buff and anglophile such as myself. In some ways, the lives of the Crawley family seem less complicated than our own modern lives; and even though their situation is so out of reach to most of us, they also seem incredibly relevant and relatable as well. Whenever I feel unhappy about how things are going day to day, a little retreat to Downton can really do the trick.

The Crown

When I started watching this show, I had expected a mere re-enactment of moments from the life of Queen Elizabeth II, but I was pleasantly surprised by how this show is much more sophisticated than that. Taking events in the life of the British royal family (centred around Queen Elizabeth), each episode is actually a well-constructed vignette with dramatic themes and artful scripting. It follows in the tradition of the movie The King’s Speech, and so many other well-made historical dramas instead. I expect that some license has been taken with the actual events and personas involved, but the characterizations and the performances are very engaging nonetheless. For better or worse, I have become highly involved with the Elizabeth-character, Phillip-character, Margaret-character, etc., and their lives as members of the royal family; and I barely correlate them to the real people in Buckingham Palace.

Star Trek: Discovery

This was an easy pick because ever since Star Trek: The Next Generation, I have been pretty much bound to this sci-fi franchise for good. Nevertheless, I have thoroughly enjoyed the latest series that has brought the franchise back to life (apologies to J.J. Abrams’s Kelvin-universe movies). Definitely the production values of the new series are way up there — movie quality; but the story and scripts also feel more sophisticated and complex. Addiing a bit of that secret sauce that made shows like the Battlestar Galactica reboot so winning, there’s also a season-long arc that ties the episodes together. The acting is very good, bringing characters like Michael Burnham, Ensign Tilly, and Saru, not to mention later additions like Spock and Captain Pike, fully into the Star Trek universe — and into the hearts of the fandom. Again, while I loved the mirror universe storyline of season 1 and was OK with the red angel storyline of season 2, it’s another risk to add this show to the list when I am uncertain about the big time jump leading up to season 3. However, I trust that the show is in good creative hands, and it’s nice to see the Star Trek universe back in expansion mode (I can’t wait for Star Trek: Picard in a few weeks!)