It’s been an exciting decade for television. Well, maybe not television in the literal sense. The proliferation of streaming services like Netflix means that the bar for new shows, series and productions has been seriously raised and the outcome has been spectacular for fans and viewers. Furthermore, new streaming services are doing their best to outshine Netflix by offering equally good content. And while these streaming giants continue to produce better and better shows, we take a look at some of the best series to have been produced in the last decade.

Game of Thrones

This one hardly needs mentioning. Spanning seven seasons and based on the works of George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones is probably the biggest show to have been produced in the last decade. Centred around the feuding houses of the fictional land of Westeros and all of their complicated culture and political intrigue, the show has collectively won 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, more than any other primetime scripted series. Long-time fans can also rejoice as the final season of the series has been announced for 2019.

True Detective

True Detective is an anthology series that presents a different detective story, era and cast with each season. The first season’s ground-breaking directing and writing sold it for viewers, but what really stole the show was the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Occupying two different time frames, the show tells the story of an enigmatic murder that two policemen are forced to solve. The merit of the show lies both in the narrative and in the relationship between the characters, which is critically broken down throughout the episodes.

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad was conceived when Vince Gilligan, writer for the X-Files, conceived of a story that would slowly change the protagonist of a tale into the antagonist. The result was a story in which Bryan Cranston played a school teacher diagnosed with lung cancer who turns to producing meth to pay for his extensive hospital bills and support his family when he dies. He recruits his former student (played by Aaron Paul) to help him distribute the product and subsequently starts a drug empire while simultaneously navigating the dangers of the criminal world. The show has been recorded in Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed show of all time. While the show’s run has ended, there are rumours that Gilligan might be toying with the idea of exploring Aaron Paul’s character in the future.

Stranger Things

For lovers of the 80s, Stranger Things is a show with some of the highest nostalgia value in television history. With nods to writers, directors, fashion and technologies of the past, Stranger Things is a loveable pastiche that tells the story of four friends who have to confront evil in an alternate dimension that mirrors our own.

Black Mirror

Often called a modern version of the Twilight Zone, Black Mirror is an anthology show that centred around the uncomfortable truths and potential pitfalls of our dependence on modern technology. The beauty of the show is that none of the ideas that are presented in each episode are too farfetched, instead, they lie at the peripheral of possibility and are all scarily believable. Written by Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror has cemented itself as one of the most chilling series to drop in the last decade.