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September 22, 2026

The 21st Century’s Best, Nos. 61-80

Illustration by Bráulio Amado; Video via AMC (“Beef”); Netflix (“Ozark”); FX (“The Bear”)

Dear Watchers,

The rollout of our 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century continues with our second batch of titles, Nos. 61-80, which has some of my favorite series on it, full stop. It’s a diverse sample, dipping into several popular but relatively underrepresented categories on our list, including reality, documentary, British and whatever you call “The Rehearsal.”

One exception to the diversity: This batch includes both of Anthony Bourdain’s food-and-travel series, “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown.” So it’s a little bittersweet, as well.

See a missing favorite? Maybe it’s still coming! But don’t let that stop you from voicing your opinions on the list so far.

And be sure to vote for your own Top 10. (Hundreds of actors, showrunners, writers and other TV professionals did — see many of their ballots here.) We’ll post those results next week.

Drag queens and quirky documentarians

The documentary maker John Wilson, as seen in “How To With John Wilson.” HBO

Today’s batch starts at No. 80 with the documentary series “How To With John Wilson,” which is among the best examples of how TV has changed in this century. It’s also among the shows I have recommended most often in recent years, usually with some disclaimer like: “It’s almost not a TV show” or “It’s more visual essay than documentary.” Or just: “It’s kind of hard to explain.”

As James Poniewozik, our chief TV critic, put it before Season 3, “No one does quite what Wilson does, which invites a critic to stretch for comparisons.”

I have some other personal faves in this batch, but don’t take my word for it. Here are some fun outtakes from our video interviews, in which TV luminaries talked to us about their favorite shows:

I know why it’s a successful show, and that’s because of Ru’s wit. He took something that was very much a subculture, the world of drag shows and drag queens, and he made it understandable and lovable for a lay audience. — Padma Lakshmi on “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

I like a political show — I loved “The West Wing” — but “The Thick of It” just seemed to break the mold. […] You look at political disasters and you go, “How on Earth does the country get into this state?” It’s human error. And what “The Thick of It” does so well is it displays that human error for all to see. — Richard Gadd on “The Thick of It”

It’s been on steady rotation in my house — first with me, then with both of my kids as they became old enough. And it ended up being a weirdly worthwhile and useful lens through which to see the world for them. It’s not necessarily the most obvious thing to teach your children about the way things are, this show about amoral, horrible, terrible, dumb people. But it’s got to be the smartest show about dumb people ever made — that and “South Park.” — D.B. Weiss on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”

Click here to see the full batch, along with celebrity videos and all sorts of other good stuff.

And again, don’t forget to cast your own ballot in our reader poll. And watch your inbox tomorrow for Nos. 41-60.

Tell us what you think

What has surprised you so far? What hasn’t? We want to hear from you as our 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century list rolls out this week. Click here to leave a comment. Each day, Times editors, critics and reporters will be joining in the conversation.

From the comments:

EXTRA-CREDIT READING

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Is Ready to Make a Meal of Broadway The actress, last onstage over four decades ago, had a “terrifying” desire to return to the stage. “Other Desert Cities” will be her Broadway debut. By Alexis Soloski and Thea Traff

On ‘Slow Horses,’ She’s in Charge at Last. ‘The Mayhem Is Because of Her.’ Kristin Scott Thomas gives a morally gray tinge to “Lady Di” Taverner, who takes over as head of Britain’s MI5 secret service in Season 6. By Calum Marsh

Recreating the Nazi Era Where the Swastika Is Banned? This Show Got Creative. To film Hitler’s rise to power, the makers of “Babylon Berlin” relied on silent songs, postproduction tricks and tall barriers to stay within German law. By Thomas Rogers

5 Takeaways from the ‘Jay-Z in 8’ Documentary The rapper unpacks the lyrics to more than two dozen of his songs and shares insights into his life with Rick Rubin, in a docuseries airing on HBO. By Derrick Bryson Taylor

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