🤖 AI Summary
Overview
This episode explores the evolution of television in the 21st century, highlighting the New York Times' list of the 100 best TV shows of the era. Host Natalie Kitroeff is joined by Gilbert Cruz and James Poniewozik to discuss the top-ranked shows, the cultural impact of TV, and the notable omissions from the list.
Notable Quotes
- Humor comes from pain, right? Humor comes from discomfort, and this is humor about discomfort, and it is a thing that [Larry David] is just a poet of.
— James Poniewozik, on the genius of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
- The Wire is how I understand the world. It taught me how the world works.
— Brett Goldstein, on the profound impact of The Wire.
- I’m kind of thinking now, seeing the world the way it is, if I had my druthers, [anti-heroes] would be considered cautionary tales, not aspirational.
— Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, reflecting on the legacy of anti-heroes in TV.
📺 The Rise of Prestige TV
- The 21st century marked a shift in television, with the medium becoming a dominant cultural force. Big stars, auteur creators, and massive budgets transformed TV into a prestigious art form.
- The New York Times surveyed over 1,000 industry insiders to compile a list of the top 100 TV shows of the century, sparking debates about what defines greatness in modern television.
😂 The Role of Comedy in the Top 10
- Comedies like Atlanta, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, and Veep made it into the top 10, but were notably absent from the top five.
- Gilbert Cruz argued that the best shows often blend comedy and drama, citing Atlanta as a comedy
with some of the most dramatic and unsettling episodes of the era.
- James Poniewozik noted the surprising presence of comedies in the top 10, given the cultural bias favoring dramas in awards and critical acclaim.
🎭 The Anti-Hero Era
- Shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Sopranos (excluded due to its 1999 debut) redefined TV protagonists, introducing morally complex anti-heroes.
- Breaking Bad was praised for its intense storytelling and exploration of Walter White’s transformation, though Vince Gilligan questioned whether the glorification of anti-heroes has run its course.
- Mad Men was celebrated for its layered storytelling, psychological depth, and its deconstruction of the American Dream.
🌆 The Wire: A Masterpiece of Systems and Society
- The Wire was lauded as a groundbreaking exploration of systemic dysfunction in American cities, with its novelistic storytelling and richly drawn characters on both sides of the law.
- Brett Goldstein described the show as a lens through which he understands the world, praising its ability to depict the complexities of human behavior and societal structures.
- Despite being ranked #2, many panelists, including James Poniewozik, were surprised it didn’t take the top spot.
🤔 What Was Missing?
- Notable omissions included The Sopranos (excluded due to its 1999 debut), Orange Is the New Black, Transparent, and Adventure Time.
- Gilbert Cruz championed Hannibal for its grotesque beauty and audacious storytelling, while James Poniewozik highlighted Rectify as an overlooked gem of quiet, redemptive storytelling.
- The panel also noted the lack of reality TV representation, with James Poniewozik making a case for Jackass as a great work of American art
for its anarchic, joyful chaos.
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📋 Episode Description
The turn of the century was the beginning of a new era in television: prestige TV for the masses. Today, television is where big stars and innovative creators go to marshal sizable budgets and tell meaningful stories.
Over recent months, our colleagues at The New York Times ran a survey, asking industry insiders — on-screen talent, writers, directors, producers, executives and others — to pick their top 10 television series of the last 26 years. We compiled their responses into a list, published this week, of the best TV of the 21st century.
In this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” The Times’s canon editor, Gilbert Cruz, and our chief TV critic, James Poniewozik, talk with our host Natalie Kitroeff about what made the list, and what didn’t.
On Today’s Episode
James Poniewozik is The New York Times’s chief TV critic.
Gilbert Cruz is the canon editor at The New York Times.
Background Reading
- The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century
- The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: Cast Your Vote
- The 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century: How Stars, Creators and Other TV Lovers Voted
Photo: The New York Times
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