In the early 2020s, the television (TV) industry seemed like it was preparing for a mass exodus of most of its flagship titles. Prestigious and influential masterpieces such as “Better Call Saul,” “Succession,” “Atlanta” and “Attack on Titan” all saw their beloved, years-long story arcs come to highly anticipated ends. Coinciding with a heavy production backlog due to the pandemic and strike-related issues, it seemed that after the last of these shows ended, audiences and creatives alike would struggle to find themselves enjoying the luxuries of so-called “peak TV.” Despite all these hurdles, we have fortunately been graced with a considerable influx of high-quality and irresistible series that seem to be paving the way for the next phase of television.
Throughout the current decade, we have seen a new crop of award-favorites rise to fill the void of the heavy hitters. The restaurant saga “The Bear” beautifully combines emotional character work with searing tension and humor in a way that feels modern without being preachy. This show has dominated the acting and directing awards categories for the past couple of years. Historical epic “Shogun” caught fire with its complex and cinematic depiction of feudal Japan, breaking ground by becoming the first Japanese-language show to win Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards and by breaking the record for most trophies for a single season with a staggering 18 awards. The year before also saw a major moment for Asian representation in TV with the explosive arrival of the hilarious and heartbreaking “Beef,” sweeping all but the supporting performance categories.
The 2020s have proven to be a strong decade for comedies so far, with the crowd-pleasing and sharply written works like “Hacks,” “Abbott Elementary” and “Poker Face.” These works deliver equal amounts of belly laughs and heartfelt moments. Despite being mostly overlooked, cult favorite “Reservation Dogs” will likely stand out as a defining series of the decade with its off-kilter and gorgeous look at “Rez” life.
It has also been an outstanding time for sci-fi series, especially ones born from massive IPs. Though each project might roll eyes at first, the talent bringing these shows to life makes sure that they are far more than just cynical fan-baiting cash grabs. Both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and “Star Wars” reached unexpected high points with the insanely good spin-offs “Loki” and “Andor.” The crushingly relevant “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” the zany blast of “Fallout” and the soulful “The Last of Us” prove that there is plenty of worthwhile material to mine from the biggest video games around as well.
One noticeable throughline in many of the series born from this decade is the prevalence of psychologically disorienting plots and themes. The major title here is “Severance,” a jaw-dropping and head-spinning masterclass in mystery, world-building and corporate critique. It is arguably the first show in a while to generate considerable discourse around the nature of its story and characters. Comedian Nathan Fielder has come out with two brilliant series that disturbingly blur the line between reality and fiction with “The Rehearsal” and “The Curse.” Original works like Alex Garland’s quantum nightmare “Devs,” dark rom-com “Made for Love” and Mike Flanagan’s religious horror “Midnight Mass” utilized often-explored fears and created fresh terrors out of them.
Though prestige shows of the 2010s will be missed, there is still plenty of terrific work coming out despite the dire straits the industry seems to be in. That in itself is reason to have hope for the future of peak TV.
