Summary

Many great TV shows do n’t seem like interesting ideas until audiences get a prospect to see the final ware , but then their quality shines through . Not all appearance can be sell base on their premise alone . Shows that are n’t immediately eye - catching can often struggle to get agnize in the hyper - private-enterprise TV landscape painting , with so many different show competing for masses ’s aid . But shows with all the right element for success can overcome the betting odds heap against them , even if nobody expects them to work from the very beginning .

There are a few other reasons a show might appear to be doomed from the start . show necessitate more than just a compelling concept . They also postulate the veracious conditions to be able to determine their audience . This means that shows make for sure meshwork or streaming platforms are less probable to come through , even if they have everything else needed to become hits . Fortunately , some outstanding TV display demonstrate that interesting storytelling is still the most important divisor to any show ’s succeeder . Even though nobody give these shows a chance , they quickly turned into unmissable video .

10Squid Game (2021-)

A rare international sensation

It ’s very rare for non - English speech TV shows to clear worldwide popularity in the same direction thatSquid Gamehas done . Squid Game ’s unique assumption helped it cut through and connect with consultation all over the domain . It may have been influenced specifically by issues of division disparity in South Korea , butit vibrate as a diatribe against inequality anywhere in the cosmos . Squid Gamebacks up its bite social satire with all the requisite viciousness . The show ’s apposition of innocent childhood game with death and poorness is one way in which it drives home its message , and the heart - catching ocular conception is another huge help .

9Mad Men (2007-2015)

AMC’s first big swing

Not much was have a bun in the oven from AMC , which in the beginning brook for American Movie Classics , show how uninterested the meshing was in producing original TV shows .

AMC ’s first foray into prestigiousness boob tube establish the channel as a actual competition . Not much was expected from AMC , which in the first place tolerate for American Movie Classics , showing how uninterested the internet was in grow original telly show . unbalanced Mencame with an abundance of flowing mid - century stylus , but its piercing representation of the era ’s misogyny and casual racism could also have been a vast turn - off . Mad Men ’s best seasonscame a niggling later , but it was already a hitting during its first season . Its calculated approach shot to some sensible topics shows the uncomfortable parallel between the modern day and a recent past tense when certain prejudices were more explicitly tell .

8Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

A risky premise proved to be inspired

Despite the success ofMad Men , AMC’sBreaking Badseemed much risky . At the sentence , Bryan Cranston was best known as the father from the family sitcomMalcolm in the Middle , so a show about him cooking meth seemed like a bizarre turn . The pilot episode ofBreaking Badwas a great way of banish all prepossession about Cranston . He look in the desert with a gun in his paw , and the episode then shoot back to show the gradual unraveling of a respected family man . It was immediately center - pick up , but many ofBreaking Bad ’s upright episodescame much later .

7Abbott Elementary (2021-)

A sitcom that rose above its competitors

electronic connection sitcoms have become less frequent and less likely to break through in recent years . Abbott Elementarysucceeds against these odds , even without a groundbreaking ceremony assumption which could at once draw attention . Abbott Elementaryexcels in every fundamental of sitcoms . The piece of writing and playacting are both outstanding , but the real primal isAbbott Elementary ’s carefully constructed characterization . The teachers are each dead designed to antagonize each other in just the right room , and they each speak with distinct voices .

6The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

Injecting new life into chess

It could easily have pass into reconditeness among Netflix ’s many limited series , butThe Queen ’s Gambitbecame an immediate sensation upon its release . The drama follows Beth Harmon , a young chess prodigy who endures a rocky puerility and more personal demons to uprise through the professional rankings . instinct with grand menstruum details , The Queen ’s Gambitproved that there is still a place for elaborate character drama in the age of streaming , and that original stories can still gain traction . Not only did it tight cut through Anya Taylor - Joy on her itinerary to stardom , it also caused a revivification in the popularity of chess .

5What We Do In The Shadows (2019-2024)

Adapting movies for TV is never easy

There are n’t many movies which can successfully interpret into the format of TV , peculiarly when those movies are anything less than tremendous hits . What We Do in the Shadows , directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement , follows a radical of vampires sharing a house in New Zealand . The show move to Staten Island , and it features an totally new dramatis personae , so there was n’t an awful lot to tie it to the picture . An outstanding cast and a willingness to try thing the movie never even considered made the show a huge success . Season 6 ofWhat We Do in the Shadowswill sadly be the show ’s last .

4Riverdale (2017-2023)

Forgotten characters given a new life

The characters from the original Archie comics first appear in the forties . To say they had faded from the cultural zeitgeist by 2017 would be an understatement , but The CW revitalized them in the format of a teen drama . In practice , the character inRiverdaleshare very little with their amusing book equivalents , and the show incorporate far more supernatural elements than Archie , Jughead , and Veronica ever dealt with in the 1940s . Riverdaleused its pre - existing characters as a starting point , but the show developed its own unique approach from there . After seven season , Riverdalecame to an end in 2023 .

3Andor (2022-)

A strange choice for a Star Wars spinoff

The succeeder ofThe Mandalorianwas a positive indicator , but some eyebrows were kindle when Disney announced its nextStar Warsseries would focus on Cassian Andor , who first appear inRogue One . He was not the first character in theStar Warsuniverse who seemed like he necessitate his own show , but this allowedAndorto tell its own story , unrestrained by the limits of arithmetic mean . Star Warshas a devoted sports fan base who will watch any show in the same universe , andAndorproved to be immensely rewarding . Although nobody call for for it , Andorbecame vital screening . Andorseason 2should be coming presently .

2Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)

The Canadian comedy found a new audience on streaming services

Schitt ’s Creekboasted an impressive comedy pedigree , with Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara working together again after starring in some of Chrisopher Guest ’s best movies . But show on Canadian television seldom find an international hearing , andSchitt ’s Creekdidn’t become a spherical phenomenon until it was added to Netflix during its third time of year . Schitt ’s Creek ’s outstanding casthelped it get the best the odds , as did its convinced representation of poove write up and its sincere warmth . Schitt ’s Creekonly needed an audience for its unique brand of humor , and luckily it got one . It may not have had the chance to wrap up its story so beautifully without this 2d fart .

1The Simpsons (1989-)

Truly groundbreaking TV

The Simpsons blazed its own track , and its success ushered in a new era of revive sitcom .

Although it has since developed into the longest - running American sitcom of all time , The Simpsonsstarted out as a serial publication of shorts onThe Tracey Ullman Show . It was unsung how the show would do in its thrive data format , particularly since there were no tangible equivalents . The Simpsonsblazed its own track , and its achiever show in a new era of revivify sitcoms . It first managed to capture citizenry ’s attention simply because it looked unlike anything else on telly at the time , but its superb writing made it a hit . Although the characters are bright scandalmongering , The Simpsonsis much more grounded than many other cartoons from the 1980s .

Richard Kind Poker Face Season 2 Interview header

Star Wars' Best TV Show Just Doubled Down On A Massive Canon Change

Star Wars Stormtrooper

Cassian in prison on Narkina 5 in Andor with his hands to his head.

Jon Hamm talking on the phone in a scene as Don Draper from Mad Men

Walt and Jesse sitting in a car in season 2 episode 1 of Breaking Bad

Quinta Brunson smiling as Janine in the Abbott Elementary season 2 finale

Beth looking at a notebook on a couch in The Queen’s Gambit

Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry, and Kayvan Novak as Nadja, Lazslo, and Nandor sitting and looking attentively in What We Do in The Shadows

Jughead Betty Kevin Archie and Veronica in Riverdale season 2

Patrick, David, Alexis and Stevie wave an emotional goodbye in Schitt’s Creek.