Breaking Bad tops New York Times poll of century’s best shows

The latest:

Breaking Bad finished first in a New York Times ranking of the 100 best television shows of the 21st century, voted on by more than 500 actors, writers, producers and programme-makers. The Wire came second, Mad Men third, Succession fourth and Fleabag fifth. Comedies claimed half the top 10, signalling a flatter hierarchy between drama and comedy than earlier canon lists.

Details:

• The top 10: After Breaking Bad, The Wire and Mad Men, the ranking placed Succession fourth and Fleabag fifth, followed by Game of Thrones, Veep, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Atlanta. Five of those 10 are comedies, a balance the paper highlighted as the poll’s clearest pattern.
• How the vote worked: The New York Times said it asked each participant to name up to 10 shows that premiered on or after January 1, 2000. Eligibility was not limited to scripted drama: comedy, documentary and reality formats all qualified, and no language requirement was imposed on the selections.
• The cutoff’s casualty: The premiere-date rule explains a conspicuous absence. The Sopranos, widely treated as the opening act of American television’s golden age, debuted in 1999 and was therefore ineligible despite running for years into the current century. Curb Your Enthusiasm, which launched in 2000, qualified and finished ninth.
• The winner: Breaking Bad aired between 2008 and 2013 and followed chemistry teacher Walter White from a man trying to secure his family’s future after a cancer diagnosis into a major figure in the drug trade. Its spin-off, Better Call Saul, placed 27th on the same list.
• British showing: Fleabag at fifth was the highest-ranked British production. The American version of The Office landed 11th, ahead of the original British series at 16th. I May Destroy You took 18th, Chernobyl 19th and The Crown 20th.
• Streaming era: Shows that predate the streaming boom dominated the top tier, but newer platform-driven titles registered across the list: The White Lotus at 21, Severance at 30, The Pitt at 36, and Adolescence, which premiered in 2025, at 40.
• Beyond scripted TV: Unscripted programming made the cut. The competition series Survivor ranked 31st and RuPaul’s Drag Race 61st. Anthony Bourdain’s travel and food programmes Parts Unknown and No Reservations placed 64th and 69th, while the documentary series Planet Earth reached 84th.
• Elsewhere in the 100: Black Mirror finished 26th and Stranger Things 53rd. Squid Game came 72nd, two places ahead of The Bear, and Shogun landed 86th.
• A separate reader vote: The published results cover only the industry figures the paper invited to participate. The New York Times opened a distinct poll inviting readers to pick their own 10 favourites, running until September 28, with results to be announced separately from the list of 100.

Between the lines:

The 2000 cutoff does more than exclude one show. By disqualifying The Sopranos while admitting Curb Your Enthusiasm, the poll measures the century rather than the golden age it is usually credited with launching, which helps explain why comedies took five of the top 10 places.

What’s next

The New York Times reader poll closes September 28, with results published separately. The comparison between the industry ranking and the audience list is the next concrete test of how far the two canons diverge.