Looking back on a decade of prestige TV

At the end of 2019, I decided to write about my favourite shows of the decade. Reflecting on the past 10 years, it dawned on me that so many of the series which I felt characterised the 2010s actually belong more aptly to the decade before. Sure, Breaking Bad and Mad Men might have concluded in 2013 and 2014 respectively, but both began in late 2000s. Even the shows which did commence in the 2010s – like Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards, and True Detective – were the immediate successors of their 2000s forebearers, often preoccupied with the same character archetypes and exploring similar ideas.

Indeed, the late 2000s-early 2010s was a period of television centred on the rise and fall of the antihero. From Don Draper to Walter White, to Rust Chole, Nucky Thompson and Jax Teller, TV dramas were characterised by brooding, complicated men torn between right and wrong. Characters like Draper and White allowed us to examine the anxieties affecting the white, middle-class male on the verge of losing control to ‘emasculating’ forces. Cynical, self-aware and resistant to change, these figures became the perfect symbols of how we understood western masculinity at the time. 

However, as the 2010s progressed, so did the characters we saw on our screens. Ideas which first rose to prominence in shows like Mad Men were expanded upon and reconstructed, as we entered a more socially and politically fragmented era. Our interests grew to extend beyond the white male experience, as the dissipation of the anti-hero created space for more diverse subjects. For instance, Atlanta, which began in 2016, explores the realities of black masculinity in modern-day America, while the more recent Barry, considers the relationship between toxic masculinity and mental health. Furthermore, in the wake of the ‘Me Too’ movement, we have realised the importance of telling stories about bold, compelling women, with shows like Orange is the New Black, Big Little Lies, Fleabag, and Killing Eve becoming acclaimed sensations. 

We still have a way to go, particularly regarding on-screen portrayals of the LGBTQI+ community and People of Colour, but we’re making progress; we are, at the very least, no longer ignoring the problem. And while I’ll always hold a place in my heart for the Don Draper heyday, I rejoice in the fact that today’s television is more inclusive, allowing for deeply personal tales to nestle alongside the old school hits.