The 40 most popular 2010s drama TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


The Flash
2014 · US
After being struck by lightning, CSI investigator Barry Allen awakens from a nine-month coma to discover he has been granted the gift of super speed. Teaming up with S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry takes on the persona of The Flash, the Fastest Man Alive, to protect his city.


The 100
2014 · US
100 years in the future, when the Earth has been abandoned due to radioactivity, the last surviving humans live on an ark orbiting the planet — but the ark won't last forever. So the repressive regime picks 100 expendable juvenile delinquents to send down to Earth to see if the planet is still habitable.


Vikings
2013 · CA
The adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods. Legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.


Orange Is the New Black
2013 · US
A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women's prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group of fellow inmates.


The Last Kingdom
2015 · UK
A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the story of how a people combined their strength under one of the most iconic kings of history in order to reclaim their land for themselves and build a place they call home.


You
2018 · US
A dangerously charming, obsessive man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of women who fascinate him.


True Detective
2014 · US
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.


Sherlock
2010 · UK
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.


The Magicians
2015 · US
Brakebills University is a secret institution specializing in magic. There, amidst an unorthodox education of spellcasting, a group of twenty-something friends soon discover that a magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real— and poses grave danger to humanity.


Kuruluş Osman
2019 · TR
The epic continuation of Diriliş Ertuğrul, Kuruluş Osman follows Osman Bey — son of Ertuğrul and destined founder of the Ottoman Empire — as he transforms a small Turkic tribe into a sovereign state. Battling the Byzantine Empire, Mongol forces and treachery from within, Osman must prove himself as both a warrior and a leader. A sweeping historical action drama built on faith, honour and the birth of one of history's greatest empires.


The Librarians
2014 · US
A group of librarians set off on adventures in an effort to save mysterious, ancient artifacts. Based on the series of "The Librarian" movies.


Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon
2012 · JP
Daimon Michiko is a 37-year-old freelance surgeon who is part of a questionable “doctor placement service” that has her wander from hospital to hospital. The harsh environment at the hospitals led many doctors to retire from their positions, forcing hospitals to make use of said program to fill the empty spots at least temporary. However, Michiko doesn’t look like a doctor at all with her flashy clothes and eccentric attitude. In the first episode she raises objections to a certain operation which is planned to be done by the head of a hospital who hasn’t performed an operation for a very long time. This causes Michiko to incur odium at the hospital, however, everyone becomes frozen when Michiko points out the outdated skills of the director. She also holds a scrupulous compliance when it comes to her working hours, never does any unnecessary chores that don’t require a medical license, and couldn’t care less about the power struggles within the hospitals. Nobody knows how she acquired such a top-level skill that allows her to claim exorbitant sums as reward, but her private life is an even greater mystery to everyone around her. Tanaka plays a rookie surgeon, Uchida an anesthetist, Kishibe the head of the placement service, and Ito the head of the surgical department of this institution.


WWE NXT
2010 · US
Wrestlers will portray heroes or villains as they follow a series of events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.


You're the Worst
2014 · US
Narcissistic, brash, and self-destructive Jimmy Shive-Overly thinks all relationships are doomed. Cynical, people-pleasing, and stubborn Gretchen Cutler knows that relationships aren't for her. So when they meet at a wedding, it's only natural that the two of them go home together.


The Order
2019 · US
Out to avenge his mother's death, a college student pledges a secret order and lands in a war between werewolves and practitioners of dark magic.


Lucha Underground
2014 · US
Lucha Underground introduces U.S. audiences to the high-flying, explosive moves of lucha libre. An ancient combat tradition, watch as good and evil wage war in a gritty battleground called “The Temple.”


The Crown
2016 · UK
The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.


Come Home Love: Lo and Behold
2017 · HK
Hung Sue Gan starting from the bottom, established his own logistics company, which is now running smoothly. His only concern now are his three daughters. His eldest daughter has immigrated overseas. His second daughter Hung Yeuk Shui has reached the marriageable age, but has no hopes for marriage anytime soon. She is constantly bickering with her younger sister Hung Sum Yue, who is an honour student, over trivial matters, causing their father to not know whether to laugh or cry. Hung Sue Yan, Hung Sue Gan's brother, moves in with the family, temporarily ending his life as a nomadic photographer. He joins Hung Yeuk Shui's company and encounters Ko Pak Fei, the director of an online shop. The two appear to be former lovers, making for lots of laughter. Since Hung Sue Yan moved in, a series of strange events have occurred in the family. Upon investigation, the source is traced to Lung Ging Fung, a promising young man who is the son of department store mogul Lung Gam Wai.


The Dangerous Book for Boys
2018 · US
The story of a middle-class family coping with the sudden passing of their beloved patriarch Patrick, a whimsical inventor who touched the lives of all who knew him. Devastated, his family finds hope in a guide book he created for his sons.


Luther
2010 · UK
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.


Tomorrow Is Ours
2017 · FR
The story revolves around the people of Sète, France. Their lives are punctuated by family rivalries, romance and scenes from daily life, but also by plots involving police investigations, secrets and betrayals.


Black Kite
2013 · JP
Yasu's mother passed away when he was very young and his father abandoned him. Yasu's wife, Misako, also lost both her parents when she was young. The two spend their days in happiness, watching their young son, Akira, grow up. Unfortunately, a freakish accident occurs that results in Misako sacrificing her life to protect her son. Yasu loses himself in grief and remorse, but recovers as he vows to raise his 3 year-old son as best as possible.


The Rookie
2018 · US
Starting over isn't easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD officer. As the force's oldest rookie, he's met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis.


Shameless
2011 · US
Chicagoan Frank Gallagher is the proud single dad of six smart, industrious, independent kids, who without him would be... perhaps better off. When Frank's not at the bar spending what little money they have, he's passed out on the floor. But the kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him. They may not be like any family you know, but they make no apologies for being exactly who they are.


Person of Interest
2011 · US
John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training that Reese has had in Covert Operations and Finch's genius software inventing mind, the two are a perfect match for the job that they have to complete. With the help of surveillance equipment, they work "outside the law" and get the right criminal behind bars.


Magnum P.I.
2018 · US
Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL, returns home from Afghanistan and applies his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii taking jobs no one else will—with the help of fellow vets T.C. Calvin and Rick Wright, and former MI:6 agent, Juliet Higgins.


Game of Thrones
2011 · US
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.


Chicago Fire
2012 · US
An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America's noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death.


BoJack Horseman
2014 · US
Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s , 20 years later. He's a curmudgeon with a heart of...not quite gold...but something like gold. Copper?


MINDHUNTER
2017 · US
An agent in the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit develops profiling techniques as he pursues notorious serial killers and rapists.


American Horror Story
2011 · US
An anthology horror drama series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, a hotel, a farmhouse in Roanoke, a cult, the apocalypse and a summer camp.


Chicago P.D.
2014 · US
A riveting police drama about the men and women of the Chicago Police Department's District 21 who put it all on the line to serve and protect their community. District 21 is made up of two distinctly different groups: the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city's street crimes and the Intelligence Unit that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond.


Lovely Horribly
2018 · KR
An actor and a screenwriter find their lives entwined by more than just work as the drama they're writing starts to play out in their real lives.


The Blacklist
2013 · US
Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders in person at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims that he and the FBI have the same interests: bringing down dangerous criminals and terrorists. In the last two decades, he's made a list of criminals and terrorists that matter the most but the FBI cannot find because it does not know they exist. Reddington calls this "The Blacklist". Reddington will co-operate, but insists that he will speak only to Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler.


FBI
2018 · US
The New York office of the FBI brings to bear all their talents, intellect and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep their city and the country safe.


Hawaii Five-0
2010 · US
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.


The Walking Dead
2010 · US
Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.


Blue Bloods
2010 · US
A drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief.


S.W.A.T.
2017 · US
A Los Angeles S.W.A.T. sergeant is assigned to lead a highly skilled unit in the community where he grew up. Torn between loyalty to the streets, where the cops are sometimes the enemy, and allegiance to his brothers in blue, he strategically straddles the two worlds.


Arrow
2012 · US
Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.
The 2010s were television's abundance decade — streaming originals arrived at scale, prestige drama went mainstream, and 'too much TV' became a genuine complaint.
Television drama is where the medium made its case as film's equal, from the cable era's antihero epics to the current streaming wave. Long-form gives character change room to actually happen.