The New York Times recently released its list of the 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century, following the same format as its previous lists for movies and thrillers, compiled by surveying industry professionals and experts. Although it is inevitable that some fan favorites will be left out, a few omissions are still shocking.
Game of Thrones made the top 10 despite prevailing criticisms of its last few seasons, but its initial quality and impact on the zeitgeist mean a lot in such rankings. Yet sci-fi-fantasy in general wasn’t given its due in this ranking, in addition to a clear bias against animated TV shows. If it weren’t for preconceptions of “the best,” these TV shows would have been on the list:
1. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
Avatar: The Last Airbender saw a renewal of its cultural relevance with its arrival on Netflix in 2020, leading to a new generation discovering this benchmark for fantasy TV. Following Avatar Aang, who must learn to wield all four elements to save his home from a tyrant, the series is widely influential among stories with elemental magic systems and villain redemption arcs.
Zuko’s arc is almost universally considered a masterpiece, never taking the easy route to the end as he clings to the idea of earning his father’s acceptance. This results in an inspired slow burn before he finally realizes he has been fighting for the wrong side, which is not even making him personally happy. There are a lot of things to love about ATLA, but this storyline is obviously the standout.
2. Arcane (2021-2024)
Arcane is a television milestone in terms of craft; one of the most important pieces of media from recent years that shows where the animation industry is heading. Based on the (widely disliked) League of Legends video game, Arcane is part music video, part game, and part action epic, while being a high-octane viewing experience all the way through.
Miraculously, Arcane has a story to match its artistry, focusing on the conflict between the affluent city of Piltover and the polluted, budding nation of Zaun. Players on both sides (or caught between the two) are drawn to individual power and knowledge while trying to salvage their most important relationships, despite constant hurt and betrayal.
3. Black Sails (2014-2017)
While not exactly fantasy, a historical action-adventure series appeals to a similar audience. The NYT list is proof that Black Sails continues to be one of the most underrated TV shows ever. The gritty action epic is part historical fiction and part literary homage (serving as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island) that has fantastic portrayals of conflicted, memorable characters.
The series focuses on the pirates of Nassau beginning in 1715, when Captain Flint sets his sights on capturing a Spanish treasure galleon. While who will claim this prize becomes the main conflict internal to the Republic of Pirates, there is the looming threat of the British Empire eventually coming to reclaim New Providence as a colony.
As a war takes shape, Black Sails asks heavy questions about the feasibility and cost of launching a revolution, while the entire series is dedicated to exploring how storytelling is used against oppressed populations and by individuals to further their own ends. Flint inspires the pirates to fight back again and again, but he meets his match when a young John Silver joins his crew.
4. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010)
Another fact that illustrates the true scope of the NYT list: not a single anime makes an appearance, though Joel Kim Booster, at least, voted for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The 2009 anime adaptation of the manga Fullmetal Alchemist hinges on the ever-relevant themes of handling power responsibly (magical and political).
It primarily follows the Elric brothers, two young alchemists searching for a way to reverse the consequences of trying to use alchemy to raise the dead. Meanwhile, Colonel Roy Mustang and his tight-knit group of insurgents within the country’s military are working their way up the ranks to overthrow the current authoritarian government. Rife with political commentary, FMAB is another perfect slow burn.
5. Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
Some brilliant works of television just never made it into the mainstream, but Gravity Falls’ omission from the best of the century list is baffling. The near-perfect two-season animated series follows 12-year-old twins who are sent to live with their great-uncle in a small Oregon town for the summer, where a supernatural mystery sharing DNA with Twin Peaks takes shape.
Gravity Falls is hilarious, with a sharp, occasionally metatextual sense of humor mixed in with the sheer randomness of the town’s supernatural phenomena. But the show is truly something magnificent because of its themes of fears about growing up and intergenerational trauma, as Dipper and Mabel are driven apart by how they uniquely cling to this perfect childhood summer.
Gravity Falls is precisely paced and written, telling exactly the story it needs to within two seasons and touching upon many different pre-teen experiences in one-off adventures, from fights over sharing a room to boy band obsessions to first crushes. When the show still looms pretty large in the zeitgeist, it’s amazing that not many people think of it as one of the best of the century.
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