Critics Pick the Best TV Shows of the Last 25 Years

In celebration of Rotten Tomatoes’ 25th anniversary, we asked critics to submit their top films and TV shows released in the past 25 years.

The most popular television nominees include shows that continue to be part of the zeitgeist – Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Wire, and The Sopranos each remain gold standards for television dramas, for example. They are joined by buzzy fantasy staples like Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, and Watchmen. Workplace comedies on the list include legacy shows like The Office (which remains popular for re-watching) and more recent series like the darker BoJack Horseman and upbeat Ted Lasso.

Here’s how it worked: We sent out a survey to individually approved Tomatometer critics, asking them to choose (in no particular order) their top five movies and top five TV series released in the last 25 years. Then, we tallied their votes, and voila! We have our lists.

Be sure to check out the list of Critics’ Freshest Movie Picks from the Last 25 Years, too – you might be surprised by some of their nominations.

Archival curation for this feature was done by Rob Fowler.

photo: © AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection