the best TV shows over the last 15 years
by mellies98 | created - 03 Dec 2012 | updated - 23 Feb 2013 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Deadwood (2004–2006)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
A show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Brad Dourif
Votes: 117,564
2. Veronica Mars (2004–2019)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After her best friend is murdered, and her father is removed as county Sheriff, Veronica Mars dedicates her life to cracking the toughest mysteries in the affluent town of Neptune.
Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III
Votes: 78,056
wish it could have gone on forever
3. Charmed (1998–2006)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Three Halliwell sisters discover that they are descendants of a line of good female witches and are destined to fight against the forces of evil, using their combined power of witchcraft known as the "Power of Three".
Stars: Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Brian Krause, Rose McGowan
Votes: 91,510
4. Arrested Development (2003–2019)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.
Stars: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett
Votes: 324,083
5. Flashpoint (2008–2012)
TV-14 | 41 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The missions and trials of a Toronto police tactical unit.
Stars: Hugh Dillon, Amy Jo Johnson, David Paetkau, Sergio Di Zio
Votes: 18,610
really good show without silly forensics and the exsessive drama and silliness
6. Lost Girl (2010–2016)
TV-MA | 44 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
When a succubus finds it difficult to adapt with her unusual traits inspite of being born in a human family, she sets off on a journey to find out the truth of her origin.
Stars: Anna Silk, Kris Holden-Ried, Zoie Palmer, Rick Howland
Votes: 33,070
7. The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The lives, loves, dangers and disasters in the town, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Creatures of unspeakable horror lurk beneath this town as a teenage girl is suddenly torn between two vampire brothers.
Stars: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham
Votes: 349,605
8. True Blood (2008–2014)
TV-MA | 55 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire.
Stars: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten
Votes: 260,018
9. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 765,288
10. The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma to learn the world is in ruins and must lead a group of survivors to stay alive.
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan
Votes: 1,081,218
11. An Idiot Abroad (2010–2012)
TV-14 | 43 min | Documentary, Adventure, Comedy
British comedy duo Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their simple and closed-minded friend Karl Pilkington on a trip around the world to experience a variety of people and cultures.
Stars: Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Richard Yee
Votes: 34,302
12. The Client List (2011–2013)
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama
Riley is a single mother living in a small Texas town and leading a shocking double life.
Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Loretta Devine, Colin Egglesfield, Cybill Shepherd
Votes: 12,549
13. Homeland (2011–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.
Stars: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis, Rupert Friend
Votes: 360,847
14. NCIS (2003– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Follows the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), as they get to the bottom of criminal cases connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
Stars: David McCallum, Sean Murray, Mark Harmon, Brian Dietzen
Votes: 162,912
15. Happy Endings (2011–2020)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
This Chicago-set sitcom follows the intertwined lives of six young urbanites trying to learn the ropes of adulthood. Through breakups and whatever other curve-balls life throws them, the pals stick together.
Stars: Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally
Votes: 40,101
16. Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A biker struggles to balance being a father and being involved in an outlaw motorcycle club.
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior, Kim Coates
Votes: 323,299
makes you wanna be a biker, soo good!
17. Awkward. (2011–2016)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An unpopular 15-year-old gains immediate, yet unwanted, popularity at her high school when the student body mistakes an accident she has for a suicide attempt.
Stars: Ashley Rickards, Beau Mirchoff, Jillian Rose Reed, Brett Davern
Votes: 45,818
18. Castle (2009–2016)
TV-14 | 43 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When a psychopath commits murders based on novelist Castle's books, Detective Beckett seeks his help to solve the case. He decides to work with her and uses his experiences as research for his novels.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Jon Huertas
Votes: 174,324
19. ER (1994–2009)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Romance
The doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
Stars: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Votes: 67,696
20. Fringe (2008–2013)
TV-14 | 46 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An F.B.I. agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.
Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole
Votes: 257,395
21. The Glades (2010–2013)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A former Chicago cop moves to a small Florida town and joins the state police.
Stars: Matt Passmore, Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gómez, Jordan Wall
Votes: 14,830
22. Hellcats (2010–2011)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
The wild world of competitive college cheerleading.
Stars: Aly Michalka, Ashley Tisdale, Robbie Jones, Heather Hemmens
Votes: 10,918
23. Life Unexpected (2010–2011)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama
After 15 years in foster homes, Lux decides to get emancipated, which leads to her meeting her birth parents.
Stars: Shiri Appleby, Kristoffer Polaha, Britt Robertson, Kerr Smith
Votes: 15,459
24. The Middle (2009– )
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Family
The daily mishaps of a married woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempts to survive life in general in the town of Orson, Indiana.
Stars: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher
Votes: 53,690
25. The Newsroom (2012–2014)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
A newsroom undergoes some changes in its workings and morals as a new team is brought in, bringing unexpected results for its existing news anchor.
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Alison Pill
Votes: 124,618
incredibly well written
26. Perception (2012–2015)
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dr. Daniel Pierce is an eccentric neuropsychiatrist who uses his unique outlook to help the federal government solve complex criminal cases.
Stars: Eric McCormack, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kelly Rowan, Arjay Smith
Votes: 22,842
27. Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Four friends band together against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, while also investigating the disappearance of their best friend.
Stars: Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell
Votes: 178,293
28. The River (2012)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The crew of a research vessel are on a quest to find a missing TV explorer in the Amazon.
Stars: Bruce Greenwood, Joe Anderson, Leslie Hope, Eloise Mumford
Votes: 17,056
29. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 997,438
30. Suits (2011–2019)
TV-14 | 44 min | Comedy, Drama
On the run from a drug deal gone bad, brilliant college dropout Mike Ross finds himself working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City's best lawyers.
Stars: Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty
Votes: 478,458
fun dialog
31. Warehouse 13 (2009–2014)
TV-14 | 43 min | Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Pete and Myka, U.S Secret Service agents, are deployed in South Dakota's Warehouse 13 with a new assignment from an authority above and outside the government.
Stars: Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek, Allison Scagliotti
Votes: 57,333
32. White Collar (2009–2014)
TV-PG | 40 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A white-collar criminal agrees to help the FBI catch other white-collar criminals using his expertise as an art and securities thief, counterfeiter, and conman.
Stars: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Tiffani Thiessen
Votes: 141,162
makes you wanna be a con artist
33. Scandal (2012–2018)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Thriller
A former White House Communications Director starts her own crisis management firm only to realize her clients are not the only ones with secrets.
Stars: Kerry Washington, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz
Votes: 79,677
34. Smallville (2001–2017)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas.
Stars: Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk
Votes: 138,018
35. Nikita (2010–2013)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A rogue assassin returns to take down the secret organization that trained her.
Stars: Maggie Q, Shane West, Lyndsy Fonseca, Aaron Stanford
Votes: 53,886
36. Men at Work (2012–2014)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Comedy following the misadventures of four buddies who work together at a magazine.
Stars: Danny Masterson, Michael Cassidy, Adam Busch, James Lesure
Votes: 8,577
37. The League (I) (2009–2015)
TV-MA | 22 min | Comedy, Sport
An ensemble comedy that follows a group of old friends in a fantasy football league who care deeply about one another -- so deeply that they use every opportunity to make each other's lives miserable.
Stars: Mark Duplass, Jonathan Lajoie, Nick Kroll, Stephen Rannazzisi
Votes: 52,097
38. Justified (2010–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Enforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts
Votes: 118,605
modern cowboy show, timothy olyphant in his best element
39. Greek (2007–2011)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Freshman Rusty Cartwright arrives at college and decides he no longer wants to be the boring geek from high school. He decides to pledge a fraternity. He is offered 2 bids; one from his sister's boyfriend Evan's fraternity and one from Cappie, his sister's ex-boyfriend's fraternity. Rusty must learn to handle his new life, and his new relationship with his sister. His sister must decide if she ... See full summary »
Stars: Clark Duke, Scott Michael Foster, Spencer Grammer, Paul James
Votes: 25,148
40. Drop Dead Diva (2009–2014)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A vapid aspiring model killed in a car crash gets brought back to life as an intelligent, overweight lawyer, hoping to find the meaning of inner beauty.
Stars: Brooke Elliott, Margaret Cho, Kate Levering, April Bowlby
Votes: 20,993
41. Covert Affairs (2010–2014)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Fresh out of the farm, Annie Walker must adapt to the challenging life of a CIA operative under the guidance of her handler, Auggie. But soon she realizes her recruitment might have to do with her last boyfriend rather than her talent.
Stars: Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Kari Matchett, Peter Gallagher
Votes: 31,594
42. Chuck (2007–2012)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
When a computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, both the CIA and the NSA assign an agent to protect him and exploit his newfound skills.
Stars: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Vik Sahay
Votes: 146,789
one of the best shows ever, fun with action
43. Being Erica (2009–2011)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
"Therapist" Dr. Tom - who is constantly spouting famous and not so famous historical quotes - is Erica Strange's savior and worst enemy.
Stars: Erin Karpluk, Reagan Pasternak, Michael Riley, Kathleen Laskey
Votes: 10,201
44. House of Lies (2012–2016)
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy, Drama
Charming, fast-talking Marty Kaan and his crack team of management consultants use every dirty trick in the book to woo powerful CEOs and close huge deals in this scathing, irreverent satire of corporate America today.
Stars: Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson
Votes: 26,377
sassy show
45. Cult (2013)
60 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Tracks the investigation of a string of mysterious deaths and disappearances surrounding the show-within-a-show.
Stars: Matthew Davis, Jessica Lucas, Alona Tal, Robert Knepper
Votes: 4,584
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