These Are the 15 Absolute Best TV Shows That Turned 10 in 2021

POPSUGAR said Two waitresses — one the daughter of a billionaire hitting hard times, the other raised in a working-class household — work together in a diner while trying to save up to open their own cupcake bakery. Although the show itself isn't necessarily a long-term classic, it's a solid comedy that ran for six years and gave Beth Behrs and Kat Dennings a chance to really shine in the spotlight.

POPSUGAR said NBC's fairytale-meets-crime procedural put a creative new spin on the genre. Focusing on a homicide detective who discovers he has the ability to see — and protect the world from — supernatural creatures, it sometimes gets bogged down in its own mythology. Still, it's a creative premise with a welcome dark spin on fairytales, rather than the kid-friendly adaptations we're used to.

POPSUGAR said The small but loyal fanbase of Teen Wolf deserves a toast for turning MTV's supernatural teen drama into a fandom icon. The story of a teenage werewolf and his friends defending their California town against other mythological creatures is pretty standard-issue fantasy fare, but the cast's charisma and the show's sharp, hilariously dark sense of humor helped elevate it to something worth remembering.

POPSUGAR said At one point, Revenge was one of the buzziest shows on TV. The twisty premise put a spin on The Count of Monte Cristo, following a young woman who ingratiates herself with a wealthy family in order to exact revenge on them for betraying her father years ago.

POPSUGAR said What seemed like near science fiction in 2011 now reads like a bit of eerily contemporary dystopian horror. Its technology has aged a bit, but its five-season run proved that its characters and drama were worth talking about for a while.

POPSUGAR said Without the convoluted plots of later seasons that marred its legacy, the first run of Once Upon a Time was refreshingly creative, as well as a fun Easter egg hunt for fans of fairytales, myths, and Disney movies.

POPSUGAR said This teen comedy is one of the most under-the-radar faves of the past decade, but it's the kind of show that still gets talked about with a lot of respect. Centered on a shy teen who forces herself to become more outgoing, it really does capture a lot of the messy drama and awkward moments of being a teenager, all without talking down to and about its teen characters.

POPSUGAR said Back in 2011, Ryan Murphy's ambitious horror experiment was a genuine risk: a full-fledged cable horror story about a suburban family who move into an old house that's haunted by more than just your average ghosts. It's genuinely twisty and genuinely scary, and its 10-season legacy is proof of just how much the risk paid off.

POPSUGAR said The quirky premise of a lawyer with fake credentials joining a prestigious law firm made for great drama and comedy over eight seasons, with a truly excellent slow-burn romance that whole time. And, of course, it's the show that made Meghan Markle a star long before she became royal!

POPSUGAR said There are a few dud seasons along the way when the show didn't seem like it quite knew where to go, but its heart was always in the right place. Plus, Nick and Jess managed to make their way into the pantheon of the all-time-great will-they-won't-they TV couples!

POPSUGAR said Was Hart of Dixie the kind of show that wins awards? No, but its sweet-and-salty charm marked the end of an era on The CW, where cozy but snarky dramedies that would have been at home on The WB slowly gave way to endless superhero and sci-fi shows.

POPSUGAR said The show's controversial take on American policy in the Middle East drew as much praise as it did criticism, but it started conversations nonetheless, living on as a time capsule of how we talked about the war on terror.

POPSUGAR said When it first arrived in 2011, this Fox animated comedy didn't make very big waves and debuted to middling reviews. In the years that followed, though, the story of a burger restaurant owner and his family improved rapidly until it became one of the most acclaimed comedies on the air.

POPSUGAR said It's impossible not to consider Game of Thrones the defining piece of TV of the last decade. The sprawling, dark fantasy about the many factions vying for power in an often violent kingdom broke new ground in fantasy and prestige TV.

POPSUGAR said Ask a TV aficionado about the most underrated shows of the decade, and you will absolutely hear Happy Endings at or near the top of the list. A modern-day Friends-esque sitcom about six messy best friends whose group is shaken up when one of them leaves another at the altar, the show never broke through as a ratings juggernaut, but it's a memorable example of just how excellent a sitcom with a cast that just clicks can be.