Game of Thrones series finale s8ep6 (Courtesy of HBO)

(Photo by HBO)

FALL 2019 TV SURVEY: 20 TV Shows That Defined the 2010s

For Rotten Tomatoes’ annual Fall TV Survey, we asked thousands of our users what they’re most looking forward to in the coming TV season and to reflect on the best shows from seasons past.

We’re looking at TV series that were so iconic in their era that they essentially defined the decade in which they aired the majority of their seasons. (If a show aired half its seasons in one decade and the other half in another, we tended to count it toward the earlier decade.) So we asked our survey respondents which shows best represented each of the five most recent decades.

Game of Thrones stole the 2010-2019 category, garnering 74% of the vote, compared to No. 2 Stranger Things’ 56%, and The Big Bang Theory’s 45% for third place.

We also asked which TV star ruled in the decade — no surprise here: The entire cast of Game of Thrones won with 45% of the vote; followed by Benedict Cumberbatch, who snagged 9% of the vote (Sherlock showed up at No. 24 in the list of TV titles that “defined the decade”); and, in third place, Veep‘s Julia Louis-Dreyfus with 8%.

Disagree with the survey results? Tell us in the comments who you think should have made the list or have been ranked higher.

Veep (2012)
93%

#20

Synopsis: Ex-senator and now the Vice President of the United States, Selina Meyer juggles her public and private life. However, it... [More]

Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Matt Walsh

Directed By: David Mandel, Christopher Morris (IV), Tim Kirkby, Max Jenkins

Keeping Up With the Kardashians (2007)

#19

Synopsis: The privileged lives of L.A.'s blended Kardashian-Jenner family are chronicled.... [More]

Starring: Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian West, Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West

Directed By: Chris Ray, Christopher Ray, David Bresenham

Doctor Who (2006)
92%

#18

Synopsis: Following the adventures of a time-traveling alien called "The Doctor" and companions as they deal with crises set on Earth... [More]

Starring: Rupert Graves, Nick Frost, Warwick Davis, Derek Jacobi

Directed By: Jamie Payne, Rachel Talalay, Ed Bazalgette, Paul Wilmshurst

True Blood (2008)
70%

#17

Synopsis: HBO's hit drama series created by Alan Ball ('Six Feet Under') and based on the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels by... [More]

Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten

Directed By: Simon Jayes, Nancy Oliver, Michael Cuesta, Gregg Fienberg

Better Call Saul (2015)
97%

#16

Synopsis: The evolution of "Breaking Bad" lawyer Saul Goodman is the focus of this prequel to the hit series.... [More]

Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean, Clea DuVall, Jamie Luner

Directed By: Colin Bucksey, Nicole Kassell, Thomas Schnauz, Larysa Kondracki

Saturday Night Live (1975)

#15

Synopsis: A variety show packed with some Emmy-winning satire for laughs.... [More]

Starring: Deborah Harry, Charlene Tilton, Bill Murray, Rod Stewart

Directed By: Beth McCarthy, Dave Wilson, Dave Wilson, Robert Altman

Glee (2009)
70%

#14

Synopsis: Musical comedy-drama about the misfits who make up a high-school singing club and teacher Will Schuester, the one-time glee-club star... [More]

Starring: Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Groban, Eve, Gregg Henry

Directed By: Paul McCrane, Paris Barclay, Michael Hitchcock, Dante di Loreto

Grey's Anatomy (2005)
84%

#13

Synopsis: Doctors at a Seattle teaching hospital hone their bedside manners on and off the job in this medical drama.... [More]

Starring: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Grinnell Morris, Moe Irvin, Josh Bywater

Directed By: Nicole Rubio, Julie Ann Robinson, Jeff Melman, Peter Horton

Black Mirror (2011)
83%

#12

Synopsis: Black Mirror is an anthology series that taps into our collective unease with the modern world, with each stand-alone episode... [More]

Starring: Rasmus Hardiker, Andrea Riseborough, Anthony Mackie, Natalia Tena

Directed By: David Slade, James Watkins, Joe Wright, Jodie Foster

The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
88%

#11

Synopsis: Adapted from the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of... [More]

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes

Directed By: Reed Morano, Floria Sigismondi, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Kari Skogland

Parks and Recreation (2009)
93%

#10

Synopsis: A mockumentary following the inner workings of the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Ind. From the creators of... [More]

Starring: Kristen Bell, Tatiana Maslany, Amy Poehler, Sam Elliott

Directed By: Julie Ann Robinson, Alan Yang, Morgan Sackett, Adam Scott

Modern Family (2009)
85%

Synopsis: A mockumentary-style sitcom chronicling the unusual kinship of the extended Pritchett clan, a brood that includes patriarch Jay; his younger... [More]

Starring: Ed O'Neill, Amy Yasbeck, Diane Farr, Julie Bowen

Directed By: Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Levitan, James R. Bagdonas, Jeff Melman

This Is Us (2016)
93%

Synopsis: The Pearson family's generational story unfolds in this emotional drama. In moments of joy and heartbreak, revelations emerge from parents... [More]

Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley

Directed By: Dan Fogelman, Sarah Pia Anderson, John Requa, Uta Briesewitz