There are plenty of shows to spend time with. From seasons-long shows that will take months to finish, to short-binge miniseries that are perfect for a free evening on the couch. No matter what kind of show you enjoy,streaming, cable, or any of the other ways to watch shows in the modern era, there is something out there for you.
In this modern era of television, though, it helps to look back at the previous iterations ofTV shows, shows from years past, to see how they’ve altered the landscape of shows now. No matter the genres of shows you prefer, at least one show has changed the trajectory of how the genre functions. From space epics to gritty westerns, here are the shows that define their genres.
10Western - Little House On The Prairie
Home On The Range
Historically speaking, westerns are usually full of gun-slinging desperados and the lawmen who dare meet them at the stroke of noon. Shows like Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and even the modern Yellowstone take this in stride, but the show that altered the genre is none other than Little House On The Prairie.
Sure, the gut reaction is to ask “Where are the six-shooters? How can it be a Western without them?” And yes, Little House On The Prairie is rather calm in terms of violence. But that’s where the change comes in. Seeing a normal family, with children, on the western frontier has done great things for the western genre. Allowing those that came after it to focus on the more everyday issues of the people of the time period, instead of just shootouts and tumbleweed. Though those are still around plenty in the genre today.
9Horror - The Twilight Zone
A Dimension Not Only Of Sight And Sound
The horror genre seems to be on the rise in more recent years. While the focus has been more on movies, TV shows like American Horror Story, The Last of Us, and any of Mike Flanagan’s works have been reanimating the genre year after year. None of these shows would be what they are, though, without The Twilight Zone.
Rod Serling took his writing expertise to the small screen at the end of the 1950s with this anthology series. It wasn’t all monsters and aliens. Instead, the evil haunting the screen was most often ordinary people. This turn in what horror was, a focus on the societal anxieties of the people of the era, has paved the way for so many people paying homage, and even a soft reboot by Jordan Peele.
8Drama - The Sopranos
Gabagool
The drama genre is the bread and butter of many a night watching television. While the majority of shows claim to be dramas in some way, thanks to the mix of genres that they play well with, not every show nails down the idea of what a drama show should be. Shows like The Sopranos, though, do it with gusto.
When people talk about drama series, especially the best of the best of them, it’s only a matter of time before The Sopranos gets brought up. The action, the intrigue, and the suspense of the crime family and their issues all mix together into something you don’t see every day. Something that shows like Peaky Blinders, Dexter, and Deadwood have been trying to pin down for years since.
7Science-Fiction - Star Trek
Set Phasers To Stun
Science-fiction can be a hard genre to do right. There is easily at least one cheesy sci-fi TV show for every good one, although some would argue that the bad ones outweigh the good ones exponentially. There have been plenty of series that have brought new concepts to the genre,from Firefly to Black Mirror, but you have to go back a few decades to see how Star Trek completely rewrote the genre.
You could say any of these shows have boldly gone where no one has gone before in their respective genres, but only one show has that written into the lore itself. Star Trek was the go-to for science-fiction fans back in the 60s, and for many, it still is. It has jumped media platforms multiple times, hadmany spin-offs and iterations, and also paved the way for one-episode plot TV shows as well. Sure, it has its odd moments, but it’s all part of the fun.
6Mystery/Suspense - Lost
All Of Them Have A Secret
The mystery and suspense genres overlap heavily, as they have done since their beginning on the small screen. The various Criminal Minds and Law & Order series fall into this category, as do shows like 24 and even Breaking Bad. While it’s a diverse grouping, one show took the early 2000s by storm, and left everyone wondering just what exactly was happening in Lost?
A plane crash, a tropical island, and a ragtag bunch of folk who seemed like they had nothing in common. Lost took a traumatic experience for a group of survivors and made it a weekly release of mystery, intrigue, and oddities that people scheduled into their calendars. The smoke monster, the numbers, the time travel, and, of course, the ending; there are layers of plots on top of one another that works as a blueprint for shows since.
5Romance - Pride And Prejudice
A Person May Be Proud Without Being Vain
The romance genre is a mixed bag, to be sure. Heavy-hitters like Bridgerton keep people on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next kiss or steamy scene. While other shows, like Grey’s Anatomy, mix genres, and altogether divide fans with their plots. It takes a series with everything going for it to have changed the face of the genre, and Pride and Prejudice came out in full force.
A short-running limited series based on the work of the same name by Jane Austen, many fans consider this to be the ultimate version of her works in other media. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth were perfect casting, able to focus on the depth and emotion of the characters, something that elevates this brief series not only in romance but also in the genre of period pieces.
4Animated - The Simpsons
Ay Caramba
Animated series, both western and eastern, haven’t always been taken as seriously as their live-action siblings. In the past few years, though, a change has taken place, with more and more critics and audiences getting comfortable with animation as an art form and as entertainment. That can all be traced back to the pull that The Simpsons has had on the genre.
With a new episode every week of gags, shenanigans, and overall comedy, The Simpsons led to more and more audiences being comfortable with animation. Now, well over 30 years down the line, everyone will recognize the specific yellow-tone art style of The Simpsons' characters at a glance.
3Non-Fiction/Documentary - MythBusters
Myth = Busted
Non-fiction shows may not be everyone’s tea. From semi-scripted television, all the way to documentary series, it’s an odd assortment of shows. Few in the genre have had as much success over the years, though, as MythBusters did, even with the eventual fallout of the show’s costars.
Whether you watched every episode or you’ve never seen a single one, you can’t argue with the craze that MythBusters had in the early 2000s. A craze that led to shows like Pawn Stars, a resurgence in shows like Survivor, and even more educational series like Modern Marvels and How It’s Made had their heyday. The genre has taken a turn since then, but at their height, everyone wanted to be the next MythBusters.
2Comedy - MAS*H
War Is War And Hell Is Hell
Comedy series cover all different locales, time periods, and subjects. While they are a genre that often mixes with others to create interesting shows, that wasn’t always the case. Everyone has their favorite comedy, and that show probably has touched on some serious issues from time to time, something that MASH set in stone.
True, MASH was not the first comedy series to touch on important issues, but none did it as effectively, as totally, or as agelessly as they did. The concept of a comedy series set a few miles from the front lines of a war zone is an odd one, but MASH pulled it off, and with relative ease. Most of the jokes and lessons the show came with are still relevant today, which has led to shows like House, Always Sunny, and others to pull away from the average sitcom route and inject comedy into stressful scenarios.
1Fantasy - Game Of Thrones
With Fire And Blood
Fantasy TV series don’t come out all the time. True, in modern days, more modern shows like The Witcher and Outlander have made sure the fantasy genre isn’t going anywhere. But, it takes a special show to not only bring in new fans to the genre, but to make the fantasy diehards happy, and Game of Thrones did that in spades.
Definitely a more recent addition in terms of TV series on this list, Game of Thrones finally jumped media after a long run at the top fantasy book charts. While Winds of Winter is still somewhere in the future, fans of the books waited eagerly for the next installment of the GoT series. Fairly faithful to the original novels, HBO took the violence, drama, romance, and everything else to new heights.
Unfortunately, the last season arguably changed the fantasy landscape as equally as the best-rated seasons of the show, albeit as a stern reminder of how not to finish a long-running series.
