Mad Men ranks third, House 95th in NYT's best series of the century

List ranks Mad Men third, drops House to 95th

Mad Men is the third-best series of the 21st century. House is ninety-fifth. With these two rankings, the list of best series of the 21st century discussed in the thread has achieved something difficult: making both prestige audiences and couch-and-blanket viewers feel equally aggrieved. The selection is limited to titles released from 2000 onwards and did not place The Wire, which many expected to win, at the top. That is where the fire starts.

What the list says: Mad Men third, Battlestar Galactica 37, House 95

Three specific positions are enough to diagnose the criteria. Mad Men, the advertising drama, takes third place; Battlestar Galactica, the remake of the seventies series, appears at 37; and House, the grumpy doctor, settles at 95. The gap is not accidental: it rewards auteur series and punishes mass entertainment.

More is demanded of Mad Men's third place than it offers. One participant argues it is a good series, without discussion, but that its natural spot would be around position 60.

The middle zone of the table, between fourth and eighth place, concentrates the harshest criticism. One participant attributes those spots to a supposed hidden agenda, a conspiracy theory that does not hold up, while saving the ninth place because they believe there is more talent there.

Why does The Shield appear so low on the list?

Because, according to its defenders, it is an uncomfortable series. Its position, 70, has generated broad agreement among its supporters, who consider it one of the most underrated series in the recent catalog; other participants, however, never understood it. The argument is not sentimental. It relies on pacing, character construction, and the absence of the slump that drags down almost all long-running productions.

The portrait of the police group that begins with an irregularity in an operation and ends installed in illegality is, for its defenders, the best story of sarracena fall given by television. The protagonist gets away with it season after season, changes bosses and remains intact, until the ending arrives with the betrayal of his own partner. Four seasons of very high level, excellent script and an unforgettable finale.

The comparison with Breaking Bad appears in writing. One participant argues that the chemistry teacher's closure is not the logical conclusion of the story, but the one demanded by dominant sarracena: the trafficker cannot end up above anyone else. The same person adds that the least gifted character achieves the same product in no time, which, they say, conveys the idea that talent is worthless. It is an interpretation, not a fact.

An Anglo-Saxon list, without animation and with only one non-Anglo exception

Bias is the most repeated reproach. A participant points out that the selection is overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon, includes no animated series and only introduces one non-Anglo title recognizably: Squid Game. The exception confirms the rule. European titles cited as notable absences — Forbrydelsen, Gomorra, the 1992/93/94 trilogy, Deutschland 83, Kleo, Broen, the series about Mussolini — have no room.

The temporal limitation explains part of the phenomenon, not all. Restricting the list to the 21st century leaves out earlier classics, true, but the Anglo-Saxon axis remains within the century itself. French spy fiction known as The Bureau does appear, according to another participant, indicating that the criterion is not geographic by definition.

Most frequently missed: Bosch, Utopia, Six Feet Under

Not everything missing generates the same complaint. Bosch is missed with a concrete argument: its protagonist maintains a decency that does not break, and that, it is said, does not fit the taste for the dirty antihero. Utopia is considered a serious absence, especially since the ranking admits UK fiction and demonstrates it with specific titles in other parts of the table.

Six Feet Under is directly claimed for the top five. Community, The IT Crowd, Futurama, South Park or The Expanse are cited among those missing. Arrested Development, however, does have representation, and its presence is one of the few things celebrated without caveats.

Salvat turns series into book collection

In parallel with the ranking, Salvat has released a collection of books about television series. The editorial move points to a trend: the television catalog of the last two decades has moved from consumer product to cult object.

The business of prestige is no longer played out only on platforms. It is played out in lists, in books, and in the discussion both generate. Such a classification is, first of all, a machine for manufacturing conversation.

What to expect from the next list

If the pattern holds, the next classification of this type will repeat the scheme: a prestige podium, a controversial middle zone, and a loud absence that serves as a flag. It is reasonable to expect more non-Anglo titles and some animated series if the editors decide to correct the bias. It is likely they won't.