Otherwise known as the Era of “Prestige Television” or “Peak TV”, can the Golden Age have a definitive beginning and a definitive end? Has is ended? Was it really so “Golden” anyway? A billion articles and a quintillion words can be written on the subject.

However, in answer to all four questions, my reply is yes. It began with The Sopranos in 1999 and ended with Chernobyl in 2019, a nice, neat, easily definable two-decade timespan. And to further provoke debate/enrage anyone reading this, here are the ten shows which defined it:

Yes, yes, arguments can be made for shows that began before The Sopranos (ER, The X-Files, Oz) and ones that ended after Chernobyl (Better Call Saul, Barry, Succession). Should other series be included here? I don’t know, make your own lists! The harder questions to answer are why (if it has) did this era come to an end (Content becoming more vital than quality to retain viewership in an ever-increasingly cut-throat streaming landscape) and why pretty much all of them were about, or primarily focussed upon, truly awful, terrible men (Ask a socialologist).

Anyway, enjoy your Monday and be kind to yourselves, everyone.