What a decade to escape
There was a point, some time in about 2014, when I thought TV was as good as it was ever going to get. But after Netflix arrived, streaming giants have been one upping each other ever since. It really has been the decade of the peakest of Peak TV. It’s snatched cinema’s creative mantle, and I can’t see it ever giving it back.
That change in prominence has certainly been reflected in my (totally guesstimated) personal numbers: I probably spent about 2000 hours of the past decade at the movies, but at least 15,000 watching TV.
(Yes, I used a calculator.)
And you know what? It was damned fine escapism, because that’s what TV is, right? A little hole to launch yourself through any time the real world gets too much.
That’s my criteria for this top 10 list, not ‘‘quality’’, not coolness, just the best escape shows of the 2010s:
BoJack Horseman
I’ve written so many times about how strangely uplifting and life-affirming this Netflix show is. There’s not much more to say, except I’m glad we live in a world where an ‘‘OK, so there’s this failed 90s TV star. He’s on the run from his past and his problems, he drinks a lot . . . oh yeah, and he’s a horse’’ concept can get made.
Game of Thrones
This was where we went to lose ourselves in political intrigue less chilling, murderous, convoluted and terrifying than the stuff happening in the real world, and it worked. The biggest TV event of the decade hands down. I still feel bereft without it.
Review with Forrest MacNeil
One of the decade’s most underrated comedies, this is the perfect intersection of prank-culture and sitcoms. A middle-aged man (Andy Daly) earnestly ruins his life for the sake of his pointless job and our entertainment.
Parks and Recreation
Imagine a world in which every politician and civil servant was as hard-working, dedicated, compassionate and driven as Amy Poehler’s delightful Leslie Knope. That’s what I did every time I watched this warm-hearted joy of a show.
After Life
What could be more cathartic and uplifting than watching a bitter jackass (Ricky Gervais) finally realise and accept he is loved and capable of love? Almost nothing.
Escape to the Chateau
The Strawbridges are living the dream in a castle in France. They saved their house from ruin, and turned it into a beautiful family home and a thriving business. And they did it with love, good humour and hard work. Also, ‘‘escape’’ is right there in the title.
Fleabag
Not only did this show have us swooning over a man of the cloth, but as Fleabag left us with a shake of her head at that London bus stop, we were left yearning for one more hour.
Adventure Time
The thing about Adventure Time is that it’s silly, strange and, yes, for children. But then you notice the little things and you realise there’s a lot more going on in the land of Ooo than childish nonsense. It’s actually a music-infused reverie on the transient nature of all things.
The Great British Bake Off
Bake Off is kind, supportive and peopled with real talents and skills. It’s a breath of warm, sugary, vanilla-scented air.
Atlanta
The great thing about Atlanta is that you never know when it’s going to get really weird. Creator and star Donald Glover’s left-field brand of dramedy might not be for everyone, but trying to figure out what the hell was going on worked wonders for me.
Honourable mentions
Downton Abbey – gently mocking posh people since 2010; Doctor Who – the first female Doctor; Sense8 – the perfect metaphor for finding your people in the digital age; Stranger Things – the 1980s never looked so cool; The Crown – the show that made us care about the royal family again; Veep – if you don’t laugh about politics, you’ll cry; Rick and Morty – gross, irreverent, philosophically dubious, problematic, and did I mention gross . . . what’s not to love?; and The Goldbergs – more heart-warming 80s nostalgia.