‘Downton Abbey is ludicrous’: the biggest TV hits we’ve never seen – until now

Continuing our series on a year of bumper pandemic viewing, our critics finally watch the shows that had passed them by, from Downton to Twin Peaks

As with my experience of so many modern cultural touchstones, I first came to 24 via a Simpsons parody. Being only seven years old in 2001, when the 24-episode “real time” thriller first aired, my knowledge of Kiefer Sutherland’s exhausting counter-terror mission to stop the assassination of a presidential hopeful came from a 2007 Simpsons episode starring Lisa and Bart in a split-screen chase to hold off the detonation of a powerful stink bomb at Springfield Elementary.

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The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century

Where’s Mad Men? How did The Sopranos do? Does The Crown triumph? Can anyone remember Lost? And will Downton Abbey even figure? Find out here – and have your say

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Emmys: The Show That Had Everything

THR's awards columnist applauds a terrific host, a funny and brisk show and a group of winners more worthy and diverse than pundits imagined possible. For the second year in a row, TV's biggest night had a terrific host ; wrapped up earlier than advertised; featured a remarkably diverse set of nominees; and, in the end, produced a group of winners better than any pundit, including this one, ever imagined possible.