Best TV Shows of 2010
The 40 most popular TV shows that premiered in 2010, most watched first, with a vote floor so obscure titles do not crowd out the ones people remember.
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40 titles · updated 2nd October 2026
1.Hawaii Five-0(2010)
7.7CrimeDramaAction & Adventure
Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.
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2.Blue Bloods(2010)
7.8CrimeDrama
A drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his…
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3.Regular Show(2010)
8.6AnimationComedyAction & Adventure
The surreal misadventures of two best friends - a blue jay and a raccoon - as they seek to liven up their mundane jobs as groundskeepers at the local park.
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4.The Walking Dead(2010)
8.1Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.
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5.Adventure Time(2010)
8.5AnimationComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Young Finn and his shape-shifting dog buddy, Jake, go on a series of surreal adventures as they journey through the postapocalyptic Land of Ooo.
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6.Rizzoli & Isles(2010)
7.9CrimeDramaMystery
Perhaps their strikingly different personalities make the relationship between detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles so effective. Jane, the only female cop in Boston's homicide division, is tough, relentless and rarely lets her guard down, while the impeccably dressed Maura displays a sometimes icy…
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7.Young Justice(2010)
8.4AnimationSci-Fi & FantasyAction & Adventure
Teenage superheroes strive to prove themselves as members of the Justice League.
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8.Pretty Little Liars(2010)
8.0DramaMystery
Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who…
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9.Spartacus(2010)
8.0Drama
Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are primetime entertainment.
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10.My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic(2010)
8.2AnimationComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Journey to the enchanted land of Equestria, where unicorn Twilight Sparkle and her pals have adventures and learn valuable lessons about friendship.
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11.Parenthood(2010)
7.5Drama
The trials and tribulations of the very large, colorful and imperfect Braverman family.
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12.Hot in Cleveland(2010)
7.2Comedy
Three fabulous, eccentric, LA best friends of a certain age have their lives changed forever when their plane unexpectedly lands in Cleveland and they soon rediscover themselves in this new "promised land."
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13.Downton Abbey(2010)
8.1Drama
A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.
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14.Justified(2010)
8.0CrimeDrama
A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.
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15.The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes(2010)
8.2Action & AdventureAnimationSci-Fi & Fantasy
The most powerful villains on the planet escape from prison. However, none of the superheroes can stop them without help, not even S.H.I.E.L.D. The Avengers then join forces to fight evil, and discover that as a group they are stronger.
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16.Octonauts(2010)
7.0AnimationKidsAction & Adventure
Follows an underwater exploring crew made up of stylized anthropomorphic animals, a team of eight adventurers who live in an undersea base, the Octopod, from where they go on undersea adventures with the help of a fleet of aquatic vehicles.
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17.Boardwalk Empire(2010)
8.0CrimeDrama
Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition is a place where the rules don't apply. And the man who runs things -- legally and otherwise -- is the town's treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, who is equal parts politician and gangster.
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18.Ancient Aliens(2010)
7.1DocumentaryMysterySci-Fi & Fantasy
Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago? From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US, each episode gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded…
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19.Sherlock(2010)
8.5CrimeDramaMystery
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
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20.Rookie Blue(2010)
7.7DramaCrime
Ambitious young cops try to prove themselves in their high-stakes careers, in which the smallest mistake can have deadly consequences. At the core of the close-knit group is perfectionist Andy McNally, whose father was a homicide detective before he burned out on the job. The series follows Andy and her four…
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21.Lost Girl(2010)
7.7Sci-Fi & FantasyDrama
The gorgeous and charismatic Bo is a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious…
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22.Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated(2010)
8.2AnimationMysteryFamily
This incarnation of the popular cartoon series finds Scooby and the gang living in Crystal Cove, a small town with a long history of ghost sightings, monster tales and other mysteries ripe for the sleuths to solve once and for all. But the longstanding Crystal Cove residents, who bank on the town's reputation to…
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23.Raising Hope(2010)
7.5ComedyFamily
James "Jimmy" Chance is a clueless 24-year-old who impregnates a serial killer during a one-night-stand. Earning custody of his daughter after the mother is sentenced to death, Jimmy relies on his oddball but well-intentioned family for support in raising the child.
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24.Haven(2010)
7.5DramaSci-Fi & FantasyMystery
FBI agent Audrey Parker arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve a murder and soon discovers the town's many secrets—which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past.
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25.Good Luck Charlie(2010)
7.9ComedyFamilyKids
The Duncans a European-American family in Colorado is adjusting to the surprise birth of their fourth child, Charlie. When parents Amy and Bob return to work they put their latest addition in the care of her three older siblings, PJ, Teddy, and Gabe. Teens PJ and Teddy and tween brother Gabe are typical kids -- that…
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26.Fish Hooks(2010)
6.5AnimationComedyKids
This inventive animated comedy series, set inside a giant fish tank in Bud's Pet Shop, presents high school life as seen through the eyes of three BFFs (best fish friends), Bea, Milo and Oscar. Together they experience the typical life challenges and triumphs, including friendship, dating and sports, along with more…
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27.Mike & Molly(2010)
6.7ComedyDrama
A comedy about a working class Chicago couple who find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.
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28.Ben 10: Ultimate Alien(2010)
8.2AnimationAction & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
With his secret identity now revealed to the world, Ben Tennyson continues to fight evil as a superhero with the help of the newly acquired Ultimatrix.
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29.Victorious(2010)
8.2ComedyKids
Aspiring singer Tori Vega navigates life while attending a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts.
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30.Nikita(2010)
7.3DramaAction & Adventure
Nikita will stop at nothing to expose and destroy Division, the secret U.S. agency who trained her as a spy and assassin.
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31.R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour(2010)
8.2FamilyDrama
R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour is a Canadian/American original anthology horror-fantasy series, with episodes each half an hour long. The series is based on The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It Movie, and the books The Haunting Hour and Nightmare Hour anthology by R. L. Stine.
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32.Transformers: Prime(2010)
8.1Action & AdventureAnimationKids
Roll out with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, Ratchet, Bulkhead, and the rest of the heroic Autobots as they battle the evil Decepticons. Now that big bad Megatron has returned with a mysterious and dangerous element, Team Prime must prepare for an epic battle.
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33.Shake It Up(2010)
7.5FamilyKidsComedy
Best pals CeCe and Rocky dream of dancing stardom. And they seem on the verge of realizing that goal when they win places as backup dancers on the local TV show "Shake It Up, Chicago." While they get to show off their moves, they find out they need to keep putting their best feet forward to keep up with the rest of…
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34.Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil(2010)
8.2AnimationAction & AdventureComedy
Clarence Buttowski, a young boy, aspires to become the world's greatest daredevil, as he gets help from Gunther, his loyal friend and partner-in-crime.
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35.The Glades(2010)
7.0CrimeDramaAction & Adventure
This crime series follows Jim, a Chicago cop who gets kicked off the force after being shot and wrongfully accused by his ex-captain of having an affair with his wife. After receiving his payout, Jim decides to moves to a small Florida town to join the state police.
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36.Luther(2010)
7.9CrimeDramaMystery
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
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37.Republic of Doyle(2010)
7.0ComedyDrama
Jake Doyle and his ex-cop father, Malachy, run a Newfoundland detective agency. Their rugged seaside town never lacks for intriguing cases, and the Doyles don't always land on the right side of the law.
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38.Strike Back(2010)
7.4DramaAction & Adventure
The series follows John Porter, a former British Special Forces soldier, who is drafted back into service by Section 20, a fictional branch of the Secret Intelligence Service.
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39.Covert Affairs(2010)
6.9Action & AdventureDrama
A young CIA operative, Annie Walker, is mysteriously summoned to headquarters for duty as a field operative. While Annie believes she's been promoted for her exceptional linguistic skills, there may be something or someone from her past that her CIA bosses are really after. Auggie Anderson is a CIA military…
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40.Law & Order: LA(2010)
6.8CrimeDrama
From the tony Beverly Hills to the seedy side of Hollywood, LAPD’s elite Robbery Homicide Division is on the case. Fusing classic ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling with the backdrop of LA, the series delves into the high profile crimes of the west coast.
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