The Sopranos

The Sopranos invented prestige television, boasting a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano remains the most complex antihero in TV history, and David Chase's operatic meditation on American crime and family values set the template for everything that followed. With 21 Emmy wins, it is cheaper than the typical rival in terms of production cost per episode, yet richer in character development than #4 The White Lotus. Its 86-episode run redefined the medium, blending mafia violence with psychoanalysis in a way that still resonates.