If you've ever felt left out at a party when conversation inevitably turns to "this show you absolutely need to watch"— well, you've come to the right place.
Business Insider has rounded up the 20 most noteworthy shows of the last 15 years — the best of this bright generation in TV. They range from the most elite shows of the period, like "Six Feet Under" and "Mad Men," to shows that have become part of the pop-culture lexicon, like "Firefly" and "30 Rock."
And before you leave irate comments about snubs for "The Sopranos" or "The Walking Dead," allow us to explain our criteria for the list: We only looked at shows that premiered between 2001 ("Sopranos" debuted a couple years earlier) and 2015, and we only looked at shows that have concluded their runs (we're still waiting to see where these "Dead" shows go). If a show hasn't been officially canceled, like HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," then it was also not included.
Here are the shows everyone should watch from the last 15 years:
SEE ALSO: The amount of TV shows in 2015 have reached a 'staggering' number
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"Six Feet Under" (2001)
Before "True Blood" and "Banshee," producer Alan Ball took a sledgehammer to America's ideals with "Six Feet Under." It followed a dysfunctional California family that lives in and runs a funeral home.
The show would take us to unbelievably low places, with just an inkling of humor. And it introduced us to actors who would go on to other notable roles. Michael C. Hall went on to "Dexter." Peter Krause moved over to "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Parenthood. And Frances Conroy is currently staring on Hulu's "Casual."
"24" (2001)
Concept drama "24" starred Kiefer Sutherland as a federal agent tasked with stopping an assassination plot against the president. With strong writing and acting, the series became a huge hit, and later a cult show.
Each season took place over the span of 24 hours, which was a plot trick films and other TV shows would use and expand on. And while today we see many movie actors doing TV, Sutherland did so before it was popular.
"Alias" (2001)
Bradley Cooper has moved to leading-man status on the big screen, but just nine years ago, he played clueless best friend and possible love interest to Jennifer Garner's impossibly badass spy Sydney Bristow.
This series took the spy drama to whole new places, with a mix of mythology and science fiction thrown in. Plus, who can resist Jennifer Garner's head-to-toe undercover transformations?
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