Great Television of the 2010s Online Trivia | TV By Year

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. AMC broke new ground when it launched "Breaking Bad," starring Bryan Cranston, a new type of anti-hero who turned from being a generally good guy to a very bad one. He gained power in what kind of business?

Answer: Illegal drugs

Walter White was a mild-mannered chemistry teacher when, in desperation, he turned to making crystal meth, never expecting to become intricately involved in the drug business for very long. He ended up being good at what he did and enjoyed the power. "Breaking Bad" ran on AMC for 2008-2013 and the three main leads, Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Anna Gunn, each won at least one Emmy.

2. In 2013, FX premiered a show about a married couple living in 1980s America who lived a secret life as spies for the Soviet Union. Can you name this critically-acclaimed show starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys?

Answer: The Americans

"The Americans" was about what looked from the outside a typical American family: Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, owners of a travel agency, and their two children, Paige and Henry, living in Washington, DC. Only Philip and Elizabeth were really Mikhail and Nadezhda and they did whatever their handlers required them to do to gather information in the U.S. and protect the U.S.S.R., without alerting anyone, including their career F.B.I neighbor, what they were up to.

The creator of the show, Joe Weinberg, worked briefly at the CIA before moving into teaching and then writing.

3. The NBC comedy "Parks and Recreation" portrayed a perky, highly-earnest parks and rec official named Leslie Knope and her less-excited coworkers. It starred an alum from "Saturday Night Live" seasons 2001-2008. Can you name this talented blonde comic?

Answer: Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler starred as Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation," which had a mockumentary shooting style. It was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions, which was also responsible for the U.S. version of "The Office" (NBC, 2005-2013). "Parks and Rec" ended its seven-season run in 2015. Poehler won her first Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Leslie Knope in 2014; she was actually co-hosting the Golden Globes award show with Tina Fey when she won.

4. Starting in 2007, a new show from AMC burst onto our screens with its vivid portrayal of an advertising executive's complex life in the 1950s and 1960s. What was the name of this show, which ended in 2015?

Answer: Mad Men

"Mad Men" starred Jon Hamm as the advertising executive Don Draper; he was encircled with strong portrayals by Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, and John Slattery as, Don's secretary, office manager, first wife, and boss, respectively.

The show and its cast and crew won over 40 major television awards and has been praised as one of the best programs in television history.

5. A period drama set in the early 20th century lit up screens starting on ITV in 2010 and ending in 2015. Can you name this program, which starred Maggie Smith as Dowager Countess of Grantham as the Crawley family matriarch?

Answer: Downton Abbey

"Downtown Abbey" ran six seasons about the aristocratic Crawley and their domestic servants on a Yorkshire estate called Downtown Abbey. One of its themes was the impact of real historical events on the people of the estate, including the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, the influenza epidemic, and Irish-Anglo tensions.

In 2011, Guinness World Records cited "Downtown Abbey" as the most critically-acclaimed English-speaking television series of the year.

6. The U.S. version of "House of Cards" starred Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as a power-hungry couple in a particular field. What field was that?

Answer: U.S. politics

The U.S. version of Netflix's "House of Cards" was set in and around the White House and portrayed the machinations and corruption of Francis and Claire Underwood, while they held and struggled to keep the positions of President and Vice-President. It won three Emmys in its first season alone.

7. Michael C. Hall starred as a serial killer with a twist -- he would only kill other killers. Can you name this show, which ran on Showtime from 2006-2013?

Answer: Dexter

"Dexter" broke new records with its popular ratings on Showtime, and its grisly premise did not seem to hurt its performance at the award shows. It won four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among many others. Michael C. Hall was nominated for over 27 awards.

Dexter is also a breed of small Irish cattle.

8. Louis C.K. paid his dues for several decades as a working stand-up comedian before he created his own FX show based loosely on his own life in 2010. What did he title his show?

Answer: Louie

In "Louie," C.K. stars as a fictional version of himself, a divorced father of two daughters living in New York City and a full-time comedian. He had an irreverent approach to the show, introducing surprise elements not explaining them, such as a brother who appears in one episode and is never heard from again, or a quick scene in which Louie sees a homeless man kidnapped off the street by suited agents and replaced with another homeless man.

The approach was a hit with the awards shows and the critics, having earned over 20 Primetime Emmy nominations, two Golden Globes, and Four Writers Guild of America Awards, among others.

9. In 1998, Smith College graduate Piper Kerman went to jail for money-laundering; she wrote a book while incarcerated, and in 2010 Netflix premiered a program produced by Jenji Kohan based on Piper's experiences. The name of the book and the show is "Orange is the New _____." What goes in the blank?

Answer: Black

The pilot of "Orange is the New Black" followed the experiences of Piper, a carefree woman living in New York who was suddenly arrested for drug-related crimes she committed ten years earlier. Piper was sent to a women's correctional facility in upstate New York and viewers and then introduced to a wide variety of characters serving time in jail or working there.

In its premier season alone, "Orange is the New Black" received 12 Emmy Award nominations.

10. Fans of "Breaking Bad" were likely thrilled when AMC premiered a spin-off of that show called "Better Call Saul" in 2015. Saul had been a recurring character on "Breaking Bad." What was that character?

Answer: Crooked attorney

Saul Goodman was Walter White's crooked money-laundering lawyer on "Breaking Bad." "Better Call Saul" is set before events in "Breaking Bad," so it provides detailed back stories not just of Saul but of other characters from "Breaking Bad," including Hector and Tuco Salamanca, Gus Fring, and Lydia Rodarte-Quayle. "Better Call Saul" was nominated for eight Emmy Awards for its first season alone.

Source: Author PootyPootwell

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Gamemaster1967 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Great Television of the 2010s Trivia Quiz

Critics have called the 2010s the new golden era of television. What do you know of these critically acclaimed shows which ran at least partially in the 2010s?

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