Western dramas have made its way across the world, reaching more audience and establishing a wider fan base while influencing the lifestyle of many of its viewers. These shows have also become more diverse, ranging from the classic situation comedy shows, or sitcom, to crime series, political dramas, novel adaptations and even biopics.
The accessibility that the Internet provides in choosing the genre of movies or TV shows to watch has transformed Chinese audience from mere spectators to amateur reviewers. Through social media and other film and TV content sources, Chinese people can interactively share perceptions and solicit insights from other viewers all around the world.
Usually airing on a weekly basis and consisting of several seasons, Western TV series run for several years. This makes them a constant companion for most Chinese viewers who create an unlikely attachment to the story and the characters. During the span of these shows, character transformations can be seen not only inside TV/computer screens, but also from the viewers' lifestyle.
Internet Movie Database (IMDb), a popular source of movie, TV and celebrity content has a Chinese version called Douban Movie. The website works similarly as its English counterpart, where registered users can post contents, rate any film on a scale of zero to 10, and leave reviews for other users, much like a social networking site. Commoners and renowned media personalities and critics alike have registered their personal pages on the site.
This rating system reflects what TV shows have struck a chord with the hearts and minds of its Chinese audience. With this, let's have a rundown of the top ten highest rated U.S. and U.K. television shows according to Douban Movie.
10. DOWNTON ABBEY: 8.8
Set in early 20th century England, "Downton Abbey" is a fictional Yorkshire country estate where the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants are depicted.
The show aired its first episode in the U.K. on Sept. 26, 2010.
9. HOUSE OF CARDS: 8.9
A Netflix Original series about American politics, "House of Cards" is an Americanized recreation of a British drama of the same title. It entails the lives of an American politician, who, together with his equally cunning and vicious wife, take on Washington and the entire United States as they try to seize power all for themselves.
The show premiered on Feb. 1, 2013 and is slated for its fifth season in 2017.
8. BREAKING BAD: 9.1
A tale of an underachieving chemist turned meth manufacturer and dealer, "Breaking Bad" tells the story of Walter White. Walt is a high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. Determined to leave behind his family with a secure future before he succumbs to the fatal illness, he teams up with his former student, Jesse Pinkman to embark on a career of drugs and crime. The show tracks the transformation of regular, hardworking man who has nothing left to lose but his family with their bleak, uncertain future.
"Breaking Bad" aired its pilot episode on Jan. 20, 2008 and its finale on Sept. 29, 2013.
5. BLACK MIRROR: 9.2 (tie)
A dark themed British television anthology series, "Black Mirror" puts into light the dark side of humanity and technology. It examines the ways of modern society by putting into play the unprecedented consequences of recent and future technological advances.
The show first aired on Dec. 4, 2011.
5. NARCOS: 9.2. (tie)
Another drug and crime-related TV drama, "Narcos'" pilot episode aired as a Netflix Original on Aug. 28, 2015. The show tells the story of the infamous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar, from his own point of view and through the lens of a DEA agent sent to Colombia with the ultimate goal of killing him.
5. SHERLOCK: 9.2 (tie)
"Sherlock" is a three-episodes-per-season drama which tells the adventures of the British sleuth using modernized plots of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original detective stories. It shows how 19th to 20th century British crime stories translate to their modern day version.
"Sherlock's" latest installment aired on Jan. 1 2016, a special episode which came more than five years after its pilot episode on Oct. 24, 2010. The TV show is set to come back in 2017.
2. BETTER CALL SAUL: 9.3 (tie)
"Better Call Saul" is a spin-off of AMC Network's "Breaking Bad." A crime drama series set six years before James Morgan, or later known in "Breaking Bad" as Saul Goodman, stepped on to the big stage, Better Call Saul tracks the story of a small-time lawyer prior to his huge, but often shady legal outings.
The show premiered on Feb. 8, 2015, less than two years after "Breaking Bad" aired its finale.
2. SILK: 9.3 (tie)
"Silk" is a six-part BBC series which shows how life at the Bar goes. This courtroom drama follows the personal and professional lives of a group of barristers and entails what it means to be appointed to the Queen's Counsel.
"Silk" aired between Feb. 22, 2011 and March 31, 2014.
2. SHAMELESS: 9.3 (tie)
Another American recreation of a British television show of the same name, "Shameless" is about an alcoholic man living with his six children as they struggle to keep up with their bizarre, dysfunctional lives.
This comedy drama aired on Showtime on Jan. 9, 2011.
1. GAME OF THRONES: 9.4
"Game of Thrones" is a TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin's series of fantasy novels.
Set in the mythical land of Westeros, several powerful families fight their way to the top of the hierarchical ladder. Their road to power is paved with casualties, betrayal, love, greed and corruption.
This HBO series premiered in the U.S. on April 17, 2011. It is commissioned for a seventh season in 2017.
