TV showshave always had a huge impact on meme culture, but the last ten years have been particularly potent when it comes to generating meme-worthy imagery. Themost memed TV showshave had a chokehold on pop culture for a long time, with an additional layer of internet humor keeping them eternally relevant as the seasons go on. The last decade has introduced some potent new contenders in this arena, generating hordes of memes in record time.
Historically, meme-worthy TV shows tend to be dominated by comedies andlong-running animated series, which enjoy an increased number of memes due to raw longevity. That being said, potent dramas can also make for even greater humorous content when their moments of gravitas are taken out of context. Shows likeFamily Guy,It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,andThe Eric Andre Showhave dominated meme culture for years now, but the last ten years have unearthed some true competition.
2021
Image via Max
The White Lotusis quite the newcomer in the digital age of streaming, but it’s already put up some solid numbers in the internet culture game. The anthology show centers on the employees and guests of the elite White Lotus resorts, weaving together multiple comedic and dramatic tales of dysfunction, trauma, privilege, and heartache. Originally intended only as a 6-part limited series, the show’s popularity caused it to be renewed, ditching most of the established characters for a new exotic location each successive season.
Equal parts drama and comedy,The White Lotusis a rich, potent soil for new memes to grow from. Jennifer Coolidge’s hilarious repeat performance has given birth to all manner of gut-busting memes, and the repeated calls to action to send various characters and actors from other series to the White Lotus is a great running gag.The White Lotusis only in its meme infancy, but still shows great potential yet to come.
9Vice Principals
2016
Another comedy series with a strangely enduring comedic presence online despite its relative obscurity,Vice Principalsdeserves more credit. As the name implies,Vice Principalscenters on a pair of vice principals at a school who are passed over in favor of an outside actor for principal when their boss retires, causing them to scheme up some plans to ruin their replacement’s reputation. Despite only having two seasons with a complete arc,Vice Principalscontinues to generate some incredibly creative memes.
Most of the memeable content in the show comes from Danny McBride’s great starring role opposite one ofWalton Goggins' best TV charactersto-date. One particularly great sequence involving Goggins' character features him coming face-to-face with a hallucinatory demon before pursing his lips and turning away like nothing happened. It’s hard for a series to generate so many cutting-edge memes with such a small episode count.
8The Muppets
2015
The Muppets, as a concept, have been around since the 70s in various forms, be they acting out their puppet-based shenanigans in a movie adaptation of a classic book or the set of a variety show. Because of their pop culture dominance, plenty of memes featuring Kermit the Frog and his ilk have taken the internet by storm, from Kermit sipping lipton tea to morosely falling off of the roof of a building. But the 2015The Muppetsshow did a lot to re-invigorate Jim Henson’s creatures in the modern pop culture eye.
The series worked as a mockumentary that supposed The Muppets worked on their very own late night show, engaging in their usual antics while also mingling with real celebrities and maintaining their personal lives. This led to the meme resurgence of many Muppets, especially Pepe the King Prawn, a new fan favorite. It’s a shame the show only lasted a single seasons before being cruelly canceled.
7Stranger Things
Few shows of the streaming age have become a pop culture sensation as potent asStranger Things.Set in a small town in Indiana in the 80s,Stranger Thingstells the story of a devious government conspiracy regarding an alternate dimension and a mysterious girl with telekinetic powers, exploring how the bizarre fallout of the two affect the population. Establishing many new stars in Hollywood while also bathing audiences in 80s nostalgia, it’s easy to see whyStranger Thingshas become so popular.
Eachsuccessive season ofStranger Thingsseems to produce better and better memes. Seasons 1 through 3 had some great winners, like Robin’s “You rock/You suck” board, but season 4 is where the show has truly hit its meme stride. From Billy ominously stepping out of his muscle car to Max levitating while listening toRunning Up That Hill (A Deal With God)by Kate Bush, the series has truly reached a tipping point in terms of memeability.
6Better Call Saul
The hotly-anticipated follow-up to Vince Gilligan’s iconic early 2000s crime dramaBreaking Bad, Better Call Saulhad as big of shoes to fill as any spin-off show. Yet the prequel series managed to not only fulfill the high expectations of the previous show, but surpass them, arguably generating even better storylines thanBreaking Badever did. The series examines the life of crooked lawyer Saul Goodman, his humble beginnings as Jimmy McGill, and how he fared after the dissolution of Walter White’s drug empire.
Breaking Badremains a meme powerhouse to this day, butBetter Call Saulhas managed to keep up. With decidedly more comedy than its predecessor,Better Call Saulhas even more comedic threads to pull on for online joking. From Mike becoming known as the “kid named finger” to the famous “Chicanery” speech to Lalo Salamanca asking “What’s he up to, man, what’s he doing?",Better Call Saulmore than managed to leave its own unique footprint online.
5The Good Place
Another phenomenal comedy out of the late 2010s,The Good Placehas become a beloved show for a good reason. The genius premise centers on scummy Arizona woman Eleanor Shellstrop, who dies after leading a selfish, unfulfilling life only to find herself in “The Good Place”, the show’s cosmological equivalent of heaven. Enlisting an ethics professor, Eleanor does what she can to avoid being found out while pondering her place in the afterlife.
Hammering its dedicated viewership with an equal measure of comedy and feelings,The Good Place’s inherently silly premise and larger-than-life characters lend it to some phenomenal memes. Everything that comes out of Jason’s mouth is essentially pure meme gold, and specific beats like Michael’s flippant dismissal of the existence of something called a “time knife” applies to some hilariously specific situations. Each ofThe Good Place’s charactershas at least one perfectly meme-worthy moment.
4The Boys
2019
Capitalizing on the flaring popularity of superheroes,The Boysis a rare example of a comic adaptation that completely outclasses its source material. Set in a gritty, more realistic world in which superpowers come from an experimental drug,The Boyssupposes that a Justice League-like team with a dazzling public image might harbor some dark secrets. The titular team of misfits organizes to take them down, doing so as a means of revenge and to secure the public’s safety.
Almost every costumed cast member ofThe Boyshas had a series of dedicated memes. The Deep’s marine life fixation, A-Train’s music video being remixed to The Rah Band’sMessages from the Stars,and everything Homelander does all make for delicious internet humor. With so many scenes that toe the line between absurdist humor and visceral gory melodrama, it’s no wonderThe Boyshas been such an internet sensation.
3Squid Game
The success ofSquid Gameproved that a great idea can transcend the language barrier, both in execution and in meme development. The intriguing series imagines an organization that forces down-on-their-luck individuals to play against one another in a series of life-or-death games for the sick amusement of wealthy elites. Despite the message of warning,Squid Gamehas been popular enough to inspire multiple real game shows that re-enact that same premise in real life, though obviously without the lethal consequences for failure.
Season 1 had already more than left its mark on the internet’s sense of humor, butseason 2 ofSquid Gamehas brought new gamesand new memes. Gi-hun’s difference in facial expression between the two iterations of the games has been a brilliant bit of fan-made observation, and his now-classic line “I’ve played these games before!” has now been inserted into all kinds of different contexts.Squid Gameshows no signs of stopping its meme generation as time goes on.
2Invincible
Another superhero show featuring an evil superman rip-off with more than a few noteworthy memes,Invinciblehas been a huge boon to social media circles everywhere. Adapting the comic of the same name,Invinciblefollows Mark Grayson, son of the powerful superhero Omni-Man, as he comes into his own after finally gaining his powers. As the first episode’s shocking post-credits sequence reveals, however, Omni-Man isn’t who he seems, and Mark must suffer like few other heroes have before as he comes of age.
Omni-Man in particular has become a virulent meme sensation, whether he’s screaming at his son to think, breaking it down, or flexing his impressive glutes for a split second before going back to a normal standing pose. Something about seeing such a serious character being used in humorous ways is simply too good not to capitalize on. Hopefully, the upcoming third season ofInvinciblecan bring just as many memes as the previous two.
1Smiling Friends
2022
Other shows might happen to excel in internet culture, butSmiling Friendsis one of the few series to be designed with it in mind. The brainchild of experienced internet animators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack,Smiling Friendscenters on a group of colorful critters who run a charity dedicated to helping people smile. Each episode presents the Smiling Friends with a new case to tackle, touching on pop culture, politics, and horror all wrapped up in an overarching message of positivity despite the often crass and disturbing humor.
Because of the tapped-in mindset of its creators, its no wonder that almost every line of dialogue inSmiling Friendsis a meme just waiting to happen. The show even features cameos from other prominent web creators like Chills and Doug Walker, only significant to those in the know, making the series a massive in-joke for chronically online viewers in and of itself. With wacky dialogue and upbeat hi-jinks to spare, fewTV showsare as ripe for plundering for memes asSmiling Friends.
