Since the 2000s, and even more so during the height of the streaming boom of the 2010s, television budgets have grown exponentially. As a result, TV shows have become much more ambitious. Admittedly, there were always action shows that were particularly impactful, thrillers that looked dynamic despite their budgets, and horror TV shows that were genuinely frightening. But, in the last two decades, the line between television and movie visuals has blurred considerably as TV shows embrace ambitious cinematography techniques.
While Game of Thrones was lauded for its cinematography in the show’s early seasons, the fantasy epic got a touch too ambitious for its own good in its later years. In particular, Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3, “The Long Night,” garnered a lot of criticism upon its release, thanks to its murky, ultra-dark visual palette. However, the first Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, more than addressed these complaints thanks to cinematographers Pepe Avila Del Pino and Catherine Goldschmidt. Shot with a clean, painterly style that calls to mind historical epics of the '50s and '60s, House of the Dragon’s cinematography is an undeniable triumph.
In the years since the original run of Twin Peaks, David Lynch's quirky murder mystery influenced everything from Riverdale to Gravity Falls. While this cemented the show’s status in television and pop culture history, it also did a disservice to the cinematic legacy of Twin Peaks, which was about more than just the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer. The 2017 continuation, Twin Peaks: The Return, rectified that with its trippy, often surreal visuals. Part 8, “Gotta Light?," featured some of the most impressive visual artistry ever seen on television. From the jaw-dropping atomic bomb detonation to the nightmarish latter half of the outing, it's one trip viewers will never forget.
The Leftovers was a supernatural drama that followed a group of survivors working out how to cope after 2 percent of the world’s population mysteriously disappeared. Mysterious, thematically dense, and often grim, The Leftovers gave viewers a visual reprieve with its stunning cinematography. For a series so obsessed with the afterlife, existentialism, and religion, it is fitting that the accomplished cinematography in The Leftovers made Earth feel like both heaven and hell across the show’s three seasons.
Donald Glover’s Atlanta is technically a dramedy about a struggling music manager attempting to make his way in the entertainment business via his rapper cousin. However, this summary doesn’t do justice to the show’s ambitious, immersive surrealism. While Atlanta took a long time to make, the series was worth the wait. From episodes that felt like nightmarish fever dreams to anthology outings that switched their visual style numerous times during a single episode, Atlanta consistently played with the limitations of television as a medium and created some unforgettable visuals in the process.
Yellowstone is a phenomenally popular Western series about the Dutton family, a brood of successful ranchers plagued by intergenerational feuds. What makes the series more than a Dallas re-imagining are its stunning vistas, which truly make the most of Utah and Montana’s beautiful natural scenery. Yellowstone’s craggy mountaintops, lush greenery, and tranquil nature are just some of the show’s primary selling points. Without a doubt, the cinematography of the series manages to do justice to the immense vastness and unique beauty of these locations.
While Westworld’s divisive ending left many cold to the series, the show’s visual style can’t be denied. Where Yellowstone’s vision of the Old West is immersive and warm, Westworld’s take on the setting is as cold and clinical as the show’s robotic hosts. Westworld turned original author Michael Crichton’s sleek theme park into a sterile environment, complicating viewers' perceptions of what was real or fabricated. Faces opened to reveal animatronic innards and stunning settings turned out to be part of the park’s fictional world. Thanks to Westworld’s cinematography, nothing was as it seemed.
While The Silence of the Lambs remains the only good movie in the Hannibal horror franchise, Lecter’s TV show is arguably an even stronger on-screen incarnation of the serial killer. Although the chemistry between Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen made Hannibal great, the show’s cinematography allowed the series to truly soar. While most shows prioritize stunning settings when it comes to visuals, Hannibal was more interested in getting up close and personal with the villain’s gruesome handiwork. A rare show that made murder look like art, Hannibal was an unsettling trip inside the mind of one of cinema's most fascinating characters.
Despite the psychedelic horror of Twin Peaks: The Return and the gory artistry of Hannibal’s eponymous antihero, there is no show quite as grimy as True Detective. Season 1 of the HBO hit captured the sweaty environs of the bayou with an unsparing eye for detail. Later, the series showcased its unflinching commitment to documenting LA’s smog and urban decay, which ended up being season 2’s sole redeeming quality. True Detective season 3’s return to form brought with it another injection of grit that looked like nothing else on television — for better or worse.
Netflix’s Stranger Things relies on its strong cast and clever writing, but the show’s pastiche of classic ‘80s sci-fi and horror would be nothing without its stunning visuals. The cinematography of Stranger Things faithfully recreates the look of ‘80s media without descending into mere imitation, updating the visual language of the decade with CGI flourishes and more intimate close-ups. As a result, Stranger Things manages to feel like both a classic and a thoroughly modern series at the same time.
10 House of the Dragon
While Game of Thrones was lauded for its cinematography in the show’s early seasons, the fantasy epic got a touch too ambitious for its own good in its later years. In particular, Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3, “The Long Night,” garnered a lot of criticism upon its release, thanks to its murky, ultra-dark visual palette. However, the first Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, more than addressed these complaints thanks to cinematographers Pepe Avila Del Pino and Catherine Goldschmidt. Shot with a clean, painterly style that calls to mind historical epics of the '50s and '60s, House of the Dragon’s cinematography is an undeniable triumph.
9 Twin Peaks: The Return
In the years since the original run of Twin Peaks, David Lynch's quirky murder mystery influenced everything from Riverdale to Gravity Falls. While this cemented the show’s status in television and pop culture history, it also did a disservice to the cinematic legacy of Twin Peaks, which was about more than just the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer. The 2017 continuation, Twin Peaks: The Return, rectified that with its trippy, often surreal visuals. Part 8, “Gotta Light?," featured some of the most impressive visual artistry ever seen on television. From the jaw-dropping atomic bomb detonation to the nightmarish latter half of the outing, it's one trip viewers will never forget.
8 The Leftovers
The Leftovers was a supernatural drama that followed a group of survivors working out how to cope after 2 percent of the world’s population mysteriously disappeared. Mysterious, thematically dense, and often grim, The Leftovers gave viewers a visual reprieve with its stunning cinematography. For a series so obsessed with the afterlife, existentialism, and religion, it is fitting that the accomplished cinematography in The Leftovers made Earth feel like both heaven and hell across the show’s three seasons.
7 Atlanta
Donald Glover’s Atlanta is technically a dramedy about a struggling music manager attempting to make his way in the entertainment business via his rapper cousin. However, this summary doesn’t do justice to the show’s ambitious, immersive surrealism. While Atlanta took a long time to make, the series was worth the wait. From episodes that felt like nightmarish fever dreams to anthology outings that switched their visual style numerous times during a single episode, Atlanta consistently played with the limitations of television as a medium and created some unforgettable visuals in the process.
6 Yellowstone
Yellowstone is a phenomenally popular Western series about the Dutton family, a brood of successful ranchers plagued by intergenerational feuds. What makes the series more than a Dallas re-imagining are its stunning vistas, which truly make the most of Utah and Montana’s beautiful natural scenery. Yellowstone’s craggy mountaintops, lush greenery, and tranquil nature are just some of the show’s primary selling points. Without a doubt, the cinematography of the series manages to do justice to the immense vastness and unique beauty of these locations.
5 Westworld
While Westworld’s divisive ending left many cold to the series, the show’s visual style can’t be denied. Where Yellowstone’s vision of the Old West is immersive and warm, Westworld’s take on the setting is as cold and clinical as the show’s robotic hosts. Westworld turned original author Michael Crichton’s sleek theme park into a sterile environment, complicating viewers' perceptions of what was real or fabricated. Faces opened to reveal animatronic innards and stunning settings turned out to be part of the park’s fictional world. Thanks to Westworld’s cinematography, nothing was as it seemed.
4 Hannibal
While The Silence of the Lambs remains the only good movie in the Hannibal horror franchise, Lecter’s TV show is arguably an even stronger on-screen incarnation of the serial killer. Although the chemistry between Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen made Hannibal great, the show’s cinematography allowed the series to truly soar. While most shows prioritize stunning settings when it comes to visuals, Hannibal was more interested in getting up close and personal with the villain’s gruesome handiwork. A rare show that made murder look like art, Hannibal was an unsettling trip inside the mind of one of cinema's most fascinating characters.
3 Succession
Succession’s cinematography wasn’t as flashy as its peers, but that made the dramedy's achievements in the medium all the more impressive. From the shuddering shaky cam that made Succession antihero Kendall Roy’s inner turmoil painfully literal to the subtle push-ins that highlighted the level of waste inherent in the family’s lifestyle, Succession used its camera to immerse viewers further into its particular world. The Roy family home wasn’t always a pleasant place to spend time, but viewers couldn’t have been closer to the action.2 True Detective
Despite the psychedelic horror of Twin Peaks: The Return and the gory artistry of Hannibal’s eponymous antihero, there is no show quite as grimy as True Detective. Season 1 of the HBO hit captured the sweaty environs of the bayou with an unsparing eye for detail. Later, the series showcased its unflinching commitment to documenting LA’s smog and urban decay, which ended up being season 2’s sole redeeming quality. True Detective season 3’s return to form brought with it another injection of grit that looked like nothing else on television — for better or worse.
1 Stranger Things
Netflix’s Stranger Things relies on its strong cast and clever writing, but the show’s pastiche of classic ‘80s sci-fi and horror would be nothing without its stunning visuals. The cinematography of Stranger Things faithfully recreates the look of ‘80s media without descending into mere imitation, updating the visual language of the decade with CGI flourishes and more intimate close-ups. As a result, Stranger Things manages to feel like both a classic and a thoroughly modern series at the same time.