5 Most Important Action Shows That Define the Genre

When it comes to the action genre on the small screen, it was often regulated to a tier below the police procedurals and Westerns that often dominated the airwaves. But, as TV evolved over time, action shows evolved with it. The stakes were higher, the protagonists were more complexed, and, instead of focusing on the "case of the week" formula that had been the genre's bread-and-butter for years, action shows now closely follow their big screen counterparts, where the action is the heartbeat of the narrative, not just a set piece to move the plot along.