TV has not surpassed movies yet, but the last 10 years have indeed been a massive improvement. And it's all because of anime.
Western creators caught on that shows that have an overarching, coherent story and strict continuity are just that much more interesting than having the story reset every single week to cater to stupid and/or casual viewers. That is what made anime stand out from western TV, not the fact that it's animated.
Of course, we have the success of 24 to thank for this positive trend sticking around. And Game of Thrones proves that high-budget TV shows can do adaptations in a much better and more faithful way than movies. If the trend continues we'll have weekly high budget Spider-Man in no time!