Top 10 Greatest TV Shows [Archive]

AgentC

08-30-2013, 07:37 PM

I was cleaning out my magazines today and came across an issue of Entertainment Weekly that had "The 100 All-Time Greatest Movies and TV Shows and Albums and Novels and More" and thought it would be a fun topic for this forum. Hopefully you all agree or this will be a very short thread! :D

Here EW's top 10 for TV shows.

1. The Wire (2002-2008)
2. The Simpsons (1989- present)
3. Seinfeld (1990-1998)
4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977)
5. The Sopranos (1999-2007)
6. All in the Family (1971-1979)
7. The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
9. Mad Men (2007-present)
10. Your Show of Shows (1950-1954)

I was happy to see one of my all time favorites (Buffy) and a new favorite (Mad Men) made the top 10.

Some other random spots
11. I Love Lucy (1951-57)
13. The Twilight Zone (1959-64)
16. The Cosby Show (1984-92)
29. The X-Files (1993-2002)
30. ER (1994-2009)
40. The Real World (1992- present)
49. The Muppet Show (1976-1981
53. American Idol (2002-present)
64. Modern Family (2009-present)
69. Star Trek: TNG (1987-94)
76. Game of Thrones (2011-present)
84. Family Ties (1982-89)
98. Bewitched (1964-72)
100. The Brady Bunch (1969-74)

So now it's our turn. Agree? Disagree? What is your top 10? Who doesn't belong in their top 10? Who did they miss?

NJGIRL

08-30-2013, 10:03 PM

AgentC

08-31-2013, 09:25 AM

1DisneyNut

08-31-2013, 10:15 AM

Cheers should be in the top 10. It usually is in most of these types of lists. It was still the #1 prime time show it's last season and won tons of awards along the way. The sarcastic humor is still just as funny today as it was back then.

I have never even seen several of the shows in the top 10 including The Sapranos. I don't subscribe to HBO anymore. I actually stopped subscribing when they started showing these types of series tv shows. I have plenty of options for that already.

AgentC

08-31-2013, 10:21 AM

Cheers should be in the top 10. It usually is in most of these types of lists. It was still the #1 prime time show it's last season and won tons of awards along the way. The sarcastic humor is still just as funny today as it was back then.

I have never even see The Sapranos. I don't subscribe to HBO anymore. I actually stopped subscribing when they started showing these types of series tv shows. I have plenty of options for that already.

They have Cheers at 15 overall and as 7 for American Sitcoms.

Hammer

08-31-2013, 10:47 AM

Love Seinfeld, it's my favorite! It's funny how this list will change. If you had a copy of that mag from 10 years ago I bet some of the shows like the Brady Bunch wouldn't even be on there...and others were once listed but aren't anymore. The Simpsons & Sopranos also deserve their ranks. I have never even heard of The Wire, which I find a little weird, the number one ranked show of all time and a TV buff like me hasn't even heard of it???

The Wire was on HBO. Very well done, but very dark and gritty. It was based (and I believe actually filmed) in Baltimore, much like Homicide:Life on the Street. The difference is Homicide was on NBC, so it had to be toned down.

Lists like this so are subjective. I enjoy most of the shows in the top 10, except for Simpsons and Seinfeld. Before everyone gets on my case for not liking Seinfeld, I have never like Jerry Seinfeld. He is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Actually other than Jason Alexander, I'm not a fan of any of the actors who were on that show. As for the Simpsons, I just don't find the show funny, I think it is crude. I feel the same way about South Park.

After looking over the list, here are my favorites from 11-100. As you can see, I do like some comedies:

M*A*S*H
ER
Homicide: Life on the Street
Cosby Show
Sex In The City
St. Elsewhere
Frasier
Oz
Taxi
Will and Grace
West Wing

and my absolute favorite show ever-
Law and Order

Cindy, I am a huge Dark Shadows fan....Did it make the cut?

I found the list on the EW website and did not see Dark Shadows on the list, Rita.

NJGIRL

08-31-2013, 10:56 AM

The Wire was a show about the drug trade on HBO. I've never seen it but we dropped HBO after the Sopranos went off.

Seinfeld was one of our "must see" :) shows. I recently watched some reruns and it really holds up.

That when we dropped HBO too. lol

I am one of those people that watch TV to be entertained so I like to watch "light" and 'mindless" stuff. I don't watch movies or TV shows to learn anything because I feel Hollywood always twists the truth. So I rarely watch things "based" on fact.

It's funny how some shows do stand the test of time and others that were once so popular are forgotten. Although I always crack up when I see Jerry pull out his cordless phone that is the size of a tractor trailer. haha

Mickey'sGirl

08-31-2013, 10:57 AM

Glad to see Star Trek:TNG on the list, but no Law and Order? 20 years on the air (and I watched every one!) and not a mention?

NJGIRL

08-31-2013, 11:02 AM

I found the list on the EW website and did not see Dark Shadows on the list, Rita.

:(.....It's one of those shows where either you like it or not. There is no in between so I guess I can understand it not being on the list.

Hammer

08-31-2013, 11:14 AM

Glad to see Star Trek:TNG on the list, but no Law and Order? 20 years on the air (and I watched every one!) and not a mention?

Jen, Law and Order is on the list, I think it was in the upper 20's. I would have protested if it wasn't in the top 100!

MNNHFLTX

08-31-2013, 02:51 PM

I only looked at the original lists in the first post so that I wouldn't be influenced, but have to comment on--The Wire??? I have never even heard of that show! And while Buffy is one of my favorite all-time shows, I don't know that it deserves to be in the top ten. Same for Mad Men, and I think the Simpsons are questionable. IMO, Cheers and MASH should have made the short lists for sure and ER deserved to be further up in the pack.

MNNHFLTX

08-31-2013, 02:55 PM

The Wire was on HBO. Very well done, but very dark and gritty. It was based (and I believe actually filmed) in Baltimore, much like Homicide:Life on the Street. The difference is Homicide was on NBC, so it had to be toned down.Thanks for the explanation, Christine. Based on that I truly think it does not belong in the top 10 and definitely not at #1. Must have been a HBO executive who compiled the list. ;)

NJGIRL

08-31-2013, 03:32 PM

Thanks for the explanation, Christine. Based on that I truly think it does not belong in the top 10 and definitely not at #1. Must have been a HBO executive who compiled the list. ;)

That's what I was thinking also. I am not denying that it was a good show, but to be number one on an all time list, I would think it should be a show where everyone has at least heard of it.

Ask my husband and he said never heard of it either and he likes shows like that.

AgentC

08-31-2013, 03:53 PM

Glad to see Star Trek:TNG on the list, but no Law and Order? 20 years on the air (and I watched every one!) and not a mention?

Law and Order was 23.

Scar

08-31-2013, 03:53 PM

I have a standard top 5:

M*A*S*H
Seinfeld
Cheers
All in the Family
The Honeymooners

After that it's a little more difficult

Fraizer
2 1/2 Men
Survivor (not so much anymore and ZERO rerun appeal)
The Odd Couple
Mary Tyler Moore

Amazingly, 3 of those show were on the same night and same channel for a time.

AgentC

08-31-2013, 04:02 PM

That's what I was thinking also. I am not denying that it was a good show, but to be number one on an all time list, I would think it should be a show where everyone has at least heard of it.

Ask my husband and he said never heard of it either and he likes shows like that.

I've never seen it but their explanation says The Wire ' used the drug trade in Baltimore . . . to tell tales of race and class with unprecedented complexity."

I'm with you on the Simpsons. I haven't watched it in years and while we used to enjoy top ten does not come to mind.

I think you can make a case for Buffy as a show that really highlighted a female hero in a genre where male heroes are much more common place and examined issues in a very entertaining non preachy way but when you add in the "all time" I could see moving it down.

I'll hold my opinion on Mad Men until I see how the last season ends. :D

BrowncatP

08-31-2013, 08:02 PM

The Brady Bunch at 100. NO,NO,NO. Top 20 anyday on my list! Just remember "don't play ball in the house."

NJDad

09-01-2013, 07:58 AM

The Wire was on from 2002-2008. I'd heard about it a lot and resisted watching it as well until someone lent us the box set.

It's pretty amazing. It does require you to watch each episode with your full attention though.

It's not just about the drug trade. Each season looks at an institution in Baltimore. First year was cops vs drugs, 2nd season looked at the seaport, 3rd was politics, 4th education, 5th a newspaper.

Great cast(s), really fascinating, very entertaining. It's not all grim, there's some dark humor as well. It probably works better when you can watch the episodes as quickly as you want without waiting weeks or months for the next one.

And it's not just EW that called it the best show ever. TIME,[/URL] the Chicago Tribune, Slate, SF Chronicle, Philly Daily N (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire#cite_note-t06-79)ews and the British newspaper The Guardian have as well.

Writers Guild had it as the 9th best written show.
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire#cite_note-TG2-37"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire#cite_note-81)

MNNHFLTX

09-01-2013, 05:24 PM

And it's not just EW that called it the best show ever. TIME,[/URL] the Chicago Tribune, Slate, SF Chronicle, Philly Daily N (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire#cite_note-t06-79)ews and the British newspaper The Guardian have as well.

Writers Guild had it as the 9th best written show.
[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire#cite_note-TG2-37"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire#cite_note-81)I guess it depends on how a person defines "greatest TV shows". I interpret that to mean shows that gained a widespread audience, were well-written and were a representation of society and/or cultural norms of its time; an icon, if you will. From the sound of it, The Wire sounds like a very good show and well-written, but without a significant audience and the ratings that go along with that. In that sense, it's hard to imagine that it deserved to be the #1 show on the list, but once again, that's my interpretation. You do have me intrigued though; I may have to check it out. Is it offered on Netflix?

What pops into my head when talking about TV's greatest shows are ones that if you turned on a rerun today, you would be seeing a slice of life in the time-frame it was made or portrayed--like a time capsule. I guess that's why shows like Cheers, MASH, The Andy Griffith Show, All in the Family, the Mary Tyler Moore show, etc. all seem appropriate on the list to me. Even the Brady Bunch fits the criteria. ;)

You know, I just thought about something, Cindy--where was Friends on the list? That show certainly was an icon.

AgentC

09-01-2013, 07:31 PM

You know, I just thought about something, Cindy--where was Friends on the list? That show certainly was an icon.

Friends came in at 21. They called it a "shiny-happy triumph of friends as family comedy."

There were definitely a lot of "popular" shows on the list that represented their time. For example Beverly Hills 90210 (the original) was 75. There is a whole generation of us who were glued to Brandon, Brenda, Kelly & Dylan. And Dawson's Creek came in at 78.

jmj18

09-01-2013, 11:09 PM

M*A*S*H

#1 in my book!

:mickey:

NJGIRL

09-01-2013, 11:12 PM

M*A*S*H

#1 in my book!

:mickey:

Years ago this show used to show up on these types of lists in the top 5.

These lists are always changing, but they are interesting to read!

barnaby

09-01-2013, 11:19 PM

NJGIRL

09-01-2013, 11:54 PM

My top 10 (no order, other then #1)

Supernatural
CSI
Survivor
Simpsons
Seinfeld
ER
Friday Night Lights
Ghost Hunters
Wonder Years
My So Called Life

My favorite newer show is Duck Dynasty

I am watching the old Dark Shadows shows on Netflix. :thumbsup:

Seinfeld is my all time favorite. It's funny because I remember when it first came on and my younger sister told me to watch it because it was so funny. Well, I hated it. lol But since I was living at home at the time and she watched every week, so did I, and it grew on me.

Supernatural I watch almost every morning on TNT. That show is so well written and the plots are so interesting. It's a hidden gem and it doesn't hurt that Sam and Dean are so cute. Love the rock music they play on the show. I had read that Sam was only supposed to be a limited character but the chemistry between the two was so good they made him permanent.

Friday Night Lights...well I was depressed when it ended. I'm not at all interested in football but loved the characters. The man wrote created the series was from Philly and that's why they ended the show in Philly, filming at Temple.

I was a huge ER fan up until maybe the last 5 years. They got too preachy for me and felt a lot of what was written was bashing America.

Ghost Hunters. I watched this show for years also but lost interest for some reason.

Dark Shadows I have on DVD. I get a new season every Christmas.

If you like Dark Shadows there is a really good book called "Angelique's Descent" (Bogart's may have it). It tells the back story of how she became a witch and how she met Barnabas. It was written by the person (her name escapes me right now) who played Angelique on the TV show. I have read other Dark Shadows books, but they are not very good.

barnaby

09-02-2013, 06:33 PM

Friday Night Lights...well I was depressed when it ended. I'm not at all interested in football but loved the characters. The man wrote created the series was from Philly and that's why they ended the show in Philly, filming at Temple.

H.G. Bissinger
I am a big high school football fan (Millville Thunderbolts season ticket holder :D) and have read Bissinger's book of the same name that the movie and series were based.
Great characters in the series. Same with Supernatural.

NJDad

09-02-2013, 09:33 PM

From the sound of it, The Wire sounds like a very good show and well-written, but without a significant audience and the ratings that go along with that. In that sense, it's hard to imagine that it deserved to be the #1 show on the list, but once again, that's my interpretation. You do have me intrigued though; I may have to check it out. Is it offered on Netflix?

Netfilx has it, with a 5 star rating, and the first line of the description is "Widely considered one of the finest-written dramas ever to appear on television..."

The Hitchhiking Ghost

09-03-2013, 12:05 PM

Kind of hard for me to respect a list that doesn't have M*A*S*H in its top 10 but has Buffy.

The finale to MASH aired 30 years ago, yet still remains the top watched episode of all time, only surpassed by a Superbowl viewing in 2010.

I would argue that Dallas should be in the top 10 as well, as it really changed prime time viewing for more than a decade, not only by creating other family prime time soaps/dramas (Knott's Landing, Falcon Crest, Dynasty) but it really established the cliffhanger as a season ending mechanic. I still recall looking at the tv guide the week after the "who shot JR" episode only to find a rerun!!

I wouldn't mind seeing Cheers in the top 10, but while it ruled tv for a decent period (and I think holds the record for the only show to open last in the ratings, yet still reach #1) it didn't really change tv.

AgentC

09-03-2013, 01:59 PM

Kind of hard for me to respect a list that doesn't have M*A*S*H in its top 10 but has Buffy.

Last week's EW had Joss Whedon on the cover and a huge article about his new show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. . BUffy might have hit the top 10 because there is so much Joss love right now in the entertainment field. :)

I agree on MASH. It should have been higher. Dallas did make the list but at 61.

MNNHFLTX

09-03-2013, 02:29 PM

I wouldn't mind seeing Cheers in the top 10, but while it ruled tv for a decent period (and I think holds the record for the only show to open last in the ratings, yet still reach #1) it didn't really change tv.
I don't think that's true at all. The concept for Cheers was truly original, with the TV audience invited in as a "regular" at the bar. Every week people took a break from all their worries and went where "everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came" (shameless theme-song promoting). That theme was carried on right to the final show, where the audience walks down the steps to the entrance of Cheers, only to be told by Sam "Sorry, we're closed." I read that the show is also credited with serializing storylines from one episode to another, something that was wasn't done on sitcoms up until that time.

MNNHFLTX

09-03-2013, 02:38 PM

So, this thread got me to thinking what other "greatest TV shows" list might be out there. Found a recent article from TV Guide that has the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time. I can relate more to the shows in the top ten on this list, although I must note that The Wire is on it too, just not in the #1 spot:

1. The Sopranos
2. Seinfeld
3. The Twilight Zone (1959)
4. All in the Family
5. M*A*S*H
6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
7. Mad Men
8. Cheers
9. The Wire
10. The West Wing
11. The Simpsons
12. I Love Lucy
13. Breaking Bad
14. The Dick Van Dyke Show
15. Hill Street Blues
16. Arrested Development
17. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
18. Six Feet Under
19. Taxi
20. The Larry Sanders Show
21. 30 Rock
22. Friday Night Lights
23. Frasier
24. Friends
25. Saturday Night Live
26. The X-Files
27. Lost
28. ER
29. The Cosby Show
30. Curb Your Enthusiasm
31. The Honeymooners
32. Deadwood
33. Star Trek
34. Modern Family
35. Twin Peaks
36. NYPD Blue
37. The Carol Burnett Show
38. Battlestar Galactica (2005)
39. Sex & The City
40. Game of Thrones
41. (tie) The Bob Newhart Show; Your Show of Shows
43. (tie) Downton Abbey; Law & Order; Thirtysomething
46. (tie) Homicide: Life on the Street; St. Elsewhere
48. Homeland
49. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
50. (tie) The Colbert Report; The Good Wife; The Office (UK)
53. Northern Exposure
54. The Wonder Years
55. L.A. Law
56. Sesame Street
57. Columbo
58. (tie) Fawlty Towers; The Rockford Files
60. (tie) Freaks and Geeks; Moonlighting
62. Roots
63. (tie) Everybody Loves Raymond; South Park
65. Playhouse 90
66. (tie) Dexter; The Office (US)
68. My So-Called Life
69. Golden Girls
70. The Andy Griffith Show
71. (tie) 24; Roseanne; The Shield
74. (tie) House; Murphy Brown
76. (tie) Barney Miller; I, Claudius
78. The Odd Couple
79. (tie) Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Monty Python's Flying Circus; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Upstairs, Downstairs
83. Get Smart
84. (tie) The Defenders; Gunsmoke
86. (tie) Justified; Sgt. Bilko (The Phil Silvers Show)
88. Band of Brothers
89. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
90. The Prisoner
91. (tie) Absolutely Fabulous (UK); The Muppet Show
93. Boardwalk Empire
94. Will & Grace
95. Family Ties
96. (tie) Lonesome Dove; Soap
98. (tie) The Fugitive; Late Night with David Letterman; Louie
101. Oz

Mickey'sGirl

09-03-2013, 03:18 PM

Beth ... that's a pretty good list in my opinion. :thumbsup:

Hammer

09-03-2013, 04:19 PM

NJGIRL

09-03-2013, 04:33 PM

I agree on the Dallas post. That show did change how a series ended their season each year. Who Shot JR was all over the place. TV, songs on the radio, Tee Shirts.....It was ground breaking.

MNNHFLTX

09-03-2013, 04:58 PM

Like that list (especially West Wing at #10) but how is Law and Order tied for 43? I loved Sex in the City, but don't see how it can be seen as a better written show than Law and Order (or Downton Abbey which is also 43).I agree, Law and Order was very witty and well-written and should have been higher on the list. As for Downtown Abbey--you know I love that show for the characters and as a period drama, but I don't think it always has stellar writing. More soap-opera-ish than anything, but that's kind of what pulls me in every week (when it's on, anyway). ;)

NJDad

09-04-2013, 07:12 AM

M*A*S*H's last few seasons really dropped in quality to me, and the number of years it lasted longer than the real Korean War got a little ridiculous. That would keep it lower on a list I would make.

The Hitchhiking Ghost

09-04-2013, 11:07 AM

Last week's EW had Joss Whedon on the cover and a huge article about his new show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. . BUffy might have hit the top 10 because there is so much Joss love right now in the entertainment field. :)

I agree on MASH. It should have been higher. Dallas did make the list but at 61.

I don't know much about Josh Wheedon, but I do really like his short lived series with Nathan Fillion, Firefly. That show died a premature death.:mad: Its easy to see how trending sentiments can impact a list.

The Hitchhiking Ghost

09-04-2013, 11:18 AM

I don't think that's true at all. The concept for Cheers was truly original, with the TV audience invited in as a "regular" at the bar. Every week people took a break from all their worries and went where "everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came" (shameless theme-song promoting). That theme was carried on right to the final show, where the audience walks down the steps to the entrance of Cheers, only to be told by Sam "Sorry, we're closed." I read that the show is also credited with serializing storylines from one episode to another, something that was wasn't done on sitcoms up until that time.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Cheers, the two part "Woody's Wedding" especially part 1 is still one of my favorite episodes of all time. I think Cheers gets bumped down a bit because it came at a time when the sitcom was riding its peak, with NBC's must see tv, with Cheers, Cosby, Family Ties, Night Court etc. NBC owned Thursday nights.

I guess I don't recall Cheers serializing story arcs as such, at least not in what I would think of as the traditional sense. They had the Sam-Diane will they won't they arc go on (beyond its shelf life imo) but for the most part the episodes were written as one-off stories.

Like MASH, Cheers survived addition by subtraction when Shelly Long left and Kirstie Alley came on board.

The Hitchhiking Ghost

09-04-2013, 11:28 AM

M*A*S*H's last few seasons really dropped in quality to me, and the number of years it lasted longer than the real Korean War got a little ridiculous. That would keep it lower on a list I would make.

I would agree that the more screen credits that Alan Alda got as the years went on was symptomatic of when the show started its decline.

But its hard to argue about the early years and how well the show was written. Almost any list that talks about tv's top 10 most memorable moments, almost always has the death of Henry Blake right there in the top 10, usually near the top. It had never been done before, at least not like that, and how it was aired, even the cast was unaware of it as it was filmed. No show killed off a character like that. Add to that losing another star, Wayne Rogers, and a couple years later Larry Linville, and it shows how good a show it was to survive major changes like that.

I agree the last couple of years were getting harder to watch, but I can still sit down and watch and laugh at a season 1 or 2 episode as if it were airing for the first time.