Greatest TV shows of all time

[Doove]

At least according to an online poll of TV and film writers.

I strongly disagree with a the placement of a few of these.

Discuss.

1. "The Sopranos"
2. "Seinfeld"
3. "The Twilight Zone"
4. "All in the Family"
5. "MASH"
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"
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"
39. "Sex and the City"
40. "Game of Thrones"
41. "The Bob Newhart Show"
42. "Your Show of Shows"
43. "Downton Abbey"
44. "Law & Order"
45. "Thirtysomething"
46. "St. Elsewhere"
47. "Homicide: Life on the Street"
48. "Homeland"
49. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
50. "The Good Wife"
51. "The Colbert Report"
52. "The Office" (British version)
53. "Northern Exposure"
54. "The Wonder Years"
55. "L.A. Law"
56. "Sesame Street"
57. "Columbo"
58. "The Rockford Files"
59. "Fawlty Towers"
60. "Moonlighting"
61. "Freaks and Geeks"
62. "Roots"
63. "Everybody Loves Raymond"
64. "South Park"
65. "Playhouse 90"
66. "The Office" (U.S. version)
67. "Dexter"
68. "My So-Called Life"
69. "Golden Girls"
70. "The Andy Griffith Show"
71. "The Shield"
72. "Roseanne"
73. "24"
74. "Murphy Brown"
75. "House"
76. "Barney Miller"
77. "I, Claudius"
78. "The Odd Couple"
79. "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
80. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
81. "Upstairs Downstairs"
82. "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
83. "Get Smart"
84. "Gunsmoke"
85. "The Defenders"
86. "Sergeant Bilko"
87. "Justified"
88. "Band of Brothers"
89. "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"
90. "The Prisoner"
91. "The Muppet Show"
92. "Absolutely Fabulous"
93. "Boardwalk Empire"
94. "Will and Grace"
95. "Family Ties"
96. "Lonesome Dove"
97. "Soap"
98. "The Fugitive"
99. "Louie"
100. "Late Night With David Letterman"
101. "Oz"

[jackfengshui]

While we will have our own favorites, don't forget that this poll is on the script-writing rather than the entire product.

[JohnnyCap]

I would discredit this poll for grouping talk with comedy with other genres. Not a valid analysis, especially re scripts.

I love Seinfeld and The Shield. Not comparable programs.

In addition, you can't compare Breaking Bad with Hillstreet Blues or even The Shield yet. It's not done, truly thoughtful analysis requires aging and retrospection. The Shield has the advantage of coming to a very satisfying conclusion and didn't jump the shark. Breaking Bad has been phenomenal, but I think they're shitting the bed. I've been on board with this show since day 1, I feel last summer's episodes were weak and I'm worried they're too impressed with themselves, too popular to finish the series right.

[jokacz]

Jean Sheperd's America
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (not the movie)
Smiley's People
Riley Ace Of Spies
Doctor Who
I'm sure there are plenty more.
Lots of network garbage on that list.

[Guest121613]

Of the star trek series, I would put "DS9" (not listed) ahead of "TNG". And "LOST" should be number 1. LoL

[Lexxxy]

Tales from the dark side? Monsters? Dead like me? Tales from the crypt? Beyond the vail? All in the family? Master of horror? Dr who?

[yankee13]

No honeymooners on that list

[JohnnyCap]

Originally Posted by yankee13

No honeymooners on that list

Glaring omission!

Maybe it didn't have a script? I don't know if it did. Influential show, but IRS quasi-remake, the king of queens isn't there either.

[wantsome]

Honeymooners is number 31. I would replace a number of shows on the list. I agree with JC that you can't compare the different genres, but being they have, and included talk shows, I would have a hard time placing Letterman over Johnny Carson, Phil Donohue and even Oprah.

[JohnnyCap]

#31. Doh. Thanks.

100 is too long, a lot of crap. Oz, absolutely fabulous? Two Offices? Louie isn't that good, 24 had more awful seasons and only one good one. Colbert? Should be a list of thirty great show and OMG I can't believe we thought the rest of this was okay.

[Guest060614]

No Hardcastle and McCormick? This list fails.

[Guest120615-3]

Love seeing The Wire #9 on the list. One of my favorites that doesn't gets any recognition.

[Gentleman Jack]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCap

Maybe it didn't have a script? I don't know if it did.

The Honeymooners was mostly ad-libbed. I've read a couple of Jackie Gleason's biographies and a book about The Honeymooners. Jackie refused to use a script and refused to rehearse. Incredible. CLASSIC show!

[yankee13]

Wow don't know why I missed number31

[jokacz]

The Letterman show they're referring to is the one that came on after Carson on NBC. It was much better than the stuff he puts out now. But it was mostly am homage to Steve Allen, which didn't get a mention. There is way too much of a recency effect in this list. Too many shows have yet to pass the test of time. There were a lot more live drama programs than just Playhouse 90, but none of them were mentioned. U.S. Steel Hour comes to mind. I'm surprised how truly crappy the Alfred Hitchcock hour was, watched a few on some cable channel and they really blow.