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Post Your All-Time Top 10 Television Shows
I looked for an existing thread, but gave up.
TOP 10 TELEVISION SHOWS
Most all have at least one weak season, some have many, generally towards the end of the show’s lifespan. Yet the quality, however concentrated throughout each show’s respective run, negates and overwhelms any problematic periods.
1. THE TWILIGHT ZONE 1959-1964
My mother claims that when I was very young I would sit up in bed with her and watch the original run, but my first memories of this show are the early ‘70s reruns on WPIX out of New York. A few subpar episodes are scattered throughout the five seasons, but The Twilight Zone is the pinnacle of what television could and can be.
2. GUNSMOKE 1955-1975
This show began airing seven years before I was born and ended when I was in my early teens. I never watched it growing up, but I began listening to the original radio program that the television show was based on about 15 years ago. It stands out as being far more adult and well-written than any of the contemporary programming. I had always assumed that the television show would be a watered-down version, but last year I dived into the series and found out how wrong I was. Most of the scripts for the first six seasons (the half hour episodes) are taken directly from the radio show, which was almost entirely penned by creator John Meston . With the hour-long episodes, the mood and pacing changes, but the quality remains.
3. STAR TREK 1966-1969
As with its contemporary cultural behemoth, Batman, we got two superb seasons followed by a disappointing third (with a few gems still hidden within), hampered by a slashed budget and lesser writers. I remember standing in the living room with my father watching the original airing of my favorite episode, The City on the Edge of Forever, and being uncomfortably shocked when Kirk said, “Let’s get the Hell out of here.”
4. SEINFELD 1989-1998
It began a little weak, and ended horribly, with two nearly unwatchable final seasons (though I love the “backwards” episode) made after co-creator Larry David’s departure as head-writer (his return for the show finale was a disaster), but the years in-between were some of the funniest and smartest pieces of television I have ever seen.
5. THE HONEYMOONERS 1955-1956
As with The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, I credit ‘70s WPIX reruns for allowing this show become a big part of my life.
6. ALL IN THE FAMILY 1971-1979
Adapted from the British sitcom 'Til Death Do Us Part. A show that changed what was possible in the medium. I grew up with this show, and the many spin-offs of varying degree of quality. The last few years were a bit rocky, but those early episodes still make my head spin. What performances from those leads!
7. COLUMBO 1971-1979
I’m only including the original run that was a rotating component of The NBC Tuesday Mystery Movie. I am not so enamored with the made-for-television follow-ups.
8. BATMAN 1966-1968
Not only do I remember watching this twice weekly in the original run, I saw the attached movie in a theatre, where my mother bought me the Matchbox Batmobile in the lobby (the same theatre where we saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a few years later, and also bought the Matchbox car in the lobby). As with Star Trek (see above), season three takes a dive, but I will never forget that inner tingling of excitement, sitting on a couch with my family, watching the debut of Batgirl in the season opener. Only matched a season earlier by the cliff-hanger announcement at one episode’s conclusion, that the following week would guest start The Green Hornet and Kato. Remember, no internet. It came as a complete shock: the first live-action superhero cross-over.
9. THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES 1962-1971
No weak seasons, hilarious all the way through.
10. LOST 2004-2010
I wasn’t interested in watching the original airing, but by two-season in, the show’s reputation drove me to catch up. After the first four episodes I was convinced that it was quite possibly the greatest thing put to television. But, of course, that momentum and that level of quality and excitement cannot be sustained for too long. Though the show continued to periodically enthrall me throughout its life, the payoffs became less frequent and, for the most part, less satisfying as the seasons progressed. It fell victim to its own success, where the studio demands more episodes, thereby postponing and muddying any preset vision or timeline, dragging the thing out until it becomes a confused, aimless, and unsatisfying mess. This has happened frequently to popular shows. Unlike many, I don’t hate the resolution, but it was rather underwhelming and didn’t fit with much that had gone prior. The show also suffers from the same major problem that crippled the brilliant Twin Peaks, of which it shares quite a bit, a show that would most likely appear on this list had it been a Top 20. Both shows ask us to invest in a mystery. We are given clues of all kinds; visual , through conversation, through monologue, through flashback, through innuendo. Both shows became national phenomena, with fans obsessing over every detail, parsing dialogue, comfort in knowing that there is a plan that would one day payoff. In both cases it turned out that there was no plan, leading to unsatisfying, illogical, and frustrating conclusions.
TOP 10 TELEVISION SHOWS
Most all have at least one weak season, some have many, generally towards the end of the show’s lifespan. Yet the quality, however concentrated throughout each show’s respective run, negates and overwhelms any problematic periods.
1. THE TWILIGHT ZONE 1959-1964
My mother claims that when I was very young I would sit up in bed with her and watch the original run, but my first memories of this show are the early ‘70s reruns on WPIX out of New York. A few subpar episodes are scattered throughout the five seasons, but The Twilight Zone is the pinnacle of what television could and can be.
2. GUNSMOKE 1955-1975
This show began airing seven years before I was born and ended when I was in my early teens. I never watched it growing up, but I began listening to the original radio program that the television show was based on about 15 years ago. It stands out as being far more adult and well-written than any of the contemporary programming. I had always assumed that the television show would be a watered-down version, but last year I dived into the series and found out how wrong I was. Most of the scripts for the first six seasons (the half hour episodes) are taken directly from the radio show, which was almost entirely penned by creator John Meston . With the hour-long episodes, the mood and pacing changes, but the quality remains.
3. STAR TREK 1966-1969
As with its contemporary cultural behemoth, Batman, we got two superb seasons followed by a disappointing third (with a few gems still hidden within), hampered by a slashed budget and lesser writers. I remember standing in the living room with my father watching the original airing of my favorite episode, The City on the Edge of Forever, and being uncomfortably shocked when Kirk said, “Let’s get the Hell out of here.”
4. SEINFELD 1989-1998
It began a little weak, and ended horribly, with two nearly unwatchable final seasons (though I love the “backwards” episode) made after co-creator Larry David’s departure as head-writer (his return for the show finale was a disaster), but the years in-between were some of the funniest and smartest pieces of television I have ever seen.
5. THE HONEYMOONERS 1955-1956
As with The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, I credit ‘70s WPIX reruns for allowing this show become a big part of my life.
6. ALL IN THE FAMILY 1971-1979
Adapted from the British sitcom 'Til Death Do Us Part. A show that changed what was possible in the medium. I grew up with this show, and the many spin-offs of varying degree of quality. The last few years were a bit rocky, but those early episodes still make my head spin. What performances from those leads!
7. COLUMBO 1971-1979
I’m only including the original run that was a rotating component of The NBC Tuesday Mystery Movie. I am not so enamored with the made-for-television follow-ups.
8. BATMAN 1966-1968
Not only do I remember watching this twice weekly in the original run, I saw the attached movie in a theatre, where my mother bought me the Matchbox Batmobile in the lobby (the same theatre where we saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a few years later, and also bought the Matchbox car in the lobby). As with Star Trek (see above), season three takes a dive, but I will never forget that inner tingling of excitement, sitting on a couch with my family, watching the debut of Batgirl in the season opener. Only matched a season earlier by the cliff-hanger announcement at one episode’s conclusion, that the following week would guest start The Green Hornet and Kato. Remember, no internet. It came as a complete shock: the first live-action superhero cross-over.
9. THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES 1962-1971
No weak seasons, hilarious all the way through.
10. LOST 2004-2010
I wasn’t interested in watching the original airing, but by two-season in, the show’s reputation drove me to catch up. After the first four episodes I was convinced that it was quite possibly the greatest thing put to television. But, of course, that momentum and that level of quality and excitement cannot be sustained for too long. Though the show continued to periodically enthrall me throughout its life, the payoffs became less frequent and, for the most part, less satisfying as the seasons progressed. It fell victim to its own success, where the studio demands more episodes, thereby postponing and muddying any preset vision or timeline, dragging the thing out until it becomes a confused, aimless, and unsatisfying mess. This has happened frequently to popular shows. Unlike many, I don’t hate the resolution, but it was rather underwhelming and didn’t fit with much that had gone prior. The show also suffers from the same major problem that crippled the brilliant Twin Peaks, of which it shares quite a bit, a show that would most likely appear on this list had it been a Top 20. Both shows ask us to invest in a mystery. We are given clues of all kinds; visual , through conversation, through monologue, through flashback, through innuendo. Both shows became national phenomena, with fans obsessing over every detail, parsing dialogue, comfort in knowing that there is a plan that would one day payoff. In both cases it turned out that there was no plan, leading to unsatisfying, illogical, and frustrating conclusions.
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Comments
24
Breaking Bad
Batman The Animated Series
Batman 1966
Twin Peaks
The Newsroom
Star Trek TOS
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Cowboy Bebop
True Blood
Futurama
Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstockings)
Centennial
X-Files
Twin Peaks
Vikings
Vikingane (Norsemen)
Hellfjord
Fawlty Towers
No, please feel free to include anything. My list is nearly half sitcoms.
Star Trek TOS
Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.
Eureka
Nikita
The Mandalorian
The Expanse
Firefly
Battlestar Galactica TOS
The Prisoner
There are SO many more (Monty Python's Flying Circus, Airwolf, Dark Angel, Buffy, Twilight Zone, Kung Fu, CHUCK, etc. etc.), but the op said ten!
In that case I can add
The simpsons
Futurama
Bojack Horseman
Rick and Morty
It's Akways Sunny In Philadelphia
Blackadder
Arrested Development
The Big Bang Theory
That 70s Show
Fawlty Towers
I think it's far better than Mr Bean.
2. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
3. DRAGNET
4. HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL
5. THE SAINT
6. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER
7. COLUMBO
8. MAVERICK
9. ADAM-12
10. DIFF'RENT STROKES
1. Minder
2. Hill Street Blues
3. Cracker
4. Swap Shop
5. Grange Hill
6. Take Hart
7. Porridge
8. Upstairs, Downstairs
9. Bearcats
10. Tom and Jerry
Notable exceptions
The Water Margin, Dick Turpin, The Pink Panther Show, Tiswas, Fun Factory, The Avengers (Diana Rigg), The New Avengers, The MuppetShow, Top of the Pops, Kojak, The Streets of San Francisco, The Rockford Files, Spike Milligans 'Q' series, , Dads Army, Dave Allen, The Benny Hill Show, Bullseye, The Boys from the Black stuff,.....
Phew, I could go on and on!!
Take Hart! Fantastic.
2. Babylon 5 (season 3 is awesome)
3. Rome
4. Chernobyl
5. The Thick of It (season 1)
6. Vienna Blood
7. Captain Scarlet (1960s original)
8. Space 1999
9. Columbo
10. Das Boot
Essential viewing in my house, as am an artist myself! Loved Tony Harts easy going style, preferred the earlier shows where he didnt have an assistant! Read his daughter, Carolyns, biography about him a few years ago, lovely book!
And lets not forget, the series introduced us to 'Morph'!
Doctor Who (1987-89)*
Callan (1967-72)
The Sweeney (1975-78)
Yes, Minister (1980-82, 1984) / Yes, Prime Minister (1986-88)**
The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin (1976-79)
A Town Called Eureka (2006-12)
Frasier (1993-04)
The Two Ronnies (1971-87)
The Equalizer (1985-89)
The X-Files (1993-02, 2016-18)
* I tried to avoid padding out the list with multiple eras, and just go for my most favourite. Though if I were pressed, I would include other favourites: 1966-69, 2010-13, 1970-74 and 1963-66.
** I might have cheated a little with this one, but I can't pick which is better.
Wow, I am not the only one who loves that show?
Cool.
The two part opener of the 3rd series, one/two of the standout episodes, definitely.
Absolutely. I wish it could have run a little longer, but given the choices they were given by the SyFy Channel, ultimately, I think they might the right choice.
1. Deadwood
2. The Sopranos
3. Lost
Star Trek ToS
Star Trek DS9
Star Trek TNG
Batman 66
24
Doctor Who
Batman TAS
Smallville
Stargate SG-1
Columbo (Though I tend to see these as movies)
I have likely forgotten a show.
Game of Thrones was great for most of its run as an honourable mention.
Only Fools and Horses. Fawlty Towers. Columbo. Space 1999. Cracker. Das Boot ( full TV version ). Starsky and Hutch. Banshee. 24. Star trek TOS
It must be a show I immediately loved, it must be a show that has consistency in quality, and most of all: it should be one I find very entertaining. In no particular order:
Columbo (the original run)
Easily my favourite TV detective. The quality of every episode, the plots and the writing is superb!
Endeavour
The only show on this list which is still in production. I sure didn't expect the prequel series to Inspector Morse to become a personal favourite, but this is a TV series I absolutely love. Shaun Evans is great as a young Endeavour Morse.
Inspector Morse
It's admittedly been a long time since I last watched Inspector Morse, but I loved it when I first watched it. Don't think I've actually watched all of the episodes, come to think of it…
Mad Men
Oh, how I love this show. I watched it for the first time some time after the second season finished, and was so hooked straight away that I binge-watched the two seasons in less than a week. It's the only show I've ever binge-watched.
Mad Men also had an impact on my life: If I hadn't discovered this show, I don't know if I had ever gone down the career path to become a graphic designer.
Department S
Just a lovely ITC Entertainment show – but one I enjoy more than others. Jason King is one of my favourite ever TV show characters.
Fawlty Towers
The Brits make the best sitcoms in my view, and this classic stands out as one of the best.
Seinfeld
I'm not the biggest fan om American sitcoms, but Seinfeld is an exception. Few shows have made me laugh like Seinfeld has.
Twin Peaks
Like Inspector Morse, I haven't watched Twin Peaks in years, but I was glued to the screen watching this. I hope to watch it again in 2022!
Californication
Probably a guilty pleasure, but why not! Definitely not a show for everyone, but behind all the hedonistic Hollywood lifestyle you're exposed to, there's the story of a man juggling his career as a writer, his relationship with his former girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, and his role as a father. David Duchovny is brilliant in this.
Blackadder
Another British classic. Rowan Atkinson is one of comedy's all time greats, and he was at his best playing Blackadder.
2. Star Trek TNG
3. Seinfeld
4. The King of Queens
5. Fawlty Towers
6. Minder
7. Banshee
8. The Office (UK & U.S
9. Red Dwarf
10. Hancocks half hour
Runners up
70's Dr Who
The Six Million Dollar Man
Rising Damp
Blakes 7
Batman TAS
The Sweeney
Star Trek TOS
The Incredible Hulk
Only Fools and Horses
Hawai five 0
Homicide Life On The Street
Happy Days
Swap Shop
Porridge
Open All Hours
Firefly
The Two Ronnie's
Cheers
Frasier
Roseanne
The Fall Guy
SMALLVILLE
This wouldn't be in my top 10 now, but there was a time when it would have been. I was absolutely RELIGIOUSLY into this show in the former half of its run. I already grew up with the Reeve films and the Bruce Timm animated show as a kid, but in my teens this reinvigorated my love for Superman and made me dive deep into reading comics and even books about the history of the character.
I could write a ten page essay on my thoughts on this show, but I'll distill it. I actually prefer the earlier seasons when it focused more on Clark during his high school years, not only learning how to use his powers but also life lessons and the responsibilities he has to learn with them. His relationship with his parents, especially Pa Kent. Lex Luthor's story was also great, especially with the very excellent Michael Rosenbaum who to this day remains my favorite live action actor to play that character. IMO, the show should have ended with Clark going to college, or graduating high school. By Season 6 I became pretty disinterested in the show. Stuff like Clark meeting up DC characters he'd later meet as Superman was not what I wanted. I think what really hurt it was the way Pa Kent was written out of the show. That just left a bad taste in my mouth. It got to a point where I would forget to watch new episodes, so once I realized it, I simply gave up trying to catch up and move on.
STAR TREK
I'll lump TOS, TNG, and DS9 together. I was always a Trek fan growing up, but when I actually finally dived deep into these show when they were all available for me to watch on TV reruns, it was a real treat. I don't think Trek on television has ever reached that peak. I'll even list what I consider the "peak" seasons for those shows:
TOS: 1 & 2
TNG: 3-6
DS9: 4-6
TWIN PEAKS
First season is consistently great. The first nine episodes of the second season are equally great. Once Laura Palmer's murder is solved, it's astonishing to see how the quality dropped like a brick. The middle batch of the second season is practically unwatchable. I think it starts to pick up towards the end with the introduction of Heather Graham's character, but it's no surprise it got cancelled. At least the finale was amazing.
I do like FIRE WALK WITH ME and the Limited Event series dubbed "The Return", but those initial episodes of the original incarnation have never been topped.
LOST
I remember renting the first two discs of the first season from Blockbuster (where's my walker?), so that I could catch up just as the second season was playing out. After I finished those two discs, I returned them and then immediately bought the DVD season set. That's how GOOD it was.
I enjoyed the show for the first five seasons. Aside from some real stinkers in the second and third seasons, I still greatly enjoyed it. The final season is where it really disappointed. It didn't have anything to do with what mystery was answered or not. I just felt underwhelmed with how the characters were handled, and the sudden focus on them finding themselves in the crossfire between gods.
MAD MEN
It's been a long time since I've seen this, but I was into it on first run. I'll probably have to revisit it sometime to see how it holds up. If an American could ever convincingly play Fleming's Bond, I think Jon Hamm was the guy to do it.
BETTER CALL SAUL
I actually prefer this over BREAKING BAD. Where that show was about a man who was always terrible to the core, this one was kind of the opposite. It's riveting because you can see Jimmy McGill has so much to offer for good, but life hits him so hard over and over that it's tragic when you see him becoming more like the hack lawyer he becomes in the show this spun-off from. The final season is at this point the one I have the most anticipation for, with what television/streaming currently offers.
A great observation. The world of television really is vast.
My own:
Archer
Batman: The Animated Series
Chuck
Cowboy Bebop
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
The Office
The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Smallville
Stranger Things
The Twilight Zone
(In assembling this list, I reserve the right to turn a blind eye to one or two seasons of some of the longer running shows here.)
Special nod to the Emma Peel seasons of The Avengers.
Game of Thrones dropped off hard at the end and had its share of wobbly moments throughout but was indeed a real achievement of television and had some truly stunning moments. That speech of Peter Dinklage's (I believe toward the end of Season 4) was just about one of the best things I've ever seen on television.