Time for another Best-of list courtesy of the latest Rolling Stone magazine (see previous such posts The Best of Netflix: Rolling Stone’s Top 20 and Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Sitcoms of All Time). They have updated their 2016 list of the greatest TV shows. Like I did before, I’ll provide some brief comments on the shows I watched but remain silent on the ones I have never seen. As with any “greatest of all time” list, it will elicit agreement and surprise.
50. Jeopardy! (Syndication 1984-present): While Jeopardy made its debut in 1964, it’s the daily syndicated version that is familiar to modern viewers. Hosted by Alex Trebek for 35 years, the show seems as popular as ever even after Trebek’s death in 2021.
49. Friends (NBC 1994-2004): The fact that this show has been embraced by a younger generation proves that the perfect chemistry of the six friends is timeless.
48. The Shield (FX 2002-08):
47. My So-Called Life (ABC 1995-96):
46. The West Wing (NBC 1999-2006): While Aaron Sorkin’s harmonious White House seems quaint today, the fast-paced and witty dialog of its outstanding cast was enjoyable.
45. Columbo (NBC 1971-78, ABC 1989-2003):
44. Late Night with David Letterman (NBC 1982-93):
43. Insecure (HBO 2016-21):
42. Battlestar Galactica (SCI-FI 2003-09):
41. BoJack Horseman (NETFLIX 2014-20):
40. The Good Place (NBC 2017-20): It’s the rare comedy that can imbed humor and silliness into a narrative that posits life is meaningless, and that heaven and hell are indistinguishable. (See previous post Kristen Bell’s Woman in the House is Not in a Good Place)
39. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO 2000-present): Larry David’s Seinfeld follow-up has had its ups and downs, but when flying high it surpasses, or even exceeds, its predecessor. Too many classic, cringe-worthy situations to share. How about when Larry hires a sex worker so he can use the carpool lane and get to the Dodger game faster? Or the endless list of things that annoy Larry: “line hoggers,” “pig parkers,” outdated magazines in the waiting room, people who say “Happy New Year” after January 4, men on airplanes wearing shorts, the stop-and-chat, having to take off his shoes, having to wait for everyone’s food to arrive before eating, 20% tips being automatically included in the bill…I’m cracking up writing this. This is way higher on my list.
38. Hill Street Blues (NBC 1981-87):
37. Arrested Development (FOX 2003-06, Netflix 2013-19): A story of two shows in one. On Fox, one of TV’s great comedies. On Netflix, a slow, convoluted mess. The joy of the show was the excellent ensemble cast roiling around in their dysfunctional family. The Bluths were never together in the Netflix episodes.
36. I Love Lucy (CBS 1951-57):
35. Lost (ABC 2004-10): One of the only times I have ever given up on a show. I usually stick it out to see what happens. My wife and I were turned off by the number of background stories early in the series that prevented moving the story forward. Maybe we should have stayed with it. From what I heard; they wrapped it up pretty well in season five.
34. The Office U.S (NBC 2005-13): I enjoyed The Office each Thursday night, although I was never a super-fan. The superb cast exhibited the office drudgery of Dunder Mifflin with perfect pitch and deadpan delivery.
33. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (BBC 1969-74):
32. Better Call Saul (AMC 2015-22): A Breaking Bad spin-off featuring con-artist lawyer Jimmy McGill? Oh, how that pitch must have been received at first. Against all odds, the show stood on its own without being overshadowed by its predecessor. As the characters developed and the story picked up, it just got better and better. It proved that Bob Odenkirk can be a fascinating lead man. Jonathan Banks reached new heights (or lows) as the gruff, proficient “cleaner.” And you can’t say enough about Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler.
31. Game of Thrones (HBO 2011-2019): Game of Thrones brought a higher level of craftmanship to the latest Golden Age of Television with its acting, complex characters, story, and production values. The eighth and final season received significant backlash dampening the show’s legacy. I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. The just concluded first season of The House of Dragons is a worthy and captivating prequel.
30. Parks and Recreation (NBC 2009-15): Being a city planner by trade I loved this show in the early episodes with an actual city planner (Zoning Map displayed on office wall) and Leslie Knope organizing a public workshop. Classic in my world. Overall, the loveable cast and City Hall setting were fun, but the plotlines got too goofy sometimes for me.
29. Roots (ABC 1977):
28. Friday Night Lights (NBC 2006-11):
27. Deadwood (HBO 2004-06):
26. Sesame Street (PBS 1969-present, HBO 2016-20, HBO Max 2020-present):
25. M*A*S*H (CBS 1972-1983): I didn’t realize at the time as a teenager how creative this show was. The series finale is still the most-watched single episode of television ever.
24. Freaks and Geeks (NBC 1999-2000):
23. Watchmen (HBO 2019):
22. Star Trek (NBC 1966-69): I could never call myself a Trekkie, but the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy on the starship Enterprise opened up a universe of new discoveries.
21. All in the Family (CBS 1971-79): For 231 episodes, “Those Were the Days” signaled an upcoming 30 minutes of groundbreaking comedy. Archie, Edith, Gloria, and Michael (“Meathead”) exemplified the culture clash between the Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers.
20. 30 Rock (NBC 2006-13): See comments above for Parks and Recreation minus the City Hall angle.
19. I May Destroy You (BBC/HBO 2020)
18. Saturday Night Live (NBC 1975-present): The opening theme still takes me back to late Saturday nights in college. To say the show is uneven now is putting it mildly, but the opening skit and “Weekend Update” are still a treat along with an occasional sketch, musical guest, and “commercial.”
17. The Leftovers (HBO 2014-17): I don’t get this on the list, much less at #17. A world where two percent of the population randomly vanished was an intriguing premise. But the fine acting couldn’t save this weird, confusing, and frustrating meditation on the meaning of life.
16. Twin Peaks (ABC 1990-91, SHOWTIME 2017): The first season of Twin Peaks was flat out the most fun and engaging season of TV ever for me. Never mind that season two, the 1992 movie Fire Walk with Me, and Showtime’s 2017 update paled in comparison. I usually don’t think short-lived shows deserve a place on all-time lists, but David Lynch’s bizarre world was irresistibly nutty. The gruesome “She’s dead…body wrapped in plastic,” and “Who Killed Laura Palmer,” the eccentric Log Lady, the dark Killer Bob, and Agent Cooper and his love of cherry pie and coffee will forever live in TV lore.
15. The Larry Sanders Show (HBO 1992-98):
14. The Americans (FX 2013-18): What a great show! At its core, a spy thriller with Soviet agents (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) posing as a suburban couple in Virginia, but also a riveting family drama. Also, one of the more satisfying endings ever.
13. Veep (HBO 2012-19): Julia Louis-Dreyfus as trash-talking VP Selina Meyer and her clueless staff equals a show for the ages.
12. The Twilight Zone (CBS 1959-64): I didn’t watch this during its original run, and like many, it was the marathons and reruns that introduced me to this imaginative anthology. It’s impossible to just pick a few episodes, but “Time Enough at Last” with Burgess Meredith and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” with Willian Shatner are just a couple examples of how well the show aged in comparison to its contemporaries.
11. Succession (HBO 2018-present):
10. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS 1970-77):
9. Atlanta (FX 2016-present):
8. Cheers (NBC 1982-93): The namesake bar in Boston invited us all in to join the regulars to drink, relax, and socialize. Part of NBC’s Thursday night “Must See TV” lineup, Cheers is one of the most popular and acclaimed shows ever. It’s series finale rivaled that of M*A*S*H for number of viewers.
7. Mad Men (AMC 2007-15): Don Draper (Jon Hamm) leads the creative team at the Sterling Cooper ad agency. The series tracks the personal and professional lives of the talented, tormented Draper along with his staff (a stellar supporting cast: Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, and more). Thankfully, the show didn’t sanitize the bad habits of the 1960s. Chain smoking and heavy drinking every day.
6. Seinfeld (NBC 1989-98): What more can you say about Seinfeld? I could tell you my favorite episodes, but let’s just leave it at the reruns still make me laugh and this would be at the top for me.
5. Fleabag (BBC/AMAZON 2016-19): Two seasons and a total of 12 episodes. Number five on the best TV shows of all time? (I know, inconsistent with Twin Peaks.) Don’t get me wrong, it’s really amusing in a BBC kind of way. Dry-witted Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) has no filter and frequently breaks the fourth wall with her internal monologues and running commentary. Plus, there’s the “Hot Priest.”
4. The Wire (HBO 2002-08): This is probably the best show that I haven’t really watched. I missed its original run and only saw a season or two. The Wire shows up high on seemingly every all-time great list.
3. Breaking Bad (AMC 2008-13): Deserving of its high rank, Breaking Bad follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston) a high school chemistry teacher with lung cancer and his partner Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) as they produce and distribute crystal meth and navigate the criminal underworld. A thrilling, devastating, and agonizing journey.
2. The Simpsons (FOX 1989-present): Of course, this is one of the greatest shows ever! I still tune in every Sunday night at 8:00 (or record it). It’s still running strong in its 34th season (don’t believe the perception that the show has declined in quality), The Simpsons continues to explore a wide range of topics while Homer remains his loveable, awful, and hilarious self. All I can say is D’oh!
1. The Sopranos (HBO 1999-2007): The dark transformative epic keeps its #1 ranking in this poll. As Rolling Stone says, The Sopranos “took a torch to every written and unwritten rule that TV storytelling had been governed by since the days of Gunsmoke. Simplicity and holding the audience’s hand were out, and narrative and moral complexity were in, all the way through a final edit that we still can’t stop-.” For the record, I liked the ending.
There are a few other shows that would be on my list. How ’bout yours? Let’s not include original Netflix shows since Rolling Stone just included one (BoJack Horseman) and I recently reviewed their Best-of Netflix shows recently. Mine are Homeland, 24, X-Files, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, and South Park. If I were to pick another short-lived program, it would be HBO’s superb Rome (two seasons) And for some relatable nostalgia, I’d find a place for the original Wonder Years.
Trivia: Sopranos‘ series creator, David Chase, invited Steven Van Zandt to audition after seeing his humorous presence at what annual ceremony?
Answer: Van Zandt inducted The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Trivia: Another one for The Sopranos – what is the name of the opening theme song and who performed it?
Answer: “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3
Comments
4 responses to “The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time”
I’ve never been a big TV watcher, but loved Breaking Bad and Mad Men, probably my two favorites from this list. The smoking and drinking on Mad Men made me want to get up and wash my hands at every commercial break 🙂 I really enjoyed Fleabag, but seriously, #5? That’s Rolling Stone trying to stir things up.
Better Call Saul was very good as well, I’m right with you on your assessment.
Someday I should try to watch The Sopranos. I’m not a HBO subscriber, so might not be possible.
Missing from this list? Firefly!
BrianS, thanks for commenting, particularly since you’re not a big TV watcher (I realize I watch too much, but not likely that I’ll cut back at this point). Your two favorites are classics (I love the Mad Men comment.) I’ve heard good things about Firefly. Never got around to watching it.
Well, I just have to weigh in on Rolling Stones Best TV shows! Some selections are spot-on but too many of them are “WTF”? And the ones they missed…X Files should definitely be in that mix.
I’m just going to put down my 2-cents worth on some of them:
50. Jeopardy – A show that just grew into cult status, but Alex Trebek is sorely missed.
39. Curb Your Enthusiasm – Hilarious and cringe-worthy at the same time. I haven’t seen a lot of episodes but one that stands out is Larry David wearing a MAGA cap so he can get a table for himself in the coffee shop.
35. Lost – I’m with you, never got into it and seemed rather silly.
32. Better Call Saul – Deserves a higher ranking than this!
31. Game of Thrones – Again, one I haven’t seen a lot of seasons of but what I have seen is compelling TV. Part of the reason I finally caved in and got HBO Max.
28. Friday Night Lights – Actually, a very good show. Launched the careers of a number of actors that are seen in current shows and movies.
27. Deadwood – I’d have to say this was a Western with balls (and a lot of F-bombs)!
22. Star Trek – Of course…I think I enjoyed Next Generation more, “Make it so” Jean Luc Picard.
17. The Leftovers – Never saw it but I thought the book was good.
16. Twin Peaks – That first episode was some of the most chilling, ominous, scary television I have ever viewed!
7. Mad Men – A true classic…definitely deserves it’s ranking.
2. The Simpsons – See above.
1. The Sopranos – Yeah, never saw this one except for bits here and there but I should watch it, given that it’s lofty Number 1.
One show that was on TV is probably long forgotten now but I thought it was brilliant. “Wild Palms” was around in the early 90’s and I think it was overshadowed by Twin Peaks but had an equally bizarre storyline. It only lasted 2 seasons, I think, but it had an interesting cast that included Jim Belushi and Angie Dickenson. It might be available on DVD?
There, my 2-cents worth!
MSquared, thanks for the thoughtful comments. Awesome! Yeah, I never watched Friday Night Lights or Deadwood, both of which always get highly acclaimed. I have never heard of Wild Palms. Sounds intriguing and an interesting cast indeed! Thanks again for adding to the discussion.