40 Favorite TV Shows
My 40 favorite television programs of all time. Difficult to properly rank as each show differs greatly from every other show, either in genre, format, or length of run. Comparing a show that ran for 10 years versus one that was canceled during its first season isn't really fair to either show, so I have ordered them as best as I can based on the quality of the show during its entire run, short or long. This probably isn't a comprehensive list, as I'm sure I have forgotten about a show or two, but it is pretty close.
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- CreatorLarry GelbartStarsAlan AldaWayne RogersLoretta SwitThe staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.A long running show that certainly had a quality difference from the early episodes to the later ones, I still think the first five seasons are so strong as to outweigh the flaws of the last six to put it at the top of my list of favorite shows. I probably had an unhealthy relationship with M*A*S*H during my childhood as we had virtually every episode from the first five seasons (The Frank Burns Years, as we called them) recorded on VHS and I watched them over and over and over. I can safely say I have seen every episode from those seasons at least 10 times each, and most I'm sure are over 20.
- CreatorCarl ReinerStarsDick Van DykeMary Tyler MooreRose MarieThe misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.Somehow I didn't discover The Dick Van Dyke Show until about five years ago, but once I did I immediately bought all five seasons on DVD and watched them in rapid succession. Strong writing throughout, and the entire cast works so well together (and you can't go wrong with Richard Deacon in a recurring role on your show!).
- CreatorJ.J. AbramsJeffrey LieberDamon LindelofStarsJorge GarciaJosh HollowayYunjin KimThe survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.Here is the first of my "you love it or you hate it" shows. In fact, I come across people who seem to be on both sides of the fence, if that's possible. Possibly too clever for its own good, and certainly above the intellectual level of most people who watch a lot of TV, it is understandable that the people who did watch it regularly were virtually addicted to it as it consistently rewarded you for being loyal to the show. I really liked the way that the series wrapped up and have absolutely no complaints about the finale; I think the people that didn't like it misunderstood and misinterpreted the last 15 minutes.
- CreatorJames Manos Jr.StarsMichael C. HallJennifer CarpenterDavid ZayasHe's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and his nights committing them.It seems each season is better than the last; let's hope it keeps going that way.
- CreatorGreg DanielsMike JudgeStarsMike JudgeKathy NajimyPamela AdlonA straight-laced propane salesman in Arlen, Texas tries to deal with the wacky antics of his family and friends, while also trying to keep his son in line.Steadily moved up this list over the past few years as I have been routinely watching it in syndication. Really well developed characters and absolutely the most realistic of all animated shows.
- CreatorMitchell HurwitzStarsJason BatemanMichael CeraPortia de RossiLevel-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.A show gone before its time. However, we are left with a truly great show with some of the best television writing ever and just a spectacular cast. The audience was truly rewarded for watching every week with payoffs for setups that may have happened six episodes earlier.
- CreatorNeal MarlensStarsAlan ThickeJoanna KernsKirk CameronThe misadventures of a family with a home business father and a journalist mother.Shut up, I like it, OK? Seriously, I think it actually has not gotten fair treatment and it actually holds up really well 20+ years later. Often dealt with serious issues in a fair way and was only moderately damaged by Kirk Cameron's Christian values (sorry, Julie McCullough; you deserved better). Jumped the shark the same way that Family Ties did, by aging an infant five years during one hiatus to try to inject some life into a dying show. Even Leonardo DiCaprio couldn't keep this one afloat, pun intended.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksMatt GroeningSam SimonStarsDan CastellanetaNancy CartwrightJulie KavnerThe satiric half-hour adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.Would have been higher on the list even just a few years ago, but I'm afraid it has hung on a little too long. Seasons 3-10 are still truly great.
- CreatorJoel HodgsonStarsJoel HodgsonMichael J. NelsonTrace BeaulieuIn the not-too-distant future Joel Robinson is held captive by Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank, forced to watch B-Grade movies on the Satellite of Love with the help of his robot friends: Cambot, Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.Preferred the Mike, Bill, and Kevin shows to the Joel, Trace, and Josh shows, but it was always good no matter who was on. A couple of my personal favorites are "Time Chasers" and "Riding With Death," but there are so many good ones I won't start naming them here. Even though the show ended many years ago, the guys are still going strong with their current project, Rifftrax.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonStephen FryStuck in the middle of World War I, Captain Edmund Blackadder does his best to escape the banality of the war.My favorite of the Blackadder series, this is the fourth series and is set during World War I. Rowan Atkinson, as always, is a genius, and he has his usual support from Hugh Laurie, Tony Robinson, and Stephen Fry. Tied for the shortest series on my list (with two other Blackadder series) at six episodes, but that is by design, as British television series have pre-determined runs.
- StarsJason SklarRandy SklarJon GlaserRandy and Jason play fictitious ESPN research assistants who end up hosting comedy as they comment on the game action and announcers.A sort of MST3K for sports, this was a show that aired on ESPN Classic for a couple of years. Randy and Jason Sklar were given access to pretty much anything in the ESPN and ABC vault and commented on the broadcast in their comedic style. Lots of Wide World of Sports, spelling sees, wrestling, roller derby, gymnastics, poker, and all kinds of other fringe sporting events, with the occasional college football game or MLB All-Star Game thrown in. A live audience was briefly attempted, but it didn't work and was discarded quickly. Helobious.
- CreatorJosh AppelbaumAndré NemecScott RosenbergStarsJason O'MaraMichael ImperioliGretchen MolA present day car accident mysteriously sends a detective back to the 1970s.The very short-lived American remake of the British show of the same name. Though there were only 17 episodes, it was great from start to finish, and ABC did the right thing by allowing a final scene to be shot that answers the questions that the series had posed, and it is truly one of the great series endings of all time. This show worked as both a police drama and a time travel mystery, not an easy feat.
- CreatorLarry DavidJerry SeinfeldStarsJerry SeinfeldJulia Louis-DreyfusMichael RichardsThe continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.If only Larry David had hung around for the whole series....
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.As with any anthology show, The Twilight Zone was all over the board quality-wise. The good outweigh the bad, though, with dozens of truly great episodes over the course of five seasons and 156 episodes. A few personal favorites include "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim," "The Hitch-Hiker," "The Last Flight," "A Stop at Willoughby," "The After Hours," "King Nine Will Not Return," "Eye of the Beholder," "A Penny for Your Thoughts," "Shadow Play," "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?," and "Jess-Belle."
- CreatorLouis C.K.StarsLouis C.K.Hadley DelanyUrsula ParkerThe life of Louie C.K., a divorced comedian living in New York with two kids.Really a ground-breaking show, a comedy in which some of the episodes (purposely) had no laughs at all outside of the interstitial stand-up of Louis C.K. (the title was spelled differently presumably to prevent mispronunciation). However, when it was funny it was as funny as anything ever seen on TV.
- CreatorSeth MacFarlaneDavid ZuckermanStarsSeth MacFarlaneAlex BorsteinSeth GreenIn a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strives to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.Looks like this might be going the route of The Simpsons. Still has its moments and is very watchable, but I fear I may be tiring of it more quickly than I imagined.
- CreatorLon DiamondClyde PhillipsStarsCorin NemecBilly JayneTroy W. SlatenFor a cool high-school kid and his friends, thwarting authority figures and other enemies is never a problem.An early FOX show (originally titled "Parker Lewis Can't Lose"), this was Ferris Bueller with a weekly series, though, ironically, there was a terrible official adaptation called "Ferris Bueller" on NBC starring Charlie Schlatter (!) that only lasted 13 episodes. This was one of the few shows at the time using the format that we are now accustomed to seeing on some of today's better comedies, i.e. no laugh track or audience, location shooting, etc.
- CreatorLarry DavidStarsLarry DavidCheryl HinesJeff GarlinLarry David stars as an over-the-top version of himself in this comedy series that shows how seemingly trivial details of day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events.I don't think any other show has made me more uncomfortable watching it, and I mean that in a good way. If the last few years of Seinfeld had looked like this it might have ended up higher on my list.
- CreatorDan HarmonRob SchrabSarah SilvermanStarsSarah SilvermanLaura SilvermanBrian PosehnSarah's immature, only thinks of herself and has no inhibition nor work. Her sister Laura pays her rent. She has a gay couple as neighbors. Laura's seeing cop Jay.This might be another "love it or hate it" show. If you don't like Sarah Silverman, you might want to stay away, but if you appreciate her humor this is a great show. Plus, it features Brian Posehn and Steve Agee as a gay couple.
- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.Definitely a "love it or hate it" show. Maybe even a "love it AND hate it" show. As innovative and fresh as the first season was, the second was equally frustrating and absurd. The pilot episode may be the single best pilot of any television program ever.
- CreatorSherwood SchwartzStarsRobert ReedFlorence HendersonAnn B. DavisThe misadventures of a large family united when a widower and a widow marry.OK, here is one that I grew up watching constantly in syndication, so I may be seeing it through rose-colored glasses. The cheesiness of the show doesn't bother me at all, and in many cases enhances it. One of the few (if not only) television shows that has had a decent film adaptation.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonHugh LaurieIn the Regency era, Mr E. Blackadder serves as butler to the foppish numskull Prince George amidst the fads and crazes of the time.This series is set in the time of King George III (circa 1800) and features Hugh Laurie and Tony Robinson to go with Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder.
- CreatorSpencer ChinoySteven LevitanDan MilanoStarsEugene LevySeth GreenBob GuntonGreg the Bunny is one of the 3.2 million fabricated Americans living in the United States. Wanting a job that doesn't involve working only on Easter, he finds a job on a kid's show.Yet another short-lived show (just 13 episodes). FOX kept bouncing it around the schedule and airing the same couple of episodes over and over (while never airing two episodes at all), thus ensuring that it would never find an audience. Any show with Sarah Silverman, Eugene Levy, Bob Gunton, and Warren the Ape has to be good.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonTim McInnernyIn the Tudor court of Elizabeth I, Lord Edmund Blackadder strives to win Her Majesty's favour while attempting to avoid a grisly fate should he offend her.This series was set in the Elizabethan era, this time with Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson supporting Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder.
- CreatorTina FeyStarsTina FeyAlec BaldwinTracy MorganLiz Lemon, head writer of the sketch-comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star while trying to run a successful television show without losing her mind.Still going strong. Hopefully it can maintain its quality for a couple more years and then gracefully bow out.