Your Top 10 Best Shows of All Time

GWC Community Off-Topic/Other
#1

Inspired by some Twitter chatter recently regarding Sherlock being in the running for possibly unseating Firefly in my favorite show list I have been thinking about what would actually be on my top 10. If you remember my old Space iPad thread the most important consideration is rewatchability. You can walk around with 10 shows, all seasons. What are they and why? At first I thought the 10 would be easy and ranking them would be difficult. As I started really thinking about it I came up with a list of nearly 25 and had to start challenging myself with what would I want to watch over and why? Although I thought Mad Men was an excellent show on many levels it is so depressing I wouldn’t want it to take a slot of something I truly enjoy.

  1. Community: Subversively hilarious, clever and quick, the first two seasons are gold
  2. Star Trek: TNG: Rough start but only improved over time, still some of the finest television ever
  3. Doctor Who : Don’t be angry, I’ve just met the Doctor. I can see myself rewatching this endlessly
  4. South Park: When it is good it is great. Sometimes hit or miss but man I love me some South Park
  5. Archer: Shockingly funny rapid-fire brilliance. I could watch this on an endless loop
  6. 30 Rock: Last minute substitution with BSG. I kept thinking, “Would I really want to watch BSG over and over? Or would I want to laugh?” 30 Rock wins.
  7. Sherlock: Holy Crom.
  8. Monty Python : If you have to ask go watch. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
  9. Arrested Development : I only discovered Arrested Development about a year ago. Have watched the series in its entirety three times. That good.
  10. Firefly : No surprise here. Quality of writing, depth of acting, this show continues to move me. I believe I am actually in love with this show
#2

Can we get a definition of “show.” Are we talking TV series or mini-series? Would a made for TV movie count? I would classified BBC’s Sherlock as mini-series. So you can see me confusion.

#3

I would consider tv series and mini-series both in the same bucket. Made for tv movie…I can’t even think of one anymore. If television was the main original content delivery mechanism let’s just say in! :slight_smile:

#4

This is actually more difficult than I thought. Here’s my list as I can label it now.

  1. Happy Endings. it’s an updated version of Friends, I can’t help but love it
  2. Modern Family. It is stupid and witty all at once, with a heart of gold
  3. 2 Broke Girls. It’s not the greatest show out there by far, but I love Max. She’s me, but with (amazing) boobs.
  4. Scrubs. EEEEEEAGLLLLE!
  5. Robin Hood (BBC). Aside from Monty Python, This was my first introduction to British TV. I never looked back.
  6. Mythbusters. Science, explosions, and Kari Byron. What’s not to love?
  7. Sherlock. Brilliant in a way I have to have explained to me through fast shots of details.
  8. Arrested Development. “Hey, that’s the name of this show.”
  9. Doctor Who. I wanna be the Doctor when I grow up
  10. Firefly. It’s a tough call between this and Doctor Who, since Who has the longevity to feed my geekdom for years. But watching Firefly feels like going home to visit family.
#5
  1. Star Trek Original Series … two and a half words … James T. Kirk
  2. Arrested Development … got to have an ice cream sandwich
  3. Sopranos … need to have a “sit down” with Tony
  4. Sex and the City … need to lunch with the girls
  5. Band of Brothers … 10 great mini movies
  6. Californication … Hank Moody is god
  7. Futurama … Leela … L. E. E. L. A … Leela … (and Zap Branigan)
  8. Simpsons … there are just so many of them (and they’re good)
  9. Columbo … Peter Falk is god.
  10. X-Files … lots of walking around in the dark, with flash-lights and calling out to one another (great TV).
    .
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    .<these go to eleven>
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    .
  11. Spaced … pop in to see Tim and Daisy
#6

Yeah, this was tough. I’m sure I’ll look at it again and say (Oh forgot that one!)
BSG didn’t make the cut cuz, once you know the end it’s not as rewatchable.

  1. Rome — Great, beautiful epic show about the real Rome

  2. Sharpe — Excellent long time series of TV movies really staring Boromir Eddard Stark (Sean Bean).

  3. Community-– Breakthrough innovative TV. Great characters. Love that Troy and Abed.

  4. Firefly – Combines the cowboy and space genres –my two favs. What’s not to love?

  5. South Park — The best social satire TV has ever done and it happens to be animated.
    6, Doctor Who – Mad adventures that go anywhere in time and space but make you feel at the same time.

  6. Justified — Love this show. Excellently written. Intriguing real characters. Looks like a macho vigilante main character, but he is SO not.

  7. Band of Brothers — Beautifully done epic miniseries. About leadership. And war. And people. And World War II and what in meant.

  8. The West Wing – I can prove ( @kdeezy is my witness) that I can and have watched every ep more than once. The fast witty dialogue. The epic themes. The human drama. Guaranteed lump in your throat in the last 5 min of EVERY episode.

  9. Star Trek (The Original Series)– I can’t be objective in my love of Star Trek –even with the flawed episodes and outdated mores and special effects. This show is part of me.

…and my very favorite is :

  1. Deadwood – Love the gritty authentic drama, the look, the dialog, the characters. Love this show. An F word every minute but that’s part of its brilliance.
#7

What about shows on premium channels. For instance Band Of Brothers or From The Earth To The Moon or Game of Thrones on HBO?

Also, would public television and/or educational shows count. Shows like Cosmos or The Universe?

#8

My two cents is “yes” to premium channel fictional shows — Band of Brothers etc. My fav is HBO’s Deadwood for instance.

I would say “no” for this list for non-fiction or documentaries…(Otherwise COSMOS would for sure be on my list). I think it dilutes the list.
But if it’s a PBS fictional show, for sure it’s okay.

#9

I just realized how many non-fiction shows I’ve come to love. Cosmos, The Universe, America The Story of Us, Life Without People, Battle 360, etc. I’d argue that they do count. They are educational AND entertaining.

#10

In no particular order:

  1. Chuck
  2. Scrubs
  3. Stargate SG-1
  4. MST 3000
  5. Phineas and Ferb
  6. Avatar: the Last Airbender
  7. Mythbusters
  8. Muppets
  9. Futurama
  10. How I Met Your Mother
#11

Star Trek TNG
Star Trek DS9
Babylon 5
The West Wing
Sports Night
Scrubs
Battlestar Galactica
Firefly
Futurama
<!-- This space reserved for Game of Thrones after a greater sample size–>

And those are no particular order.

#12

That’s a valid point. As a teenager I kept COSMOS the book on my night table like a Bible. Love that show.

So in keeping with Solai’s premise, if it’s non-fiction show that you honestly can say you’d watch over and over and over, then, yup, put it on the list.

Btw, the Battle of Midway ep of Battle 360 was my favorite of that series.

#13

How did I forget this one? I love Phineas and Ferb. I’ll watch it even when the kids aren’t home.

#14

Buddy, I love you, but you may be overthinking this. Game of Thrones, Cosmos in my mind are all legitimate. You want them, you got them.

#15

You don’t remember the fine made for TV movies like Damnation Alley or The Day After? Amazing. But seriously, more recently ones like Too Big To Fail could count.

Forgive me for putting a lot of thought into this, but I want to be fair to the 35 years or so of wasted time in front of the boob tube. =)

#16

I know I was being a pain in the rear with questions as to what qualified and what didn’t, but I thought it was important to define what counted as a TV Show and what didn’t. I scoured my DVD shelves and my DVR series record list, I looked through my archive of VHS and self-recorded DVDs, and spoke to all my family members including Shootette’s boyfriend and I came up with a list of 28 shows. 11 of those shows I have not yet watched front to back so I had to put them on my “Reserve List.” My reserve list is those shows that I think may qualify for a top spot but since I have not 100 percent watched through them I couldn’t justify putting them on my list against shows I knew from soup to nuts. My Reserve List follows below my top 10 list. And yes I know I put together a list of 17 shows but I’ll stand by them. If I can only have 10 then only the top 10 count. So without further ado, here are my top 10 TV shows in order.

  1. Stargate SG-1
  2. Star Trek The Next Generation
  3. Dr. Who
  4. Battlestar Galactica
  5. From The Earth To The Moon
  6. Band Of Brothers
  7. Cosmos
  8. Deadliest Catch
  9. Robotech
  10. Big Bang Theory
  11. How I Met Your Mother
  12. Family Ties
  13. Top Gear
  14. Friday Night Lights
  15. Cheers
  16. MASH
  17. West Wing

My Reserve List (In no particular order)

  1. Fringe
  2. Sherlock
  3. Buffy
  4. Quantum Leap
  5. Ashes To Ashes
  6. Life On Mars
  7. Scrubs
  8. Spartacus
  9. Gilmore Girls
  10. House
  11. Torchwood
#17

I’ve not seen Sherlock yet. I will, however. Soon. Very soon. Anyway, here is me list (sorted chronologically):

  1. Twilight Zone - Before the touted Roddenberry was challenging audiences with social commentary through the vehicle of science fiction, Rod Serling accomplished it a decade earlier. Over 50 years old this series is still pertinent and thot-provoking.

  2. Star Trek - This was my first love. Literally. The show carried me, challenged me, and comforted me. At any moment of the day, there is a portion of an episode playing in my mind.

  3. Monty Python’s Flying Circus - It’s… Pythonesque. Every moment is surreal and grabs the humor center of your brain. And now for something completely different. No doubt.

  4. Babylon 5 - Basically a novel for television, B5 is a character evolving, theme rich engrossing epic. Any shortcomings are easily compensated by the wonderful moments that build and deliver.

  5. Star Trek Deep Space Nine - Creating interpersonal conflicts and diverse cultural characters helped infuse the Star Trek legacy. The writing , acting, and production is some of the best from the franchise. If I could select the whole Star Trek franchise as an option, I would. Since I can’t I grabbed my two favorite.

  6. Stargate SG-1 - I can count on one hand how many episodes of this series I’ve seen. So why is it on my list? Pure recommendation and I enjoy being surprised and impressed by something new.

  7. Futurama - A masterful balance of satire and parody highlighted with nerd in-jokes. This series is filled with unmatched wit and comedic science fiction story-telling. Bite my shiny metal ass.

  8. Band of Brothers - I will quote Caryn James of The New York Times: “an extraordinary 10-part series that masters its greatest challenge: it balances the ideal of heroism with the violence and terror of battle, reflecting what is both civilized and savage about war.” The Bard would be proud. A gripping tale powered with literary license of actual events.

  9. Battlestar Galactica (2003) - I still get goose-flesh thinking about this series. The themes and allusions resonate and stimulate me thots. IMO, this is the best science fiction show ever created on the basis of its attack of allegory.

  10. Arrested Development - I’ve only seen this recently but I can totally see myself watching this series over and over again. Every character is amazing and detailed. Every aspect of the show is pure brillance.

#18

I think some of you need to add Sesame Street, so you can learn how to count to ten. :stuck_out_tongue:

#19

Damn, I love what you said about Star Trek. You said it much better than me.
Interesting also that we both gave Star Trek the honorable spot of #2

I see we share the same love of Band of Brothers too.

I’ll make this caveat for me re BSG. Nothing i enjoyed more than watching BSG and then watching it again with the Ron Moore commentary. If I could have that, it would make my top 10.

#20

In my defense I did state that “If I can only have 10 then only the top 10 count.” I just took the extra step of giving my next 7 in order.