What is you all time list of favorite TV shows?

After much thought and a whole lot of watching old TV shows on DVDs, here is my definitive list:

#1. The Simpsons (1989-present) - Smart, witty, and hilarious. Not to mention it also has a plethora of teriffic characters. It's a little hit and miss as of late, but even it's worst shows are better than almost anything else on the dial. The pure definition of "comfort TV" for me.

#2. Seinfeld (1990-1998) - I loved Seinfeld because it was not your standard sitcom. Larry David took pride in the fact that none of the characters ever learned any lessons and there was never a touching moment (no "special episodes" of Seinfeld can be found). Some episodes were downright masterpieces. Just a brilliant show in every facet.

#3. The Avengers (Emma Peel years 1965-1967) - For a 40 year old show, it is still incredibly hip. Has one of the sexiest ladies to ever grace the small screen, Diana Rigg. The Avengers is a tongue-in-cheek British show featuring England's finest agents John Steed and Emma Peel investigating plots that appeared to be ripped right from B-movies. It has a great sense of humor, and I have seen very few characters in the history of TV with better chemistry than Steed and Peel.

#4. The A-Team (1983-1987) - The A-Team came out when I was 13 years old. My hormones and testerone were at the right place and time for this show to strike a chord with me. I just loved watching BA (Mr. T) kick some ass. Sure, it was the same plot every week - break Murdock out of the mental hospital, trick BA into flying, A-Team kicks the lackeys asses, A-Team runs into a little trouble, A-Team MacGyvers together a tank and defeats bad guys. Funny thing is that after watching the first two seasons again on DVD 20+ years later, it still works for me. It's good to know my hormones and testerone is still at a high level!

#5. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-present) - Quite simply, Larry David is a genius. As was the case with Seinfeld, I love Curb's warped sense of humor that goes against the grain of standard sitcoms.

#6. Alias (2001-present) - Alias started off with a bang, and I enjoyed the first two seasons more than any show I think I'd ever seen. The third season was lackluster, and I've fallen way behind this season . So, I'm not sure where this will end up on my list years from now, but the first two seasons alone easily propel this to #6 on my list. And, from what I've seen from season 4, it looks promising.

#7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) - On the surface Buffy looked like a show I would disklike - essentially it is a teenage soap opera. I only started watching it because of my wife, but the next thing I know I'm invested in this show and can't turn away. Apparently I would like soap operas that mix in a little vampire killing. The great thing about this show is that it would never stand still and was always changing. Sometimes the changes were for the worst, but it sure kept things interesting. Seasons 3 and 4 were just tremendously fun to watch.

#8. I Love Lucy (1951-1957) - I used to come home for lunch during high school, and I Love Lucy was the only thing on at that time. For several years I watched it 5 times a week. I've seen every episode multiple times. As is the case with the Simpsons, I Love Lucy is "comfort TV" for me. It's just so easy to watch, and I love trying to talk in butchered English like Ricky Ricardo.

#9. The Greatest American Hero (1981-1983) - This is another show that I used to love as a kid. The premise of getting a superhero suit and special powers is a dream of every kid from 5-85. It did a great job of portraying an everyday guy struggling and discovering his new powers. After watching the first two seasons on DVD, it doesn't quite hold up as well today (the special effects are no longer so special), but it is still fun to watch and has a solid cast of characters.

#10. American Idol (2002-present) - The very definition of addictive TV. I literally start to care too much about who is or who isn't voted off from week to week. It's only downside is that it's not great for repeat viewings and therefore will not hold up as well over time.


Honorable mentions: Sex in the City, Family Guy, Bob Newhart Show, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sex in the City, Dick Van Dyke Show, Cheers, Friends, Survivor

1. The Simpsons (1989-1998)- it all went down after 98
2. X-files - best sci-fi show on tv, I wish that David Duchovney and Chris Carter will settle their difference and make another X-files movie
3. Married With Children
4. Twin Peaks
5. Quantum Leap
I have to think about more in a bit

1.)The Simpsons
2.)Family Guy
3.)South Park
4.)Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
5.)Futurama
6.)The Critic
7.)Scrubs
8.)Friends
9.)American Idol
10.)Seinfeld

EDIT: i forgot i few

The Simpsons
Family Guy
Married With Children
3rd Rock from the Sun
I love Lucy
Friends
C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation
Boy Meets World
SNL
Late Night with Conan O'Brien (Conan for president!!)

Reality Shows: (im a reality freak!)
1. American Idol
2. Survivor
3. Amazing Race
4. The Apprentice

1. Futurama - Consistently the most hilarious, witty and clever show on television. That no one watched it, resulting in its eventual cancellation, is a travesty that can never be forgiven (curse you Fox!). I'd give up every season of Family Guy to date (a show I love) for just 22 more episodes of Fry's futuristic escapades. Every episode was a mini-masterpiece filled with numerous details to be pored over for extra enjoyment. Fry and Bender are the two finest comedy creations of the last few decades. It also stands out as one of only two television shows (the other being Angel) to make me weep like a little girl.

2. The Simpsons - This would be lower were it not for the recent season 5 box set reminding me of how great the show was at its peak. The Simpsons was once possibly better than Futurama. Later seasons have sadly left the franchise in ruins, but the great episodes (spanning season 4-8) are some of the best TV ever produced. Cape Feare in particular is one of the finest half hours of comedy in existence.

3. Boy Meets World - An entertaining life lesson in every episode. Cory and his friends practically raised me with their lessons on life and love. When my parents weren't there to tell me alcohol was bad, Boy Meets World was. Of course I don't hold fast to that no drinking rule today, but if I did, it'd be down to Boy Meets World. And Will Friedle (aka, Eric) is a comedy mastermind in dire need of a film-vehicle for his many skills. Topanga got a bit uglier/fatter in later seasons, however, so thank god they brought Angela and that red-headed girl on board.

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I refused to watch it initially, cos it looked like a crappy 90210 knock off with vampires. I picked it up in season 2 and fell in love (during the whole Evil Angel storyline). I don't think I'll ever love a TV show as much as I did this during its peak. The last couple of seasons dropped the ball a bit (especially season 7), but overall a finer TV show with seasonal plot-arcs I doubt I'll see in my lifetime. Episodes such as Hush, The Body and Once More, With Feeling truly transcended the medium.

5. Angel - I wasn't a huge fan of seasons 1-3 (especially 2 and 3), but season 4 and 5 are easily as good as the best of Buffy. Season 5 in particular was perhaps better than any individual season of Buffy. It was almost like the axe dangling over the franchise inspired the writers to go all out, pulling out all the stops on the character and plot development, leading to a heartbreaking resolution that won't be matched for as long as this young fop can see.

I have more, but I'm getting a wee bit tired (and drunk...) so I'll save 6-10 for another time.

1. Survivor - the best reality show of all time
2. Spongebob Squarepants - so funny, doesn't have to rely on bad stuff
3. Everybody Loves Raymond - a very consistently funny show, amazing characters
4. Lost - it's about the only real drama I've watched
5. Late Night with Conan O'Brien - Conan is the greatest host ever

#1: GILMORE GIRLS


Others in no order:

VERONICA MARS
WONDERFALLS
SEX & THE CITY
SIX FEET UNDER
NIP/TUCK
24
TRU CALLING
FREAKS & GEEKS


A lot of older TV shows I don't appreciate as much as I used to when I see them again now. Now they are usually cheesier than I remember so even ones that meant a lot to me a long time ago and were favorites of mine once upon a time just don't make the cut now. So that's why most of my favorites are all newer shows.

Some that were mentioned above

with a couple of personals favorites thrown-in

most of the oldies as seen on cable so it is really hard to judge

***************************************************
Twilight Zone - pure brilliance
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Family Ties
All in the Family
The Jeffersons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Incredible Hulk
Twin Peaks
Fantasy Island
Murphy Brown
Monty Python and the Flying Circus
John Cleese's Fawlty Towers
Dallas
Benny Hill
I Dream of Jeannie
Bonanza
The Prisoner
WKRP in Cincinnati
Make Room for Daddy
Saturday Night Live - selected years

This topic has been posted countless times.

My all-time favorites....

1. Boy Meets World

2. Once and Again (Season 2 DVD in August!!!!!!)

3. Friends

4. Nip/Tuck

5. ALIAS (it's falling though)

6. The Secret World of Alex Mac (childhood show)

7. Desperate Housewives

8. Jack and Bobby

9. I Dream of Jeannie

10. LOST

and here are some more I forgot

Columbo
Quincy
CSI
ER
Hill Street Blues

Argh, so many...

The X-Files, Seinfeld, All in the Family, The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, 24, Alias, Scrubs, M*A*S*H, Lost, The Sopranos, Buffy the Vampire Slayer... I'll make a top ten of these shows. Or... ten of them.

Damn - more that I need to list.

I was going to put Lost but it still has a ways to go.

I looked through the archives twice and couldn't find one. But, I'm old and my eyes ain't what they used to be, so my apologies if it has been up before.

For having such poor taste in movies and video games, you seem to have pretty good taste in TV shows.

A very good, well written list! =D>

1. The Simpsons
2. Seinfeld
3. Boy Meets World
4. Family Guy
5. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Honorable Mentions: Smart Guy, Cheers, The Cosby Show, Saved By The Bell, The Jeffersons, Three's Company.

Other than those good list.

Not that I don't "like" them but they're not great.

Loved both of those.

Smart Guy was hilarious mostly because of Moe Tibbs (forget his real name...).

Saved By The Bell... Tiffany Amber Theisen (Kelly)!. :razz:

1. Tales From The Crypt
2. Twin Peaks
3. The X-Files
4. The O.C.
5. Seinfeld

1. The Simpsons - Ingenious series that has been on a decline in recent years, but even so, if you see it as a one big series, overall it's the all-time best. Great characters, great satire and society critique filled with great humor. Homer Simpson is a TV icon. Sometimes I am in a mood for certain movies, sometimes I am not. But I am ALWAYS in a mood for a Simpsons episode. I could watch those for hours.

2. South Park - This has beating The Simpsons recently and falls just behind in overall quality. You can forget any political correctness with this one, but who cares? Most episodes are seriously laugh-out-loud and man, it's so qoutable!

3. X-Files - At its end it was a complete and utter mess. Throughout the show so many questions were posed and so many mysteries were concepted that I believe the creators of the show didn't know all the answers to them either at the end. But that aside, when it started out it was the best series around, even better than The Simpsons. Amazing sci-fi TV. The first 4-5 seasons are amazing. Unfortunately the show was anything, but consistent. But really, the Top 3 are extremely close.

4. Futurama - It was great and Bender challenged Homer for the throne of animated TV icon. However, often I couldn't help, but see it as a Simpsons-rehash at times. However, the series was very imaginative and all its seasons were better than The Simpsons' current ones (which better imporve soon, or South Park will claim the crown!).

5. Buffy - Never got into the show until the 5th/6th season, but didn't miss an episode since then. Very well-made,e even though you often needed a major suspension of disbelief and it was repetitive at tims. The Spike/Buffy relationship was really well-crafted, though.


Runner-Up: Lost - too early to tell, but if it holds up just as well as it does at the moment, it'll get into my Top 5 eventually.

1. Original Star Trek. A positive future portrayed with humor, cleverness, and sometimes brilliant writing. (Such as City on the Edge of Forever, Mirror Mirror, and Trouble With Tribbles.) And you simply can't beat the trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. This one is going to be a cultural icon forever.

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation Still positive, and still sometimes brilliant writing. The season 3 cliffhanger, Best of Both Worlds is the best episode of any TV show ever.

3. Buffy This series was at it's best during it's first three years when it was doing high school metaphors. The 2nd season finale, Becoming I & II, are the 3nd greatest TV episodes ever, behind TNG's Best of Both Worlds. Later in the series had moments of brilliance such as Hush and especially Once More With Feeling (the amazing musical episode.)

Other favorites: Highlander, (Seasons 1 thru 5 only. I deny the existence of the last episode of season 5 & the entirety of season 6,) The 4400 (was a mini-series on USA last summer, coming back this summer, about alien abductees returned to Earth,) The current Battlestar Galactica, (wow, much better then the original.) And of course, Lost, which is too young a series to really judge how it will hold up. But it looks encouraging.

Editing in Law & Order: SVU (No, not the other L&O's. Just SVU. )

1) The Simpsons. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Great writing, especially early on and it has so many characters that they could focus only on them and the show would still be interesting.

2) Full House. I hate to admit it, but I used to love this show. Now it kinda stinks, but at the time I thought it was the greatest of all time. Uncle Joey was cool, Jesse was funny, and at the time I thought Bob Saget sucked ass. He still does. Seemed kinda of weird having three males living in a house together, but it made for some pretty cool Danny Tanner father knows best moments. Jodi Sweetin was the hottest on the show.

3) Seinfeld. Unlike Friends, the cast on this show was likeable. Even Kramer, whose schtick grew tiresome in later years. The early years were a bit hit and miss but by season three they were in stride. This show has perhaps more great one liners than any show in TV history.

4) American Gothic. This show was so awesome. Takes place in the south and that awesome kid Lucas Black was in it with Gary Cole. CBS fucked with it too many times, which led to its early cancelation. It had great atmosphere and it had underlying tension. I wish it would come out on dvd.

5) Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is the only Star Trek series that I actually watched. Captian Picard was a nice change of pace for Kirk, whom I got to know from the movies. Some of the cast
members were a bit weak (I'm looking at you Will Wheaton) but overall they were effective together, which isn't something you can say about all casts. Plus the Borg...great villian and led to the greatest Star Trek movie.

6) Wonder Years. Kevin Arnold's life during the turmultous 60's. Unlike most shows, the kids in this behaved like normal. Dating, friends, growing up. All taken seriously without trying to be preachy like many shows in this genre. Also, Danial Stern was a great narrator.

7). 90210. This show pretty much invented the teen angst genre. The situations were unbelievable and the characters were all snobs, but I tuned in every Wednesday until the last 2-3 ears when most of the cast were not original actors. Any show that can make a man whore like Ian Zeiring a star, deserves to be on my top ten list.

8) Saved by the Bell. This takes me back to my youth. Zach, Screech, Kelly... I spent my afternoon's with them many a time. It also had some lamely great songs that were instantly catchy. Friends Forever..... Pretty much every issue that could effect a teen was brought up on the show and dealt with in a humorous yet serious way.

9) 24. The most action packed show on tv. I love this show so much that I don't even watch it on tv. I wait for the dvd's so that I don't fall out of the loop. Way over the top with impossible things happening constantly, but it takes itself seriously and therefore it works. You never know what character is working for the bad guys or perhaps pretending to work for the bad guys. Whatever the case, it works.

10) King of the Hill. I know most people hate it, but its grown on me over the years. I love the episode with Snoop Dog. Snoop steals a car and comes up to a red light and Hank thinks "Gotcha!" Then Snoop speeds through the light and Hank has an irritated look on his face for Snoop's lawlessness. Hank is a great character that can be a perfect straight man for many situations.

10. The X Files (1993 - 2002)

The end of "Tunguska/Terma" with Krycek just lowering that metal object into his tea with his newly acquired prosthetic arm is still very creepy to me. The X Files at it's best was just that, creepy but interesting. With engaging conspiracy plots such as Deep Throat, the EBE on the train, The Black Oil and those freaky no eyed guys this was must see TV in the mid 90's. Intriguing secondary characters like Cancer man, Marita Covarubius, Skinner, and my favourite, Krycek mixed in with the great pairing of Mulder and Scully made The X Files television worth watching. It also made me very weary of camping, don't want those green insects that hide inside old trees cocooning me.

09. Dawson's Creek (1998-2003)

No list of mine would be complete without some major teenage angst. This show that defined The WB came out when I was in highschool and I needed to live vicariously through others, so it was perfect. I could improve my vocabulary and learn how to deal with a love triangle involving three best friends including one possessio...I mean soulmate. Sure it hit a really rough patch during Seasons 5 and 6, but the awesome finale and last half of Season 3 completely makes up for it, including the best relationship in all of television. Still the gold standard in a teenage drama.

08. Murphy Brown (1988-1998)

One of the best casts to work on a situation comedy with some of the best chemistry between them. I loved how Murphy, Jim, Frank, Corky and Miles all interacted with each other and how they fed off one another's energy. The sarcastic conversations they had with each other along with the genuine concern for one another is what made this show great.

07. Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)

One of the most rewatchable shows I have ever seen. Which doesn't make any sense because it's a mystery show. I can't explain it, even knowing the eventual criminal and the show basically following the same formula for it's 263 episodes has not deterred me from placing it this high on my list. There was something great about watching Jessica Fletcher gathering clues, talking to people she really doesn't know asking personal questions all to figure it out because someone says some off hand remark or she sees an object. This show had many memorable episodes and very few stinkers, it was remarkable consistent and still gets my time whenever A&E decides to air it.

06. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

With episodes like The Chinese Restaurant, The Parking Garage, The Sponge and The Soup Nazi, how could this show not be on the list. It is very rare that a comedy makes me laugh out loud, but Seinfeld did. The amount of laughs they manage to pack into one 22 minute block was amazing and still holds up very well in syndication. It also introduced many terms to my vocabulary: man-hands, twoface, and the frequently used, starting....nnnnnow (complete with finger pointing)

05. 24 (2001 - Present)

It's like watching a 16 hour movie on television. At it's best action packed, shocking, filled with tension and mystery. At it's worst...it's still better then 80% of anything else on television. Seasons have been a bit inconsistent but one thing remains the same, the greatness of Jack Bauer, TV's best action hero. Need someone's head chopped off? He's your man. Need to shoot your boss or co-worker? He's good for that too. The only thing he can't do is keep his idiot daughter out of trouble, but nobody's perfect.

04. Frasier (1993-2004)

Not as easily quotable or as much a water cooler show as Seinfeld, but every bit as hilarious, and at times more so. I wasn't that large a fan of Dr. Crane on Cheers but here he is fantastic, and he has the help of some hilarious supporting characters. Once this show got away from the episodic path and started to go for the long arcs it lost something, but practically every episode before that was gold. I laugh just thinking about Nigel Fairservice: "Never again to visit the scene of my boyhood in Surrey, romping with my school chums in the fens and spinneys..."

03. Farscape (1999-2003)

The best Science Fiction has to offer. Creative, imaginative, at times hilarious and always well acted and who would have thought that when it had muppets. Farscape for me remains the pinnacle of SciFi on TV, where some shows would devote only an episode to a certain scifi story, like twinning, they'd do it for a season. And do it brilliantly. Making you care about the characters thrown together by circumstance as they try to evade one of the most brilliant and interesting villians on the small screen. Four seasons is all we got but "Look At The Princess", "Infinite Possibilites", "Die Me Dichotomy", "Liars, Guns and Money" is the most gripping SciFi ever to have been on television.

02. The Wonder Years (1988-1993)

Why is this show not on DVD yet? It is the only show that would get me watching the Community Television Station. The relationships between Kevin and Winnie, Kevin and Wayne, Jack and Norma were all portrayed with such a realism that often is very lacking in TV. There are certain episodes that still pack a powerful punch with me. The one where Winnie's brother dies in Vietnam, The Christmas episode where they don't get the colour TV, The episode where Buzz comes back from Vietnam and breaks down on the bench and the last scene in the finale where we learn that Jack died a couple years after that parade. All still have an effect on me

01. The Simpsons (1989-Present)

Simpson. Homer Simpson, he's the greatest guy in history. From the town of Springfield, he's about to hit a chestnut tree. Easily the most rewatchable show I've ever seen. On rewatching S5 on DVD I can still recite many of the lines and still find humour in all of them. It's funny, it's smart, and at times it's endearing. It's also responsible for many, many hilarious quotes: "but reckless spending and interracial homoeroticism were just volume one of encyclopedia self-destructica."

Buffy The Vampire Slayer- It had some great action, effects, and most of the episodes were brilliant.
Six Feet Under- One of the best dramas on television. Likeable characters, extraordinary writing. Never got boring, consistently surprising, just an amazing show.
The Simpsons- Very funny characters, hysterical episodes, memorable one liners, and great storylines.
Family Guy- Same as The Simpsons, but I'm starting to like this show even more.
Futurama- Very creative, and unique. I like the characters, and a lot of the dialogue is smart and witty.
Wonder Years- Used to watch this all the time. Amazing show, I loved the whole narrative thing, and all of the episodes were great.
I Love Lucy- Do I even have to explain? This show is a classic. Lucille Balle is a comedic genius, one of the best of her time. It is truly a remarkable part of television history.
Mama's Family- Mama is hysterical, and all of her one liners are nothing short of laughable, the episodes are funny, and most of the characters blend well with Mama.
The Golden Girls- Very likeable characters, funny episodes, memorable dialogue, some great television.
Desperate Housewives- I'm hooked to this show. I'm constantly watching it. Awesome writing, great characters, the story is always evolving, and it never has a dull moment.
Dawson's Creek- A really great teenager drama. Great characters, in believeable situations, and great episodes.
Birds of Prey (for the short time that it lasted.)- A great show with awesome action, and great special effects. It was cancelled because the ratings sucked, and the show was much too expensive to produce. But I loved every minute of it. Exploring the origin of Catwoman's daughter, it was fun.
Batman: The Animated Series- One of the best portrayls of Batman ever! The show had a dark tone, and that's why I loved it so much. It showed Batman the way he was supposed to be shown. All of the episodes were amazing, and I thought the animation was great. It's a shame this was cancelled.


And thanks to digital cable I can still watch most of these classic shows! \:D/

Good list panther. I'm not sure I agree with your rationale behind these decesions. Maybe I should have quoted you. It would have taken up space, just like your list.

What do you mean? :???: