Each December, children are asked to submit their lists for Santa Claus (some of these requests are made in more terrifying fashion than others), media outlets compile lists of just about any inane bit of information you can think of from the prior year, and we blissfully and innocuously debate the merits of each item on those lists.
Sunday night, I was out for dinner with Jen and Joe, and Jen commented that her top three TV shows, EVER– were Friends, Seinfeld, and Heroes. It was an off-the-cuff compilation, and I try never to be so rash in assessing my opinions; that’s part of my frustratingly tedious charm. Here, submitted for your consideration, is my Top Ten All-Time List of TV Shows. Period.
I do want to mention the fact that the list was more complex to compile than just deciding what my ten favorite shows were. I had to make 4 separate lists first (one for ‘pre-80s’, then 80s, 90s, and 2000s, respectively. I pulled these ten out of that “Top 40”.
Top Ten Shows from 79 or Earlier:
1. Star Trek
2. Saturday Night Live
3. The Incredible Hulk
4. The Dick Van Dyke Show
5. The Price Is Right
6. Laverne & Shirley
7. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
8. Taxi
9. Happy Days
10. The Jeffersons
Top Ten Shows of the 80s
1. Star Trek: The Next Generation
2. Cheers
3. The Cosby Show
4. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
5. Mystery Science Theater 3000
6. Family Ties
7. Magnum, P.I.
8. The Muppet Show
9. L.A. Law
10. ALF
Top Ten Shows of the 90s
1. Seinfeld
2. The X-Files
3. Quantum Leap
4. Friends
5. ER
6. News Radio
7. The Simpsons
8. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
9. Law & Order
10. Charmed
Top Ten Shows of the 2000s
1. Arrested Development
2. The Office
3. Alias
4. Andy Richter Controls the Universe
5. Lost
6. Scrubs
7. Heroes
8. Battlestar Galactica
9. 24
10. Firefly
Seriously, I can only manage a top four. Everything else is muddled.
1. ALIAS
2. Lost
3. Seinfeld
4. Batman (animated)
The onslaught of non-network programming has really dilluted everything as far as I’m concerned. Shows like Iron Chef (Japan), Dexter, Anthony Bourdain No Reservations, The Sopranos, and so on are all enjoyable to watch, but none really rise above the rest in terms of quality and longetivity that distinguish “top” programs from everything else.
No Buffy the Vampire Slayer? No Tonight Show With Johnny Carson? No The Wonder Years?
Who are you people? (lol)
Lost??
Jason? Lost should be on the all time list. Plus, it’s only # 5 on the best of 2000’s?
Hmmmmm?
Good call on Alias however. Love Alias.
Ehh, it’s a tough call, Greg. LOST really pissed me off for pretty much the whole third season, and part of the second. They’re back on track, but not to the point of making my Top Ten all-time. Maybe they’d move up on my 2000s list by the time the series is over 😛
I am with you with everything except Charmed. I mean, I know your feelings on Alyssa Milano, but seriously – why not just put Melrose Place and 90210 on the list too?
As I mentioned my top Five would be:
Friends
Seinfeld
X-Files
Quantum Leap
Family Ties
And that’s really just a spur of the moment kind of list.
I decided that I can’t really put Heroes in as part of the list because it is relatively young compared to the others above. However, let it be known that I absolutely can’t live without the next episode right now. And that’s how I feel at 9pm EVERY SINGLE MONDAY!!! Screw football. Give me Sylar!