Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

Decent list. I'm not disagreeing with their inclusion or placement or impact, but Breaking Bad and the Sopranos were both just awful on rewatch for me. Shows like The Shield, The Wire, Six Feet Under held up much better.

What are DLers issues with inclusion, exclusion, placement?

I was interested, but, sheesh, the article would not finish loading. It was impossible to navigate.

Here's the list for easier reading:

100. 'Eastbound and Down' (2009-13) 99. 'Oz' (1997-2003) 98. 'The Golden Girls' (1985-92) 97. 'Portlandia' (2011-Present) 96. 'Gunsmoke' (1955-75) 95. 'Key & Peele' (2012-15) 94. 'Jeopardy' (1964-1975, 1984-Present) 93. 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' (1988-99) 92. 'American Idol' (2001-16) 91. 'Broad City' (2014-Present) 90. 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' (1961-66) 89. 'Homeland' (2011-Present) 88. 'Party Down' (2009-10) 87. 'Doctor Who' (1963-Present) 86. 'Good Times' (1974-79) 85. 'The Real World' (1992-Present) 84. 'Real Time With Bill Maher' (2003-Present) 83. 'House of Cards' (2013-Present) 82. 'The Jeffersons' (1975-85) 81. 'Dallas' (1978-91) 80. 'The Fugitive' (1963-67) 79. 'In Living Color' (1990-94) 78. 'Thirtysomething' (1987-91) 77. 'The Walking Dead' (2010-Present) 76. 'Late Night With Conan O’Brien' (1993-2009) 75. 'American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson' (2016) 74. 'The Ren & Stimpy Show' (1991-95) 73. 'Transparent' (2014-Present) 72. 'Girls' (2012-Present) 71. 'Mr. Show' (1995-98) 70. 'Roseanne'(1988-97) 69. 'The Ed Sullivan Show' (1948-71) 68. 'The State' (1993-95) 67. 'The Odd Couple' (1970-75) 66. 'Downton Abbey' (2011-16) 65. 'Happy Days' (1974-84) 64. 'Chappelle’s Show' (2003-06) 63. 'The Wonder Years' (1988-93) 62. 'Sex and the City' (1998-2004) 61. 'Your Show of Shows' (1950-57) 60. 'Beavis and Butt-Head' (1993-97, 2011) 59. 'Hill Street Blues' (1981-87) 58. 'Roots' (1977) 57. 'Fawlty Towers' (1975-79) 56. '24' (2001-10) 55. 'Six Feet Under' (2001-05) 54. 'The Muppet Show' (1976-81) 53. 'The Bob Newhart Show' (1972-78) 52. 'The Colbert Report' (2005-14) 51. 'Fargo' (2014-Present) 50. 'ER' (1994-2009) 49. 'Taxi' (1978-83) 48. 'The Office (U.S.)' (2005-13) 47. 'The Rockford Files' (1974-80) 46. 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' (1970-77) 45. 'Battlestar Galactica' (2003-09) 44. 'Columbo' (1971-78) 43. 'The Americans' (2013-Present) 42. 'NYPD Blue' (1993-2005) 41. 'The Honeymooners' (1955-56) 40. 'The Shield' (2002-08) 39. 'Lost' (2004-10) 38. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003) 37. 'Orange Is the New Black' (2013-Present) 36. 'Law & Order' (1990-2010) 35. 'My So-Called Life' (1994-95) 34. '30 Rock' (2006-13) 33. 'South Park' (1997-Present) 32. 'I Love Lucy' (1951-57) 31. 'Sesame Street' (1969-Present) 30. 'The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson' (1962-92) 29. 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' (1969-74) 28. 'The X-Files' (1993-2002, 2016) 27. 'Arrested Development' (2003-06, 2013) 26. 'Friends' (1994-2004) 25. 'Veep' (2012-Present) 24. 'Friday Night Lights' (2006-11) 23. 'Deadwood' (2004-06) 22. 'Louie' (2010-Present) 21. 'The Office (U.K.)' (2001-03) 20. 'Cheers' (1982-93) 19. 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (2000-Present) 18. 'Star Trek' (1966-69) 17. 'Twin Peaks' (1990-91) 16. 'M*A*S*H' (1972-83) 15. 'The West Wing' (1999-2006) 14. 'The Larry Sanders Show' (1992-98) 13. 'Late Night With David Letterman' (1982-2015) 12. 'Game of Thrones' (2011-Present) 11. 'Freaks and Geeks' (1999-2000) 10. 'The Daily Show' (1996-Present) 9. 'All in the Family' (1971-79) 8. 'Saturday Night Live' (1975-Present) 7. 'The Twilight Zone' (1959-64) 6. 'The Simpsons' (1989-Present) 5. 'Seinfeld' (1989-98) 4. 'Mad Men' (2007-15) 3. 'Breaking Bad' (2008-13) 2. 'The Wire' (2002-08) 1. 'The Sopranos' (1999-2007)

This list is from 2016. And it's a weird list

Are they all in English except for a few Israeli series? Because that’s very common.

Jesus, really. Sorry:

100. 'Eastbound and Down' (2009-13)

99. 'Oz' (1997-2003)

98. 'The Golden Girls' (1985-92)

97. 'Portlandia' (2011-Present)

96. 'Gunsmoke' (1955-75)

95. 'Key & Peele' (2012-15)

94. 'Jeopardy' (1964-1975, 1984-Present)

93. 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' (1988-99)

92. 'American Idol' (2001-16)

91. 'Broad City' (2014-Present)

90. 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' (1961-66)

89. 'Homeland' (2011-Present)

88. 'Party Down' (2009-10)

87. 'Doctor Who' (1963-Present)

86. 'Good Times' (1974-79)

85. 'The Real World' (1992-Present)

84. 'Real Time With Bill Maher' (2003-Present)

83. 'House of Cards' (2013-Present)

82. 'The Jeffersons' (1975-85)

81. 'Dallas' (1978-91)

80. 'The Fugitive' (1963-67)

79. 'In Living Color' (1990-94)

78. 'Thirtysomething' (1987-91)

77. 'The Walking Dead' (2010-Present)

76. 'Late Night With Conan O’Brien' (1993-2009)

75. 'American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson' (2016)

74. 'The Ren & Stimpy Show' (1991-95)

73. 'Transparent' (2014-Present)

72. 'Girls' (2012-Present)

71. 'Mr. Show' (1995-98)

70. 'Roseanne'(1988-97)

69. 'The Ed Sullivan Show' (1948-71)

68. 'The State' (1993-95)

67. 'The Odd Couple' (1970-75)

66. 'Downton Abbey' (2011-16)

65. 'Happy Days' (1974-84)

64. 'Chappelle’s Show' (2003-06)

63. 'The Wonder Years' (1988-93)

62. 'Sex and the City' (1998-2004)

61. 'Your Show of Shows' (1950-57)

60. 'Beavis and Butt-Head' (1993-97, 2011)

59. 'Hill Street Blues' (1981-87)

58. 'Roots' (1977)

57. 'Fawlty Towers' (1975-79)

56. '24' (2001-10(

55. 'Six Feet Under' (2001-05)

54. 'The Muppet Show' (1976-81)

53. 'The Bob Newhart Show' (1972-78)

52. 'The Colbert Report' (2005-14)

51. 'Fargo' (2014-Present)

50. 'ER' (1994-2009)

49. 'Taxi' (1978-83)

48. 'The Office (U.S.)' (2005-13)

47. 'The Rockford Files' (1974-80)

46. 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' (1970-77)

45. 'Battlestar Galactica' (2003-09)

44. 'Columbo' (1971-78)

43. 'The Americans' (2013-Present)

42. 'NYPD Blue' (1993-2005)

41. 'The Honeymooners' (1955-56)

40. 'The Shield' (2002-08)

39. 'Lost' (2004-10)

38. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003)

37. 'Orange Is the New Black' (2013-Present)

36. 'Law & Order' (1990-2010)

35. 'My So-Called Life' (1994-95)

34. '30 Rock' (2006-13)

33. 'South Park' (1997-Present)

32. 'I Love Lucy' (1951-57)

31. 'Sesame Street' (1969-Present)

30. 'The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson' (1962-92)

29. 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' (1969-74)

28. 'The X-Files' (1993-2002, 2016)

27. 'Arrested Development' (2003-06, 2013)

26. 'Friends' (1994-2004)

25. 'Veep' (2012-Present)

24. 'Friday Night Lights' (2006-11)

23. 'Deadwood' (2004-06)

22. 'Louie' (2010-Present)

21. 'The Office (U.K.)' (2001-03)

20. 'Cheers' (1982-93)

19. 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' (2000-Present)

18. 'Star Trek' (1966-69)

17. 'Twin Peaks' (1990-91)

16. 'M*A*S*H' (1972-83)

15. 'The West Wing' (1999-2006)

14. 'The Larry Sanders Show' (1992-98)

13. 'Late Night With David Letterman' (1982-2015)

12. 'Game of Thrones' (2011-Present)

11. 'Freaks and Geeks' (1999-2000)

10. 'The Daily Show' (1996-Present)

9. 'All in the Family' (1971-79)

8. 'Saturday Night Live' (1975-Present)

7. 'The Twilight Zone' (1959-64)

6. 'The Simpsons' (1989-Present)

5. 'Seinfeld' (1989-98)

4. 'Mad Men' (2007-15)

3. 'Breaking Bad' (2008-13)

2. 'The Wire' (2002-08)

1. 'The Sopranos' (1999-2007)

Breaking Bad is overrated.

Orange is the New Black is not a great show.

Broad City better than Golden Girls?

fuck no

Not sure what their criteria was. It looks like a list that an intern put together and then someone inserted some very important older shows.

It's short on the genre of variety shows. It gives a nod to Ed Sullivan, but in the 60s and 70s, variety shows like Carol Burnett Show, Flip Wilson Show, Sonny & Cher show were all very popular. And totally ignores country shows like Hee Haw.

It doesn't give a nod to "important" shows like Julia which featured a black actress in a leading role.

It's unfair to dip into the UK shows because that's a whole genre in itself. "Upstairs Downstairs" "Are You Being Served" "Keeping Up Appearances" and "Absolutely Fabulous" are all more popular than The Office (UK).

Did I miss The Cosby Show? No matter what you think of Bill Cosby as a person, his show was still very popular.

And if you're going to include Golden Girls, then you have to include Designing Women.

Surprisingly decent list. I've seen at least a season's worth of many of them. Never saw The Sopranos but Breaking Bad deserves to be up there. Cosby Show and Dexter probably belong on that list. Girls is a weird inclusion. I probably will never get around to watching or rewatching these shows though except for the occasional Twilight Zone episode. Too many things on my watchlist these days.

Family Guy and Tales from the Crypt also deserve to be there

Family Guy sucks. Such an unfunny cartoon

It’s mainly a list of what people in some demographics watched with a few classics thrown in.

No Frasier?

Homeland? No Frasier?

There are too many talk shows on this list.

Fuck this list

-Fred Rogers

Typical list from Rolling Stone - reflecting a straight, white, middle-aged (or even Boomer) male perspective with a small handful of 'other' shows thrown in to show some semblance of diversity.

And weirdly, they throw in a couple of British shows which were never formally run nationally on any regular basis.

I stand by my verdict - straight, white, male over 40 list.

The Cosby Show wasn't there because The Cosby Show WASN'T FUNNY.

"Greatest" I assume means something different than "best" - and, yes, both are subjective.

Purely from a TV perspective, I think The Cosby Show should be on the list, and I was originally surprised that it wasn't because I thought all of his public downfall started later - after the list was published. But, I was wrong. Some voters probably left it off their lists because of Cosby's crimes and even if it somehow made the cut, Rolling Stone probably didn't think it was worth the PR flack and backlash.

I thought, it was funny, R20.

SNL gets by on pure nostalgia at this point. Above Monty Python and not even including SCTV?

Who did Lena Dunham pay to get put on that list? Girls isn't even well liked by many who watched it.

And no fucking way should Dick Van Dyke be at number 90.

SNL isn't even funny and hasn't been in decades.

Ninety-eight? NINETY-EIGHT??!!

Well, I am devastated - just DEVastated!

No love for soaps beyond Dallas. Knots Landing, Dynasty and even an iconic daytime soap like All My Children or General Hospital should’ve made the list.

Eastbound and Down? Maybe top 500

I never get tired of Columbo

Also known as: Shows that are popular with middle class white people who live in New York or LA

I Love Lucy not in the Top 5 or 10 and behind The Office & Friends, um no.

I Love Lucy is the definitive TV sitcom, is still funny over 50 years later and will be broadcast in some form or fashion after everyone reading this is dead. It has not went off the air since it started.

The freepers here hate SNL because it attacks Trump

They hate Lena Dunham because she's a liberal who's against Trump

Their favorite show is probably Fox and Friends

How come The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson isn't on the list but boring Conan O’Brien and David Letterman are? It's the only late show I've enjoyed to date, it was always genuinely funny.

[quote] Typical list from Rolling Stone - reflecting a straight, white, middle-aged (or even Boomer) male perspective with a small handful of 'other' shows thrown in to show some semblance of diversity.

Would such an inclusive list even include anything post 2015? Sorry, but most of the entries on the list deserve to be there.

This (so far) small discussion and all the "how come ..." responses is the entire point of the list. It doesn't need to make sense or be "right" - that's impossible anyway as it's a subjective ranking. It spurs clicks for Rolling Stone and might motivate people to check out a few of the shows on the list.

[quote]The freepers here hate SNL because it attacks Trump

More like it's because SNL gave a major boost to Trump's Presidential campaign by having him host back in 2016. And Lorne told his writers to go easy on Trump.

[quote]They hate Lena Dunham because she's a liberal who's against Trump

No, it's because she's a hack who has no talent.

I feel violated.

No St Elsewhere? Fuck that list.

Where is Little House On The Fucking Prairie? On what other show would you be able to see a baby used as a battering ram?

[quote]63. 'The Wonder Years' (1988-93)

The Wonder Years was good for about two seasons, but it doesn't belong on any 100 Greatest lists. Once Kevin started to grow up, he grew fugly and the show lost its innocence. The last season or two was painful.

[quote] They hate Lena Dunham because she's a liberal who's against Trump

The person who typed this loved when Dunham bragged about watching her sister put pebbles in her vagina.

Straight white nerds have a monopoly on this kind of shit. It's like they're the arbiters of good taste vs. bad taste in pop culture. I'm fucking shocked to see Sex and the City on the list.

#1 Golden Girls

OP THIS IS FOUR YEARS OLD

FF

[quote]Straight white nerds have a monopoly on this kind of shit. It's like they're the arbiters of good taste vs. bad taste in pop culture. I'm fucking shocked to see Sex and the City on the list.

I'm not. Sex & the City told straight women that it was ok to have multiple sex partners. Even prim Charlotte fucked a Hasidic Jew.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show is the Number One show of all time...not #46. Jesus Christ.

Not on the list but should be: Designing Women, Will & Grace, Dynasty, The Powers That Be and Leave It To Beaver.

No "Doogie Howser" with its ground breaking, precedent setting star, Neil Patrick Harris?

In case some people didn't notice: The OP story is dated Sept 21, 2016.

Has there been anything released after 2016 that would qualify for a list like this? I don't think so.

True R43 and R47 but have any shows come out in the past 4 years that deserved to be on this list?

How to Get Away with Murder is the only one that really comes to mind to me, and even then, very up and down quality wise.

I heard good things about Westworld but I noticed people already started turning on it during the second season. HBO releases a lot of stuff but they are more like miniseries.

I liked [bold]Doogie Howser, MD[/bold], more than most of those shows, but the real missing program is [bold]Homicide: Life on the Street[/bold], my numero uno television program of all time. Plus [bold]I'll Fly Away[/bold] and [bold]A Year in the Life[/bold].

No Murder, She Wrote?

Angela Lansbury is gonna kill them all.

No Murder, She Wrote?

Angela Lansbury is gonna kill them all.

No Get Smart?

This show still gets repeated and is still funny no matter how many times I’ve watched an episode.

This list is shit. All the right shows, but wrong rankings... for damn near all of them.

The Sopranos was great, but it wasn't better than Six Feet Under. That's for damn sure.

Girls higher than Golden Girls? NYPD Blue higher than HSB? I am glad BSG made to the list. Fawlty Towers should be in top 3, maybe even #1

If the list were updated, I could easily see 2 additions: The Comeback and Fleabag.

Besides me, the people I know who love both shows love them passionately. And they get better with each repeated viewing.

They should list "The Tonight Show starring John Carson" simply as "The Tonight Show" at least to include Steve Allen.

The "Ed Sullivan Show" is too far own on the list as is "I love Lucy"

I'd include "Meet The Press", "Mister Rogers", "The Today Show", "American Bandstand", "The Carol Burnett Show", "Sesame Street", "What's My Line".

*Johnny Carson

[quote]The Sopranos was great, but it wasn't better than Six Feet Under.

Hmmm...I liked 6FU the first time I watched it, but I was not able to sit through it again. I couldn't stand Claire or Ruth, and I hated that Nate couldn't let go of Brenda. I think I gave up after three episodes: I just couldn't put myself through the misery again of wishing the Fishers would die, or at least that Ruth had been the parent who died.

The Sopranos? I've watched that through, all however many seasons, either three or four times. Maybe it's the New Jersey in me, but I'm sure I'll be able to sit through it again someday. I loved Carmela in particular, as well as Rosalie Aprile (all I have to do to make myself smile is say "Apostle Protection Program" or joke about how Carmela called her trashy taste in decor "traditional").

Their list doesn't include "Upstairs, Downstairs," the best drama series, so it is pretty meaningless.

Created by straight white men for straight white men. Not worth the time it took to load. I hate that I took time to read it. Fucking “Friends” is number 26th greatest show! Bullshit!

The State at #68. Edgy pick. But I did love that show.

I expected Seinfeld to be #1, for reasons, but #5 is appropriate. The Sopranos was a great show. Gandolfini and Edie Falco were/are amazing actors, playing murderous sociopaths with suburban veneer to perfection. I miss the career Gandolfini might’ve had.

Sopranos deserves the top spot. It changed everything about television and even entertainment in general. And the show lived up to the hype. I remember the first episode (I watched the entire series first-run), and being astonished and fully riveted. It was maybe the only time a show or movie fully up to the hype and my expectations. And I guess I’m one of the few who loved the series ending. Really ballsy...

I’m with you R65. One of the few series endings who has not disappointed me. Chase ramped up the tension right until the very last scene. GREAT show.

Yup, r66, like everyone else, I was insane that the signal crapped out at that moment, but after realizing it was the ending, wow. I know people will disagree, but it was masterful, I guess because it was the last ending anyone suspected.

I found Breaking Bad to be very dark, so I never really watched it after the second season—btw not a knock on the show, I was just going through a phase where I just couldn’t watch dark stuff. But I’ve heard the ending was very satisfying.

Mad Men for number 4. Are you kidding me? Overrated show. In 10 years, this list will completely change. Most of the shows in the top 10 are fairly recent. Attention spans are short.

A list of the "Greatest TV Shows of all Time" shouldn't be confused with "My Favorite TV Shows of all Time".

There are shows that created genres, that broke new ground, that had special cultural significance, that are pop culture markers that can't be ignored.

To my list above I'd also include Laugh-In, The French Chef, Soul Train, The View

No Bewitched? Those bastards!

"Leave it to Beaver" has aged the best of all the "family" sitcoms of the 1950s & 1960s. Far better than "Father Knows Best," "Donna Reed," "My Three Sons," etc.

It's a chore to watch now, but "Laugh-In" was groundbreaking and hugely popular in its first 2-3 years.

"St. Elsewhere" ushered in a move away from previous medical shows where the doctors are all heroes.

Maybe it doesn't rate in the top 100, but Scrubs was/is underrated. No laugh track, good integration of serious with the funny. I enjoy the show's sense of humor, which was also present in the inferior (but still enjoyable) "Cougar Town" produced by the same people.

R32 Cause he was unfunny and boring unlike Conan

Mad Men and Breaking Bad belong no where in the top 5.

Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest" lists are notorious for being so off the mark, one can only conclude they represent the subjective tastes of a few unworldy editors. Ranking a show like "Six Feet Under" so low and "Friends" so high proves they know nothing.

MTM is at 46?

Fuck THAT noise.

[quote] MTM is at 46? Fuck THAT noise.

20 spots below “Friends.”

RS music lists have been discredited by the very acts they were rating.

R72, I loved Scrubs too!

I will never understand how Americans think TV serieses and talk shows are remotely the same thing. How on earth do you compare them? I's bizarre.

This list is shit for not including Frasier, and Orange is the new black before Buffy is an outrage.

r74 Breaking Bad is legitimately fantastic, probably the best show I've ever seen. Haven't seen Sopraniso or The Wire though.

Does anyone even read Rolling Stone anymore? It reminds me a lot of Vanity Fair. Dinosaurs that need to go extinct.

r81, The Wire and The Sopranos are brilliant.

r80, No Frasier? You've got to be fucking kidding. It's one of the best 2 or 3 sitcoms of all time.

What spot is MASH? Northern Exposure definitely belongs on this list. At least they included very underated Party Down and Fargo. Weird that True Detective isn't on the list, despite the shitty second season

R80 OITNB at least had one brilliant season (first one). Buffy on the other hand was total trash. It doesn't belong nowhere near the 100 best tv shows list. If you are going to include trashy shows, why not put Baywatch on the list?

Buffy was pure brilliance in Season 2 and especially 3. Season 4 and 5 were still good and specific episodes masterpieces (Hush, The Body). You don't know what you are talking about, probably mixing up genre and quality.

Any TV list that doesn't include Bewitched is suspect.

The cornpone genre is missing:

The Andy Griffith Show, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbilies

When will people ever realize the brilliance of The Patty Duke Show?

Bewitched, Buffy? What are you people smoking?

On what alternate dimension do Happy Days (65) and Louie (22) rank higher than the Dick Van Dyke Show (90)?

But it's good to see Freaks and Geeks (11) and Late Night with David Letterman (13) rank near the top.

“Happy Days” was horrible other than the first two seasons shot on film, single camera. Then it become a studio based three camera “Fozie” show. I know it was hugely popular and a cultural thing, but certainly not a best show. Maybe it had a big impact at the time, but it Just sucks. Notice how it doesn’t play often on the nostalgia subchannels like MeTV

The later seasons of both “Mash” and “Happy Days” we’re insufferable and no longer had any pretense of staying authentic to their 1950s settings. For example, the 1970s perms on characters..

[quote]“Happy Days” was horrible other than the first two seasons shot on film, single camera.

Happy Days was riding the 1950s nostalgia wave created by American Graffiti. When its spin-off Laverne & Shirley debuted, L&S was a much better show than Happy Days, until L&S jumped the shark by moving everyone to California.

R25 56??!? 56!!! 56 boyfriends!!!!!

Where's Doogie?