What's your favorite TV show of all time?

[mikeisekim]

Thanks to streaming, it feels like TV shows have been all that anyone can talk about online. And I've seen this debate everywhere on the web - what's the best TV show ever?

I'm talking anything that aired on either TV or streaming networks. Doesn't matter the genre.

For a while, my answer was The Sopranos - but now I think it's Mr. Robot. What an amazing show.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U94litUpZuc


No amount of trailers or recommendations can do it justice - its one of the best written, best shot, best directed, and best edited things I've ever seen.

 

[Brian Boru]

Mr. Robot

Nice choice, it's on my watch list.

I'm not typically a gung-ho action fan, but 24 is probably my top. It was very innovative, had a large number of great well-developed characters, took brave plot decisions, and of course Kiefer just made Jack his own in one of those career-defining performances some actors are lucky enough to find. If it wasn't for the stupid daughter in S1 & S2, and S8 being lower quality, my 'probably' would be 'definitely'.

Other iconic shows:

Crime:
Columbo
Hill Street Blues
Wallander
Vera
Luther
Criminal Minds
Happy Valley

Comedy:
Fawlty Towers
MASH
The Golden Girls
Monty Python
Still Game
The Norman Conquests

Drama:
The West Wing
Broadchurch
The Queen's Gambit

Historical:
The Last Kingdom

SyFy
The X-Files
The Twilight Zone

War
Band of Brothers
Foyle's War

Documentary:
Planet Earth
The Blue Planet
Simon Schama's Power of Art
Our Planet

Don't bother with "Why isn't…", I haven't watched much TV
But of course I'm forgetting a bunch, no doubt—so I reserve the right to add on as memory strikes.

 

[DXCHASE]

BABYLON 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nico997]

mr. bean
because it's very funny and can relieve stress

 

[Krud]

I get why people like talking about this and asking this question, but to me there's no way to fairly answer this, any more than one can say what "the best song of all time" is. TV shows, songs, games, books, etc., they've all got multiple purposes for multiple needs, and what you're looking from it will determine how well it fulfills that purpose or need. The people watching "Cop Procedural: NYPD" have different TV needs than the people watching "America's Got Too Much Free Time."

Even within my own TV-watching interests, I have shows I put on equal footing with each other without saying one is objectively -- or even subjectively -- better than the other.

That said, I think "ONE of the best" TV shows of all time was Black Adder, with Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, and Stephen Fry (among others). I don't know if it was ever super popular, and may have even been a niche audience. I didn't love it the first time I saw an episode, but it slowly grew on me, until now decades later I can't count* the number of times I've used the phrase "a cunning plan" in conversation with a bad British accent.

(* - Mostly because I didn't keep track.)

 

[Alm]

The ones that stick out are X Files and Red Dwarf, mostly the older episodes. I love Blackadder, but I only watched reruns, I'm not sure when it was new.

The hype I felt for watching new episodes of x files and red dwarf was huge.

 

[Brian Boru]

Blackadder … I'm not sure when it was new.

1983 to 1989.

 

[Frindis]

An absolute favorite would be Star Trek: The Next Generation. I even made a post about my favorite characters and episodes.

 

[Zloth]

BABYLON 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed. @Krud is right that comparing TV shows to one another is often like comparing chocolate to aspirin - but I watched B5 until I almost memorized the whole show. (Well, except some of the parts of season 5 {ahem}) It had way more impact on me than any other show.

And now it's coming back in a reboot! Not a remake (which is good for me, as I already know the original story well enough). Not a continuation. Not a remaster. It's going to be more like the Battlestar Galactica treatment. And JMS will still be at the helm, so expect the futuristic outfits to have proper pockets.

 

[herbey79]

Without a doubt - Hill Street Blues

 

[Brian Boru]

Hill Street Blues

Veronica Hamel was my first TV crush!

 

[Frindis]

@Brian Boru Kelly LeBrock from Wierd Science here 😁

 

[Harrigan]

Difficult question cause there are so many.

If I had to decide with which tv shows I would be stranded on a lonely island with unlimited WIFI and unlimited electricity I would probably go for:

2 & 1/2 men - the ones with Charlie (my man!!!)
ALF the extraterestrial fleabag (I love cats and he looks like Garfield :ugly: )
Stranger Things (love the cast, especially the kids)
Maid was damn good but too depressing for a lonely island