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How to Stream Variety’s 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

How to Stream Variety’s 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

In the streaming era, we have access to nearly every movie and TV show ever recorded. But where do you start? You could always binge the hot new thing or turn to a familiar favorite. But there’s so much great stuff you haven’t seen, and that’s where lists like Variety’s 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time comes in.

So scroll through the list and discover a new treasure. Some of these series may be old, their impact is timeless.

100-91

  • Community

    September 17, 2009

    Follow the lives of a group of students at what is possibly the world’s worst community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado.

  • Hannibal

    April 4, 2013

    Both a gift and a curse, Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

  • Homeland

    October 2, 2011

    CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. With the help of her long-time mentor Saul Berenson, Carrie fearlessly risks everything, including her personal well-being and even sanity, at every turn.

  • Top Chef

    March 8, 2006

    An American reality competition show in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges and are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode.

  • The Good Fight

    February 19, 2017

    Picking up one year after the events of the final broadcast episode of “The Good Wife”, an enormous financial scam has destroyed the reputation of a young lawyer, Maia Rindell, while simultaneously wiping out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart’s savings. Forced out of her law firm, now called “Lockhart, Deckler, Gussman, Lee, Lyman, Gilbert, Lurie, Kagan, Tannebaum & Associates”, they join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s preeminent law firms.

  • Black Mirror

    December 4, 2011

    Over the last ten years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we’ve had time to stop and question it. In every home; on every desk; in every palm - a plasma screen; a monitor; a smartphone - a black mirror of our 21st Century existence.

  • I May Destroy You

    June 7, 2020

    Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella, a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.

  • Will & Grace

    September 21, 1998

    Will Truman and Grace Adler are best friends living in New York, and when Grace’s engagement falls apart, she moves in with Will. Together, along with their friends, they go through the trials of dating, sex, relationships and their careers, butting heads at times but ultimately supporting one another while exchanging plenty of witty banter along the way.

  • St. Elsewhere

    October 26, 1982

    St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series starred Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd and William Daniels as teaching doctors at a lightly-regarded Boston hospital who gave interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions.

  • Daria

    March 3, 1997

    After moving to a new town with her stressed-out parents and relentlessly popular little sister, Daria uses her acerbic wit and keen powers of observation to contend with the mind-numbingly ridiculous world of Lawndale High.

90-81

  • The Cosby Show

    September 20, 1984

    The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.

  • Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

    February 19, 1968

    Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is an American children’s television series that was created and hosted by namesake Fred Rogers. The series originated in 1963 as Misterogers on CBC Television, and was later debuted in 1966 as Misterogers’ Neighborhood on the regional Eastern Educational Network, followed by its US network debut on February 19, 1968, and it aired on NET and its successor, PBS, until August 31, 2001. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages 2 to 5, but has been stated by PBS as “appropriate for all ages”. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was produced by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA public broadcaster WQED and Rogers’ non-profit production company Family Communications, Inc.; previously known as Small World Enterprises prior to 1971, the company was renamed The Fred Rogers Company after Rogers’ death.

  • General Hospital

    April 1, 1963

    Families, friends, enemies and lovers experience life-changing events in the large upstate New York city of Port Charles, which has a busy hospital, upscale hotel, cozy diner and dangerous waterfront frequented by the criminal underworld.

  • Happy Days

    January 15, 1974

    In 1950s Milwaukee the Cunningham family must contend with Fonzie, a motorcycle riding Casanova.

  • Girls

    April 15, 2012

    The assorted humiliations, disasters and rare triumphs of four very different twenty-something girls: Hannah, an aspiring writer; Marnie, an art gallery assistant and cousins Jessa and Shoshanna.

  • Columbo

    September 15, 1971

    Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

  • Atlanta

    September 6, 2016

    In this wildly imaginative show from creator Donald Glover, a one-hit wonder hip-hop artist and his cousin navigate the world of small-time fame in the music industry. “Atlanta” is impossible to categorize - alternately funny, touching, strange, surreal, and perceptive. Each episode switches tone, serving almost as a standalone film featuring recurring characters. There are no rules on “Atlanta” - Justin Bieber is Black, invisible cars exist - the world is whatever Glover needs it to be for that particular episode. This gem is one of the most inventive shows on TV.

  • Stranger Things

    July 15, 2016

    When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

  • Fleabag

    July 21, 2016

    A portrait into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, porn-watching, grief-riddled woman, trying to make sense of the world. As she hurls herself headlong at modern living, Fleabag is thrown roughly up against the walls of contemporary London, with all its frenetic energy, late nights, and bright lights.

  • thirtysomething

    September 29, 1987

    Thirtysomething is an American television drama about a group of baby boomers in their late thirties. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick for MGM/UA Television Group and The Bedford Falls Company, and aired on ABC. It premiered in the U.S. on September 29, 1987. It lasted four seasons, with the last of its 85 episodes airing on May 28, 1991.

    The title of the show was designed as thirtysomething by Kathie Broyles, who combined the words of the original title, Thirty Something.

    In 1997, “The Go Between” and “Samurai Ad Man” were ranked #22 on TV Guide′s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

    In 2002, Thirtysomething was ranked #19 on TV Guide′s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and in 2013 TV Guide ranked it #10 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time.

80-71

  • Scandal

    April 5, 2012

    Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the elite by keeping those secrets under wraps. Pope and her team are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for their clients, but it becomes apparent that these “gladiators in suits,” who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, have trouble fixing those closest at hand — their own.

  • The Muppet Show

    September 5, 1976

    Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

  • Dallas

    April 2, 1978

    The world’s first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly with real buildings. Famous for one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, as the world asked “Who shot J.R.?” A slow-burner to begin with, Dallas hit its stride in the 2nd season, with long storylines and expert character development. Dallas ruled the airwaves in the 1980’s.

  • The Daily Show

    July 22, 1996

    This long-running comedy/news hybrid was ranked #77 for its 16-year run with Jon Stewart as host. The show was also notable for its murderer’s row of supporting players like Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver.

  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

    September 10, 1990

    Will, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to live with his Uncle Philip, Aunt Vivian, his cousins — spoiled Hilary, preppy Carlton and young Ashley — and their sophisticated British butler, Geoffrey. Though Will’s antics and upbringing contrast greatly with the upper-class lifestyle of his extended relatives, he soon finds himself right at home as a loved part of the family.

  • Taxi

    September 12, 1978

    Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

  • Deadwood

    March 21, 2004

    The story of the early days of Deadwood, South Dakota; woven around actual historic events with most of the main characters based on real people. Deadwood starts as a gold mining camp and gradually turns from a lawless wild-west community into an organized wild-west civilized town. The story focuses on the real-life characters Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen.

  • NYPD Blue

    September 21, 1993

    Police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwined several plots involving an ensemble cast.

  • The Wonder Years

    January 31, 1988

    The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.

  • Living Single

    August 29, 1993

    Living Single is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.

    Throughout its run, Living Single became one of the most popular African-American sitcoms of its era, ranking among the top five in African-American ratings in all five seasons. The series was produced by Yvette Lee Bowser’s company, Sister Lee, in association with Warner Bros. Television. In contrast to the popularity of NBC’s “Must See TV” on Thursday nights in the 1990s, many African American and Latino viewers flocked to Fox’s Thursday night line-up of Martin, Living Single, and New York Undercover. In fact, these were the three highest-rated series among black households for the 1996–1997 season.

70-61

  • American Crime Story

    February 2, 2016

    While there have been three seasons of this series, Variety singles out the first season: “The People vs. O.J. Simpson.” That season profiled both sides of the infamous murder trial and featured standout performances by Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, and Sarah Paulson.

  • Roseanne

    October 18, 1988

    A working-class family struggles to get by on a limited income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois.

  • Grey's Anatomy

    March 27, 2005

    Follows the personal and professional lives of a group of doctors at Seattle’s Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

  • RuPaul's Drag Race

    February 2, 2009

    Join RuPaul, the world’s most famous drag queen, as the host, mentor and judge for the ultimate in drag queen competitions. The top drag queens in the U.S. will vie for drag stardom as RuPaul, in full glamazon drag, will reign supreme in all judging and eliminations while helping guide the contestants as they prepare for each challenge.

  • The Bob Newhart Show

    September 16, 1972

    The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers. The show was filmed before a live audience.

  • Freaks and Geeks

    September 25, 1999

    High school mathlete Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts (the “freaks”), while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends (the “geeks”).

  • The Jeffersons

    January 18, 1975

    Sitcom following a successful African-American couple, George and Louise “Weezyö Jefferson as they “move on up” from working-class Queens to a ritzy Manhattan apartment. A spin-off of All in the Family.

  • Angels in America

    December 7, 2003

    Follow six New Yorkers whose lives intersect amidst the AIDS crisis and the rapidly changing socio-political climate of 1985.

  • The Comeback

    June 5, 2005

    For Valerie Cherish, no price is too high to pay for clinging to the spotlight. Desperate to revive her career, she agrees to star in a reality TV series, allowing cameras to follow her every move as she lands a part on a new network sitcom.

  • Orange Is the New Black

    July 11, 2013

    A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women’s prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group of fellow inmates.

60-51

  • In Living Color

    April 15, 1990

    In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and was taped before a live studio audience at stage 7 at the Fox Television Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The title of the series was inspired by the NBC announcement of broadcasts being presented “in living color” during the 1950s and 1960s, prior to mainstream color television. It also refers to the fact that most of the show’s cast were black, unlike other sketch comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live whose casts are usually mostly white.

    Other members of the Wayans family—Kim, Shawn and Marlon—had regular roles, while brother Dwayne frequently appeared as an extra. The show also starred the previously unknown actor/comedians Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and David Alan Grier. Additionally, actress Rosie Perez, Dancing with the Stars judge and choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba and dancer Jennifer Lopez were members of the show’s dance troupe The Fly Girls. The series won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series in 1990.

  • South Park

    August 13, 1997

    This vulgar animated series follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.

    “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” is a must-see movie if you enjoy this series. It shows off the musical inclinations that would later lead the creators to make “The Book of Mormon.” You’ll also enjoy the behind-the-scenes documentary, “6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park.”

  • The Good Place

    September 19, 2016

    Eleanor Shellstrop, an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasn’t been a very good person. With the help of her wise afterlife mentor, she’s determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome (or at least the pretty good) person within.

  • Chappelle's Show

    January 22, 2003

    Dave Chappelle’s singular point of view is unleashed through a combination of laidback stand-up and street-smart sketches.

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

    September 20, 1999

    In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

  • BoJack Horseman

    August 22, 2014

    Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the 90s - 20 years later. BoJack Horseman was the star of the hit TV show “Horsin’ Around,” but today he’s washed up, living in Hollywood, complaining about everything, and wearing colorful sweaters.

  • Gilmore Girls

    October 5, 2000

    Set in the charming town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, the series follows the captivating lives of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, a mother/daughter pair who have a relationship most people only dream of.

  • Six Feet Under

    June 3, 2001

    When death is your business, what is your life? For the Fisher family, the world outside of their family-owned funeral home continues to be at least as challenging as—and far less predictable than—the one inside.

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    October 1, 1962

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson’s Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

  • Arrested Development

    November 2, 2003

    The story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.

50-41

  • My So-Called Life

    August 25, 1994

    The life of a 15 year-old high school student, whose angst-ridden journey through adolescence, friendship, parents, and life teaches her what it means to grow up.

  • Watchmen

    October 20, 2019

    Set in an alternate history where “superheroes” are treated as outlaws, “Watchmen” embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel while attempting to break new ground of its own.

  • The Shield

    March 12, 2002

    The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren’t above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

  • Friday Night Lights

    October 3, 2006

    The trials and triumphs of life in the small town of Dillon, Texas, where high school football is everything.

  • The Leftovers

    June 29, 2014

    When 2% of the world’s population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to understand just what they’re supposed to do about it. The drama series ‘The Leftovers’ is the story of the people who didn’t make the cut.

  • The Dick Van Dyke Show

    October 3, 1961

    The Dick Van Dyke Show centers around the work and home life of television comedy writer Rob Petrie. The plots generally revolve around problems at work, where Rob got into various comedic jams with fellow writers Buddy Sorrell, Sally Rogers and producer Mel Cooley.

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation

    September 28, 1987

    Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

  • The Larry Sanders Show

    August 15, 1992

    Comic Garry Shandling draws upon his own talk show experiences to create the character of Larry Sanders, a paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show. Larry, along with his obsequious TV sidekick Hank Kingsley and his fiercely protective producer Artie, allows Garry Shandling and his talented writers to look behind the scenes and to show us a convincing slice of behind the camera life.

  • The Americans

    January 30, 2013

    Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI Counterintelligence agent.

  • The Real World

    May 21, 1992

    Each year, seven strangers in their twenties, from different backgrounds and countries, are chosen to come live together in a major city.

40-31

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    March 10, 1997

    Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.

  • The Office

    March 24, 2005

    The everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

  • The X-Files

    September 10, 1993

    The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder’s discoveries that debunk Mulder’s work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

  • Enlightened

    October 10, 2011

    After a very public breakdown and a subsequent philosophical awakening in rehabilitation, Amy tries to get her life back together.

  • Curb Your Enthusiasm

    October 15, 2000

    The off-kilter, unscripted comic vision of Larry David, who plays himself in a parallel universe in which he can’t seem to do anything right, and, by his standards, neither can anyone else.

  • Late Night with David Letterman

    February 1, 1982

    Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night with Conan O’Brien then filled the time slot. As of March 2, 2009, the slot has been filled by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It will be filled by Seth Meyers in the spring of 2014, after Fallon becomes host of The Tonight Show.

  • ER

    September 19, 1994

    ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.

  • Jeopardy!

    September 10, 1984

    America’s favorite quiz show where contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.

  • Lost

    September 22, 2004

    Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.

  • Survivor

    May 31, 2000

    A reality show contest where sixteen or more castaways split between two or more “Tribes” are taken to a remote isolated location and are forced to live off the land with meager supplies for roughly 39 days. Frequent physical challenges are used to pit the tribes against each other for rewards, such as food or luxuries, or for “Immunity”, forcing the other tribe to attend “Tribal Council”, where they must vote off one of their players.

30-21

  • Hill Street Blues

    January 15, 1981

    A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

  • Friends

    September 22, 1994

    Six young people from New York City, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.

  • The Civil War

    September 23, 1990

    A documentary on the American Civil War narrated by Ken Burns, covering the secession of the Confederacy to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

  • Twin Peaks

    April 8, 1990

    The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

  • Veep

    April 22, 2012

    A look into American politics, revolving around former Senator Selina Meyer who finds being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about.

  • The West Wing

    September 22, 1999

    The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation’s capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.

  • M*A*S*H

    September 17, 1972

    The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.

  • The Carol Burnett Show

    September 11, 1967

    The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City’s Studio 33. The series won 25 prime time Emmy Awards, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002 and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All Time.”

  • 30 Rock

    October 11, 2006

    Liz Lemon, the head writer for a late-night TV variety show in New York, tries to juggle all the egos around her while chasing her own dream.

  • Game of Thrones

    April 17, 2011

    Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night’s Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

20-11

  • 60 Minutes

    September 24, 1968

    America’s popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News correspondents contribute segments ranging from hard news coverage to politics to lifestyle and pop culture.

  • Playhouse 90

    October 4, 1956

    Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s were usually hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network’s intention to present something unusual, a weekly series of hour-and-a-half dramas rather than 60-minute plays. Playhouse 90 began as a pitch by Frank Stanton—the formidable, forward-thinking right-hand man to CBS chairman William S. Paley—during a brainstorming session for program ideas. The project was ultimately developed by Hubbell Robinson, a CBS vice president who received no screen credit on Playhouse 90 but is often described as its creator.

  • The Golden Girls

    September 14, 1985

    Four Southern Florida seniors share a house, their dreams, and a whole lot of cheesecake. Bright, promiscuous, clueless and hilarious, these lovely, mismatched ladies form the perfect circle of friends.

  • The Oprah Winfrey Show

    September 8, 1986

    The Oprah Winfrey Show, often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from 1986 to 2011. Produced and hosted by its namesake, Oprah Winfrey, it remains the highest-rated talk show in American television history.

    The show was highly influential, and many of its topics penetrated into the American pop-cultural consciousness. Winfrey used the show as a platform to teach and inspire, providing viewers with a positive, spiritually uplifting experience by featuring book clubs, compelling interviews, self-improvement segments, and philanthropic forays into world events. The show gained credibility by not trying to profit off the products it endorsed; it had no licensing agreement with retailers when products were promoted, nor did the show make any money from endorsing books for its book club.

    Oprah is one of the longest-running daytime television talk shows in history. The show received 47 Daytime Emmy Awards before Winfrey decided to stop submitting it for consideration in 2000.

  • All in the Family

    January 12, 1971

    Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.

  • Saturday Night Live

    October 11, 1975

    A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show’s comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

  • The Twilight Zone

    October 2, 1959

    A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.

  • Succession

    June 3, 2018

    Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.

  • Sesame Street

    November 10, 1969

    On a special inner city street, the inhabitants—human and muppet—teach preschoolers basic educational and social concepts using comedy, cartoons, games, and songs.

  • Cheers

    September 30, 1982

    The story about a blue-collar Boston bar run by former sports star Sam Malone and the quirky and wonderful people who worked and drank there.

10-1

  • Roots

    January 23, 1977

    The epic tale of celebrated Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley’s ancestors as portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series Roots, was first told in his 1976 bestseller Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s Gambia, West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States, over 100 years later. This 1977 miniseries eventually won 9 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Peabody award, and still stands as the most watched miniseries in U.S. history.

  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show

    September 19, 1970

    30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her a room, and meets her upstairs neighbor and new best friend Rhoda. Mary unexpectedly lands a job as associate producer at the TV station WJM, where she works alongside her bristly boss, Lou; the comical newswriter, Murray; and the newscast’s often-incompetent anchor, Ted.

  • Seinfeld

    July 5, 1989

    A stand-up comedian and his three offbeat friends weather the pitfalls and payoffs of life in New York City in the ’90s. It’s a show about nothing.

  • The Wire

    June 2, 2002

    Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

    This brilliant series is routinely cited as the best TV show ever made. (Entertainment Weekly, The BBC, The Telegraph, The Guardian, and Salon.com have all ranked it #1.) It is the closest thing we have to a novel on television. Sprawling narratives, unforgettable characters, and jaw-dropping plot twists combine into something remarkable, unique, and definitively American. From the police to the drug dealers to the junkies to blue-collar workers to politicians to journalists to elementary students, all the pieces matter.

  • Sex and the City

    June 6, 1998

    Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best friends, all single and in their late thirties, as they pursue their careers and talk about their sex lives, all while trying to survive the New York social scene.

    The popular characters returned in the 2008 “Sex and the City” movie, 2010’s “Sex and the City 2,” and the 2021 series “And Just Like That…”

  • Breaking Bad

    January 20, 2008

    Walter White, a New Mexico chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with Stage III cancer and given a prognosis of only two years left to live. He becomes filled with a sense of fearlessness and an unrelenting desire to secure his family’s financial future at any cost as he enters the dangerous world of drugs and crime.

  • The Simpsons

    December 17, 1989

    Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

    “The Simpsons” was ranked the best sitcom of all time by Rolling Stone in 2021.

    If you’ve never seen it, “The Simpsons Movie” pulled together some of the series’ best writers for a wild ride.

  • The Sopranos

    January 10, 1999

    The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony’s family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.

  • Mad Men

    July 19, 2007

    Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.

  • I Love Lucy

    October 15, 1951

    Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.

While this list is useful, it also leaves out some great comedies like “Monty Python's Flying Circus,” “Your Show of Shows,” “Fawlty Towers,” “The Honeymooners,” and the original British “The Office.” There should also be a place for a one-of-a-kind show like “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

Science fiction is also underrepresented, as the original “Star Trek” and the brilliant “Battlestar Galactica” reboot are missing. “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” probably also merits inclusion. “The Boys” and “Severance” may be too new to make the list.

While there are some standout miniseries on the list, it’s strange to leave out “Chernobyl”, “The Last Dance,” the first season of “True Detective,”, “The Queen's Gambit,” or “Band of Brothers.” (We also loved the little-seen “Station Eleven.”)

How do you you feel about the list? Can we all agree “The Wire” is too low? Let us know on social media!

Related:
Rolling Stone's Top 100 Sitcoms of All Time ►
The Hollywood Reporter's Best 50 TV Shows of the 21st Century ►


Ben Bowman was the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.

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