Favorite TV. Best 40 of 40.
by tyleram99 | created - 08 Jan 2012 | updated - 11 Jun 2021 | PublicI made this list on my 40th birthday. These are my top favorite TV shows released between 1977 and 2017. Listed in chronological order.
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1. Tour of Duty (1987–1990)
TV-14 | 47 min | Action, Drama, War
The trials of a U.S. Army platoon serving in the field during the Vietnam War.
Stars: Terence Knox, Stephen Caffrey, Tony Becker, Ramón Franco
Votes: 4,954
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
Votes: 136,104
3. Quantum Leap (1989–1993)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.
Stars: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt, Dennis Wolfberg
Votes: 36,477
4. Seinfeld (1989–1998)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
The continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.
Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
Votes: 351,610
5. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.
Stars: Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Cirroc Lofton, Alexander Siddig
Votes: 70,812
6. The X-Files (1993–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 249,903
7. Frasier (1993–2004)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
Dr. Frasier Crane moves back to his hometown of Seattle, where he lives with his father and works as a radio psychiatrist.
Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, Peri Gilpin
Votes: 95,485
8. Friends (1994–2004)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
Follows the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty year-old friends living in the Manhattan borough of New York City.
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc
Votes: 1,088,406
9. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
The comical everyday life of sports columnist Ray Barone and his dysfunctional family.
Stars: Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts
Votes: 77,192
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head
Votes: 159,766
11. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 471,554
12. Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A secret military team, SG-1, is formed to explore other planets through the recently discovered Stargates.
Stars: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge
Votes: 101,412
13. Family Guy (1999– )
TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strives to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.
Stars: Alex Borstein, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mila Kunis
Votes: 364,337
14. Farscape (1999–2003)
TV-14 | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Thrown into a distant part of the universe, an Earth astronaut finds himself part of a fugitive alien starship crew.
Stars: Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Lani John Tupu
Votes: 40,286
15. Angel (1999–2004)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
The vampire Angel, cursed with a soul, moves to Los Angeles and aids people with supernatural-related problems while questing for his own redemption.
Stars: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards
Votes: 75,783
16. Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
Stars: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose
Votes: 149,452
17. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.
Stars: Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating
Votes: 59,120
18. Alias (2001–2006)
TV-14 | 42 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Sydney Bristow is an international spy recruited out of college, trained for espionage and self-defense.
Stars: Jennifer Garner, Ron Rifkin, Carl Lumbly, Kevin Weisman
Votes: 54,755
19. Scrubs (2001–2010)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama
In the unreal world of Sacred Heart Hospital, intern John "J.D." Dorian learns the ways of medicine, friendship and life.
Stars: Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley
Votes: 270,678
20. Smallville (2001–2017)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Clark Kent struggles to find his place in the world as he learns to harness his alien powers for good and deals with the typical troubles of teenage life in Smallville, Kansas.
Stars: Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk
Votes: 138,127
21. Firefly (2002–2003)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 281,746
22. Dead Like Me (2003–2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
After being hit on the head by a toilet seat that fell from Mir space station, a young temp clerk becomes a grim reaper in death.
Stars: Ellen Muth, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Mandy Patinkin
Votes: 43,910
23. Arrested Development (2003–2019)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.
Stars: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett
Votes: 324,272
24. Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis
Votes: 175,614
25. Stargate: Atlantis (2004–2009)
TV-PG | 44 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An international team of scientists and military personnel discover a Stargate network in the Pegasus Galaxy and come face-to-face with a new, powerful enemy: The Wraith.
Stars: Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell, David Hewlett, Jason Momoa
Votes: 71,716
26. Lost (2004–2010)
TV-14 | 5,445 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
Stars: Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly
Votes: 595,367
27. House M.D. (2004–2012)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Mystery
Using a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.
Stars: Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer
Votes: 513,706
28. The Office (2005–2013)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.
Stars: Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson
Votes: 711,944
29. Bones (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 40 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth teams up with the Jeffersonian's top anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, to investigate cases where all that's left of the victims are their bones.
Stars: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne
Votes: 176,289
30. Supernatural (2005–2020)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Two brothers follow their father's footsteps as hunters, fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds, including monsters, demons, and gods that roam the earth.
Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins
Votes: 483,293
31. My Name Is Earl (2005–2009)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
A ne'er do well wins $100,000 in the lottery and decides to right all the wrongs from his past with his newfound realization!
Stars: Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez
Votes: 109,639
32. Heroes (II) (2006–2010)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Common people discover that they have super powers. Their lives intertwine as a devastating event must be prevented.
Stars: Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka
Votes: 251,658
33. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 766,610
34. The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.
Stars: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg
Votes: 868,151
35. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,137,289
36. Modern Family (2009–2020)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three different, but related, families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.
Stars: Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell
Votes: 483,760
37. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,285,193
38. Bob's Burgers (2011– )
TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
Bob Belcher runs a struggling burger shop with his wife and three children.
Stars: H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, John Roberts
Votes: 92,314
39. American Horror Story (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
An anthology series centering on different characters and locations, showcasing different aspects of horror.
Stars: Lady Gaga, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson
Votes: 343,832
40. The Goldbergs (2013–2023)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
This ABC show takes place in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania in the 1980s and follows the lives of a family named The Goldbergs.
Stars: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, Hayley Orrantia
Votes: 40,954
41. 9-1-1 (2018– )
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Explores the high-pressure experiences of the first responders who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping situations.
Stars: Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds
Votes: 46,390
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