My Favorite Television Shows of all time.
by kelley-michael | created - 04 Oct 2012 | updated - 13 Jan 2013 | PublicI wanted to origanally do 3 seperate list of my favorite Comedy, Drama & Variety shows but i don't think i have enough to make 3 long enough list or too long a list to make them. so i decided to combine them all into one list and kill several birds with as few stone as possible. i will try to do them in order of my absolute favs to least and will do it in a manner of a Drama,Comedy,Drama, Comedyetc...etc. then Variety at the end in order if most to least. hope you enjoy.
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1. Law & Order (1990– )
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
New York's finest police detectives and prosecutors fight to make the city a safer place. With integrity as the guiding force from investigation to verdict, the teams weigh every perspective in their commitment to finding justice.
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, Sam Waterston
Votes: 44,654
2. WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The misadventures of the staff of a struggling Top 40 rock radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Stars: Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman
Votes: 11,255
3. ER (1994–2009)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Romance
The doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
Stars: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Votes: 67,796
4. 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: 95,529
5. Millennium (I) (1996–1999)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group which investigates serial killers, conspiracies, the occult, and those obsessed with the end of the millennium.
Stars: Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Terry O'Quinn, Brittany Tiplady
Votes: 12,290
6. Barney Miller (1975–1982)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
The Captain of the NYPD 12th Precinct and his staff handle the various local troubles and characters that come into the squad room.
Stars: Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Max Gail, Steve Landesberg
Votes: 7,380
7. 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: 36,496
8. Taxi (1978–1983)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The staff of a New York City taxicab company go about their job while they dream of greater things.
Stars: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner
Votes: 15,848
9. Law & Order: UK (2009–2014)
TV-14 | 46 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
UK version of the long-running U.S. TV drama that tells the stories of two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.
Stars: Bradley Walsh, Robert Glenister, Harriet Walter, Freema Agyeman
Votes: 4,854
10. The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy
The professional and personal misadventures of a psychologist and his family, patients, friends and colleagues.
Stars: Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace
Votes: 6,738
11. The Rockford Files (1974–1980)
TV-PG | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of an easy-going ex-convict turned private investigator.
Stars: James Garner, Noah Beery Jr., Joe Santos, Luis Delgado
Votes: 10,886
12. The Simpsons (1989– )
TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner
Votes: 436,177
13. The Equalizer (1985–1989)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A retired Intelligence Agent turned private detective helps various threatened clients to equalize the odds.
Stars: Edward Woodward, Keith Szarabajka, Robert Lansing, Mark Margolis
Votes: 5,927
14. Cheers (1982–1993)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Drama
The regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.
Stars: Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt
Votes: 62,100
15. Karen Sisco (2003–2007)
60 min | Crime, Drama
The adventures of U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco in Miami.
Stars: Carla Gugino, Bill Duke, Robert Forster, Jeffrey De Serrano
Votes: 948
A few years ago NBC wanted to to remake "The Rockford Files". a lot of people - either diehard fans of the show, James Garner or both (Which i am one of) did not like that idea and apparently NBC did not either and axed the project. i'm glad they did this. because nothing is wrong with the original - if it isn't broke; don't fix it! - and besides i always thought ABC already did this with Karen Sisco. Carla Gugino played Karen Sisco to me with almost the same approach as James Garner with his show. the differences being is whereas Rockford was somewhat reluntant to put himself in harms way and never tried to be a hero. Sisco had no such problems always ready to confront the bad guy no matter what the result. but both had the same cynical approach and the results of whatever the situation was usually ended in the same way, either bittersweet defeat or or and unsatisfactory victory. they both love their jobs and realizing there are very few rewards. he a private eye and she a US Marshall. they barely get by and both have great relationships with their dads. though the roles are reversed whereas Karen's dad is a bit of a hustler and con artist and she is more moral. and Jim's dad is moral and Jim has a bit of hustler and con artist in him. done with the same slick and tonge and cheek wit Karen sisco was to me one of the best shows of the genre of detective shows since RK. it only ran for one season and is considered by many critics as "one of the best shows you've never seen" and "Brilliant but canceled." i highly recommend this show and wish they would put it on DVD.
16. That '70s Show (1998–2006)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A comedy revolving around a group of teenage friends, their mishaps, and their coming of age, set in 1970s Wisconsin.
Stars: Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Danny Masterson
Votes: 189,403
17. Threshold (2005–2006)
60 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A team of experts are assembled after the U.S. Navy discovers an extra-terrestrial object briefly appeared near a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Stars: Carla Gugino, Brian Van Holt, Brent Spiner, Rob Benedict
Votes: 5,928
18. 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: 868,639
19. I Spy (1965–1968)
51 min | Action, Adventure
A pair of intelligence agents posing as a tennis pro and his coach go on secret missions around the world.
Stars: Robert Culp, Bill Cosby, Kenneth Tobey, Arthur Batanides
Votes: 2,486
20. M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
Votes: 63,846
21. Remington Steele (1982–1987)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The cases of a female private detective partnered with a former thief who assumes the role of a fictitious detective in the business.
Stars: Stephanie Zimbalist, Pierce Brosnan, Doris Roberts, James Read
Votes: 9,986
22. Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
Hot-tempered journalist Maya got herself fired yet again. Unable to find a job anywhere else and facing eviction, she is forced to go work for Blush, her father's fashion magazine.
Stars: Laura San Giacomo, Enrico Colantoni, George Segal, Wendie Malick
Votes: 21,835
23. Maverick (1957–1962)
TV-14 | 60 min | Western
Bret and Bart Maverick are well-dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game.
Stars: Jack Kelly, James Garner, Roger Moore, Lane Chandler
Votes: 3,627
24. Bewitched (1964–1972)
TV-G | 25 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A witch married to an ordinary man cannot resist using her magic powers to solve the problems her family faces.
Stars: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Dick Sargent, Agnes Moorehead
Votes: 24,397
25. The Fugitive (1963–1967)
TV-PG | 51 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
A doctor, wrongly convicted for a murder he didn't commit, escapes custody and must stay ahead of the police to find the real killer.
Stars: David Janssen, William Conrad, Barry Morse, Paul Birch
Votes: 4,697
26. The Bullwinkle Show (1959–1963)
TV-G | 30 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Rocky, a plucky flying squirrel and Bullwinkle, a bumbling but lovable moose, have a series of ongoing adventures.
Stars: Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, Edward Everett Horton
Votes: 4,594
27. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962–1965)
TV-14 | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" was a continuation of the dramatic anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) hosted by the Master of Suspense and Mystery.
Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Hinton Pope, Jimmy Joyce, Lew Brown
Votes: 5,159
28. The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family
The misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.
Stars: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam
Votes: 11,893
29. The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
TV-PG | 50 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley
Votes: 93,228
30. Newhart (1982–1990)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy
The misadventures of an author-turned-innkeeper and his friends in rural Vermont.
Stars: Bob Newhart, Mary Frann, Tom Poston, Julia Duffy
Votes: 8,113
31. Northern Exposure (1990–1995)
TV-PG | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
A city doctor is forced to work in the remote Alaskan town of Cicely, where he encounters peculiar locals, including a former astronaut, as he adjusts to small-town life.
Stars: Rob Morrow, Janine Turner, Barry Corbin, John Cullum
Votes: 21,719
32. Soap (1977–1981)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The soap-operish antics of two families: the Campbells and the Tates.
Stars: Katherine Helmond, Rod Roddy, Richard Mulligan, Cathryn Damon
Votes: 8,287
33. Tru Calling (2003–2005)
TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A university graduate working in the city morgue is able to repeat the same day over again to prevent murders or other disasters.
Stars: Eliza Dushku, Shawn Reaves, Zach Galifianakis, A.J. Cook
Votes: 17,270
34. The Odd Couple (1970–1975)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy
Two men, a neat freak and a slob separated from their wives, have to live together despite their differences.
Stars: Tony Randall, Jack Klugman, Al Molinaro, Penny Marshall
Votes: 7,185
35. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974–1975)
TV-PG | 51 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Carl Kolchak is a reporter for a Chicago newspaper. Through more accident than design he ends up investigating homicides, many of which involve supernatural forces. Ultimately, rather than reporting on the crimes, he solves them.
Stars: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Jack Grinnage, Ruth McDevitt
Votes: 6,246
36. The John Larroquette Show (1993–1996)
30 min | Comedy
A recovering alcoholic who becomes the manager of a big city bus station.
Stars: John Larroquette, Liz Torres, Daryl Mitchell, Chi McBride
Votes: 1,242
37. Crossing Jordan (2001–2007)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Brash, stubborn and resourceful ME Jordan Cavanaugh revives her career in Boston, occasionally breaking the rules and ticking off the cops or her co-workers. On the home front, she gets crime-solving help from her retired-cop dad.
Stars: Jill Hennessy, Miguel Ferrer, Ravi Kapoor, Steve Valentine
Votes: 12,297
38. The Good Life (1975–1978)
28 min | Comedy
Tom Good quits the rat race, and with wife Barbara turns the garden of their Surbiton house into a smallholding. Their neighbours, snobbish Margo Leadbetter and her conventional husband Jerry, feel variously amused, offended and impressed.
Stars: Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, Paul Eddington
Votes: 4,027
39. Nova (1974– )
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary
Science documentaries about various topics.
Stars: Jay O. Sanders, Craig Sechler, Stacy Keach, Eric Meyers
Votes: 3,098
40. The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)
TV-G | 60 min | Comedy, Family
Television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe.
Stars: Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, The Ernie Flatt Dancers, Harvey Korman
Votes: 7,308
41. Wonder Woman (1975–1979)
TV-G | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The adventures of the greatest of the female superheroes.
Stars: Lynda Carter, Lyle Waggoner, Tom Kratochvil, Richard Eastham
Votes: 10,089
42. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
Votes: 78,823
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