Someone attempts a list: 100 Greatest TV shows ever

Discussion in 'Media Central' started by Nova, Oct 2, 2022.

  1. Nova

    Nova livin on the edge of the ledge Writer

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2004
    Messages:
    49,058
    Ratings:
    +37,187
    No, not me - Alan Sepinwall writing for Rolling Stone

    The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time – Rolling Stone

    I haven't seen all of these. Most of the ones I haven't I accept on the basis of their reputation - I say "most" because Squid Games among other things is here. I think I've seen more than one episode of roughly 60% of these.

    But for the most part I don't dispute very much, rather I note some that are not here:

    Deep Space Nine - maybe he means TOS to hold place for the entire franchise but you have to mention a show this different from the others, and this good, separately.
    Firefly - maybe a bias because there's so little of it but what there is of it is practically perfect.
    Person if Interest - absolutely criminally overlooked
    Fringe
    Orphan Black

    I'm sure there are others but that's enough, hopefully, to get the discussion going

    ETA:
    Moonlighting
    The Waltons
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2022
  2. Diacanu

    Diacanu Comicmike. Writer

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2004
    Messages:
    101,078
    Ratings:
    +81,581
    No Orphan Black de-legitimizes the entire enterprise.
    :bailey:
  3. We Are Borg

    We Are Borg Republican Democrat

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2004
    Messages:
    21,442
    Location:
    Canada
    Ratings:
    +36,232
    Any list that doesn't have Breaking Bad in the #1 spot is invalid.

    I get that you can't have Breaking Bad without the Sopranos (which belongs in the top three and opened the whole "bad guy as protagonist" genre) but the acting, writing, cinematography and production values of Breaking Bad were nothing short of a masterpiece.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  4. Spaceturkey

    Spaceturkey i can see my house

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2004
    Messages:
    30,371
    Ratings:
    +33,611
    Glad they mentioned Kids in the Hall. Sad that they had to mention the amazon revival in examples of why it rocked.
    Well, they did start with "Oz", which did bad guy protagonists pretty solid.
  5. tafkats

    tafkats scream not working because space make deaf Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Messages:
    24,904
    Location:
    Sunnydale
    Ratings:
    +50,916
    Some others that seem like they would have been good candidates ... some of which I haven't watched, or have only seen some of, but am going just on reputation or cultural influence. I'm also going less on quality, since that's so subjective, and more on whether a series was important or influential (judging by how much of a cultural touchstone it was in its generation or how much it influenced either future media or society in general).

    Doctor Who -- Among sci-fi franchises, only Star Trek has spawned as devoted a fanbase or as many hours of television.

    Survivor and American Idol -- neither was wholly original, both having been based on imports from Europe, but both spawned an explosion in their respective genre snd sub-genre.

    CBS Evening News -- Walter Cronkite presided over what would later turn out to be the peak of unification in how Americans get news -- after competing newspapers with different partisan affiliations gave way to national TV news, and before national TV news fragmented into first the cablesphere and then the internet. Cronkite himself was named in polls as the most trusted person in America, and when he turned against the Vietnam War, Johnson supposedly said "if I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America."

    And here's an oddball candidate ...

    America's Funniest Home Videos -- It wasn't good by any stretch of the imagination, but it was as fully democratized (in terms of participation) as the technology of the time allowed, and basically having a video on AFHV was going viral on YouTube when "viral" only referred to diseases and YouTube didn't exist.
  6. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

    Joined:
    May 17, 2005
    Messages:
    42,324
    Location:
    San Diego
    Ratings:
    +55,958
    Re: Deep Space Nine, that show has only just gotten GOAT* status amongst Trek fans within the last fifteen years. Normies who are only casually acquainted to Trek may not even know it exists between all the oversaturation of TNG and how heavily promoted Voyager was in it's day.

    *Greatest of All Time for those unfamiliar w slang

    That said, I'm surprised TOS didn't break the top 20, but whaddyagunnado?
  7. Ten Lubak

    Ten Lubak Salty Dog

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Messages:
    12,304
    Ratings:
    +27,050
    Disagree that jeopardy and shows like Letterman and Carson should be on the list

    Sopranos is deserving of #1 - just rewatched it recently and it’s a masterpiece. Holds up so well after all these years. Breaking bad should be #2 though

    Good to see BSG up there although Star Trek doesn’t deserve to be so high, BSG should be higher than Star Trek

    Nice to see Rick and Morty sneak in

    Simpson at #2? Maybe the first 10 seasons or so when it was funny

    I know it’s still going and has only been on for 3 seasons but For All Mankind should be in the 90-100 range at least, brilliant show
  8. NAHTMMM

    NAHTMMM Perpetually sondering

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2004
    Messages:
    14,643
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Ratings:
    +9,774
    There's lots that didn't break the top 20. Mr. Rogers isn't even on there.
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • popcorn popcorn x 1
    • Sad Sad x 1
  9. Tererune

    Tererune Troll princess and Magical Girl

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2014
    Messages:
    37,049
    Location:
    Beyond the Silver Rainbow
    Ratings:
    +26,386
    I am not a Dr. Who fan, but to leave it out when shows like Russian Doll (Which I did like) end up on the list completely invalidates the list. I am just mentioning russian doll because it is two seasons and not nearly as impactive. I actually love Russian Doll, but I would never put it on a top 100 list and leave off Dr. Who.

    What sort of hipster fuckwit made this list? Do they not train modern writers in the difference between your taste and actually evaluating a list like this for an audience? Rolling stone is a populist rag, but I expect them to at least take into account an audience rather than having some self important twat tell us all about his top 100 while implying it actually has some relation to the populist viewpoint. It is great to have someone's personal list for discussion, but you do not imply your list should be everyone's based on your shitty taste.

    This is why people hate millenials.
  10. The Original Faceman

    The Original Faceman Lasagna Artist

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2004
    Messages:
    40,826
    Ratings:
    +28,767
    Don't worry. He'll always be inside you.
  11. NAHTMMM

    NAHTMMM Perpetually sondering

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2004
    Messages:
    14,643
    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Ratings:
    +9,774
    I wouldn't be surprised if there were some deliberate jiggering of rankings, too, because I felt like there wasn't any real clumping going on. E.g. police procedurals next to each other, sitcoms that aired concurrently next to each other.
  12. tafkats

    tafkats scream not working because space make deaf Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Messages:
    24,904
    Location:
    Sunnydale
    Ratings:
    +50,916
    Here's the list of people they asked to vote:

    https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/best-tv-shows-all-time-voters-1234599937/

    A couple of scattered things about the list:
    - I was glad to see Freaks and Geeks on the list, and I think it's deserving, but it gets less surprising when you see that Judd Apatow and Paul Feig were among the 46-person group.
    - Stephanie Savage is part of the group, but The O.C., which I think you could make a case for based on its cultural influence at the time, the way it used music and popularized previously unknown artists, and its influence on the teen soap genre, is not included.
    - How on earth is Ray Romano considered important enough to be one of the 46?
    • Agree Agree x 1
  13. tafkats

    tafkats scream not working because space make deaf Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Messages:
    24,904
    Location:
    Sunnydale
    Ratings:
    +50,916
    I'm a little surprised that Law & Order isn't on there. Didn't it spark a massive surge in the popularity of police procedurals?
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • popcorn popcorn x 1
  14. Tererune

    Tererune Troll princess and Magical Girl

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2014
    Messages:
    37,049
    Location:
    Beyond the Silver Rainbow
    Ratings:
    +26,386
    That is a good way to make sure you do not miss something by croudsourcing ideas, but if you are going to make a serious list about the top 100 TV shows in a serious attempt to evaluate it, voting by people on their favorites is only a part of the formula.

    What shows got the best ratings, what shows made huge impactys on fandoms, what shows spawned lots of spinoffs, what shows got many awards, how long did the shows last, and other things should be included. You have to take into account time. For instance some of these shows that are popular today are nothing in a decade. OitNB is great, but where is it in 20 years? Where a show like MASH is still around and still has relevance.

    I am pretty sure that LaO was probably bounced because of the backlash that inspired John Oliver to do his episode on it. Yes, it is pro-cop propaganda, but it is good pro-cop propaganda. You know it was on the lists and people voted for it. The people at Rolling Stone are not up for the complaints so the editors, or the writer, decided to just cut it. To not include a multi decade franchise that has spawned at least 2 other popular long running spinoffs is disqualifying. They had The Shield on there and Hill St. Blues. What other reason is there not to include law and order aside from the present backlash, and include those two series? Did CSI even make the list even though it was a very popular multi season cop drama shows with a couple of spinnoffs that did OK?

    Then you have multiple misses like not including Dr. Who. On top of that you list some 1 or two season shows that will be forgotten in a few years, and never made it any further than a momentary popularity in culture? Is the one of the purposes of this list to advertise fading titles? I think so.

    I like squid games, but if there was ever a flash in the pan title that one is it.
  15. Fisherman's Worf

    Fisherman's Worf I am the Seaman, I am the Walrus, Qu-Qu-Qapla'!

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2004
    Messages:
    30,562
    Ratings:
    +42,878
    No Gary Busey: Pet Judge? List is invalid.
    • Funny Funny x 1
  16. Demiurge

    Demiurge Goodbye and Hello, as always.

    Joined:
    May 5, 2004
    Messages:
    23,266
    Ratings:
    +22,262
    Freaks and Geeks above MASH? Lost ahead of I Love Lucy?

    Yep, it's a list.
    • Agree Agree x 5
    • Funny Funny x 1
  17. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

    Joined:
    May 17, 2005
    Messages:
    42,324
    Location:
    San Diego
    Ratings:
    +55,958
    To be honest, I remember seeing a lot more cop dramas in the wake of CSI exploding on the scene, to the point that CBS does no other kind of drama I can think of. :shrug:
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. Zor Prime

    Zor Prime .

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2013
    Messages:
    1,695
    Ratings:
    +3,475
    I think these kinds of lists are very subjective.

    They should at least break it down by genre or maybe by decade.

    Also they should exclude non-English shows.

    There are probably some great shows coming from places South Korea or India or Turkey that we just aren’t exposed to.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  19. matthunter

    matthunter Ice Bear

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2004
    Messages:
    26,880
    Location:
    Bottom of the bearstack, top of the world
    Ratings:
    +48,419
    Newsflash: Some normies are so young they don't even know Trek existed before the Abrams movies. I had to explain to a 25-year old PhD student that there were four TV series and numerous movies BEFORE 2009.
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • popcorn popcorn x 1
  20. tafkats

    tafkats scream not working because space make deaf Moderator

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Messages:
    24,904
    Location:
    Sunnydale
    Ratings:
    +50,916
    Could be. And you could argue that CSI was more influential on society as a whole (see: The CSI Effect).
    • Agree Agree x 1
  21. shootER

    shootER Insubordinate...and churlish Administrator

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Messages:
    49,228
    Location:
    The Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue
    Ratings:
    +50,222
    There's definitely a recency bias in that list. :yes:
    • Agree Agree x 2
  22. Steal Your Face

    Steal Your Face Anti-Federalist

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2013
    Messages:
    47,415
    Ratings:
    +31,475
    If they don't have The Andy Griffith Show then I don't want to hear about it.
  23. Steal Your Face

    Steal Your Face Anti-Federalist

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2013
    Messages:
    47,415
    Ratings:
    +31,475
    Holy shit this list is horrible. It includes shows that only had one season, mini-series', late night shows, shows that are still ongoing and game shows. No mention of Survivor.
  24. Shirogayne

    Shirogayne Gay™ Formerly Important

    Joined:
    May 17, 2005
    Messages:
    42,324
    Location:
    San Diego
    Ratings:
    +55,958
    I want to laugh a them but then I was about 13 before I learned whwre the TNG part of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" came from :borg:

    Still, any Trek that gets them into the franchise is good Trek, I guess. If the decon scene from ENT wasn't enough to scare me away, I have no room to bitch :lol: