# Best TV series of all time, ranked **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2004, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938 "2004-09-03T09:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/1 "2004-09-03T09:55:26Z")
[ol]\*\*\*The Singing Detective [li]Buffy the Vampire Slayer[/li][li]The Sopranos[/li][li]NYPD Blue[/li][li]The Shield[/li][/ol] \*\*\*Yours? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/2 "2004-09-03T09:57:05Z")
On reflection, I guess those are all dramas; \*alltime \*should include _All in the Family_ and _The Honeymooners_. So for the purposes of this thread, let’s stick to dramas; maybe someone else will start a sitcom thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/3 "2004-09-03T10:03:06Z")
1. The Simpsons 2. Family Guy 3. Charmed 4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5. Coupling(The BBC Version) 6. Futurama 7. The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries 8. Birds of Prey 9. My Hero 10. M_A_S\*H ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/4 "2004-09-03T10:09:26Z")
I’ve never even heard of The Singing Detective. Was it produced overseas? Marc ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/5 "2004-09-03T10:12:47Z")
> [@MGibson](#): > > I’ve never even heard of The Singing Detective. Was it produced overseas? > > Marc I believe so. It is on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/6 "2004-09-03T10:13:18Z")
England. Michael Gambon, working with the best script ever written. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/7 "2004-09-03T10:15:56Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > 1. The Simpsons > 2. Family Guy > 3. Charmed > 4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer > 5. Coupling(The BBC Version) > 6. Futurama > 7. The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries > 8. Birds of Prey > 9. My Hero > 10. M_A_S\*H Sorry Mockingbird: would you mind revising this minus comedies? just to keep the thread focused. And I’ve never heard of your last three. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/8 "2004-09-03T10:19:48Z")
Sorry; meant the penultimate three. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/9 "2004-09-03T10:30:56Z")
1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 2. Star Trek: The Next Generation 3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4. Joan of Arcadia 5. Jake 2.0 Can’t think of a fifth at the moment so Jake’s my stand-in. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/10 "2004-09-03T11:04:02Z")
I’m not that old so my perspective my be skewed a bit. I have a hard time ranking movies, songs, books, and television series in any definitive order. What criteria should I use? Is it more important that I liked the show or that the show has been an influence? In no particular order here are 5 shows that I think were very excellent for a variety of reasons. 1. The Twilight Zone 2. The Sopranos 3. Babylon 5 4. Law & Order 5. Gunsmoke It also takes me way to long to come up with a list!! ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/11 "2004-09-03T11:11:23Z")
1. Band of Brothers 2. MASH 3. The Sopranos 4. Fortunes of War (BBC - Branagh and Thompson) ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/12 "2004-09-03T11:14:13Z")
Surprised a bit at some of the responses here: Hmmm…top dramas: 1. Wonder Years (hands down) 2. The West Wing 3. ER (especially the earlier years) 4. Sopranos 5. Law and Order ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/13 "2004-09-03T11:15:22Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > 1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine > 2. Star Trek: The Next Generation > 3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer > 4. Joan of Arcadia > 5. Jake 2.0 > > Can’t think of a fifth at the moment so Jake’s my stand-in. 1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 2. Star Trek: The Next Generation 3. The Outer Limits 4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5. Joan of Arcadia Thanks, **MGibson**. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/14 "2004-09-03T11:34:46Z")
Hmm. I just don’t like law and order; just not as real and human as NYPD Blue. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/15 "2004-09-03T11:43:41Z")
Cracker The Twilight Zone Northern Exposure St Elsewhere The Fugitive - the first must see show of my life. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/16 "2004-09-03T11:55:40Z")
1. The first season of _Murder One_ 2 - ???. Everything else ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/17 "2004-09-03T12:07:42Z")
1. Law and Order 2. The West Wing 3. The Twilight Zone 4. The X-Files (right up until Mulder left) ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/18 "2004-09-03T12:14:47Z")
Magnum, PI The Shield WKRP in Cincinnati The Sopranos Babylon 5 Stargate: SG1 MASH The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Bob Newhart Show Tour of Duty ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/19 "2004-09-03T12:53:48Z")
Dramas, eh? Oh, you’ve got Buffy in the list - I guess that’s a sorta-Drama. So, we’ll say… 1.)Buffy 2.)Star Trek : TNG 3.)Angel 4.)Law and Order (TOS) And… uhh… y’know, I don’t generally like dramas much… Oh! 5.) Quantum Leap. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Seeker\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@The\_Seeker\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Seeker_1)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938/20 "2004-09-03T13:27:49Z")
**1. Law & Order 2. The Sopranos 3. The Wire 4. Freaks & Geeks 5. Magnum PI** (for biased sentimental reasons) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-series-of-all-time-ranked/262938.md?page=2)