# Best TV show ever poll **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589 "2010-04-01T16:24:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/1 "2010-04-01T16:24:25Z")
…since from after 7 years of reading this forum, these are apparently the only shows that exist. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/2 "2010-04-01T16:33:43Z")
You left out Dexter, The Sopranos and Deadwood. I also suspect there are a few Trek fans around. You got Buffy, though. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/3 "2010-04-01T16:55:45Z")
You left out . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . . ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/4 "2010-04-01T16:57:16Z")
The Office and Arrested Development don’t belong on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/5 "2010-04-01T17:00:00Z")
Dude, you left off Gilligan’s Island! ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/6 "2010-04-01T17:21:05Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Office and Arrested Development don’t belong on the list. Neither do Buffy or Firefly… ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/7 "2010-04-01T17:25:29Z")
No, the only show I left off was Lost. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/8 "2010-04-01T17:28:16Z")
“The Sopranos” wasn’t listed so I chose “Buffy.” ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/9 "2010-04-01T17:28:34Z")
You also missed all those threads on _The Wire_ and _The Shield_. ---
**Author:** ![Jorge\_Burrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Jorge\_Burrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorge_Burrito)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/10 "2010-04-01T17:31:02Z")
Worst poll ever! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/11 "2010-04-01T17:45:10Z")
I voted for AD, but Buffy could certainly be a good choice, and **Homicide: Life on the Street** was better than any of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/12 "2010-04-01T17:51:40Z")
Best TV Show ever? **M_A_S\*H** ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/13 "2010-04-01T18:03:55Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > “The Sopranos” wasn’t listed so I chose “Buffy.” Yeah, they’re pretty much interchangeable. I know I can’t tell them apart. :dubious: You left out Frasier, Corner Gas, and Mythbusters (in ascending order of greatness) though. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/14 "2010-04-01T18:25:29Z")
Barney Miller. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/15 "2010-04-01T18:28:50Z")
_WKRP in Cincinnati_ isn’t there. Or _Cheers_. Or _Night Court_. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/16 "2010-04-01T18:52:32Z")
The Wire, by far. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/17 "2010-04-01T20:18:36Z")
_My Mother the Car_, duh. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/18 "2010-04-01T20:39:04Z")
Buffy’s the best one on there, I guess. I’ve actually seen only that one episode where they try to sing but can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/19 "2010-04-01T20:48:56Z")
Not to say that those are bad shows, but that’s a pretty pitiable listing for “best ever”. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Homicide: Life on the Street** was better than any of them. This. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589/20 "2010-04-01T20:53:58Z")
Of those, I would rank _Arrested Development_ number one, and the first three seasons of Office as number 2. I’ve never been able to sit through a whole episode of _Buffy_ or _Firefly_. I’m sure they’re wonderful series, but neither appeal to me. For my money, AD has the tightest and cleverest writing (not just the dialogue, but sight gags, too) of any television sitcom I’ve ever seen. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-tv-show-ever-poll/534589.md?page=2)