# Is there any TV SHOW that we ALL would agree is good (if not great)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 13, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628 "2026-01-13T02:53:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/61 "2026-01-13T18:14:49Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > And the one that I think wins outright: > Mister Roger’s Neighborhood - I dare any of you to tell me that show wasn’t good. I could appreciate the show when I was an adult, but when I was a child at the target age for this show, I didn’t particularly like it. I thought it was boring and weird. I especially didn’t like the puppets, which were creepy in an uncanny-valley way…and one puppet absolutely terrified me (which some Googling tells me was [Lady Elaine Fairchilde](https://www.misterrogers.org/articles/lady-elaine-fairchilde/)). I did like the opening and closing sequence, though, with Mr. Rogers arriving and departing. And I learned later that he was an amazingly kind person, and that the show was not just hosted by Fred Rogers, but also created by him. Anyway, at that age, I greatly preferred _Sesame Street_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/62 "2026-01-13T18:18:44Z")
61 posts, and no-one has mentioned All In the Family? Should be near the top of any list. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/63 "2026-01-13T18:23:21Z")
Nova Fawlty Towers Masterpiece Theatre Mystery! ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/64 "2026-01-13T18:25:38Z")
Seinfeld. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/65 "2026-01-13T18:28:20Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > > I’ll also nominate _The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends_. > > I hate it because of the serialized format, combined with the fact the stations I grew up with never showed them in order. I’m still waiting to find out whether Bullwinkle will be able to extricate himself… “I will, as soon as I get loose!” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/66 "2026-01-13T18:29:33Z")
In my view, \*Fawlty Towers" is the best sitcom of all time! Among American sitcoms, _Newhart_ (the later show about the Vermont inn, not the one where he’s a psychologist) is among the best. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/67 "2026-01-13T18:33:01Z")
Going to nix _Newhart_ because of its crappy ending. Sorry, but them’s the breaks. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/68 "2026-01-13T18:35:47Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Seinfeld. Great show, but I know that others have mentioned, on other threads on this board, that they can’t stand it. I just watched an episode this past week (the one where George decides to do the opposite of what he normally would decide), and it holds up quite well. IMHO it’s still just as funny today as it was in the 90s, but I get why it isn’t everyone’s type of humor. ETA: I think part of why I like it is that it was just the right type of show at just the right time. The late 80s were filled with “very special episodes” sitcoms, where every week it seems like there was some kind of lesson to be learned, and some sort of overly sentimental moment of coming together at the end of the episode. Seinfeld’s “a show about nothing” was a breath of fresh air in an environment like that. People who didn’t grow up around that time, however, might not have the same appreciation for it being a reaction against the hyper sentimental sitcoms that were dominant at the time. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/69 "2026-01-13T18:48:36Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > crappy ending Different strokes for different folks. I thought it was genius! Probably helped that I carried a torch for Suzanne Pleshette for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/70 "2026-01-13T18:55:32Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > > Nope. I’ve seen various clips on Youtube that are entertaining enough, but when I try to watch an entire episode it goes something like this: > > > > This guy has mysterious symptoms. Let’s take a sample of his liver. > > We have enough sample for three tests. We cant take any more because [incomprehensible] > > Maybe it’s ABC syndrome [never heard of it]. Let’s test it. > > It isn’t ABC. > > Perhaps it’s XYZ syndrome[never heard of it]. Let’s test it. > > It isn’t XYZ. > > Maybe it’s Lupus? It’s never Lupus. > > We’ve only got one try left. > > Let’s try testing for ABC again. > > Test positive. It’s ABC. > > Why didn’t the first test work? Because [incomprehensible]. > > “For the last time, IT’S NOT LUPUS.” I’m still kinda pissed that in the series finale, the patient of the week did not have Lupus. That would have been just perfect. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/71 "2026-01-13T18:58:15Z")
Speaking of sitcoms from the late 80s, there is one that might qualify which managed to avoid the overly sentimental special episode of the week format that was popular at the time. _Married With Children_ should be considered. I didn’t watch it while it was running, but once I discovered it I really enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/72 "2026-01-13T19:09:07Z")
We did get a lupus episode in S4, but they should have held that one back until the very end. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/73 "2026-01-13T19:58:44Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > How about _Barney Miller_? You just cited my all-time favorite sitcom, although I’m sure there is someone, somewhere, who plugs their nose when it is mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/74 "2026-01-13T20:02:52Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Speaking of sitcoms from the late 80s, there is one that might qualify which managed to avoid the overly sentimental special episode of the week format that was popular at the time. _Married With Children_ should be considered. The same can be said of _Roseanne_. But I’m not going to nominate that one - I already know plenty of people hate it. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/75 "2026-01-13T22:14:11Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > The same can be said of _Roseanne_. But I’m not going to nominate that one - I already know plenty of people hate it. I’m one of them. Roseanne had plenty of lessons of the week / very special episodes. The only difference between Roseanne and the typical late 80s special episode sitcoms (Full House, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Golden Girls, etc.) is that Roseanne’s lesson of the week had a blue collar / working class flavor to it as opposed to the typical suburban middle class lesson from those other shows. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/76 "2026-01-13T23:15:54Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I always thought it was a little strange that Mr. Rogers was supposedly “at home”, yet he never took off that stupid tie. Not really. You only saw him when he had guests (you). ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/77 "2026-01-14T01:28:34Z")
If we can forget certain seasons and concentrate on the strong first few seasons, most of us here probably agree that _Community_ was a great show. Of course there are some who don’t like certain actors in real life (you know who), but _Community_ had others at the beginning of their careers, and some really great episodes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/78 "2026-01-14T11:07:08Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Isn’t _Breaking Bad_ the standard answer to this kind of question? Gods, no. And no other criminal-centered _or_ cop-centred or ME/CSI-centred drama.I veto them all. Also all sports-centred series. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/79 "2026-01-14T13:54:06Z")
Boy, you would **hate** _CSI:NFL_. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628/80 "2026-01-14T14:02:49Z")
OMG now I see it. They analyze and enhance the footage of the runner’s feet. Was he out of bounds? Let’s use advance tech to create this 3-D reconstruction that we can rotate and view from all angles. Look, you can see the blade of grass move! Conclusive proof! Meanwhile, three hours have passed in the stadium. We won’t talk about that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-tv-show-that-we-all-would-agree-is-good-if-not-great/1026628.md?page=5)