# The Best All-Time TV Show \[vote for up to 10\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740 "2010-05-08T12:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/1 "2010-05-08T12:40:10Z")
After seven weeks [Your Favorite All-Time TV Shows](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=556753) has provided the “favorite” Top 51 TV Shows of All Time. This poll is to try to determine the BEST of those shows. Since there’s no way to control the number of votes in a multiple choice poll, you are own your own honor to select no more than your own Top Ten. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/2 "2010-05-08T14:36:02Z")
Well crap. I voted before reading the OP and I only voted for one show. Waaaah! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/3 "2010-05-08T14:48:08Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Well crap. I voted before reading the OP and I only voted for one show. Waaaah! So sorry. Want to list the others you would have voted for? I voted for 10 myself, and I suspect you and I have at least five in common! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/4 "2010-05-08T15:45:15Z")
Thanks! I voted for _The Wire_, but would have added: Deadwood Breaking Bad Mad Men Buffy the Vampire Slayer Angel Freaks and Geeks Rome Firefly The Shield ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/5 "2010-05-08T15:56:47Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Thanks! I voted for _The Wire_, but would have added: > > Deadwood > Breaking Bad > Mad Men > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Angel > Freaks and Geeks > Rome > Firefly > The Shield I was close. We share four. This is my ten: Deadwood The Sopranos Rome Breaking Bad The West Wing House NOVA Six Feet Under Carnivale The Shield I have never seen the first episode of about half of the 51 shows in the poll. Hopefully before the month is out (30 days) there will be at least one vote for each of the 51. Otherwise, the people who mentioned shows in the other thread just didn’t have that much invested in the idea. No real surprise. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/6 "2010-05-08T16:20:34Z")
I never got into _West Wing_ or _House_. I would have added _The Sopranos_ but I really didn’t like that half-season featuring Vito (the gay mobster). _Carnivale_ and _Six Feet Under_ would have made the list but it would have been more than ten. When this poll is over, how about a poll asking for just one choice? I’d like to see that – it’s always hard to pick just one. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/7 "2010-05-08T16:32:46Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I never got into _West Wing_ or _House_. I would have added _The Sopranos_ but I really didn’t like that half-season featuring Vito (the gay mobster). _Carnivale_ and _Six Feet Under_ would have made the list but it would have been more than ten. > > When this poll is over, how about a poll asking for just one choice? I’d like to see that – it’s always hard to pick just one. Good idea. It’s my hope that this poll will produce a convincing Top Ten out of the 51 entries. The Top Ten could be a one-vote affair to pick Number One. That would be nice if we get at least 100 voters in this one. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/8 "2010-05-08T16:36:04Z")
You’ll never get anything meaningful out of a “Choose one” vote. Too many variables, too many genres. How do you make a rational choice between the best cooking show ever and the best sit-com ever? Can’t be done. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/9 "2010-05-08T16:46:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You’ll never get anything meaningful out of a “Choose one” vote. Too many variables, too many genres. How do you make a rational choice between the best cooking show ever and the best sit-com ever? Can’t be done. What you say makes good sense. Any poll seeking a “best” or even a “favorite” is going to be flawed. Maybe the best way (or at least a good way) to present the idea is to imagine that all ten (or x-number) are on during the same time slot and you don’t have a TiVo, DVR or even a VHS to record what’s on the other channels. Which one would you watch? I have yet to see any list of Top X-number anythings that I agree with more than 75%. Even Ebert’s Top Whatever List would have me arguing with it. And I can’t remember seeing his Number One pick, have you? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/10 "2010-05-08T17:36:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > How do you make a rational choice between the best cooking show ever and the best sit-com ever? Can’t be done. Maybe not. But I didn’t have any trouble picking a #1 favorite out of all genres, but that’s because, to me, _The Wire_ is head and shoulders above everything else, in any genre. It’s the one DVD set that I’d take to my desert island. Maybe there could be polls by genre. And we won’t ever agree if we use “best” – “favorite” works better, I think. I recognize the quality of a lot of shows that don’t grab me. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/11 "2010-05-08T17:45:30Z")
Exactly. There are a lot of shows which can’t be said to be quality but are my favories, e.g., I looked for _Roseanne_ in the poll and it wasn’t there! ---
**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:** [May 8, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/12 "2010-05-08T17:52:26Z")
Well, 2 of my top 3 aren’t even listed: X-Files and NYPD Blue. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/13 "2010-05-08T18:01:52Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > And we won’t ever agree if we use “best” – “favorite” works better, I think. I recognize the quality of a lot of shows that don’t grab me. Agreed. I’ve never been a fan of either _The Wire_ or _West Wing_, for example, but I recognize that they are quality shows. A genre breakdown might be a better idea here. Good call. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/14 "2010-05-08T18:10:24Z")
What, no _QI_? No _Top Gear_? For shame. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/15 "2010-05-08T18:28:06Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > What, no _QI_? No _Top Gear_? For shame. In the source thread [Your Favorite All-Time TV Shows](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=556753) – _QI_ and _Top Gear_ were mentioned once each. > [@lissener](#): > > Well, 2 of my top 3 aren’t even listed: X-Files and NYPD Blue. – _X-Files_ and _NYPD Blue_ were mentioned twice each. I elected to eliminate those shows that were mentioned fewer than three times each to try to keep the poll as brief as possible. > [@silenus](#): > > A genre breakdown might be a better idea here. Good call. As for a genre breakdown, be my guest! ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/16 "2010-05-08T18:34:34Z")
Damn…also posted with only one vote, as I didn’t realize you could vote for more than one. Lesson learned: Read OP before voting on anything! (It was a hard, single vote - but went for All In The Family - quite ground-breaking at the time, and really popular too, so it really did affect a lot of families as they talked about subjects that might not have normally been discussed at home. Still, I could easily have added quite a few others on that list…oh well.) ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/17 "2010-05-08T18:49:47Z")
**Zeldar** , maybe you can get a mod to put (Vote for [up to] 10) in the Title? ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/18 "2010-05-08T19:04:36Z")
Shame I wasn’t aware of, nor participated in, the original thread that spawned this poll. _Taxi_ is in my top 10, and I’m sad to not be able to vote for it here. Similarly with _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_ and _60 Minutes_. (Though _The Dick Van Dyke Show_ is perhaps my favorite sitcom of all time, and is often overlooked in these kinds of things, so it evens out, I suppose…) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/19 "2010-05-08T19:07:09Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > **Zeldar** , maybe you can get a mod to put (Vote for [up to] 10) in the Title? Feel free to recommend that to a mod by reporting the thread. The poll itself says that it’s multiple choice, so the OP just confirms that. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740/20 "2010-05-08T19:14:10Z")
Im surprised The Fugitive > **[The Fugitive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fugitive_(TV_series))** > > A fugitive is a person fleeing from arrest. > The Fugitive, The Fugitives, Fugitive, or Fugitives may also refer to: And the Law & Order franchise > **[Law & Order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_%26_Order)** > > Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the Law & Order franchise. > Law & Order aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on September 13, 1990, and completing its 20th season on May 24, 2010. On September 28, 2021, after an 11-year hiatus, NBC announced that the series would be revived for a 21st season, which premiered on February 24, 2022. The revival saw the deb... weren’t included. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-all-time-tv-show-vote-for-up-to-10/538740.md?page=2)