Many great shows never got a mention. After a month’s time of waiting I just decided to go with what we had. Maybe follow-up threads and polls can get closer to a “winner” show. Maybe not.
Why the hostility?
No hostility.
Interesting how the list turned out. I voted for mostly comedies because the dramas I would have voted for aren’t there. However with the long list of comedies Lucille Ball, Roseanne Barr, Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen all missed out. All hugely popular long running shows that must have been everyone’s fourth favorite show.
oops! I voted for 10
I voted for:
The Avengers
Six Feet Under
The Twilight zone
I also like:
Mad Men
House
ER (older versions)
but didn’t vote for them because they are not my “best”
I pretty much hate everything else on the list. Yeah, I’m odd. I know. I hate sit coms. Like Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers, etc.
I still call The X-Files my favorite show of all time, with the understanding that it sucks after a certain point. It was great long enough to be up there among the best of all time.
I voted for 5 shows. My 4 favorite comedies (Arrested Development, NewsRadio, Seinfeld, Futurama) and The Shield.
Wow. For polls similar to this where there are a lot of options, is there anyway to sort by result?
Here’s a manual sort of the latest (113 voters) batch:
The Simpsons 38 33.63%
The Wire 27 23.89%
All In The Family 25 22.12%
Firefly 24 21.24%
M*A*S*H 24 21.24%
The Twilight Zone 24 21.24%
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 24 21.24%
Cheers 23 20.35%
Seinfeld 22 19.47%
The Sopranos 22 19.47%
Buffy 21 18.58%
Monty Python's Flying Circus 20 17.70%
NOVA 17 15.04%
The West Wing 16 14.16%
Dick Van Dyke Show 16 14.16%
Arrested Development 15 13.27%
Northern Exposure 15 13.27%
Star Trek: TNG 14 12.39%
Battlestar Galactica 14 12.39%
WKRP In Cincinnati 14 12.39%
Star Trek: TOS 13 11.50%
Doctor Who 13 11.50%
Six Feet Under 13 11.50%
Barney Miller 13 11.50%
Futurama 13 11.50%
Lost 12 10.62%
The Bob Newhart Show 12 10.62%
Good Eats 12 10.62%
Band of Brothers 11 9.73%
Fawlty Towers 11 9.73%
News Radio 11 9.73%
Whose Line Is It Anyway? 11 9.73%
Deadwood 9 7.96%
House 9 7.96%
Freaks & Geeks 8 7.08%
Twin Peaks 8 7.08%
Angel 8 7.08%
The Shield 8 7.08%
The Golden Girls 8 7.08%
Breaking Bad 7 6.19%
Rome 6 5.31%
NCIS 6 5.31%
The Office (Original -- UK) 6 5.31%
Family Guy 5 4.42%
ER 5 4.42%
I Claudius 4 3.54%
The Avengers 3 2.65%
Gilligan's Island 3 2.65%
Carnivale 3 2.65%
Mad Men 2 1.77%
My Name Is Earl 2 1.77%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 113.
If you’d like to see how things were changing in the earlier stages, see this post from Yesterday, 03:29 PM when I decided to let it sit for a while before another update. Your question prompted the post here.
I’ll try for another summary at the 150 voters point – or thereabouts.
The Simpsons
Missing from the list:
CHiPs
The Price is Right
If you have ideas or suggestions for ways to improve the search for the Best All Time TV Shows, please share them at Refinements to Top TV Show Polling.
What kind of sick universe do we live in when Simpsons is somehow ahead of Fawlty Towers?
Also missing:
Red Dwarf
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Justice League
South Park didn’t make the list? I would have voted for SP instead of Family Guy…
Here’s a sorted update to compare with the one upthread:
Voters: 113 Voters: 146
The Simpsons 38 33.63% 55 37.67%
M*A*S*H 24 21.24% 33 22.60%
The Twilight Zone 24 21.24% 33 22.60%
The Wire 27 23.89% 32 21.92%
Seinfeld 22 19.47% 32 21.92%
Firefly 24 21.24% 31 21.23%
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 24 21.24% 31 21.23%
All In The Family 25 22.12% 30 20.55%
The Sopranos 22 19.47% 30 20.55%
Monty Python's Flying Circus 20 17.70% 30 20.55%
Cheers 23 20.35% 28 19.18%
Buffy 21 18.58% 25 17.12%
NOVA 17 15.04% 23 15.75%
The West Wing 16 14.16% 23 15.75%
Dick Van Dyke Show 16 14.16% 22 15.07%
Fawlty Towers 11 9.73% 22 15.07%
Arrested Development 15 13.27% 21 14.38%
Six Feet Under 13 11.50% 20 13.70%
Northern Exposure 15 13.27% 19 13.01%
Star Trek: TNG 14 12.39% 19 13.01%
WKRP In Cincinnati 14 12.39% 19 13.01%
Futurama 13 11.50% 19 13.01%
Star Trek: TOS 13 11.50% 19 13.01%
Doctor Who 13 11.50% 18 12.33%
The Bob Newhart Show 12 10.62% 18 12.33%
Battlestar Galactica 14 12.39% 17 11.64%
Barney Miller 13 11.50% 17 11.64%
Lost 12 10.62% 17 11.64%
Whose Line Is It Anyway? 11 9.73% 14 9.59%
House 9 7.96% 14 9.59%
Good Eats 12 10.62% 13 8.90%
Deadwood 9 7.96% 13 8.90%
Band of Brothers 11 9.73% 12 8.22%
News Radio 11 9.73% 11 7.53%
Freaks & Geeks 8 7.08% 11 7.53%
Rome 6 5.31% 11 7.53%
The Office (Original -- UK) 6 5.31% 11 7.53%
Twin Peaks 8 7.08% 10 6.85%
Angel 8 7.08% 10 6.85%
The Shield 8 7.08% 9 6.16%
The Golden Girls 8 7.08% 9 6.16%
Breaking Bad 7 6.19% 9 6.16%
Family Guy 5 4.42% 9 6.16%
ER 5 4.42% 8 5.48%
NCIS 6 5.31% 7 4.79%
Mad Men 2 1.77% 6 4.11%
I Claudius 4 3.54% 5 3.42%
Carnivale 3 2.65% 4 2.74%
The Avengers 3 2.65% 3 2.05%
Gilligan's Island 3 2.65% 3 2.05%
My Name Is Earl 2 1.77% 3 2.05%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 113 Voters: 146
I would have voted for The Prisoner (1967).
I voted for both and would be hard-pressed to pick one. In the end FT only had to produce 12 episodes…who knows what we would have been getting by episode 38?
Clearly ‘The Wire’ is the best TV drama ever made. Comedy is much harder, personally I’d put ‘Fawlty Towers’ above ‘The Simpsons’, because although the latter has more comedy by minutes the former is an almost flawless example of the art of comedy. 100% of those 12 epsiodes is genius.
I don’t know how anybody can vote for ‘Battlestart Gallactica’, I started watching it recently and had to stop after 5 episodes. I’m into to sci-fi but it’s utter tripe, even worse than the original!
Here’s a summary of the last 5 snapshots I’ve taken, sorted on the 181 votes column.
Voters: 113 Voters: 146 Voters: 164 Voters: 173 Voters: 181
The Simpsons 38 33.63% 55 37.67% 63 38.41% 70 40.46% 76 41.99%
M*A*S*H 24 21.24% 33 22.60% 40 24.39% 44 25.43% 47 25.97%
Seinfeld 22 19.47% 32 21.92% 41 25.00% 42 24.28% 46 25.41%
The Wire 27 23.89% 32 21.92% 38 23.17% 43 24.86% 45 24.86%
The Sopranos 22 19.47% 30 20.55% 36 21.95% 39 22.54% 41 22.65%
Monty Python's Flying Circus 20 17.70% 30 20.55% 35 21.34% 39 22.54% 41 22.65%
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 24 21.24% 31 21.23% 34 20.73% 38 21.97% 41 22.65%
The Twilight Zone 24 21.24% 33 22.60% 36 21.95% 36 20.81% 39 21.55%
Firefly 24 21.24% 31 21.23% 35 21.34% 36 20.81% 38 20.99%
Cheers 23 20.35% 28 19.18% 33 20.12% 35 20.23% 36 19.89%
All In The Family 25 22.12% 30 20.55% 30 18.29% 32 18.50% 33 18.23%
Buffy 21 18.58% 25 17.12% 28 17.07% 32 18.50% 32 17.68%
Arrested Development 15 13.27% 21 14.38% 28 17.07% 30 17.34% 30 16.57%
NOVA 17 15.04% 23 15.75% 26 15.85% 29 16.76% 30 16.57%
The West Wing 16 14.16% 23 15.75% 27 16.46% 29 16.76% 29 16.02%
Fawlty Towers 11 9.73% 22 15.07% 25 15.24% 27 15.61% 29 16.02%
Six Feet Under 13 11.50% 20 13.70% 23 14.02% 25 14.45% 25 13.81%
Star Trek: TNG 14 12.39% 19 13.01% 23 14.02% 24 13.87% 25 13.81%
Futurama 13 11.50% 19 13.01% 22 13.41% 22 12.72% 25 13.81%
Star Trek: TOS 13 11.50% 19 13.01% 23 14.02% 24 13.87% 24 13.26%
Doctor Who 13 11.50% 18 12.33% 20 12.20% 22 12.72% 24 13.26%
Northern Exposure 15 13.27% 19 13.01% 21 12.80% 21 12.14% 23 12.71%
Dick Van Dyke Show 16 14.16% 22 15.07% 22 13.41% 22 12.72% 22 12.15%
Battlestar Galactica 14 12.39% 17 11.64% 19 11.59% 21 12.14% 22 12.15%
WKRP In Cincinnati 14 12.39% 19 13.01% 20 12.20% 20 11.56% 22 12.15%
The Bob Newhart Show 12 10.62% 18 12.33% 19 11.59% 20 11.56% 21 11.60%
Barney Miller 13 11.50% 17 11.64% 19 11.59% 19 10.98% 21 11.60%
Lost 12 10.62% 17 11.64% 19 11.59% 20 11.56% 20 11.05%
Deadwood 9 7.96% 13 8.90% 16 9.76% 18 10.40% 20 11.05%
Band of Brothers 11 9.73% 12 8.22% 16 9.76% 17 9.83% 20 11.05%
Freaks & Geeks 8 7.08% 11 7.53% 15 9.15% 15 8.67% 15 8.29%
House 9 7.96% 14 9.59% 14 8.54% 15 8.67% 15 8.29%
News Radio 11 9.73% 11 7.53% 13 7.93% 13 7.51% 15 8.29%
The Office (Original -- UK) 6 5.31% 11 7.53% 12 7.32% 12 6.94% 15 8.29%
Whose Line Is It Anyway? 11 9.73% 14 9.59% 14 8.54% 14 8.09% 14 7.73%
Good Eats 12 10.62% 13 8.90% 13 7.93% 13 7.51% 13 7.18%
Rome 6 5.31% 11 7.53% 12 7.32% 13 7.51% 13 7.18%
Breaking Bad 7 6.19% 9 6.16% 12 7.32% 12 6.94% 13 7.18%
Twin Peaks 8 7.08% 10 6.85% 12 7.32% 12 6.94% 12 6.63%
Family Guy 5 4.42% 9 6.16% 11 6.71% 12 6.94% 12 6.63%
Angel 8 7.08% 10 6.85% 10 6.10% 10 5.78% 10 5.52%
The Shield 8 7.08% 9 6.16% 10 6.10% 10 5.78% 10 5.52%
ER 5 4.42% 8 5.48% 9 5.49% 10 5.78% 10 5.52%
Mad Men 2 1.77% 6 4.11% 7 4.27% 10 5.78% 10 5.52%
The Golden Girls 8 7.08% 9 6.16% 9 5.49% 9 5.20% 9 4.97%
NCIS 6 5.31% 7 4.79% 7 4.27% 8 4.62% 8 4.42%
The Avengers 3 2.65% 3 2.05% 6 3.66% 6 3.47% 6 3.31%
I Claudius 4 3.54% 5 3.42% 5 3.05% 6 3.47% 6 3.31%
My Name Is Earl 2 1.77% 3 2.05% 5 3.05% 6 3.47% 6 3.31%
Carnivale 3 2.65% 4 2.74% 4 2.44% 4 2.31% 4 2.21%
Gilligan's Island 3 2.65% 3 2.05% 3 1.83% 4 2.31% 4 2.21%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 113 Voters: 146 Voters: 164 Voters: 173 Voters: 181
There were two Battlestar Gallactica series. While I can’t imagine anyone voting for the original as one of the best shows of all time, I happen to like it better than the depressing one that just ended. So you never know.
I also don’t think that throwing in a miniseries like “I, Claudius” is a great idea, if you don’t add others as well. Quite a few people think that “Roots” was a fantastic series.