# Your Favorite All-Time TV Shows -- Second Pass **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966 "2010-05-10T21:49:43Z")\ **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 10, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/1 "2010-05-10T21:49:43Z")
Posts in the thread [The Best All-Time TV Show [vote for up to 10]](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=562451) indicated that some people weren’t aware of the first pass thread or else they were disappointed some of their favorite shows weren’t included in the Top 51 shows involved in the voting in that linked thread. There were some additional posts in [Your Favorite All-Time TV Shows](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=556753) after the poll was put up. So I have added those shows (or the additional votes for them) to the ones that didn’t make the cut to the Top 51 in the poll as of these posts: #34 Yesterday, 05:45 PM by gladtobeblazed (in the poll thread) and #83 Yesterday, 12:27 AM by MadTheSwine (in the original “Favorites” thread) To give everybody another shot at helping to select the next Top 50 for a second poll, please look over this list and either select your Top Ten from it or add enough shows to what’s already here to make a Top Ten. As before the shows that make the cut for the poll will be the ones mentioned the most. I’ll leave this thread open until the end of May before selecting the next poll’s shows. ================================================= A&E Literary Classics Absolutely Fabulous Alfred Hitchcock American Experience America’s Test Kitchen Antiques Roadshow As Time Goes By Batman Beauty and the Beast Big Bang Theory The Big Valley Bob Newhart (the first one) Bones (2) Brotherhood Burn Notice Burns and Allen Callan Captain Midnight Carol Burnett Show Charmed China Beach CHiPs Clangers Cold Case Files Combat! The Cosby Show Cosmos (2) Coupling (2) Cracker Criminal Minds CSI: Crime Scene Investigation C-SPAN’s Booknotes with Brian Lamb Dark Shadows The Day The Universe Changed Dexter Dirty Jobs Ernie Kovaks Show Father Dear Father Family Feud Flip This House Forensic Files Frazier Friday Night Lights Friends Frontline F Troop The Fugitive (2) The Games Generation Kill (2) Get Smart (2) Ghoulardi Gilmore Girls (2) The Good Life (UK) (2) Good Neighbors (2) Good Times Have Gun, Will Travel Hawaii Five-O Hill Street Blues Hogans Heroes Homicide (2) Howdy Doody I Love Lucy (2) In Treatment It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Jack Benny Show The Jeffersons Jeopardy! (2) Jonny Quest Jungle Jim Justice League Keen Eddie King Of Queens King of the Hill Kolchak: The Night Stalker L.A. Law Late Night With David Letterman (2) Law and Order (the Brisco and Green years) (2) Law And Order: Special Victims Unit Life Live Action Sailor Moon Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Lost in Space Louis Theroux’s documentaries MacGyver The Man From UNCLE Married With Children The Mary Tyler Moore Show (2) Masterpiece Theatre Maverick Max Headroom McKenzies Raiders (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) The Middleman Mission: Impossible Mr. Show Monday Night Football (3) Monk (2) The Muppet Show (2) Murphy Brown (2) My So-Called Life Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Especially the Joel years) Mythbusters The Nanny Night Court Numb3rs NYPD Blue (3) The Office (USA) (2) The Old Grey Whistle Test On The Air One Piece Outer Limits (2) Outrageous Fortune (NZ) Perry Mason The Planet Planet Earth The Pretender The Price is Right Pride & Prejudice (the Colin Firth version) Prison Break The Prisoner Prisoner (known as Prisoner: Cell Block H outside Australia) The Professionals Psych QI (2) Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (UK) Red Dwarf (3) Ripping Yarns The Rockford Files The Rogues Roseanne (3) Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In Sanford and Son (2) SNL Scrubs 77 Sunset Strip Shameless 60 Minutes (2) Soap Sons of Anarchy (2) South Park (3) Spaced Spongebob Squarepants Spooks Star Trek Deep Space Nine (3) Summer Heights High Sunday Morning on CBS Supernatural The Sweeney Tales of the Gold Monkey Taxi (2) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles 3rd Rock from the Sun (2) Third Watch 30 Rock (2) 3’s Company The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson Top Gear (2) Tour of Duty Two Fat Ladies Undeclared Unsolved Mysteries Upstairs, Downstairs Venture Brothers Vicar Of Dibley (2) Wallace and Ladmo Wanted: Dead or Alive Weeds Welcome Back Kotter Wojeck The X-Files (4) Yes Minister Yes Prime Minister The Young Ones Zorro (Disney) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/2 "2010-05-10T21:54:24Z")
I should have said that the 51 shows in the current poll wil not be added to this new list. Depending on the final votes for those 51 shows, the top 20 (or so) will join the Top 20 from this next poll for a Top 40 shows poll. So don’t mention the 51 shows in the poll already underway. They’ll be wasted votes! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/3 "2010-05-12T16:15:35Z")
Where’s _Cop Rock_? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/4 "2010-05-12T17:44:37Z")
Carol Burnett Dexter Hill Street Blues I Love Lucy Mission: Impossible NYPD Blue The Price is Right South Park 30 Rock Yes, Minister ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/5 "2010-05-12T18:35:34Z")
Thanks, **Gangster Octopus** and **ArchiveGuy** , for keeping this thread from being a total dud! With your input we now have these shows with at least two votes each: ===================================== NYPD Blue (4) South Park (4) The X-Files (4) I Love Lucy (3) Monday Night Football (3) Red Dwarf (3) Roseanne (3) Star Trek Deep Space Nine (3) 30 Rock (3) Bones (2) Carol Burnett Show (2) Cosmos (2) Coupling (2) Dexter (2) The Fugitive (2) Generation Kill (2) Get Smart (2) Gilmore Girls (2) The Good Life (UK) (2) Good Neighbors (2) Hill Street Blues (2) Homicide (2) Jeopardy! (2) Late Night With David Letterman (2) Law and Order (the Brisco and Green years) (2) The Mary Tyler Moore Show (2) Mission: Impossible (2) Monk (2) The Muppet Show (2) Murphy Brown (2) The Office (USA) (2) Outer Limits (2) The Price is Right (2) QI (2) Sanford and Son (2) 60 Minutes (2) Sons of Anarchy (2) Taxi (2) 3rd Rock from the Sun (2) Top Gear (2) Vicar Of Dibley (2) Yes Minister (2) Yes Prime Minister (2) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/6 "2010-05-23T14:43:51Z")
It would appear that interest in this topic has died. I see no point in a follow-up poll. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/7 "2010-05-23T16:03:57Z")
I’m confused. If we already gave our top ten in the other threads, do we need to do it again? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/8 "2010-05-23T16:48:30Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’m confused. If we already gave our top ten in the other threads, do we need to do it again? Apparently not. The whole idea to this thread was to give those who complained that their show(s) didn’t make the cut in the current poll (due to expire in early June) to have a second chance at it all. I get the sense that those objections don’t rise to the level of participating in a second poll. If you’re satisfied that the shows worth voting for were represented in that ongoing poll, this thread is not for you. Due to the lack of response to this one, I believe that’s the case with most Dopers. If so, this thread is a dead issue. That any clearer? In short, this is just a glorified bump to the thread. It’s been dormant for over a week. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/9 "2010-05-24T01:55:17Z")
Big Bang Theory Carol Burnett Show The Cosby Show Criminal Minds Frazier Jeopardy! Law And Order: Special Victims Unit Night Court Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In Taxi ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/10 "2010-05-24T14:06:37Z")
Thanks to **Dolores Reborn** we can elevate these shows to the more-than-one-mention group: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Carol Burnett Show (3) Jeopardy! (3) Taxi (3) Big Bang Theory (2) The Cosby Show (2) Criminal Minds (2) Frazier (2) Law And Order: Special Victims Unit (2) Night Court (2) Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In (2) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The 50 shows with more than one mention break down as: (4) x 3 (3) x 9 (2) x 38 Total 50 If we can get a few more Top Ten groups to help narrow down the field maybe we won’t have to resort to all 50 choices to vote on. Right now, though, the 12 (4) and (3) shows seem a little skimpy. Whatever happens between now and next Monday will determine what the new poll will look like. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/11 "2010-05-24T14:27:16Z")
A vote for _Keen Eddie_, _30 Rock_ and _Third Rock_. I’m delighted to see _Ghoulardi_ on the list but I’m too young to really remember it, so it wouldn’t be honest for me to vote. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/12 "2010-05-25T13:16:47Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > A vote for _Keen Eddie_, _30 Rock_ and _Third Rock_. I’m delighted to see _Ghoulardi_ on the list but I’m too young to really remember it, so it wouldn’t be honest for me to vote. This results in these updates to the lists above: # (4) x 4 (3) x 9 (2) x 39 Total 52 30 Rock (4) 3rd Rock from the Sun (3) Ghoulardi (2) \*\* Keen Eddie (2) \*\* I went ahead and added this since you at least mentioned it. +++++ May is running out and I plan to do whatever poll makes sense next Tuesday. If you’ve had complaints about your favorite show(s) not being included in the poll, now’s your chance to make a meaningful comment. ---
**Author:** ![DeafAngelboy23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@DeafAngelboy23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeafAngelboy23)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/13 "2010-05-25T17:13:51Z")
Gilmore Girls In Treatment Justice League My So-Called Life Sanford and Son Star Trek Deep Space Nine ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/14 "2010-05-25T17:54:34Z")
Still not quite sure how this works. Here are all the shows I’d want to be on the list: Angel, Being Human, Big Bang Theory, Bones, Brothers & Sisters, BSG, Buffy, Caprica, Castle, Dead Like Me, Defying Gravity, Dollhouse, Dr Horrible, Dr Who, Eastwick, Eureka, Family Guy, Firefly, Flash Forward, Fringe, Futurama, Glee, Gravity, How I Met Your Mother, Journeyman, Kings, Kyle XY, Legend of the Seeker, Lexx, Life is Wild, Lost, Middleman, Moonlight, Mysterious Cities of Gold, No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, One Tree Hill, Primeval, Psych, Pushing Daisies, Quantum Leap, Queer as Folk, Robot Chicken, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Six Feet Under, Skins, Spartacus, Supernatural, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Terminator TSCC, The Lost Room, The Third Eye, The Tick, The various Star Treks, The various Stargates especially Universe, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty, US of Tara, Veronica Mars, Virtuality, War of the Worlds Personal top favs maybe: BSG Dr Who Firefly Flash Forward Glee HIMYM Lost Lost Room Middleman One Tree Hill Pushing Daisies Robot Chicken Quantum Leap Six Feet Under Stargate Universe The Lost Room War of the Worlds Favs that are probably obscure or underrepresented: Being Human Caprica Defying Gravity Gravity Journeyman Kings No 1 Ladies Detective Agency QAF Skins Spartacus Tales of the Gold Monkey Lost Room Third Eye War of the Worlds ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/15 "2010-05-25T18:06:34Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Still not quite sure how this works. > > Here are all the shows I’d want to be on the list: > > Angel, Being Human, Big Bang Theory, Bones, Brothers & Sisters, BSG, Buffy, Caprica, Castle, Dead Like Me, Defying Gravity, Dollhouse, Dr Horrible, Dr Who, Eastwick, Eureka, Family Guy, Firefly, Flash Forward, Fringe, Futurama, Glee, Gravity, How I Met Your Mother, Journeyman, Kings, Kyle XY, Legend of the Seeker, Lexx, Life is Wild, Lost, Middleman, Moonlight, Mysterious Cities of Gold, No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, One Tree Hill, Primeval, Psych, Pushing Daisies, Quantum Leap, Queer as Folk, Robot Chicken, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Six Feet Under, Skins, Spartacus, Supernatural, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Terminator TSCC, The Lost Room, The Third Eye, The Tick, The various Star Treks, The various Stargates especially Universe, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty, US of Tara, Veronica Mars, Virtuality, War of the Worlds > > Personal top favs maybe: > > BSG > Dr Who > Firefly > Flash Forward > Glee > HIMYM > Lost > Lost Room > Middleman > One Tree Hill > Pushing Daisies > Robot Chicken > Quantum Leap > Six Feet Under > Stargate Universe > The Lost Room > War of the Worlds > > Favs that are probably obscure or underrepresented: > > Being Human > Caprica > Defying Gravity > Gravity > Journeyman > Kings > No 1 Ladies Detective Agency > QAF > Skins > Spartacus > Tales of the Gold Monkey > Lost Room > Third Eye > War of the Worlds With all due respect, I’m going to let you do your own poll. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/16 "2010-05-25T18:33:48Z")
Antiques Roadshow The Cosby Show Law and Order (the Brisco and Green years) (2) The Muppet Show (2) QI (2) Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In Spaced 3rd Rock from the Sun (2) Venture Brothers The Young Ones Many of those shows - Antiques Roadshow, Cosby, Law & Order, Laugh-In, Young Ones - are what I consider to be ground-breaking shows in some fashion. I had pared the list down to 20 that I really enjoy, but got it down to these 10 that mean the most. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/17 "2010-05-25T19:09:41Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Still not quite sure how this works. > > Here are all the shows I’d want to be on the list: > > \<\< snip \>\> > > Personal top favs maybe: > > \<\< snip \>\> > > Favs that are probably obscure or underrepresented: > > \<\< snip \>\> I have added all your titles to my summary file just in case somebody else mentions any of the ones on your list so as to elevate it/them to the more-than-once groups. Those already included in the ongoing poll ([The Best All-Time TV Show [vote for up to 10]](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=562451)) are being dropped from the titles being considered for this follow-up poll. If you’ll check the ongoing poll, you can see how they’re doing. Just to repeat my plan: 1. Next Tuesday I will post a new poll with the titles that have been mentioned at least twice, and (if the results of this thread justify it) reduce the total number of titles to 50 or less, depending on the popularity in this thread of those titles. 2. After that new poll has had a chance to produce a “Top X-Number” of shows, they and the “Top X-number” from the ongoing poll will be combined for a Final Poll that ought to be able to satisfy most Dopers that their show(s) were given a fair chance to be voted on. 3. If there’s still some dispute over the validity of the Final Poll, I’ll deal with it at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/18 "2010-05-25T22:37:16Z")
The current status of the summary is: NYPD Blue (4) South Park (4) Star Trek Deep Space Nine (4) 3rd Rock from the Sun (4) 30 Rock (4) The X-Files (4) Big Bang Theory (3) Bones (3) Carol Burnett Show (3) The Cosby Show (3) Gilmore Girls (3) I Love Lucy (3) Jeopardy! (3) Law and Order (the Brisco and Green years) (3) Monday Night Football (3) The Muppet Show (3) QI (3) Red Dwarf (3) Roseanne (3) Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In (3) Sanford and Son (3) Taxi (3) (4) x 6 (3) x 16 (2) x 42 (not shown here) Total 64 (I’m leaning toward the (3) or better group for the poll, or 22 shows). =================================== 219 Total shows in this thread If you want to elevate a (1) or (2) mention show to consideration for the poll now’s the time. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/19 "2010-05-25T22:55:51Z")
From the OP: Antiques Roadshow Batman Bob Newhart (the first one) Carol Burnett Show Frasier Get Smart The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Muppet Show Soap The X-Files Since I couldn’t find a definition of favorite in this thread or its predecessor, I only considered how likely I would be to turn on the TV if I knew a rerun was about to come on right now. Artistic interpretation and degree of difficulty didn’t enter into it. ETA: On second look, I see the previous thread (the poll) specifies “best” whereas this one says “favorite.” To my mind, those are different things. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966/20 "2010-05-26T03:44:33Z")
Dexter should definitely be on the list. I’m surprised no one has mentioned Babylon 5. It was flawed and hasn’t aged well, but it was very innovative (it was essentially a novel made into 100 hours of TV) in an era where arc-based serial dramas were pretty much unheard of. It was ambitious and still has some of the most amazing scenes and episodes in TV history. I’m not sure it’s ever been topped in terms of how well planned and cohesive the story was - it’s really still one of a kind. I wouldn’t put it at #1, but it should definitely make the top 50 and be an option. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-all-time-tv-shows-second-pass/538966.md?page=2)