These are TV series which have shaped our viewing habits for generations to come, whilst at the same time holding up as timeless masterpieces in their own right. The best shows of all time aren’t necessarily the most popular overall, but they tend to be some of the most influential, with a critical consensus around their untouchable status.
There are releases in every generation of television that demand our attention, regardless of our tastes and interests. They’re the shows that premiere as the week’s best new release, before going on to be the best thing to have happened to television in their debut year, and eventually becoming one of the yardsticks by which to measure their decade.
This list isn’t just about the most acclaimed or important TV shows. It’s about the series universally regarded as infallible contributions to a greatest-of-all-time discussion. Certain contrarians might find one or two of them overrated, but this outlandish perspective won’t have much truck with the overwhelming majority of those who’ve watched them.
10
Pride and Prejudice
1995
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has had various movie adaptations, but none of them can hold a candle to this TV miniseries from the mid-1990s, starring Colin Firth in his most iconic role. As well as sublime lead performances from Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and exquisite period costume designs, this screen rendering of Austen’s greatest literary achievement is beautifully scripted.
It isn’t all about Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, either, with the likes of Alison Steadman and David Bamber giving scene-stealing performances as part of an all-star ensemble cast. Whenever we think of period dramas on the small screen, it’s the 1995 Pride and Prejudice that remains the genre’s touchstone, and the quintessential British TV series.
9
Breaking Bad
2008–2013
Breaking Bad’s enduring popularity reflects the show’s revolutionary approach to TV storytelling. Its long-form character portrait now feels tailor-made for streaming, but it was simply an artistic decision taken by Vince Gilligan at the very inception of his greatest creation.
There is a school of thought that holds spinoff series Better Call Saul in even higher esteem than Breaking Bad with some justification, but the consensus around the original show’s legacy is still more ubiquitous. Walter White’s seamless transformation from downtrodden underdog at death’s door to seemingly invincible meth kingpin is the stuff of Shakespeare.
8
Band Of Brothers
2001
Band of Brothers is widely regarded as the first cinematic epic of television’s prestige era. The 10-part war drama is unlike any other TV series before it in terms of visual and narrative scope, technical brilliance, and historical accuracy, and it cost as much as the biggest blockbusters of its day to pull off.
Yet, none of the show’s big-budget pyrotechnics would mean much if it didn’t have powerful performances at its heart. Band of Brothers features some of the most emotional scenes in television history, which bring home the horrors of war with harrowing realism. No military epic since has been quite so moving, including the show’s impressive sequel series.
7
I Love Lucy
1951–1957
The very definition of timeless television, I Love Lucy is still the foundational reference point for all other sitcoms that have followed it. Its relatable family setup, subtle social commentary, winsome one-liners and masterful visual gags are the essential building blocks of TV’s staple comedy genre.
I Love Lucy’s best episodes are still just as funny and relatable today as when they first aired, and the series still enjoys syndication success almost 70 years after its original run ended. Perhaps more than anything else, the sitcom’s durability is testament to Lucille Ball’s pioneering comic genius.
6
The Simpsons
1989–Present
While the golden age of The Simpsons ended decades ago, the show remains a historic achievement in television comedy, which may just have produced several of the most consistently superlative sitcom seasons ever aired in the mid-1990s. What’s more, pretty much every adult animated comedy release of the past 30 years owes its existence to the show.
Were it not for the protracted decline it’s experienced since the turn of the millennium, The Simpsons might well have made the number one spot on this list. But unfortunately the show’s unquestionable greatness is now overshadowed somewhat by the relative mediocrity that constitutes most of its record-breaking run.
5
Twin Peaks
1990–1991, 2017
Twin Peaks is the ultimate cult classic TV thriller, a mind-mending neo-noir masterpiece that saw auteur filmmaker David Lynch transform what was possible on the small screen. Arguably the most left-field choice among the shows regularly cited as contenders for television’s greatest of all time, this starkly atmospheric murder mystery is among the most Lynchian things Lynch ever did.
However, that the series isn’t all the creation of cinema’s most idiosyncratic genius. It was Hill Street Blues lead writer Mark Frost who underscored its surrealist take on crime drama with noir genre tropes and deft narrative flourishes. Frost and Lynch turned out to be a perfect match for the show that prefigured television’s second golden age.
4
Seinfeld
1989–1998
For those who’ve never got into Seinfeld, it must seem like a terrible idea for a show. Ostensibly, it’s a sitcom about nothing in particular centering on four self-absorbed singletons whose behavior often borders on sociopathic. In fact, it’s a sitcom about all the particulars of life, whose neurotic central characters allow us to laugh at the worst of ourselves.
Seinfeld is unbeatable as a sitcom when it comes to endlessly watchable episodes about farcical situations manufactured primarily by misanthropy. If the bare essence of humor is human failure in all its various social forms, then this TV show has captured the true spirit of comedy better than any other.
3
The Twilight Zone
1959–1964
The oldest drama show on this list, The Twilight Zone has been considered among the best TV shows of all time for more than half a century. This stunningly original anthology series has influenced everything from Twin Peaks to Pluribus, and laid the blueprint for several TV genres including sci-fi and dark fantasy.
It also originated the idea of mystery-box storytelling on the small screen, with a host of landmark shows including The Prisoner, Lost, Black Mirror, and The Leftovers owing it an enormous debt of gratitude. Other series might be cited as the best of all time more often, but it’s hard to argue with The Twilight Zone’s incomparable television legacy.
2
The Wire
2002–2008
As far as police-procedural TV series go, The Wire is on a different plane from just about everything else. But describing the show as a procedural series doesn’t do justice to the complex tapestry of plot threads it weaves across a holistic view of modern America rooted in the real streets of Baltimore.
The Wire’s best scenes are masterclasses in authentic characterization and shrewd social awareness, which transcend the limitations of its episodic small-screen format. At the same time, the show develops as a sprawling patchwork of stories within its criminal landscape, demonstrating that the serial nature of TV drama can actually serve long-form crime epics better than cinema.
1
The Sopranos
1999–2007
The Sopranos
10/10
- Release Date
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1999 – 2007
- Network
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HBO
- Showrunner
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David Chase
- Directors
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Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García
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James Gandolfini
Tony Soprano
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Alongside The Wire, The Sopranos is the crime show most commonly referenced as television’s single greatest achievement in the field of screen drama. The small screen’s ultimate gangster story might draw artistic comparisons with the Godfather trilogy, but it’s funnier, more contemporary, and more realistic than its cinematic counterpart.
There’s probably a larger contingent of viewers who regard The Sopranos as TV’s best drama than there is for any other series. This show effectively marked the beginning of modern television as we know it today.
In reality, there are dozens of series which could be included in the conversation about the best small-screen release of all time. But these 10 TV shows are the ones everyone seems to agree on most of all.