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Criteria

The criteria for television shows is basically the same as for movies: the show in question must be of the highest quality in all facets of its production, and it must have had a significant impact on television, with respect either to the development of a form, or to the development of how TV is made.

10 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

1. M*A*S*H--This greatest of all shows ran for an astounding thirteen seasons, which is highly unusual for any show that is not a serial. M*A*S*H embraced every emotion possible, with many of the greatest episodes combining hilarity with deep, moving strength, and equally as moving sadness. The cast and crew were a close-knit family, so much so that they complimented each other with astounding success. The final episode--Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen--may be the single greatest episode of any show ever aired, with equal amounts of tragedy and comedy. M*A*SH is a rare show in that it understands this finest of all lines in drama, that between comedy and tragedy. The only sad thing about this show is that it was so good, the actors and crew so excellent, that they were forever marked for the rest of their careers. One cannot look at Alan Alda without thinking "There's Hawkeye." Or Jamie Farr without thinking, "Where's your dress, Max?" No show ever before did EVERYTHING well, nor since, but M*A*S*H did. It will likely never be equalled.
2. Star Trek--In all of its forms, this show comes the closest to achieving what M*A*S*H did. Humorous scenes were not plentiful, but when they appeared, they were pithy and very well done. Star Trek's drama was always top notch, as well, tackling many strident issues, such as cultural diversity, religion, and tolerance for all. Star Trek, in all of its forms, is now a cultural icon, and its values, despite the shoddy, cost effective production of the original series, were always progressive and solid. In fact, the shoddy production of the first series was largely due to NBC's low budget of this show, and they were forced to improvise on many things. Star Trek will endure because of its unique vision of the future, without atomic holocaust, without destruction of the human race, and without ceaseless war. Star Trek showed us that the future could be bright instead of gloomy, and boldly led us there.
3. The Twilight Zone--Rod Serling's disturbing vision of alternate realities was so far ahead of its time that it is still ominous today. It dabbled in surrealism, expressionism, impressionism, satire, and wry humor all at the same time. The humor inherent in surrealism was always evident, and the devastating satire always bit with a cold knife. O. Henry had nothing on Rod Serling. Serling's eerie monotone still chills viewers today, the same as it did 35 years ago when the Twilight Zone was still on its first run.
4. All in the Family--Seldom does a sitcom make such an impression, such a controversial presence, as to be an instant classic. Indeed, many sitcoms are dreary carbon copies of other sitcoms. Not All in the Family. Archie Bunker was rude, crass, bigoted, and stubborn. His wife was Jekyll to his Hyde. His daughter and son-in-law fleshed out opposite ends of Archie's personality, protectiveness for Gloria, and confrontation with "The Meathead." (alternately pinko, commie, and Michael). The show tackled tough issues in a tough time. Several episodes dealt with aspects of racism in America that have never been addressed in television since. The writing was always the best, and the humor plentiful. America loved to hate Archie, and loved to sympathize with Edith. The acting is so good you can almost imagine yourself in the house. But, for all the stereotypes that the show both reinforces and tears down, you can see goodness where there is badness, and humanity where there is only surreal ideas.
5. The Prisoner--This show is so eerie that it is not really accessible to many. Even Serling's Twilight Zone had some reference for its plots, but the Prisoner broke all kinds of barriers. It is one of a kind, neither drama nor comedy. It is a dark, bleak rendering of something, but the viewer is never told what that is. Patrick MacGoohan is marvelous as #6, an agent who resigns from the Agency (whatever that is), and is captured and put on an island somewhere. He is interrogated as to why he resigned, but he never tells "them," despite absolutely gargantuan effort on "their" behalf. The show is impossible to really explain, and simply must be seen to be appreciated, or believed.
6. Quincy, M.E./little House on the Prairie (tie)--These two shows defined excellence during the 1970's in their respective mileu, Crime Drama for Quincy, and Family Drama for Little House. Jack Klugman's gravel voiced coroner from Los Angeles is one of TV's all time great characters, as pithy as he is intelligent. The show tackled police work and medicine in a different way from any other show, and did it well. Quincy's writing was solid, the acting solid, and the stories always crackerjack. Little House embodied all the traditional values with style and quiet dignity. Frontier life met progressive ideals for a wonderful mix. We cared about the characters because they were so well defined. We cared about the story because it was well directed and acted. We cared about everything because it was wholesome but not as sickly sweet as the Waltons or Donna Reed. Little House suffers from the same problem as M*A*S*H: it is such an icon that the actors are forever branded as their characters.
7. Law and Order--As far as police procedural drama, and courtroom drama, go, there is no finer show. L.A. Law's cheap soap opera plots (despite excellent scripts) are avoided, and the nuts and bolts delivered with bareknuckle accuracy. Law and Order pulls no punches. It balances good detective work with crackling courtroom work to make a seamless statement. You believe in the characters because they are real, because despite the show's bare structure, the character development is uncanny. Even the cast members who come and go are painstakingly drawn, each as important as the next, and each different. Law and Order epitomizes BOTH aspects of Crime Drama.
8. Heroes--This spot used to be for ER, but the new NBC Drama Heroes has supplanted ER after only 17 episodes. The new show is masterful. Producer Tim Kring combines electric writing, expressionistic use of light and dark, unique and quirky editing, and wonderful, robust characters to form a phenomenon. This is easily the best show to hit television since Law and Order first rang the gavel in 1990. It is no cheesy superhero dog show; the characters are what is important, from Claire's indestructible cheerleader to Hiro's time-bending naif. All have their flaws and good traits, and all are remarkably fleshed out for such a large cast. Bravo to Tim Kring for this new, superb show.
9. The Cosby Show/Roseanne (tie)--These two sitcoms defined the 80's the way All in the Family defined the 70's. Tthey are equally good at what they do, which is at opposite ends of the spectrum. Cosby was all about affluence and how families wanted to be, while Roseanne was how most families actually were (not all families were affluent). Cosby's comedy was wry and subtle, while Roseanne's was more raw. We laughed at both because we could. The Cosby Show was also the first show that had a black family as an affluent member of society. Previous comedies that starred black casts had the players as ghetto dwellers (Good Times), or at best, middle class (The Jeffersons). Never before had a black family occupied such a high position in American television culture. Roseanne did exactly the opposite: it showed a working class white family struggling with their lives, and how to make ends meet, which is what made All in the Family different, as well.
10. The Honeymooners/The Dick van Dyke Show (tie)--These two shows formed the nucleus upon which all great comedies ever since were based. How many today have the main character with his funny sidekick? Ralph and Ed were the originals. The Honeymooners always had a minimal budget, even with Jackie Gleason as the star, so the sets were never that important. Therefore, you concentrated on what went on IN the sets. I Love Lucy was the same way, but the Honeymooners was first, and Lucy borrowed themes from this classic show. The Dick van Dyke Show assembled the best and brightest from Hollywood to make itself. The shows were never less than the best, and although the show broke no new ground, it FORMED the ground there was to be broken later. The show was racy for its time, with a sexy Mary Tyler Moore sporting slacks on her well rounded figure. The show was madcap at times, and serious at times, but there was always a laugh in the wings, waiting to happen.

Honorable Mention--I Love Lucy, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Lost in Space, Doctor Who, and Friends.

10 Worst Shows of All Time Criteria The same criteria as for the Great Shows, only in reverse

1. The Power Rangers--Vile and disgusting for every reason that the movie was. It encourages mindless conformity. It stimulates no thought on the part of the viewer, adult or child. It teaches violence is on the side of right. Simply put, I would need another 10 Meg of space to list all of its faults. Suffice it to say that it has no redeeming features whatsoever.
2. Married, With Children--This stupid, tasteless collection of chauvinistic nonsense shows that the calibre of taste in the US has dropped as of late, given the fact that this appallingly bad show has aired for seven years. The writing is silly, the characters plastic and unlikable, and the plots thin. Adolescent males will drool over how the women are portrayed, but that is the only point for which the show can be recommended.
3. In Living Color--This show does nothing more but reinforce American stereotypes about blacks. It portrays them as having little or no taste, grammatical skills, or I.Q. This is, of course, not the case with members of any race, as a whole, but In Living Color seems to want to appeal to the lowest common denominator by making its production into little more than a glorified minstrel show.
4. Beavis and Butthead--This cartoon appeals to the lowest common denominator, as well. It reinforces stereotypes about rebellious youth in America, and seems to try to indicate that being unintelligent and crass is cool for some strange reason. American youth is, on the whole, nothing like Beavis and Butthead (thank GOD). In fact, I don't think anyone would want to be associated with the repellant characters of this show.

There are only four shows on the terrible show list because most shows have SOME redeeming feature, something that can save it from being included in this list. As soon as I experience more shows that I feel bear inclusion in this list, I shall post them. These four are the only ones I know of at this point that have no redeeming features whatsoever.